Skip to main content

The 2016 Wishlist

One flip side of following a bunch of foodies on twitter and instagram is that I end up with a long list of places I want to go to and more importantly, dishes I want to try. A lot of these are from far flung places that I know I won't get to any time soon. But for the start of the new year, I present to you the top 10 dishes I want to try this year in Mumbai. Some of these are from age old restaurants that I just haven't somehow managed to get to. And others are from the new menus or the new launches. So here's the roadmap to a food filled 2016:

1. Delhi Chaat at Ziya: I dined at Vineet Bhatia's modern Indian restaurant at the Oberoi when they first opened and was frankly underwhelmed. But they have gone through multiple rounds of menu change since and some of dishes on the new menu, particularly the Delhi Chaat, look super tempting.

2. Guava Tana-tan at the Bombay Canteen: I think we all agree that Bombay Canteen was the biggest opening of 2015. I've been there many times but I didn't get to taste their take on tarte tatin - a guava puff pastry dessert - before they took it off the menu. Hopefully it comes back this year!

3. Missal Pao at Aaswad: This traditional Maharashtrian restaurant has been around forever but last year, their missal pao got voted the best dish in the world. You just have to try that one then, don't you.

4. Thali at Shree Thaker Bhojanalay: The most legendary of thali places in the city is set in the middle of crowded Kalbadevi market. Now, I usually avoid Gujarati thali places because all dishes in there - even the main courses - tend to be sweet. But I have it on good authority that Thaker serves a non-sweet version of both the dal and the kadhi.

5. Ashok Vada Pao: I must be living under a rock because I never heard of this vada pao stall near Dadar's Kirti College until recently. Ashok's claim to fame is that they add besan chura (crispy fried bits) to the bun in addition to the potato vada. That has to be good.

6. Sakura Peach at Wasabi: From the cheapest dish in the city to the most expensive restaurant around. I don't see myself dining at Wasabi anytime soon but I'm surely going there to get this dessert made of peaches and champagne ice cream.

7. The Seven Layer Cookie at The Nutcracker: If you have read any part of my blog, you know I have a massive sweet tooth. Which is why I've been eyeing this 7-layer cookie bar for a while now.

8. The Big Bang Theory at Joss: I put Joss on my 2015 list as well but not being a big fan of Asian cuisine, I didn't make it there. Still, one dish stays in my head from all the reviews I have read - a chocolate dessert created right on your table. So Joss goes back on the list for this year.

9. Mac and Cheese Pizza at Fat Man's Café: If you are a carbaholic like me, it's hard to get past your two favourite carbs in one dish. This is the kind of food designed to give you a heart attack but you only live once, right?

10. Whatever they sell at NRI: Atul Kocchar's Indian restaurant is set to open this month and the food is supposed to be inspired by the iconic dishes Indians came up with when they moved abroad. Like Chicken Tikka Masala or Bunny Chow. Can't wait to try this one!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Kadhi Chawal

I just can't think of what to write today. That's what my absolute favorite meal does to me, I just want to stop talking and dig right in. So I won't ramble and go straight on the recipe for kadhi. First, make the pakoras that would go in the kadhi. Slice an onion lengthwise. Make a batter with 1/2 cup chickpea flour (besan), salt, red chilli powder and water. Dip onions in this batter and deep fry until crisp. Keep aside. Now blend 1 cup yogurt and 1/3 cup besan into a paste. Add 3-4 cups water to make a very thin blend. Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan. Add a tsp each of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ajwain (carom seeds) and methre (fenugreek seeds). Let splutter for a few seconds. Now add a large onion, cut lengthwise into thin slices and cook until browned lightly. Pour in the yogurt/besan mix and add 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp red chilli powder. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for at least half an hour. You have to stir this occasio...

Bibimbap

This is the reason I love taking part in Taste & Create . There is so much new to learn and try when you meet new partners. This month, I am visiting Kitschow in Vancouver for a course in Asian cooking. She also tries a lot of other cuisines, but wok is her favorite way to cook. I first thought I'd find very little vegetarian choice at her place. But as luck would have it, she has recently done a lot of vegetarian cooking and eating for lent and I had a virtual rainbow to pick from. Everything looked so delicious it was tough to pick one. I picked the one with the cutest name : Bibimbap . Bibimbap is a Korean rice, usually topped with beef and vegetables but Kitschow made a vegan version for Lent. The recipe has three parts. First you cook the rice. Then, when it's almost done but is still moist, you arrange vegetables on top so it looks colorful and pretty. For the vegan version, Kitschow just put raw veggies there and let them cook in the steam. But I liked the i...

Dukkah

Talk about myths busted. I went to Dubai planning to buy zat'ar, the fragrant herb and spice mix. And Dukkah, the interesting blend of nuts and spices. Not sumac, because I still have a pack left in my fridge. So zat'ar was easy - every Carrefour supermarket had that one. But no one had dukkah and I was like, how can they not have dukkah? It's a middle eastern thing, right! But well, they don't sell dukkah in Dubai, so I came back and armed with recipes from 10-odd blogs (all roughly the same), I set to make my own. The key to making dukkah is : line up all your ingredients, toast each of them separately in a heavy non-stick pan till they are fragrant and lightly roasted, then put everything in a blender and grind coarsely. This is your dukkah. Now dip your bread in olive oil, then dip it in dukkah and indulge. A final word of warning: this can be highly addictive. And finally, my list of ingredients: 1/4 cup almonds 2 tbsp coriander seeds 1 1/2 tbsp sesame...