lulu loves bombay

cafe zoe at todi mills

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 03:27:00 +0000

if you haven't already discovered the homiest cafe in south bombay, head straight to cafe zoe in todi mills which opens its doors bright and early every morning at 7:30 am and stays open all through the day till 1am. not many places feel appropriate at all times of the day but cafe zoe's sprawling yet cozy ambience, sofa as well as table seating, free wi fi, a menu filled with comfort foods (eggs, sandwiches, soups, salads, continentalish main dishes), a delicious pastry counter and a central bar which is a big draw invites you to drop in any time of the day. we've been thrice already in the past month and my favourites are the veg burger, beetroot risotto and melt-in-your-mouth pancakes that the kids loved. head over soon while cafe zoe is still being discovered and you may get some moments when the cafe is not packed!

roasted eggplant cannelloni

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 04:06:00 +0000

thanks to my iPhone now, i can watch food tv on my frequent air travels. i had downloaded many episodes from delicious tv and on the delhi-mumbai flight last week which was very delayed due to fog, i got a satisfying fill of cooking shows.

one great recipe i learned was how to make roasted eggplant cannelloni. i has been looking for a dinner party pasta recipe and this fit the bill perfectly!

now i'm keen to load up more food apps on my iPhone. would love your suggestions!

we're going on a bear hunt!

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:14:00 +0000

so r1 and r2 were expecting to meet all sorts of animals while camping and were quite scared of the whole concept. but unlike their story books in which children encounter bears etc, camping at the big red tent in khopoli was a peaceful and super fun experience which the girls totally loved.

it really is "camping made easy"as the tents are pitched for you, the campfire is lit for you, the barbeque is made for you and there even are clean toilets! a great way to escape the grind of the city, get closer to nature, sleep under the stars and initiate your children in to the joys of camping. of course, the real fun is doing it all yourself. maybe next time!

simple burritos

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:11:00 +0000

i made my girls make their own burritos for lunch today. i heated up some refried bans from a store bought can, added some water, tomatoes and a bit of salt. i also sauteed green pepper and onion strips (sorry, neglected to include in the photo). i warmed the tortillas and laid out all the ingredients on the dining table. r1 and r2 thoroughly enjoyed spreading some refried beans on a warm tortilla, adding some sauteed veggies, a wee bit of salsa and wrapping it all up. the jalapenos were for me and added a nice spicy bite to this very simple burrito. next time i will add mexican fried rice as well but first wanted the kids to familiarise themselves with simple burritos. in hindsight, i should have laid out some grated cheese, guacamole and perhaps some sour cream as well. i guess it has been ages since i had mexican. it's occurring to me only now as i write this blog post. oh well!

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:41:00 +0000

image courtesy: bigredtent.in

sorry people for falling behind on blogging yet again! my camera broke and i lost a lot of photos. but now i have an iPhone which makes blogging super simple so i do hope it's going to increase my frequency.

so three years after we discovered we can go camping in bombay (ok, not quite in downtown but 2.5 hours away), we're off to khopoli this weekend to check out big red tent. the kids are super excited and are dreaming of lots of adventures.

have any of you been? what should we look forward to? any do's or dont's?

contest: best couscous recipe

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:34:00 +0000

time for giving away a few cookbooks from my collection! do you have a great couscous recipe? share it in the comments section of this blog post and you could win one of three cookbooks i'm going to give away. there will be two rounds of judging. from all your submissions (and i hope there will be many!), i will choose three to test out. r1 and r2 will then pick the winner based on which one they like the most (and eat most of !). contest closes end of day sunday, january 15th. keep reading and watch the fun unfolding!

smokehouse deli, phoenix mills

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:32:00 +0000

photo courtesy: smokehouse deli facebook page

is it just me or is phoenix mills just getting better by the day?! i mean, it's become the absolute must-visit-at-least-once-on-weekends kind of destination (especially for young families with kids and not many open public spaces in our beloved city!), the awful traffic snarls nothwithstanding. hamley's (of course), indigo deli, zara at palladium, landmark, spaghetti kitchen, CPK, irish pub (my recent favourite post-work hangout with colleagues!) and now....smokehouse deli, a tres elegant all-day diner and a sweet refuge from all the hustling you have to deal with at phoenix mills. check out this cool review by vogue india's bloggers.

lauki channa daal recipe

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:54:00 +0000

lauki (also called dudhi) wasn't a big favourite growing up but i discovered a lauki channa dal at a five star hotel brunch menu a few years back and it's quickly risen to be one of my favourite daals.

wash and rinse a cup of channa daal. pressure cook. chop half of a long dudhi into half inch pieces and pressure cook separately. in a kadai, add 1 tsp oil, splutter some mustard, green chillies, one onion finely chopped and some julienned fresh ginger. you can add chopped garlic as well. sautee for a few minutes until the onions are lightly browned. add chili powder, some turmeric and here's the clincher - a few tablespoons of yoghurt! then add the cooked and mashed daal followed by the cooked lauki. stir well. garnish with freshly choppped coriander. the gujju in me also likes to add a few spoonfuls of sugar! enjoy with steaming rice or chapatis.

are you a daal fan? what's your favourite daal...

happy new year + i'm back!

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:13:00 +0000

hi guys! this is probably the longest break from blogging i've taken in the past seven plus years that i have been blogging on food and travel. so much going on that i just did not have the mental bandwidth to blog as well. hope you have still been checking back once in a while my dear reader and will forgive me this sabbatical that was!

wish you a belated very happy new year. have you made any big resolutions and are you still sticking to them?

i am back not only to blogging but also cooking for my family every day. i politely told my maharaj that we did not need his services any more so now i am the chief chef at home and i have to say that R1 and R2 are delighted and make the cutest sous chefs. stay tuned for our cooking experiments..i just need to get better about photography because that's what holds me back from blogging when i dont have good photos to show off the food we cook :)

ravioli aglio olio

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 14:09:00 +0000

have you ever tried to toss ravioli in a simple garlic and olive oil sauce with a sprinkling of red chilies and oregano? i wasn't a big ravioli fan because it usually comes in a creamy sauce but last month at the taj exotica in goa i had a squash ravioli aglio olio which i just could not get enough of. the sweetness of the stuffed squash in the ravioli was set off perfectly by the simple sauce that hit just the right note of spiciness. try this out next time you make pasta!

traditional spanish tortilla

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 03:02:00 +0000

i like to include a traditional spanish tortilla when i host a tapas evening so that there is something hearty to eat with all that sangria flowing. this is a very simple recipe that is a great hit with guests.

1/2 cup olive oil
1 lb 4 oz potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 large onions, sliced
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. heat the oil in a 8 x 2 inch deep non-stick skillet. place alternate layers of potatoes and onions in the pan, cover and cook over low heat for 8 minutes. using tongs, turn the layers in sections (it doesn't matter it if all breaks up). cover and cook for another 8 minutes, without allowing the potatoes to colour.
2. place a large strainer over a bowl and drain the potato mixture, reserving 1 tablespoon of the oil. (the rest can be used for cooking another time - it will have a delicately sweet onion flavour).
3. place the eggs, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine. add the potato mixture, pressing down with the back of a spoon to completely cover the egg.
4. heat the reserved oil in the same skillet over high heat. pour in the egg mixture, pressing down to make an even layer. reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid or foil and cook for 12 minutes, or until set. gently shake the pan to make sure the tortilla is not sticking. let stand for 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. cut into wedges. serve hot.

this could also be a wonderful meal for brunch served along with a leafy green salad that has been tossed with a simple vinaigrette. bon apetit!

frankies

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:09:00 +0000

image courtesy: i love tibbs

one always talks of chaat in the context of bombay street food but there's something else that has an equally fanatic following and that's the bombay burrito also known as the frankie! nothing but veggies or paneer or succulent meat filled in a naan that has been almost deep fried on a tava, this outrageously satisfying fast food is my favourite lunch when i don't pack some dinner leftovers from home. we have a tibbs outlet near my office

cpk at phoenix mills

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 10:54:00 +0000

image source: http://www.cpk.com

so i finally checked out the great california pizza kitchen which now has three outlets in bombay at malad, bandra and lower parel. funnily, i hadn't ever tried cpk during the four odd years i lived in the bay area. we went yesterday for lunch to the one at phoenix mills, conveniently located right next to hamley's where we go pretty often to amuse the girls. h's aunt has recently become grandma for the first time so she wanted to give the extended family a nice treat.

i loved the open feeling at cpk. the high ceilings and the spread out tables give a nice feeling of space. the wood and steel interiors lend a rustic ambience. it's nice and noisy - perfect to not make you feel guilty that the kids are being totally loud! the menu is very diverse and you get everything from soups and salads to pizza of course. there are plenty of must-have starters including the spinach and artichoke dip and the veg plate which comes with an assortment of breads (including a yummy foccacia), hummus, lettuce wraps and an asian flavoured dip. the three mushroom thin crust pizza is a must have - this really was the show stopper for me. h liked the greek pizza and other family members loved the maragherita with peppers. we - as a family - were not exactly in an adventurous mood so did not go for the unusual pizza combinations like thai chicken, jamaican jerk, california club etc that cpk built its brand on. for dessert do have the simple vanilla ice cream only to try the chocolate sauce which is thicky gooey and super yummy!

spaghetti kitchen in the same quarter has got some serious competition now! have you been to cpk as yet? what did you think?

book review: pure & simple

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:34:00 +0000

if you're looking to be seduced to cook indian food then look no further than vidhu mittal's pure & simple. by far the indian cookbook with the most stunning photography, vidhu makes even the most mundane dishes like hariyali pulao look rather tantalising. larger than life photos, a very clean layout with lots of white space, simple instructions and photos for every step make this a must buy. discover spices, get to know your vegetables, learn about the goodness of lentils and be knowledge about kicthen utensils through an easy photo guide. there's this one picture of oversized tennis ball like plump and juicy gulab jamuns that you just want to grab off the silver bowl in the photo and stuff yourself with!

do you know of any other indian cookbooks that have amazing photography? do share!

ps - i'm terribly sorry for slacking off on blogging. thanks for staying committed to my blog. i'm picking up the momentum again and i promise more bombay related posts soon!

monsoon comfort food

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:41:00 +0000

what's with the incessant rains in bombay?! don't know about you guys but i feel like lots of fried food on these overclouded days. how about some spinach bajjis and masala chai? enjoy!

recipe: quesadilla

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 13:31:00 +0000

our lunch at the kitab khana cafe last week reminded me of quesadillas! i hadn't made them in ages or even run into them on any cafe menu lately. i had almost forgotten about their existence. but one bite and it brought back memories of my california days when i used to make it almost weekly experimenting with all sorts of fillings from wild mushrooms to rosted corn and red peppers with lots of cheese of course. with pre-made tortillas easily available at nature's basket and other top end grocery stores in bombay, quesadillas are an easy weeknight meal.

enjoy the youtube video and check out jamie oliver's take on quesadillas.

new bookstore in fort: kitabkhana

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 09:46:00 +0000

if you are one of those inveterate booklovers like myself, you're going to love this bookstore in the flora fountain/fort area of bombay called kitabkhana. though it's been open since march, i only heard about it recently and i was also pleasantly surprised to hear that it is owned by amrita somaiya whose twins were in class with r2! amrita has done a fabulous job of turning the ground floor of somaiya bhavan into a old fashioned bookstored oozing with character given its high ceilings, marble floors, wooden shelves and giant pillars. she's chosen to stock not just popular authours and best-selling works that fly off the shelves but carefully selected works of literature in english as well hindi, marathi and sanskrit. you'll find an excellent selection of books in a broad variety of categories including design, architecture, religion, philosophy and cooking to name a few. i love their children's section that has a carpeted area and lots of colourful bean bags that your munchkins can plop into and leaf through various books. best of all, there is an all vegetarian cafe that serves sweet delicacies like cupcakes as well as a host of foods from quesadillas to lebanese burgers. plenty of reason to head to kitabkhana especially in this lovely monsoon weather!

penne with roasted pumpkin and dill

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 12:29:00 +0000

i usually don't like repeating content on my blog but i made this penne pasta last week and i couldn't get enough of it so i just had to post the recipe again. especially since this time i remembered to take a photo and didn't have to substitute with a random picture of one of the ingredients!

peel and cut your pumpkin into half inch squares. toss with olive oil, sea salt and pepper and roast in the oven. meanwhile boil a cupful of shucked corn. once your pasta is cooked, add some olive oil to a saute pan. drop in a few broken dried chillis or some chilli flakes. add the pumpkin, corn and penne. mix well together and saute for a few minutes and then top with some chopped fresh dill. you could add grated cheese and stick in the oven to turn into a baked pasta dish. i love the sweet notes of the pumpkin and corn paired with the heat of the red chilli flakes. bon apetit!

rocket and parmesan salad

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 13:24:00 +0000

after a lot of heavy eating and drinking you feel like going very light, especially at night. i find that a rocket salad with shaved parmesan dressed up with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic, sea salt and vinegar is the perfect meal. add some crusty bread if you're a bit more hungry.

what do you eat when you want to go light?

europe road trip: lucerne, switzerland

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 15:57:00 +0000

photo courtesy: http://www.corbis.com

so we decided to fly out of zurich instead of milan so we could add on switzerland to this wonderful holiday. though h and i had been to some of the cities before, we hadn't seen the countryside. driving from lake como in northern italy through the alps to lucerne in switzerland turned out to be the perfect opportunity to experience first hand the picture perfect swiss countryside with its unbelievably lush green panoramic views. the most exciting part of the drive was going through a 17 km tunnel through the mountains. just getting in and out of the tunnel was a two hour ordeal given the traffic and that two lanes were merging into one. that was a bit of a drag but an incredibly unique experience. i have to admit being clausterphobic though and after the first five kms, i couldn't wait for the tunnel to end. can you imagine getting stuck in there in a traffic jam or something?!

we spent a night at lucerne which seems to be a favourite city with indians - we were everywhere! we did not get much time to do any sightseeing (other than a brisk walk by the lake) as we arrived late in the evening but we did manage a fondue dinner which r1 and r2 totally loved. it was a very new experience for them. r1 particularly loved dipping cubes of bread in the simmering fondue. r2 didn't care much for the cheese fondue but chomped down banana bits dunked in milk chocolate fondue. h and i enjoyed champagne fondue and mushrooms. we were all a bit sad that night as it was our last day of the trip. we were to drive to zurich bright and early the next morning to catch a swiss air flight back to bombay.

so that's it. hope you enjoyed the europe road trip travel diaries as much as we enjoyed the adventure. i'm sorry i didn't keep the promise of blogging every day! also, we got back two weeks ago - just clarifying since some of you think i am still on vacation. back to blogging on bombay now.

europe road trip: bellagio, lake como

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:36:00 +0000

everyone has a list of the places they want to see before they die. if you haven't already, please add lake como to that list! oh my god. heaven on earth. god's own country, to steal kerala's tagline. i didn't think italy could get more beautiful then sardinia but i obviously hadn't yet seen the italian lake district. just a few hours outside of milan, this region of italy offers the most picturesque lake views set against the backdrop of the glorious alps. add to that charming and quaint italian villages dotted all along the lakefront and you have hours and hours of wonderful discovery. lake lugano, lake maggiore and lake como are the three lakes. after much research by my best friend, d, we zoned in on lake como and specifically the village of bellagio in lake como. this is the place to park yourself at to explore the lakes. we stayed at the silvio hotel which has a great restaurant with a fabulous view of the lake. just remember to book a lake view room!

have you been to the lake district in italy? what do you think of it?

europe road trip: la violina in asti, italy

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 16:33:00 +0000

the most outstanding stop on our trip was a visit to la violina in asti, italy. if there is one place that you want as a recommendation in the piedmont region of italy, this is it. this farmhouse countryside agri tourismo took our breath away. the verdant lushness of the countryside was so soothing to the soul. we could feel a oneness with nature and earth unlike any place we had visited thus far. the genuine warmth of the italian couple who welcomed us to the estate was very touching. and we woke up to a stunningly beautiful morning - one which made us feel lucky to be alive and experience such magic. just read this copy from la violina's website which so enticed us and the experience more than delivered the high expectations we had.

"come closer. more, like this. can you smell the fresh green grass? can you feel the refreshing soft touch of dew? can you sense the presence of all things good in the air? and the silence? are you aware of the depth of its sound? can you remember that feeling of wholeness only absence can give? nothing artificial, just the skilled hand of the man working the land and the warmth of true hospitality. and what about the preciousness of a taste of water, the poetic connotations of a good glass of wine, the charm of a log fire, the spell of a journey through time: can you experience them? no? obviously, as long as you only connect through a website."

wine lovers may recognise this place from the much loved barbera d’asti wine which is produced in the region. asti is just a few miles away from monferrato the land of truffles. i continue to be dazzled by the sheer diversity of food, wine and ladscape of the different regions of italy. another spectacular italian region coming up next. stay tuned!

europe road trip: cannes, france

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:36:00 +0000

may and june are gorgeous times to be in the south of france, especially somewhere along the french riviera. long daylight hours, clear blue skies, long stretches of the waterfront boulevard, quintessentially french cafes, glamorous and poshly dressed people everywhere make for a very interesting scene to soak up which is why we chose cannes as one of the must-visits on this road trip. famous for the film festival and more relevant to my industry, the cannes lions international advertising festival, this is an iconic mediterranean city which attracts hoardes of visitors year round. every luxury brand worth its name has a flagship store on the main boulevard and the most fun thing to do when in cannes is to check out their window displays. the lvmh store for example had these mannequins with life size giant tigers as though they were domestic pets!

we decided to treat ourselves to a fancy michelin restaurant while in cannes. actually we drove ten minutes outside the city to the very quaint and charming mougins where we dined at le moulin de mougins. it was our first experience at a michelin star restaurant and this one was four stars! we were pleasantly surprised by the non-stuffy ambience and service which i somehow had always associated with these super fancy establishments. in fact the restaurant had a very cosy and contemporary apres dinner lounging area which we would surely have enjoyed had r1 and r2 not fallen off asleep. we were also lucky that there were not too many patrons that night as r1 and r2 were having a real blast with some bread which came with butter balls.

i ate zucchini flower stuffed with mushrooms and laced with a truffle sauce as my starter. what a succulent little vegetable! and i need not tell you how divine truffle is. main course was carrot and peas (!) but what a presentation as you will see from the photo! a nice memory indeed of our night in cannes.

europe road trip: châteauneuf-du-pape, france

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:37:00 +0000

ah the sweet smell of provence! i've always been intrigued by this southern region of france which i never had a chance to visit when i was an exchange student at tours during my junior year of college. so it had to be on our itinerary. little did i expect to be so blown away by the expansive pastel landscapes with acres and acres of vineyards and the clear blue skies - just so picture perfect! not to mention the amazing herb laced food and world renowned wine. we stayed in the town of châteauneuf-du-pape which is scattered with a handful of amazing wineries including chateau mont redon which we visited. r1 and r2 had a fun time looking at the grapes growing. h and i, needless to say, were taken up by the wine!

europe road trip: carcassonne, france

noreply@blogger.com (lulu) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 08:14:00 +0000

so from costa brava we drove through a part of the pyrenees and went away from the coast to visit the historic town of carcassone in france's languedoc-rousillon region. this city is a unesco world heritage site and has the city walls intact to this day! a really unbelievable sense of history and character swathes the entire place. in fact it is where many films that feature medieval castles are shot. read all about the history of this magnificent city here.

fom a food point of view, i had an interesting discovery. at dinner i ordered a cheese plate and the three cheese we had chosen were served on greens like a salad. this is something i had never seen before and thought it was quite unusual but the chef told me it was very common in france. have you seen a cheese plate offered like this? i'm definitely using this idea at home!