Eating Around the World in Mumbai

In Mumbai, there are a growing number of restaurants that serve cuisines from all over the world. Many of these restaurants Indianized their cuisines to suit the Indian palate (heavier spices), which is understandable since there aren’t many expats in Mumbai to cater to. Fortunately for me, I have discovered restaurants that stay relatively true to the authentic flavors of the international cuisines.

Mexican Food

I don’t really see Mexican restaurants in Mumbai, which is expected because Mexico is on the other side of the world. I’ve been to multi cuisine restaurants that serve nachos, but the nachos would either taste like Indian food (which isn’t bad actually) or just subpar (doesn’t taste Indianized or good). Luckily I came across Sancho’s last month, which serves Mexican food and Tex-Mex. The owner of Sancho’s is an Indian who used to be a cook on a cruise liner that traveled all the time to Mexico. Sancho’s claims that many of the ingredients have been imported from Mexico to preserve the authentic Mexican flavors.

The first dish we ordered was fiesta nachos (yellow corn tortilla chips, refried beans, cheese sauce, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, olives, and jalapenos):

These fiesta nachos are aptly named because they were a party in my mouth. I especially liked the crispness of the tortilla chips.

Priam ordered a Brazilian tenderloin burrito with refried beans, Mexican rice, pico de gallo, and sour cream:

I thought that it tasted so-so; the Brazilian tenderloin wasn’t as tasty as the beef burritos I’ve had in the US.

In other news, four days ago the government of Maharashtra banned the sale or possession of beef; those who are caught can be jailed for five years and fined 10,000 rupees (about 160 US dollars): http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/beef-banned-in-maharashtra-5-yrs-jail-rs10000-fine-for-possession-or-sale/

This means that these international restaurants would no longer have access to beef.

I initially asked for the chocolate mole chicken, but the waiter persuaded me not to get it because it is too sweet. This was surprising to me because from my previous experiences in the US, chocolate mole chicken has an earthy smoky flavor that isn’t sweet. The waiter advised me to get the green mole chicken instead, which contained roasted pumpkin seed, green tomatoes, green chilies, coriander, onion, garlic, and oregano:

Unfortunately this dish was a bit on the bland side.

For dessert, we ordered cajeta flan with milk caramel sauce:

While the taste and texture of the flan wasn’t what I was expecting (I expected it creamy pale yellow with browned caramelized sugar on top), it was still good in its own right. I prefer the flans in the US though. I have never seen whipped cream paired with flan before, but in this case they complemented each other well.

Overall, I would eat at Sancho’s again because the nachos alone are good enough for me to revisit.

French Food

I found my ultimate favorite dessert crepe place in Mumbai, and the name of this cafe is Suzette. It’s actually the only place I know of that makes crepes, so I’m happy that they do a good job. I think the owner is French because when I asked a question that the Indian employees couldn’t answer, they called over a French guy to talk to me. This cafe is across the street from a gym that I joined in January, so I’ve eaten here three times already.

This was my Nutella, strawberry, and banana crepe:

The texture and flavor of the crepe was incredibly good, and I’ve always been a big fan of Nutella, strawberries, and bananas.

This was the homemade salted butter caramel I took home:

I love salted caramel and butter, so needless to say I found this delicious. The texture was also perfect (I think that the French really nailed down the art of making perfectly textured desserts). While the instructions on the label said to consume the salted caramel within 30 days once opened, the French guy explained that the French actually can keep it for up to a year. He decided on this conservative expiration date because of the humid hot weather in Mumbai and just in case the salted caramel is stored improperly.

The savory items I tried at Suzette weren’t as great as the dessert crepes, but they were good nevertheless.

I had a mushroom and mascarpone cheese crepe:

I’m not a fan of this buckwheat crepe because it tasted like diet food (perhaps to cater to the gym goers across the street). The texture and flavor of the buckwheat crepe were not as appealing as the dessert crepe, and the mushrooms and mascarpone cheese were bland.

The buckwheat crepe came with a side of salad (I picked the orange salad):

I had expected the salad to contain lettuce with some orange ingredients, not to be 100% orange. Nevertheless, the carrots and oranges were very refreshing and tangy.

I’ve tried two of Suzette’s entree sized salads, both of which I liked better than the buckwheat crepe but not as much as the dessert crepe. The salads were great because Suzette didn’t skimp on all the good stuff (I don’t like salads that consist mostly of lettuce and hardly anything else).

This was my grilled chicken salad with roquette, pan-seared potatoes, cheddar, boiled eggs, and mustard dressing:

This was my spicy salmon Thai salad with chili powder, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, and fresh Thai herbs in a lime, ginger, and sesame oil dressing:

Soon after I placed my order, I doubted my decision because I realized I had just ordered Thai food at a French restaurant in India. While the Thai salad predictably didn’t taste Thai at all, I was still happy with my salad because of the abundant salmon in it. I couldn’t taste the lime, ginger, or sesame oil dressing because the soy sauce was incredibly overpowering:

It’s been a long time since I’ve had soy sauce, so I was fine with this. This dish was probably made according to French tastes because despite being named spicy Thai salad, it was not spicy at all.

Suzette offers smoothies for the health-conscious:

This smoothie contained kale, apple, pineapple, cucumber, ginger, and mint, and it tasted like your typical healthy green smoothie in the US.

This smoothie consisted of pomegranate, pineapple, and lime, and it’s not bad either:

The 100% Arabica expresso next to it was very bitter, just the way I like it.

Pizza

I’ve had Domino’s pizza in Mumbai, and it tasted just as unspectacular as Domino’s in the US, the difference being that they offer typical Indian toppings like paneer and corn. I decided to try out two more pizza joints: Di Napoli and Pizza Express.

At Di Napoli, we first ordered the watermelon feta appetizer:

Because I’ve had better watermelon feta in Mumbai, I felt that the execution of this dish could have been better. The watermelon and feta chunks were too big and separate from each other, so they did not blend together as well as they should.

We also had mozzarella cheese balls wrapped in prosciutto with grilled artichokes and cherry tomatoes:

This dish was pretty good (I also really like prosciutto and mozzarella cheese).

Di Napoli claims to have the best hand-tossed Italian pizza in Mumbai, but unfortunately the pizza was a let-down:

Although the name of this pizza was Salame Piccante (imported spicy chorizo, onion, arugula, mozzarella), it really should be renamed as Salad Pizza because I felt like I was eating a salad and a pizza at the same time. Perhaps Di Napoli is trying to cater to the health-conscious crowd, but if that’s the case, I’d just order a salad. The arugula sitting on top of the pizza didn’t blend with the other ingredients at all, and eating a slice was very awkward because the arugula tend to fall off with every bite. Even worse, there was hardly any chorizo on the pizza. I love chorizo, and unfortunately I could barely taste it on this pizza.

Pizza Express overall was much better. They also claim to serve the best Italian pizzas, although they originally started in England. Since I went with a large group, I was able to sample three pizzas and a dough ball appetizer.

This was the dough ball appetizer:

The dough balls (bread) were nice and soft, but the highlight was the garlic butter. I love garlic, and the butter was very garlicky.

My most favorite pizza was the American pizza (pepperoni and mozzarella):

I’m not saying this because I am an American; I really did think that the flavors were spot on and the texture just right. In fact, I initially didn’t want to order this pizza because the ingredients seemed too few and boring, but I’m glad Priam ordered it. I’d come back to Pizza Express just for this pizza.

The other two pizzas were okay:

Etna (spicy sausage, jalapeno peppers, speck ham, emilgrana cheese) – This pizza was the second best of the three. The base was a little too thin and crispy for my taste and the flavors were not as appealing as the pepperoni and mozzarella, but overall it’s not bad.

La Reine (ham, mozzarella, olives, button mushrooms) – The flavors of this pizza were alright. I wouldn’t reorder this one.

Pan-Asian Food (other than Indian)

There are many pan-Asian cuisine restaurants in Mumbai, but so far I have found most of them not that great (jack of all trades, master of none). However, there is one pan-Asian restaurant that I really like: Busaba. I like Busaba because literally everything I have tried there were bursting with great flavors. I don’t know if the food is necessarily authentic, but it is tasty for sure. On the weekdays, Busaba has an unlimited lunch menu that differs from day to day at a relatively reasonable price (700 rupees, or about 11 US dollars). I decided to go on a Thursday when there was a holiday. The unlimited lunch menu is like a cross between an a la carte menu and a buffet; you pay a set price for an unlimited amount of food, but you can’t physically see the food ahead of time.

The first dish was salt and pepper prawns with onion, garlic, and chili:

The second dish was juicy Tibetan chicken dumplings with red chili sauce:

The third dish was sushi with asparagus and pickled vegetables:

I didn’t expect to like this dish because it didn’t have any seafood and looked like it had too much rice, but surprisingly it was very flavorful and delicious.

The fourth dish was basically Asian flavored french fries with chili and scallions, and it was perfectly crispy and way better than regular french fries:

The fifth dish was Korean sweet potato noodles with spinach, carrots, red peppers, and sesame:

The sixth dish was Indonesian stir-fried vegetables with peanut sauce, onions, and tofu:

The seventh dish was sauteed vegetables with black bean, chili, and ginger:

Needless to say, I was stuffed by this point. The host had even tried to accommodate me by instructing the cooks to cook only half the usual portions, but my stomach is not -that- big. Consequently, when the waiter told me that the main courses were yet to come, I considered calling it quits. However, I was curious about the rest of the food, so I continued eating.

Entree clockwise from the bottom left: Vietnamese sizzling fish (coconut juice, tamarind, onions), rice, yellow Thai coconut curry with chicken and basil, vegetable tossed noodles, and Cambodian curry (potato, shallots, baby corn, lemongrass).

I would like to go to Busaba again on a different weekday so that I can sample other dishes, and preferably with at least one other person so that I do not feel uncomfortably stuffed for the rest of the day.

Winner Winner Seafood Dinner

After our college festival Alegria was over, Priam’s mother suggested Mahesh Lunch Home for dinner. I had heard about this restaurant because more than a year ago, a teacher insisted that I eat at Mahesh Lunch Home in Juhu. We went to the branch in Vashi because we were already in Navi Mumbai, and the food was delicious with a capital D. Mahesh Lunch Home serves traditional Mangalorean cuisine, which combines two of my most favorite foods: coconut and seafood.

The ambience of Mahesh Lunch Home is typical of many high-end restaurants in Mumbai that serve exclusively Indian food. I really like the color combination of dark brown and ivory, sometimes with gold accents thrown in for added warmth.

Priam’s parents have been to this restaurant before, so they already had in mind what they wanted. They asked me what dish I’d like to order from the very extensive menu, so after looking through many terms that I have never heard of, I chose the clams sukka (clams marinated in handground Mangalorean spices, masala and cooked with coconut dry gravy). There were chicken, mutton, and vegetables on the menu as well, but since Mahesh Lunch Home is famous for its seafood, we didn’t order any of these items. Luckily for me, I was able to try many dishes because typically Indian food is eaten family style.

The first dish to arrive at our table was the clams sukka:

The flavors of this clam dish reminded me of home-cooked food in Kerala, which I love (Priam’s dad grew up in Kerala). The mixture of the coconut and spices really complemented the clams. When I told Priam’s dad that the clams made me think of Kerala, he said that Kerala and Karnataka (where Mangalorean food originated) are both South Indian states with a coastline, which is why they have similar-tasting cuisines.

Next came the crispy garlic chili fried lobster:

This lobster was very crispy, not too spicy, and had a great flavor. The excess garlic pieces served onto my plate were a tad bit too salty, so I didn’t eat them.

Priam’s parents had ordered two lobsters, so when I was still finishing up the first lobster, the second one was brought to the table:

This butter pepper garlic lobster had a great flavor as well, but because it wasn’t fried, I could tell that it was not as tender and juicy as it should be. Overall though this dish was tasty, and after all the lobster pieces were gone, I really enjoyed eating the leftover garlic and butter.

The next dish served was the char mullah prawns:

This dish consisted of tiger prawns cooked with a type of masala from Lucknow (the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, a North Indian state). The prawns were huge and the flavors spot on.

Our next dish was pomfret gassi curry (a type of fish cooked in authentic Mangalorean style with coconut gravy):

While I really like coconut, somehow I found the flavor of this dish strictly average. This fish was paired with neer (water) dosa, a very light and soft thin crepe made from rice batter (pictured on the left).

The second fish we had was rawas mallipuram:

In my opinion, the rawas mallipuram blew the pomfret gassi out of the water (pun intended). The rawas (Indian salmon) was more tender than the pomfret and the curry was subtly sweet, creamy, and just plain delicious. In fact, the rawas mallipuram was my most favorite dish that night. It went really well with the neer dosa.

Although I was beyond stuffed after all the seafood, I couldn’t turn down dessert when I heard that it involved tender coconuts. My dessert was called tender coconut payasam:

The dessert tasted like pieces of coconut in diluted condensed milk. While the coconut was good, I’ve had younger (softer) and better coconut in the past. The coconut and sweet milk complemented each other well, but once I finished the coconut, I did not finish the liquid because I found it too sweet.

For people who may not like seafood because they find it too fishy, I think they can start with Mahesh Lunch Home because all the spices and flavors cover up any hint of fishiness. The hospitality was awesome to boot. The only drawback? All the richness of my meal turned my tummy topsy-turvy for the rest of that evening. I suspect the cream in both of the fish dishes to be the culprit. I’d eat at Mahesh Lunch Home again in a heartbeat though, just in smaller quantities.

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Mahesh Lunch Home

Vashi › Platinum Techno Park, Sector 30A, Vashi, Navi Mumbai

+91 9664544441

Eating a Full Meal for $1.29

Usually when I go for cheap fresh Indian food, I go with another Indian person. There are several reasons for this:

1) My Hindi-speaking skills are still terrible, and it seems like at these fast food places, you have to know Hindi. I do know the names of many Mumbai snacks at this point and could probably point at things if I wanted to, but still I feel more comfortable having a Hindi-speaking friend order things for me.

2) The fast food places I’ve been to so far are located in areas where the locals don’t usually see foreigners, so I get more stares than I’m used to. Somehow having at least one person I know with me makes the experience good.

3) Cheap Indian food can be found everywhere in Mumbai. Not all of them are hygienic, so having a friend lead the way is helpful. These types of places most likely aren’t mentioned on the Internet.

Last week, I went to a fast food joint called Bikaner in Vashi (Vashi is located in Navi Mumbai). It looks like every other fast food Indian place I’ve been to:

You know that it’s catered to locals when the menu is written only in Hindi:

As of today, one US dollar is equal to 62 rupees, so you can see above that no item costs more than one US dollar. This is typical of these types of joints. If you get street food (literally an open-air little metal cart on a street), I believe the costs can be even lower.

My family physician ordered a chole bhature and a dahi vada for me. Chole means “chickpeas” and bhature is fried bread made of maida flour; dahi means “yogurt” and vada is a ball of deep-fried black lentils.

The preparation of the chole bhature was interesting. The cook already had a lot of dough balls rolled up and ready to go on a counter. Whenever an order is placed, he just needs to take a dough ball, flatten it out like a pancake with the palm of his hands, and dunk it in a vat full of boiling oil. Tons of little bubbles fizzle on the flattened dough until it pops out into a huge puffy bhature. Here is a picture of the cook pouring more oil onto the bhature to get it to puff out more:

You can see the little dough balls in the top right corner.

Once the bhature was finished, the cook put it on a metal plate along with the chole (chickpea curry), raw onions, and pickled chutney (in red on the left):

Since this joint had no tables, I sat on a ledge along with the other locals. It was my first time eating chole bhature; previously, I’ve eaten chickpea curries with chapatis (Indian flatbread) in my schools, but unfortunately neither the chickpea curries nor the chapatis were tasty. This chole bhature was different; the chole was so much more flavorful and spicy (I almost couldn’t handle the spice, but overall I still liked it because of the superior flavor), and the bhature’s texture and flavor were surprisingly really good. I mention surprising because even though this bhature was dunked in so much oil, it managed to not taste oily. In fact, it tasted very fresh, and the warmth from it being recently fried complemented and mitigated the spice from the chole. Chole bhature is a finger food, so I first put the raw onions in the chickpea curry before ripping up pieces of bhature to scoop up the mixture.

After I finished the chole bhature, I was given the dahi vada:

Unlike the chole bhature, the dahi vada was sitting behind a glass counter, and it was served cold. I’ve had a dahi vada before, so I knew already that I’d like this dish. Basically I like most of the Mumbai street snacks that have sweet yogurt in it. The two vadas had absorbed the sweet yogurt and spices quite well so that they were soft and spongy. I didn’t drink the leftover sweet yogurt because without the vadas, I found it too sweet.

Basically if you want tasty Indian food and could care less about ambience, I’d recommend going to these places. The chole bhature was 30 rupees (US 48 cents) and the dahi vada was 50 rupees (US 81 cents), so it’s quite pocket-friendly. These prices seem pretty typical for this type of joint. Just make sure to go with someone who knows where to go. A friend had informed me that there are many places in Mumbai that are unauthorized, although when I asked him how to figure out if a place is authorized, all he said was, “You can just tell”. Ultimately, the best advice I’ve gotten was to pick a place with a huge crowd because with a fast turnover rate, there is less chance of bacteria growing on food sitting around for too long.

Cute Cafes and Bustling Bakeries

Mumbai has many cute continental cafes and bakeries. These eateries (including The Pantry) are known for their brunches and/or pastries, so I went for lunch on the weekends during the festive holiday season.

In Bandra, there is a little cafe called Fat Mans Cafe (no apostrophe after “Man”):

There are kitschy cartoons of fat men on the wall:

Kitschy fat man quotes on another wall:

It was a few days after Christmas, so I ordered a seafood stuffed rolled pasta from the Christmas menu. I also ordered a Nutella coffee shake.

While waiting for my food and drink, I looked at my surroundings in more detail. In doing so, I noticed on a little chalkboard that Fat Mans Cafe was offering a fresh strawberry milkshake as its Christmas special (it was not listed in the Christmas menu). I asked if I could change my drink, but the waiter said that the Nutella coffee shake had already been made for me. Initially I felt disappointed, but as soon as I tasted my drink, I was really glad that the order couldn’t be changed. This Nutella coffee shake was just perfect – great texture and not too sweet. I tried not to drink too much before my food came out, but ended up finishing half of it by the time the pasta arrived (normally I try to reserve my last bite/sip for my most favorite food item so that its flavor would remain on my tongue after my meal is over).

The seafood stuffed rolled pasta was really good too; the pasta was very generously stuffed and the flavor of the sauce was delicious. I’d make this dish part of the regular menu if I were the owner of Fat Mans Cafe.

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On another weekend morning, I visited Bandra again to try out The Birdsong Organic Cafe. This cafe has rustic charm:

I first ordered a cup of hot chocolate:

This hot chocolate was excellent; it was very thick and full of flavor. At the end of the drink, I left behind the milk skin that was sitting on top of the hot chocolate.

I then ordered honey mustard chicken served on a bed of mashed potatoes and vegetables:

The honey mustard flavor was delicious, and the textures of the chicken, vegetables, and mashed potatoes were just right. However, the portion size was small; I would have preferred four or five pieces of chicken instead of three, more vegetables, and less mashed potatoes (generally I feel that mashed potatoes are just fillers).

I get a 15% discount for Organic Birdsong Cafe from my Coup card, so overall that makes this place worth a repeat visit.

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In downtown Mumbai, there is a relatively new cafe that opened up in November called The Nutcracker:

This is an eggetarian cafe (vegetarian + egg), and it is incredibly popular. Normally when I go for lunch at noon, restaurants are empty. At The Nutcracker however, I had to wait for half an hour. Granted the cafe is small and probably seats only 20-25 people, but still, waiting around noontime in Mumbai is a new experience for me. After I finally got a table, I took a look at my Christmassy surroundings:

There were interesting books behind where I sat, including E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Nutcracker. I skimmed through the book while sipping on a mint lemonade:

The mint lemonade tasted okay (I got it because it had great reviews on Zomato). It is good to order if you want a healthy-tasting drink.

I had ordered a warm Lebanese sandwich (crisp warm falafel, fresh salad, and pickles topped with garlic mayo and a spicy harissa):

This sandwich was good, but not great. Just when I started eating, the waiter asked me if I mind sharing my table with other customers. I said that I didn’t mind, so I ended up listening to other people’s conversations. One person told the other that she had been to The Nutcracker three times already, that the food is incredible, and that the black bean burger is the best. Immediately I couldn’t help regretting ordering the Lebanese sandwich. At one point, one of the girls called over the manager and said, “There is too much of sauce on the salad, it’s very pungent. I’m sorry but I cannot eat it.” The manager apologized and asked, “Is the burger okay?” The girl said, “Haan it is yum, no issues.”

I finished my meal with the seven layer cookie, which also had rave reviews on Zomato:

The seven layer cookie dessert consisted of biscuit crumble, gooey Belgian chocolate, butterscotch, and almonds served warm with vanilla ice cream. While this dessert looked good, I felt that I would have been better off sharing it with someone; I was tired of eating it halfway through because it became too sweet.

Overall, I felt that The Nutcracker is overhyped, or perhaps I didn’t order the right items. I may consider another visit to try the black bean burger.

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I used to go to Theobroma in Powai at least twice a week to buy a brownie or some other goodie after school in Gorai. The only reason why I stopped going regularly is because I don’t think regular visits would be good for my health in the long run. Normally I don’t go out of my way to buy sweets, but Theobroma’s offerings (both sweet and savory) are really good. Specifically, I like the different variety of brownies, banoffee pies (English pies made from bananas, cream, and toffee), dense chocolate cakes, and butties (fries, garlic mayo, cheese, and your choice of bacon, egg, or chicken stuffed in between toasted burger buns). I was informed that the owner of Theobroma used to work as a pastry chef for Oberoi (a luxury hotel chain throughout India), but then she decided to branch out and open up Theobroma (literally means “food of the gods”).

A few days before Christmas, I decided to eat at Theobroma’s in the downtown Mumbai location. Most people (including me) do takeout due to slow service and limited seating, but this time I decided to eat on the premises. Theobroma’s in Mumbai was very busy and crowded, making my experience less than peaceful:

I wanted to try something new, so I ordered a Parsi Akoori (spicy scrambled eggs cooked with garlic, spices, fresh herbs, and (when available) green mango) and a fruit & oat lassi (banana, apple, yogurt, oats, and apple juice). To my disappointment, the waiter told me that green mango was not available, but I went ahead with the Parsi Akoori anyway. The Parsi Akoori came out before my fruit & oat lassi did:

The Parsi Akoori tasted like a healthier version of egg bhurji sold on the streets, except I actually prefer the spicier, greasier, unhealthy street version. I looked at my nearest neighbor’s frittata and had temporary food envy.

My fruit & oat lassi tasted okay too:

It’s not bad, but it tasted like something I can make myself.

I also bought a Christmas cake (left) and a German stollen (right):

I didn’t really like either of them; the Christmas cake tasted like Indian fruit cake with rum, while the German stollen was not memorable.

I’ll continue to try new things at Theobroma, although now I know not everything there tastes great.

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There’s a small bakery in Bandra called The American Express Bakery, and unlike all the other places I have mentioned so far, this place has no seating. Generally I prefer Theobroma over this bakery, but whenever I feel like spending less money for continental baked goodies, I go to The American Express Bakery. On my last visit, I purchased a lemon flan, a spicy mutton sandwich, and two macaroons:

I have had the lemon flan before, so I knew that it would be good. It has a hint of lemon flavor and mostly tastes similar to regular flan, which I like. The spicy mutton sandwich was very spicy and flavorful. It could be improved with better tasting buns, but for the price it’s what I expected. The macaroons did not taste like macaroons at all, but they were decent in their own right. One flavor was chocolate, and I don’t remember the other flavor. I probably wouldn’t repurchase them considering that there are many other options in this bakery.

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Fat Mans Cafe

Address: Shop No. 9, ONGC Building No. 3, Kosamba, ONGC Colony, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050

Phone: 022 2640 2055

Birdsong Organic Cafe

Address: Shop No. 1-5, Jenu-Jenai, Off. Hill Road, Waroda Road, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050

Phone: 022 2642 2323

The Nutcracker

Address: Modern House, Dr. V.B. Gandhi Marg, Opposite One Forbes Building, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai

Phone: 022 2284 2430

Theobroma

Address: Shop 24, Cusrow Baug, Colaba Causeway, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400005

Phone: 022 2288 0101

The American Express Bakery

Address: Villa Sushma, Hill Road, Ranwar, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050

Phone: 022 2641 5769

New Year’s in Goa

I went to Goa for the last few days of 2014. It’s not my first time; I’ve been to Goa several times before because Priam’s mother has an ancestral home there. Each time I go, I really look forward to eating Goan food. Goan dishes involve a huge variety of seafood, many which are fried or prepared as curries. Goa used to be a Portuguese colony, so there is also a heavy Portuguese influence on Goan cuisine.

On our arrival, we ate dinner at home:

Pictured below are fried prawns and pomfret (a type of fish):

I’ve had fried prawns and pomfret in Mumbai too, but they are not as big or juicy as the ones in Goa.

Goan sausages (with potatoes and onions) taste very similar to chorizo:

Fish curry is a staple of Goan food:

I love Goan coconut curry of any kind (e.g., vegetarian, fish, shrimp, clams).

Goan bread called poee are nice and crusty on the outside, soft on the inside:

Poee has a lot of fiber and goes really well with curries and Goan sausages.

Pictured below was dinner on a different night at home:

The lobsters were very meaty, and the stuffed squids were incredibly delicious.

My Goan breakfasts typically look like this:

The plate below contained a variety of Christmas sweets that are common in Goa:

While I really like the colors of the food, I only liked eating the Goan crispy pastries called karanjis on the right. Karanjis are stuffed with dry coconut, chopped nuts, and sugar.

I like the traditional Goan desserts below even more:

In my opinion, dodol (dark brown sweet) is one of the best tasting Indian desserts, followed closely by bebinca (layered caramel-colored pudding). Dodol is made with coconut milk, coconut jaggery, and rice flour; it has a unique flavor that I can’t describe. Bebinca is made with coconut milk, sugar, flour, ghee, and egg yolk.

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For one of my lunches in North Goa, I visited a bungalow-turned-restaurant called Villa Blanche Bistro:

In North Goa, there are many bungalows that have been turned into restaurants, concept stores, and bookstores. These bungalow-turned-businesses generally have more character and charm than stores in boxy buildings.

The seating area was open air, which is quite common in Goa:

The food tasted very healthy (in a good way):

This dish was part of the daily special menu, and it consisted of a red snapper in mustard marination with soba noodles and cucumber towers.

Priam also ordered a cream cheese bagel with prosciutto and tomato:

The combination was pretty good, although I could make this myself.

The mushroom, eggplant, and goat cheese quiche was also on the special menu, and it tasted good but not the best I’ve had:

We tried the homemade baileys ice cream:

This ice cream also tasted good but not special.

Overall I liked the ambience of Villa Blanche Bistro, and it is supposedly famous for its Sunday brunch buffet so I’ll return to try that someday.

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Goa’s beaches are lined with shacks, and I have read that La Plage on Ashwem Beach is the most chic shack in Goa. We went to check it out:

Since we arrived around 4 pm (not lunch or dinner hours), La Plage was offering only drinks and desserts:

The drinks tasted okay. I had a pina colada, while I don’t remember what Priam had. The desserts were good but not mind-blowing:

These desserts were some sort of ice cream and a twist on creme brulee (the classic creme brulee tastes better).

Based on good reviews of La Plage online, perhaps the savory food is better than the drinks and desserts. I liked the ambience – very relaxing despite a curious little toddler constantly walking over to look at me and touch my leg.

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On one of the days, I headed to Panjim (Goa’s capital). By chance, I stumbled across a nice restaurant on a very narrow street:

I like the designs and colors for the restaurant’s signage:

In India, Indians call restaurants “hotels”. Therefore, Hotel Venite is a place to eat, not a place to sleep for the night.

I was given outdoor seating which could not fit more than two people:

I think only thin people can sit comfortably in those spots, but I really liked my views:

The artwork in the indoor dining room had warli (pronounced as “varli”) art along its walls:

Warli art is Indian tribal art. It is very distinctive in that the scenes are always drawn in white and human and animal bodies are drawn as two triangles joined at the tip.

I ate a baked stuffed mud crab from the daily special menu:

The stuffed crab tasted like crab cakes except better because I can taste more of the crab. The sides tasted ordinary. The menu for Hotel Venite is quite extensive, so I think it’s worth a repeat visit to check out other items.

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In a quest to buy supposedly the best cashews in the world, I went to Zantye’s in Panjim:

I enlisted the help of a family friend to cut through the huge crowd of customers. Although he is not a big guy by any means, he was able to get to the front easily (there was no line and I still haven’t mastered the art of preventing people from cutting in front of me).

The cashews with the skins still attached really are the best cashews I’ve ever had. They were incredibly crunchy (didn’t know they could be that crunchy), and the skin gave the usual cashew flavors new dimensions. Once in a while, I chewed on a cashew that tasted “earthy”.

The cashews without skins were not remarkable. There were masala cashews available too, but I didn’t buy them. I’ll purchase the cashews with skins every time I visit Goa from now on.

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To get to Curlie’s, a famous shack on Anjuna Beach known for its hippie past, we had to walk through Anjuna Market:

There were many direction posts for Curlie’s, so it was easy to find.

While the view of the beach and ambience was great, the service was incredibly slow.

This drink was good, but I don’t remember what’s in it.

This was basically an Indianized Chinese egg roll, and it tasted okay.

This calamari was okay too.

The combination of nutella and naan didn’t look very appealing, but actually it tasted good. Now that I have seen it, I can make this dish myself.

After Curlie’s, we walked along Anjuna Beach past many shacks, some amazingly held up by only a couple large sticks:

We didn’t have a full meal at Curlies, so we stopped by a random shack to eat some more:

My falafels were hard and dry, but otherwise my dish overall was okay:

I’d come back to Anjuna Beach just for its ambience.

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On New Year’s Eve, we celebrated on Baga Beach:

The fireworks were so close to me that I’m sure it’d be illegal in the US. At the same time, it’s the proximity to the fireworks that made the whole experience awesome.

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Villa Blanche Bistro

Address: 283, Badem Church Road, Socol Vaddo, Assagao, Goa 403507
Phone: 0832 226 8196

La Plage

Address: Mandrem, Goa 403516

Phone: 098221 21712

Hotel Venite

Address: Rua 31 de Janeiro, Patto Colony, Panjim, Goa 403001

Phone: 0832 242 5537

Zantye’s Cashew Nuts

Address: 18th June Rd, Samrat Ashok Theatre, Panaji, Goa

Phone: 0832 222 4152

Curlie’s Shack

Address: Near Flea Market, Montero Waddo, Anjuna, Goa 403509

Phone: 098221 68628

Sea Bird Shack

Address: Near Flea Market, Montero Waddo, Anjuna, Goa 403509

Food tour with my friend in Mumbai

To my excitement, my friend Xin from college visited me last month here in Mumbai. Since she takes great photos with a manual camera while I just press a button on my point-and-shoot, I’ve decided to use mostly her photos for this entry (with her permission of course). 😛 Whenever we have guests, special delicious food is provided at Priam’s parents’ apartment. Below is the breakfast we were given (obviously more than enough for two people):

This South Indian spread consisted of dosas (thin white soft pancakes with a slightly tart taste), idlis (soft fluffy white savory cakes), and vadas (deep-fried savory donuts), which can all be paired with various curries. The omelettes, bread, and butter can be eaten together as well.

I had read online that both Soam and Swati Snacks serve popular Mumbai street food in hygienic conditions; I opted to take Xin to Soam for a pure vegetarian lunch. The first thing that I found interesting was that the placemats were made from leaves:

Later after showing my photos to a teacher in school, I learned that these leaves came from a Peepal (sacred fig) tree, and Peepal is considered holy among Hindus.

I ordered a guava panha while Xin ordered a mango lassi:

I did not like my drink because while I normally like guava, the salt, pepper, and spices mixed into it made it taste really strange (I suppose it’s an acquired taste). Xin seemed to like her lassi.

While there was a good variety of Mumbai street food options on Soam’s menu, ultimately we ordered Gujarati food because the descriptions sounded more appealing. For example, “shrikhand puri & batata nu shaak” is described as “the weakness of any Gujarati; saffron kissed sweetened yoghurt is balanced by a savoury, subtly spiced potato preparation and golden puris fresh out of the frying pan.” This dish did live up to its claim:

I ate the potatoes, sweet yogurt, and puri (Indian bread) in different combinations (potatoes + puri, potatoes + sweet yogurt + puri, sweet yogurt + puri). Xin liked this dish too and said that it made a great dessert so she doesn’t need dessert afterwards. The potatoes tasted like high quality potatoes (the texture was great, similar to fingerling potatoes), and they were spiced just right. I couldn’t really make out the saffron in the sweet yogurt, but it was still good nevertheless in small quantities (in bigger quantities it’s a bit too sweet).

The second dish we ordered was bajra methi dhebra (millet flour with fenugreek leaves and fried, served with yoghurt):

The yogurt was tart and paired nicely with the Indian flatbread, which tasted healthy in an appealing way (it had a great texture from all the sesame seeds and other ingredients embedded into it).

For dinner, we went to a cute little cafe in the Kala Ghoda district called The Pantry:

 

I had taken a school staff member to The Pantry before, and it made her nostalgic because it reminded her of her beloved boarding school (specifically the designs of the tables, chairs, and electrical outlets).

First, I ordered the winter special thandai (traditionally made with nuts, seeds, saffron, sugar, and cold milk, although this was The Pantry’s own take on it):

I’m not sure what the dark brown stuff in my drink was, but whatever it was, it was sweet and delicious. In fact, my whole drink tasted delicious. I haven’t had a drink like this before.

We shared a mushroom and edamame pie with white sesame rub (sorry no picture provided) and a Champion (roasted chicken breast, mum’s mayonnaise, arugula, country loaf):

The combination of mushroom with edamame tasted strange to both of us; it was a little bitter. The chicken sandwich tasted great, which was what I expected from my last visit. The tomato and mustard sauces on the side went really well with the sandwich.

For dessert, we ordered “grandma’s winter berry torte” (not pictured). I remember it being good but can’t remember the details of how it tasted, so basically it’s not that memorable.

On the second day, I took Xin to The Yoga House (click here for my description in a previous post) because I find it eye-appealing and serene:

Since we were pressed for time due to a massage appointment, we just ordered drinks:

Xin said that her drink tasted very good and healthy, which is what I expect from a drink that is green. I think she had “The Pure: lemongrass, cardamom, lime, and black pepper”, although it could have also been “The Detox: cucumber, cabbage, celery, and lime”. I had a frappe with jaggery and milk, which tasted like an average frappe.

For our last meal together, we went to Candies, a hugely popular mixed cuisine restaurant in Bandra with a Goan ambience (Portuguese tiles, hanging potted plants, and garden outdoor seating):

Typically Priam’s mother sends the main caretaker of her apartment to get takeout from Candies, so I was already aware that almost everything from Candies is delicious. However, eating on the rooftop was a completely different experience, and I was really glad to be able to share it with Xin. She seemed most impressed with how Candies is able to keep their costs low without compromising on food quality or ambience. Their website states that they’ve been in business for 25 years, and I can easily see why.

Xin found the minions and one angry bird with a Santa hat picture-worthy:

This was our meal:

We ate macaroni, popcorn chicken, a mutton roll, two mysterious meat rolls, fish, salad, mashed potatoes, cheesecake, and an angry bird.

This smart cat knew that hanging around Candies would result in getting tasty food:

Initially it was begging food from us, but eventually it went to the table next to us to pig out on the leftovers.

Soam Restaurant

Address: Ground Floor, Sadguru Sadan, Opposite Babulnath Temple, Chowpatty, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400007

Phone: 022 2369 8080

The Pantry

Address: B Bharucha Road, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

Phone: 022 3015 1349

The Yoga House

Address: Nargis villa, Sherly Rajan Road, Pali Hill, Near Rizvi, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050

Phone: 022 6554 5001

Candies

Address: ONGC Complex, Bandra Reclamation, Near Lilavati Hospital, Bandra(W), Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050

Phone: 022 2642 3513

Sunday Drunch at The Little Door

Happy New Year everyone! I’ve gone to many restaurants since my last post due to friends visiting and various outings, but I haven’t made the time to blog during the holidays; therefore now I’ll be playing catch-up. I’ll still limit my posts to describe one or few restaurants at a time so that they aren’t too long to read.

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A few weekends ago, I decided to travel to Andheri West to have “Sunday Drunch” at The Little Door. As the name implies, drunch means unlimited booze to go with brunch. Google Maps helped me find the little blue door on a relatively quiet street:

There were inside and outside seating; since it was a nice day (not too hot) and I love al fresco dining in general, we opted for outdoor seating. The ambience was very much to my liking:

Even the bathrooms were cutesy:

The Sunday Drunch prices were fixed for two starters, one entree, unlimited drinks, unlimited salad bar, and unlimited dessert bar. We started off with drinks:

Priam got a mojito while I decided to try the Bloody Mary. They both tasted okay, pretty strong.

Next, our eggs came out:

The starter pictured above was called “Eggs on the Beach”, and it consisted of eggs, mushrooms, and prawns paired with butter garlic toasts. The flavors of the mushrooms and prawns were barely there though, so my eggs tasted practically like regular scrambled eggs. It’s not bad, just nothing special.

I think Priam’s first starter (pictured above) consisted of eggs and ham (sorry can’t recall fully), although similar to mine, I tasted mostly just egg when I tried it. The toast is average as well.

My second starter consisted of mushrooms stuffed with cheese and jalapenos:

These basically tasted like jalapeno poppers that you can get frozen in a bag from a grocery store.

Priam’s second starter consisted of chilly garlic prawns:

These were strictly okay too.

The indoor salad bar (which had more than just salads) looked a lot more promising:

I was pretty excited, so I loaded up two platefuls of food. This was one of the plates:

There was a large variety to choose from, and the flavor of most of the items were pretty good. There weren’t really any outstanding or terrible items in this mini-buffet.

While we were eating, we were given shots without asking:

I do not know what these were nor do I remember how they tasted, so basically they weren’t memorable.

After finishing my second plate of salad bar morsels, I was really full, so I did not mind that the service was really slow. While waiting for my main course to arrive, a waiter (or manager?) went around pouring drinks in everyone’s mouths including mine and Priam’s:

This drink was the most pleasant-tasting drink of the drunch because it tasted like spiked fruit juice. Priam joked that this restaurant doesn’t take itself too seriously.

When my main course came out, I was still full so I couldn’t really eat it:

It also did not help that I did not like the sauce of whatever they put into the pita. It’s supposed to be a chicken shawarma, but it did not taste like one. The potato wedges were decent.

Priam ordered a peppered steak for his main course:

He said that the steak was not that great either. Soon karaoke started, so while we ate, we listened to people singing incredibly out of tune on top of their lungs. The songs played were a mix of cheesy old-school and current American hits such as Britney Spears’s “Toxic” and Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me”. Some of the people at the other tables started dancing, while one girl nearby would exclaim, “I love this song!” every time a song started that she liked. It was pretty hilarious to witness and made my lunch quite enjoyable.

There’s always room for dessert, so we grabbed some from the dessert bar:

The desserts were cute to look at, okay to eat.

On the whole, I liked my experience at The Little Door not because of the food but rather because of the hip and trendy atmosphere. This place also has magazines and board games in case you aren’t having enough fun. I’d skip the food but would recommend The Little Door for parties and hanging out in general.

The Little Door

Phone: 022 30151835

Location:

Andheri Lokhandwala, Andheri West›

B31, Ground Floor, Shree Siddhivinayak Plaza, New Link Road, Andheri Lokhandwala, Andheri West, Mumbai

A Christmassy Woodside Inn: Eat Up, Drink Up

I recently went to Woodside Inn in downtown Mumbai to celebrate a recent marriage of one of Priam’s brother’s friends. I really like this pub because it has a cosy, chill atmosphere and comfort food (at least in my opinion). While I had been to Woodside Inn before, this second experience was much better because I was comfortably seated in the upstairs dining area surrounded by Christmas decor and laughing friends:

We had around five orders of onion rings for 10 people throughout the night:

They tasted really unspectacular, but I guess someone must have liked them a lot since it was constantly reordered despite the variety of appetizers available on the menu.

I ordered an IPA and the Woodside-Inn beef burger in a bowl with avocado, candied bacon, mushrooms, sunny side egg, lettuce, and spiced sweet potato chips:

The IPA was nice and flavorful, very pleasantly hoppy. While I was surprised to see that my dish looked more like a salad than a burger (they gave me toasted bread slices instead of burger buns), overall my dish was tasty. The only minor issues were that the avocado was very unripe and the texture of the meat seemed soggy at the end of the meal. The sweet potato chips were pretty good and spicy. The portions were just right too because when I finished, I was neither hungry nor stuffed. I had thought that I was done eating for the evening, but that turned out not to be the case (people kept ordering food to share, so I was nibbling away the whole night).

Priam had ordered filet mignon with pan seared bell peppers:

I took one bite each of the filet mignon and the bell peppers. While I’ve had better steaks in the US (most likely because Indian steak comes from water buffalos and not cows), the filet mignon at this place was still great considering how the whole dish cost less than 10 US dollars (545 rupees to be exact).

Since this outing was a celebration, we had many celebratory drinks. After I finished my meal, I decided to order a mojito:

My mojito was very minty and refreshing, and my sugar cane stick was fun to chew on. It was one of my favorite drinks for the night.

A friend ordered two rounds of sambuca shots in Red Bull (not at the same time):

It went down pretty easy, although later a couple of people said that they had trouble sleeping that night.

Someone ordered chocolate cake, so I had a bite or two of that:

This cake was gooey, chocolatey, and good.

I tried a few sips of someone else’s Tennessee toddy:

This drink reminded me of mulled wine, except I like mulled wine better. This drink had a tad too much of the alcohol flavor for me.

Fries were ordered for the table (they were strictly average):

The most Indianized dish ordered was some chicken skewers:

I took one skewer. It was very spicy and average tasting.

Several rounds of pizza were ordered too:

The pizza was my most favorite dish for the whole night, so I ate three slices. I really liked the flavor, the mild spiciness, and the crispy thin texture.

I can’t remember exactly what was in the shot below:

It definitely had Bailey’s in it, and it was kind of sickly sweet.

Priam had Old Monk mixed with Coke:

I was informed that Old Monk is the cheapest drinkable branded liquor made in India (cheaper liquor in India is possible but can immediately harm the drinker). I didn’t get a chance to try it by itself because Priam already poured the Coke into it. All I tasted was the Coke.

I ended the night with a Whiskey Sour, which tasted very refreshing. A friend had one too and liked it a lot, saying that it tastes better without the usual egg whites. I couldn’t tell the difference because I’ve had a Whiskey Sour only once before that, and I don’t remember how it tasted.

The Woodside Inn is great for chilling with friends or I’d argue even alone. I’d go there again, although next time I’ll eat and drink in moderation (unless it’s a celebration, then I’ll make an exception).

Woodside Inn

Address: Wodehouse Road, Near Indian Mercantile Mansion, Opp. Regal Cinema, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

Phone: 022 2287 5752

Grand Opening of a Restaurant: Byblos

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to eat at a Mediterranean restaurant called Byblos that just opened up in the Palladium Mall. From briefly chit-chatting with the owner at the end of our meal, we found out that it was the first day that the restaurant opened, and the cooks are basically the owner and her two daughters. Byblos is not situated inside the main part of the mall; rather, it is right opposite Costa Coffee behind the mall. I had gone with a group of six, and even then the amount we ordered was very ambitious. I had entered the restaurant tipsy from several drinks I had at an alumni mixer; halfway through the meal I had completely sobered up from all the food I consumed. The food came out in the following order:

Bread

I can’t remember if the bread was complimentary, but it went well with the cheese course that came soon after. I like bread with more texture (nuts, grains, etc.), and there was a good variety of textured bread here.

The cheese course (almond and parsley labneh truffles, savory scallion and mozzarella cake, fromage frais, brie, chili jam)

Not all the cheeses are featured in the picture above because I finished some of them before remembering to take a photo. Google tells me that labneh is a soft cheese made from yogurt, commonly served in the Middle East, while fromage frais is a creamy soft fresh cheese from France. The cheese tasted good, although even divided among six people it was a lot of cheese for me (I’m slightly lactose intolerant).

Mezze platter (onion pate, Byblos hummus, baba ganoush, toum)

I liked the onion pate best out of the four items on this platter. It had a nice slightly sweet onion flavor. The other three items were good too but a bit much after a while because they all had similar textures. I have never heard of toum before; it is described online as a traditional Lebanese garlic dipping sauce.

Byblos hummus with crispy chickpeas and chicken

This dish is basically tandoori chicken pieces on top of hummus. At this point I was tired of eating hummus, so I just ate the tandoori chicken (which tasted nice and spicy).

Rock corn with BBQ glaze and bacon dust

This dish is basically fried breaded corn with spicy BBQ glaze. I couldn’t really make out the flavor of the bacon dust, but overall it’s still a decent dish.

Chicken with fancy onion flower

I cannot recall the exact name of this dish as I didn’t order it, but whatever was stuffed into the chicken pieces was good. I would say that it tasted more Indian than Lebanese though, mostly likely catering to the Indian palate.

Lamb on a bed of couscous

This dish was also very good, although at this point I was pretty full so I didn’t eat that much of it.

I don’t know who ordered the desserts, but we had quite a few. On top of that, the owner gave us complimentary lemon curd on spoon-shaped shortbread:

These tasted okay at room temperature, great for breakfast the next day after taking them out of the fridge (the shortbread tasted better cold).

My favorite dessert was the cheesecake:

This cheesecake tasted like the real deal; I really do not like the eggless variety in many Mumbai bakeries because the texture and flavor is really off (some Indians don’t eat eggs for religious reasons). This cheesecake was the closest in Mumbai that I can find to good cheesecake in America. The crust is very tasty as well. When the owner came by to check up on us, she informed us that the cheesecake was low in fat because she used low-fat yogurt (instead of cream cheese? I wasn’t clear on that).

Unfortunately at this point I really couldn’t eat another bite, so I can only show pictures of the other two desserts that I didn’t touch:

The owner had informed us that everything is made in-house; she obviously took pride in her food. Overall I liked the main course non-veg items better than the veg appetizers; since the appetizer portions are very generous and I usually eat out by myself or with Priam only, I’d probably skip the appetizers and go straight to the main course and dessert next time.

Byblos Kitchen + Bar

Lower Parel ›

High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel, Mumbai

+91 7710908224

Sangeet and Wedding Festivities

It was my first time attending a sangeet, which basically is a celebration that occurs a few days before the wedding ceremony. Sangeet literally means “music” in Sanskrit, and there was plenty of it at my friend’s sangeet. First a live band and singers played and sang Gujarati music while guests trickled in, then the bride, groom, relatives and close friends performed many choreographed dances to popular Bollywood songs, and finally the dance floor opened up for everyone to dance to whatever the live band and singers performed. The Gujarati music at the sangeet consisted of slower beats (slower than typical Bollywood music), where guests danced in circles.

The sangeet took place in a banquet hall in an otherwise empty mall:

The buffet was available all night in the back of the room so that guests could serve themselves whenever they wanted. The pure veg Jain food was really delicious, so I ate a few plates worth of food. A friend told me that their secret to making food tasty is to add a lot of ghee (Indian clarified butter) to everything. One of the items called panki was cooked between banana leaves:

According to the Internet, panki is usually made with rice flour batter. It was tart and very aromatic (pictured on the left below):

From the top left counterclockwise: blueberry delight, panki, paneer bhurjee (stir-fried mashed Indian cheese with spices), zucchini tornado, focaccia sandwich, and roomali roti (literally means “handkerchief bread” because it is folded like a handkerchief). The blueberry delight tasted like a good pie without a crust, and it had other ingredients in it so that the flavor of blueberry was not prominent. The paneer bhurjee was spicy and yummy, different from the usual egg bhurjee I get in school. I scooped up the paneer bhurjee with the roomali roti.  I liked the fried zucchini enough to get seconds, and the focaccia sandwich had a good texture (no idea what was in it).

Below was my second plate:

From the left counterclockwise: kobi bhaji (Maharashtrian style cabbage stir fry with spices), dal makhani (whole black lentils and red kidney beans with butter), zucchini tornado, foot-long sandwich (obviously not a foot long here), panini grill, and misal (literally means “mixture”, a very popular roadside snack). The dal makhani was very creamy and smooth, the sandwich and panini were good although I don’t know what were in them, and the misal was ear-burning spicy. Later I had several rounds of pani puri (click here for my description of pani puri), which were very cold and refreshing.

After the dance performances, I helped myself to the dessert station:

From the top clockwise: cantaloupe sorbet in a slice of cantaloupe, lime sorbet in a hollowed-out lime, and guava sorbet in guava with chili powder sprinkled on top. I liked them all, so I also got a watermelon sorbet in a slice of watermelon (not pictured).

The food was excellent and the dancing was tons of fun; overall I had a great evening.

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I was able to witness my first Jain ceremony, and it was very interesting. The ceremony took place on a Friday morning and afternoon. I was informed that a matchmaker determines which date (and even time) is auspicious for a couple to get married, which is why it is possible to have a ceremony conducted at 2 in the morning on a weekday. I was also informed that Jains do not eat after sunset; I don’t know if this applies only to big events or on an everyday basis.

The bride and groom sat on the stage in ornate chairs, while a guru chanted in Hindi and dripped ghee onto a fire. Relatives of the bride sat on cushions on one side of the stage, while relatives of the groom sat on cushions on the other side. Later, the bride and groom walked around the fire while relatives and friends threw rose petals on them, and people yelled at each other in Hindi. This process was repeated several times. When I asked another guest for a translation, she informed me that the tradition is for the sisters of the bride to insist that the marriage is not complete unless the groom gives them money, because they are giving their sister (the bride) away. The guests would then barter with the groom on how much money should be given for the bride. Priam said that traditionally the groom’s shoes are stolen and not returned until money is given, although I did not see this happen.

The buffet during the wedding ceremony had different options from the buffet at the sangeet. It consisted of a Mexican counter, an Italian counter, a namkeen (savory snacks) counter, a South Indian counter, and an Indian counter. Since the number of guests crowding the counters looked overwhelming, one of my friends suggested splitting up; she’ll get the Indian food, I’ll get the Italian food, and another friend will get the Mexican food.

My plate looked like this:

One of my friends gave me pureed mango halfway through my meal (not pictured here), and it was very tasty and refreshing. All the fried food on the left is from the namkeen counter. They were salty and doughy. At the top left is a quesadilla look-alike item from the Mexican counter, although it tasted Indian due to the spices. The nacho chips were thick in texture and the cheese very mildly flavored. The pizza slices were good and Indianized (Indian spices on a thin crust); I shared some with my friends.

On a different note, a week ago when ordering pizza, a friend asked me what topping I wanted (I said pepperoni). Pepperoni was not available, and this friend concluded that pepperonis on pizzas must be an American thing.

The dress code for this wedding is Indian formal, so I had a teacher help drape me in a sari. When I was tying my petticoat, she told me to tie it as tightly as I can or else the sari would not stay in place. I think I may have tied it too tightly because after eating from the plate pictured above, I had no appetite to eat seconds. As a result I did not try the Indian food, which my friend said was very good. I didn’t want to take any chances loosening my petticoat, so I just concluded my meal with two ice cream scoops:

I actually didn’t want the chocolate, but my English was lost in translation and the server gave it to me anyway. It tasted decent with the jam and crushed nuts sprinkled on top. I really liked the white scoop, which tasted similar to kesar pista (saffron pistachio).

Afterwards we took a bunch of pictures with the bride and groom. It was a fun afternoon, and after everything was done, the bride told me, “We are now one” (no one else in our group is married yet).

Note: If any of my knowledge about Indian culture are incorrect, please let me know. It is possible for me to misunderstand what people say.