GYPSY CORNER

MARATHI FOOD IS BEYOND VADA PAV AND MISAL PAV.

I always make a point whenever I am in Mumbai to head at DADAR for having my lunch. DADAR is the place which has still preserved the culinary roots of Marathi cuisine. Here there are age old eateries which serve authentic maharashtrian food fare. As my hunt for the food continues I found out this hidden gem at Shivaji Park, DADAR.

Shivaji Park is a trove for all Maharashtrian food. This place is right at the Sena bhavan junction. It's easy to see that Gypsy Corner is the darling of food lovers.
The menu is vegetarian only, customisable for Jains. Little cheer!
They have a specials menu for each day of the week plus the standard menu which boasts of Maharashtrian fare, and a few Mumbai specials- Pav bhaji, masala pav, Vada Pav, Misal Pav etc. They have a standard menu card like other restaurants but they also write their menu with chalk on the walls which is quite unique in its sense and give a retro feeling.

Here you can get everything from Breakfast items, lunch, south indian dishes, sandwiches, snacks etc. The menu is written in both Marathi and English languages. Due to its strategic location this place is always crowded and be prepared for half n hour waiting during weekends and evenings. Here apart from standard menu you can get various maharashtrian staples like Zunka Bhakari, Masale Bhaat, Dalimbi usal, Palak chi Patal bhaji(Liquid Spinach vegetable), Harbhara usal(Chana usal) etc.

Out of the long list of Menu my picks were

Tondlyachi(Tendli ki Sabji) Bhaji and Tandulachi Bhakri: Tondlyachi bhaji was perfectly cooked with mild spices  and was tender soft. It was accompanied by Rice flour Bhakri which is white in colour with complimentary sidings of chopped onions and Thecha(Mixture of Green chillies, garlic and ginger finely chopped up).

Dalimbi usal or Valachi usal with Padwal(Snake gourd): This usal is prepared with pulses called Val(Feild Beans). It is one of the staples of Malvani  cuisine and it is prepared during several household functions and festivals in Konkan region. It also had pieces of Padwal(Snake gourd) added to it giving slight sweet taste. The preparation is very simple and gravy is prepared using tomatoes and chopped onions, ginger garlic paste and malvani masala garnished with coriander leaves. It tastes too good and goes well with Rice flour bhakri.

Palak chi  Patal Bhaji(Spinach vegetable): This is traditional dish of Maharashtra and it is prepared almost in every Maharashtrian households. Basically it is nothing but spinach vegetable which is prepared using Butter milk to give a tangy flavor and thickened by using Gram dal flour(Chana dal). It tastes best when served hot and is eaten with rice and chapathi or Bhakri.

Kothimbir Wadi: Kothimbir wadi is speciality of Maharashtra and is nothing but Coriander and gram flour squared cakes deep fried to perfection served with green chutney. It is crunchy from outside and soft from inside. It gave us the excuse to polish off the chutney.

Jackfruit Biryani(Fanas): This was show stealer of the day and it was one thing which I would highly recommend. Biryani was made using jackfruit and pieces of jackfruit were gently added in it along with the traditional spices and topped with cashews. Rice used was long grain and truly it was having robust flavors. One of the dish which is not easily available and if you happen to be here it is highly recommended. It was served in large bowl and ample in quantity for 2 persons.

Even after having this sumptuous lunch still I was having craving for authentic Varan Bhaat and I cannot afford to miss the same. Hence ordered one plate for this. It is simple plain rice plate served along with Liquid toor dal soup which is not spicy and only Jeera and turmeric powder is added to it. It goes well along with dollop of pure ghee and lemon wedge which is squeezed on it. Just a perfect homely food feeling and many of my Marathi foodie friends will be aware of joy and satisfaction which one gets on eating Varan Bhaat.

Overall a very fine dining experience and truly VFM with clean hygiene and cooperative staff. If you are there in Mumbai and want to have some pure Maharashtrian food then GYPSY corner at DADAR will surely meet your expectations in terms of quality and pure homely food with authentic taste.

SAGAR RATNA VEG RESTAURANT

My food hunt in Mangalore continues and city has lot to offer in terms of food. After laying my hands on sumptuous South Indian breakfast in the morning at Woodlands  was trying to figure out where I can get authentic Mangalorean South Indian Veg thali. In Managalorean thali Fish is an indispensable part but being a pure vegetarian it was challenge for me to find out Thali cuisine which has original flavors of Mangalore and which is veg. Just in our epics it is mentioned that to get “Amrita” from Ocean there was a competition between Devas and Asuras for churning the ocean to establish the supremacy and while churning process was on total 14 ratnas came out of the ocean. In the same way I also churned the coastal city of Mangalore for some pure veg thali restaurant and my search ended when I found out Sagar Ratna.

Sagar Ratna which is a part of Ocean Pearl Hotels in Mangalore is a member of "Sagar Ratna" chain of veg restaurants admired and popular for its authentic cuisine, service and value for money pricing. A section of “Sagar Ratna” menu is influenced by Mangalore’s famous food fare.

We reached there around 1 pm and wanted have some good veg lunch with Mangalorean flavors. The restaurant was crowded with people but we got the seats in just 5 min. It has a spacious dining hall with  chairs and tables placed for dining. Also there are some sofas placed for large family gathering.  Ambience is quite decent and interiors are well designed. We settled ourself  and  just had quick glance at  menu card  and saw many interesting South Indian items which they serve along with Punjabi cuisine. But as you are in South India you should try to stick to the local food and hence we ordered South Indian thali to satiate my strong cravings for the same.

Our order was served in 10 min and service was quite quick and staff was also friendly. It went on like this:

Tomato Soup: They served first tomato soup. Soup was good in taste and similar to Tomato soup which we get in other restaurants with bread crumbs dunked in. 

Now comes a Big Round South Indian thali consisting of around 10 bowls placed in it and two big rotis made of Wheat flour(Maida is not used here which was good thing). The bowls consisted of following items:

Sambhar: Sambhar served was having thick consistency and hint of sweetness as small amount of jaggery is added while preparing it. It had all boiled veggies perfectly cooked like pumpkin, drumstick, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, beans, Sambhar cucumber and the flavors of these veggies and south indian spices were perfectly blended in Sambhar making it truly aromatic.

Rasam: Rasam which also has an important place in South Indian thali is similar to Sambhar but has fluid like consistency and all together a unique taste. Rasam was sour in taste due to strong base of tamarind juice and also had veggies like tomatoes, chilies, pepper, cumin seeds. Here in Mangalore they use yellow cucumber which adds to the flavor. It was served hot and was eaten along with rice and as a soup.

Ajethna: Ajethna is a dry curry served in Mangalorean thali which consists of vegetables like bottle gourd, beet root, Padwal(Snake gourd), French beans and prepared in coconut oil. The tadka is given to curry using mustard seeds and dry red chilies and also a hint of turmeric is added to it. It was also too good in taste.

Chitranna: Chitranna is spiced rice and is like a pulav which we get here. But interesting part to know is that it is totally different from Pulav as in  Chitranna they don’t add any veggies and it is seasoned with mustard seeds, cumin seeds , unripe mango pieces, cloves, cinnamon. It was quite delicious.  Don’t mix sambhar or rasam if you want to enjoy its true flavors. Eat it as it is.

Mixed Veg Saagu: Mixed Veg Saagu is nothing but mixed veg curry prepared in South Indian style. Normally in Karnataka people eat this Saagu along with Puris for breakfast. Saagu consisted of veggies like potatoes, carrots, French beans, Chayote(Belonging to Gourd family). I was under impression for some time that it is Bottle gourd(Dudhi)  which is used but when I asked the waiter about its preparation and stuff used in it he named the vegetable as chayote. I had this first time and also searched on google out of my enthusiasm if I could find its pic. I have attached a pic of this vegetable taken from google. Many of my foodie friends might be aware of the same and can tell me its local name. Well the gravy for this Saagu is prepared using grated coconuts, tamarind juice, chilies, coriander leaves, ginger. Also tadka is given using hint of asafoetida, curry leaves, mustard seeds. It was something different which I tried and relished it to full.

Niger Seeds chutney: Niger seeds chutney is dry chutney similar to black sesame seeds. It was served by mixing some oil in it. It is called as “Karala chi chutney” in Marathi. Very popular in Konkan region and we have this in our diet. If anyone has some details about it can share as my knowledge is very limited about it. 

Pickle: Raw Mango Pickle was served

Curd: Fresh curd with thick consistency was served for having it along with Rice.

Buttermilk or Chhas: Masala Chhas was served in one bowl to have it after meals. It was seasoned with chopped green chilies, grated ginger, cumin seeds and coriander leaves.

Yellow Dal: Simple Yellow dal which we get at any other restaurants to be eaten with Rice. Nothing special in it and good in taste.

Payasam: No South Indian meal is complete unless you indulge into a sweet Payasam giving sweet treat to your taste buds. Payasam is South Indian version of Kheer but is different from Kheer. It is prepared in almost all South Indian households during festivals and also served as Prasad in many temples of south India. There are many variants of Payasam available in traditional cuisines of Dakshin. Here we laid our hands on Rice Payasam. It is basically rice cooked in milk, coconut  to render thick consistency and sweetened with jaggery with hearty addition of nuts, zing of cardamom. It was awesome in taste and not oversweet.

Rice Bowl: A big bowl of Rice was served once you finish with rotis. Here you get an option to have Boiled Rice or White Rice. White rice is similar to usual rice which we have daily but Boiled rice is the unpolished rice with big grain. It is considered a healthy version of rice and we had Boiled rice along with Sambhar, Rasam and some rice we had it with curd.( Pic is missing)

Last but not the least in Dessert they had Gulab Jamuns and Vanilla Ice cream in the list for Thali option. We opted for Vanilla Ice cream and finished our lunch.

Overall a memorable dining experience and we were almost full. Sagar Ratna is truly a “Ratna” which serves authentic Mangalorean Pure Veg cuisine and to add feather to the crown  it is very pocket friendly restaurant. The thali which we ordered cost us just Rs.125/- per head.

Highly recommended if you are in Mangalore.

Sam’s Report Card:

Taste: 9/10

Ambience: 8/10

Service: 9/10

VFM: 10/10

WOODLANDS RESTAURANT

MANGALORE DIARIES

I am sucker of South Indian food which means I always end up in exploring some new joints serving some authentic food.  There are 4 states of Southern India which dishes out some famous south Indian delicacies but every state has its unique flavor, taste, aroma, culinary traditional recipes, food culture, spice blends, texture. This time during Diwali I was in Coorg, Karnataka and on my way back happened to land in Mangalore which is a coastal city of Karnataka and believe me the city treated me very well in terms of its cuisines.

Mangalore, an important port-city on the Konkan coast is emerging as an educational and industrial hub. Between picturesque Kerala and urbanized Bangalore, Mangalore offers the best of both worlds. A melting pot of communities like Beary Muslims, Mangalorean Catholics, Saraswath Brahmins, and Bunts to name a few, the local cuisine is a delicious reflection of this fusion. Some of the ingredients that play an important role in this cuisine are coconut, rice, dried red chilies, garlic, ginger, curry leaves and tamarind. Like all coastal communities, fish is an indispensable part of the everyday meal. But being a pure vegetarian I refrained myself from having any coastal food but I would like to say that Mangalore is a heaven for all those who enjoy having coastal food. You can sample out idlys, vadas, dosas, Mangalore buns, Goli Bhajji at any of the city’s Udupi restaurants. 

Out of the several restaurants I chose to have my breakfast at one of the iconic eatery in Mangalore which is considered as an institution for authentic Mangalorean cuisine. This restaurant was in my list from last many years when it was first broadcasted on a famous food show HOMP by Rocky and Mayur and I had made up mind at that time that whenever I happen to get a chance to visit Mangalore then would surely pay my visit to this place.

Woodlands restaurant is an integral part of Hotel Woodlands located at Balmatta on Bunts Hostel Road. It is in the heart of the city and it opens up its doors at early hour of 6 am. It has a typical mediocre interiors and is successful in preserving the quaintness of past. It has an age old vintage furniture with typical brown wooden chairs and tables having a base of white marble.  Its drab no-frills interiors are the epitome of form and function; whirring ceiling fans on top and waiters with Lungi tucked in  whizzing about with Germanic efficiency. There is no A/C section and place is crammed with tables and you will have a nostalgic feeling on entering it.

Now coming to the breakfast, my picks were Masala dosa, Idly sambhar and Goli Bhajji. Masala Dosa and Goli Bhajji is their signature dishes and sure try out if you are at Woodlands. It is famous for its Crispy dosas and spongy Goli Bhajjis. Service here is very fast and accurate as my order was served within few minutes.

Masala Dosa: Masala Dosa served here has unique taste in itself. It has thick consistency of batter and are crispy from outside and spongy from inside. The inner crust of the dosa has soft batter and it is perfectly cooked in ghee on the tava giving a dark brown texture on outer side. Masala is made up of mashed potatoes, onions, finely chopped green chilies, turmeric and flavored with curry leaves. Also interesting point to note is that Sambhar served here is in a small bowl which we frequently use in our homes for drinking water. Sambhar was too good in taste and served hot. Chutney was fresh prepared from coconuts, urad dal, green chilies, grated ginger and tampered with mustard seeds and curry leaves served in baby bowl.

Idly Sambhar: Idly Sambhar was also good and nothing special about it. It was similar to any idly that we get in other Udupi restaurants. Idlys were soft and pillowy and went well with sambhar and chutney. They serve unlimited Sambhar and chutneys unlike any other Udupi restaurants.

Goli Bhajji: Last but not least was the plate of Goli Bhajjis or Mangalore Bhajjis. Woodlands serve one of the best Goli Bhajjis in Mangalore and they are served piping hot right from the fryer along with coconut chutney. These are fried dumplings made of Maida, curd, finely chopped green chilies and coriander, grated ginger, cumin seeds, rice flour, baking soda and salt. They are fluffy, crispy from outside and just melts in mouth. It is light snack usually eaten in evening accompanied by cup of tea or coffee.

Filter coffee: How can I forget to have a South Indian filter coffee after such sumptuous breakfast. You get one of the best coffee in this region as there are coffee plantations and this region is leading producer of coffee in India. It was served in cup and truly aromatic.

I had a great experience over here for breakfast and place is also pocket friendly. They also serve South Indian meals after 11:30 am and you get the option of Boiled rice and white rice in Thali. If you are in Mangalore don’t miss this place.

Sam’s Report card:

Taste: 9/10,

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 9/10

VFM: 8/10