It’s been a while since I wrote about the weekend that was; the weekend that just went by was pretty damn awesome & so I decided to write about the same. Friday evening started off with some general chilling at home didn’t do much just marathoned Supernatural season 7 with Rachita. Also the plan for next days lunch was being figured with Ritika. Before I forget, Friday evening we also started playing Sleeping Dogs on the Xbox360 which was awesome. The game has a brilliant feel and has hints of Yakuza & Shenmue, 2 of our all time favorite games!
Goo & Avenjer ignore the cycle 🙂 Lol!!!
Sleeping Dogs on the Xbox360
Astro!!!
Saturday, though, began with a bang as I had 2 bikes at my disposal – Ekta’s Royal Enfield & my Bajaj Avenger – Ekta was in Baroda for the weekend & had left her bike at my place. Gaurav & I took the bikes out for a ride which was totally awesome! We rode past Haji Ali & Worli Seaface braving the rains; when we started there wasn’t an iota of rain, but when we reached Peddar Road it started drizzling; Gaurav & I decided to continue as the drizzle wasn’t fazing us. On the way back from Haji Ali, though, there was a decent downpour which we managed & reached home safe. Post some general chilling, shower, etc. we played some more Sleeping Dogs on the Xbox360, exploring the open world finishing mini missions, etc. Come 9:30am we needed to take Astro to the vet for a general check up & then meet Ritika, Mihir & Yooti for lunch. We were done at the vet by about 11:00am & proceeded for lunch after dropping Ash home :-). So lunch was going to happen at Soul Fry Casa, a restaurant serving Goan food at Fountain / Kala Ghoda. Ritika, though, was not informed about the same, as whenever we have decided to go to this restaurant or discussed going there, something or the other has gone wrong. This time we decided to keep the POA a suprise. Ritzzzz met Mihir at Churchgate station on the pretext of going to some place around that area and once Mihir got her around the restaurant he whisked her in. She was pleaseantly surprised, if I may say so myself.
Love the Ambiance at Casa Soul Fry
Beer!!!
Pickle!!!
Moving onto the restaurant which has a brilliant old world charm with memoriabilia across the walls; also the furniture is from an era which you just dont see nowadays. The plates & glasses you get are of copper, menu has a good balance of Veg, Non Veg & Sea Food. We decided to start off with a few drinks – I was having beer, Mihir had ordered a brilliant sugarcane based cocktail, Ritika was having a watermelon Martini, Yooti ordered a Vodka based cocktail the name of which i cannot remember & Rachita who doesn’t drink alco was having a mocktail. Ritika & Mihir had already ordered some Prawns & Rawas, Rachita added to the same by ordering some chicken moelho. Please note here, Mihir & I haven’t had prawns in about 20 years as I have an allergy to the same. Though once the food was on the table, we decided to try the prawns which were exceptional and also eat the Rawas which was divine. Lunch ordered was some chicken in red gravy & because we ate shell fish everyone got super excited that there was no allergic reaction and ordered a crab sukha with some nans. The food was simply awesome! We went through everything & loved every moment of it. Special mention to the Naans which are the best I have ever had. If you are in the fountain area, then you must try Soul Fry Casa it is CUMPOLSORY!!!
Awesome Spread!!!
Then headed home, slept for a bit, while Ritika & Rachita went shopping. Evening dinner was Falafal which Rachita had made. The brilliance of the same cannot be explained. After dinner, watched some UFC on Sony Six, then moved to Supernatural and then passed out.
Sunday Bike Ride!!!
Yummy!!!!
Sunday morning started off with an early morning bike ride on Ekta’s Royal Enfield aka Goo, which was followed by another bike ride on my Bajaj Avenger, aka Avenjer. The weather was perfect, cloudy skies accompanied by some sensational winds…. Marine Drive, Nariman Point, Haji Ali & Worli Seaface were passed on both bikes one after the other…. rode for a good hour & half :-). Once home, finished Astro’s bath, then played Sleeping Dogs again for a bit, Also helped Mihir pack as he was heading for a week’s vacation. Lunch in true gujju style was sev tameta nu shak (fried gram dough noodles in tomato gravy); then it was nap time. Woke in the afternoon, watched some Supernatural again, had a few beers. For dinner, Rachita decided to make some super duper awesome boiled egg sandwiches with tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, onions, her blend of secret herbs & eggs marinated in mayo & mustard. Matlab mouth watering awesomeness it was! Again watched some more episodes of Supernatural and then passed out. All in all, a brilliant food & bike weekend 🙂
Tags: alcohol, bajaj avenger, baroda, Bike, bike rides, bikers, bikes, Boiled Egg Sandwich, Boiled Eggs, budweiser, Casa Soul Fry, Chicken, Churchgate Station, cocker spaniel, Cocktails, Crabs, dog, Drizzle, eatery, Fish, Food, Friday, Friend, games, gaming, goan food, GTA, haji ali, Indian Breads, kala ghoda, lunch, Marine Drive, Martini, Mocktails, naan, Nap, Nariman Point, Non Veg, pet, Prawns, rachita, rains, Rawas, Restaurant, restaurants, ritika, royal enfield, sandwich, saturday sunday, Seafood, Secret Herbs, Shell Fish, Shenmue, Sleep, Sleeping Dogs, supernatural, supernatural season 7, Suprise, TGIF, travel, UFC, vacation, Veg, vodka, watermelon martini, weekend, worli, Worli Seaface, Xbox360, Yakuza
Sensational Marine Drive
Our Black Beauty!!!
Saturday started off with a rare and early morning bike ride… Rare basis the rains wherein this time around in the country it is the monsoon season & thus due to consistent rains in the city, bike rides are few & far between. There are people who do ride in the rains, though Mihir & I totally refrain from the same….. to each his own, I say… Coming back to the bike ride – an amazing feeling when you just start the engine, put the bike into gear and start cruising; somehow, even after a break you just feel like the bike is a part of you and the feeling is unmatched. A bit like cycling – you never forget how to ride it 🙂 .
Fortunately, the weather was kind…… actually, the weather was spectacular….. roads were dry, nice wind, the sun was under a cloud cover & all that jazz. Started by riding through my lane & then ventured to ride towards Worli Seaface. Passing Peddar Road & then Haji Ali which is my most favorite stretch to ride past was an amazing feeling, then went upto Worli Seaface where the wind was strong & at times felt the push of the same across the bike. From there, decided to go back as there was a slight drizzle which had started, though by the time I reached the Race Course, the weather was clear again. Decided to then continue the feeling of non stop riding & rode towards Marine Drive which was super awesome! Went to Nariman Point & back home. The brilliance of open roads matched only with the experiance of riding next to the sea was super cool!!!
Yummmyyyyy!!!
Awesome Cookies Courtesy the Mrs!!!
Got home, finished morning chores and then decided to head out for lunch with Mihir, Rachita, Yooti & Mother-in-law a.k.a. JKD. The cuisine to be eaten was Chinese & the place agreed upon was Asia 7 at the Palladium, Phoniex Mills. Went there did a bit of window shopping & then went and ate some awesome food. Had some raw Papaya Salad, soup which had a distinct thai flavour (coconut milk base), some awesome mushroom starter followed by Rice & some Vegeteable Gravy. The place is a bit steep but definitely worth a visit. Went home & crashed. Though, while I was asleep, the very lovely Mrs baked some awesome cookies; woke up to sensational visuals & smells of the same. Cookies were vanilla, Chocolate & Chocolate with a soft center of Chocolate Truffles… Also Yooti had made some great Apple & Orange Sangria which was drunk through the evening by Vishal, Mihir & yours truly :-). The brilliant evening was then ended with Tacos and the Chocolate soft center Truffle Cookie for Dessert. Also, watched the animated movie Arjun which is a Disney movie though made by Indian companies like Tata Elixi & Reliance. The movie’s look & feel was breathtaking & the story captivating. I highly recommend the same to all.
More Yummyness!!!
Pesto & Jalapeno Pizza!!!
Stuffed Crust Pizza!!!
Sunday started off with Astro’s walk, bath & breakfast, post which the day was spent lying on bed watching movies. Saw a movie called The Philly Kid to start the day, loved the tag line of the film which said “To be out he had to be in”. The movie on the whole was decent & worth a watch. 2nd movie watched was Hijacked, starring UFC legend Randy “The Natural” Courture….. total wall paper movie which had its moments :-). Also ordered some wood-oven pizzas from this local joint called Govinda which is a restaurant run by the ISKON Hare Rama Hare Krishna Trust. The food was decent, though my suggestions if you ever order from there please re-heat the pizzas before eating… Finally, to end the amazing weekend, saw The Journey to The Mysterious Island starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Full on on entertainment movie. After that saw an episode of True Blood and finally passed out…
Tags: Apples & Oranges, Arjun, Avenger, bajaj avenger, Bike Ride, bikers, bikes, Chinese Food, Chocolarte Cookies, Chocolate Trouffle, Cookies, Cruiseing, Cruising, Cycling, Disney Animated Movie, Drizzle, Dwayne Johnson, Food, Fried Rice, haji ali, lunch, Mahabharata, Marine Drive, Mexican Tacos, morning bike, morning chores, movies, Mushrooms, Nariman Point, pizza, Pizzas, Race Course, rains, Randy Couture, Reliance, restaurants, sangria, Saturday, Soft Centre Cookies, Soups & Starters, Strong Winds & Open Roads, Sunday, Tata Elexi, The Rock, travel, True Blood, UFC, vacation, weekend, Windy, Wine, Worli Seaface, WWE
After 8 Pie made by Rachita
Wikipedia Says – A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savory ingredients. Pies are defined by their crusts. A filled pie (also single-crust or bottom-crust), has pastry lining the baking dish, and the filling is placed on top of the pastry, but left open. A top-crust pie, which may also be called a cobbler, has the filling in the bottom of the dish and the filling covered with a pastry or other covering before baking. A two-crust pie has the filling completely enclosed in the pastry shell. Flaky pastry is a typical kind of pastry used for pie crusts, but many things can be used, including baking powder biscuits, mashed potatoes and crumbs. Pies can be a variety of sizes, ranging from bite-size to ones designed for multiple servings.Random use of a Pie – Cream filled or topped pies are favorite props for humor. Throwing a pie in a person’s face has been a staple of film comedy since Ben Turpin received one in Mr. Flip in 1909. More recently, pieing has also become a political act.
The Avengers Inspiration!
The Pie, an unassuming dish which a lot of people love to eat or make. To most people in India though, the introduction to this dish was the famous and awesome movie American Pie….. ha ha ha ha ha ha! Agreed that in the context of the movie and the use of the pie was totally skewed versus the one which people eat, but it still established interest and intrigue in this wonderful creation. Today’s article primary is with regards to our, actually more importantly, “The Mrs’” interest in baking & the lovely pies made by her.
Red Velvet Cup Cakes
The story starts off at about the same time we went and got our bike. Rachita, my wife, who is extremely fond of cooking, started to show renewed interest in baking the same was extremely evident when red velvet cupcakes which were absolutely awesome were made by her & were a super smash hit in terms of look, feel & taste. Post this she tried her hand at the Hulk cake (post us watching the Avengers and being in that zone for a long time). You can also check the details of the Red Velvet Cupcakes & the Hulk Cake in our previous posts :-).
Super Stuff!!!
Awesomeness!!!
Then there was the brilliant Baked Philadelphia Cheesecake, and then came in the Pies – starting off with the brilliant Peach Crumble which raised the bar to some crazy level. The crust was totally spectacular add to that the fresh peaches and stuff, absolutely unbelievable! The complete pie was devoured in about 20 minutes by all of us & some pieces which were sent to the in-laws had the same fate. Further to which discussions on the brilliance of the dish continued for multiple days… Next in line the absolutely sensational After 8 chocolate ganache pie! Yup, I know! Sounds mouth watering delicious! Trust me, it tasted even better……I mean this was hands down one of the most awesome desserts made by Rachita!!! Finally there was the breath taking Raspberry Pie which was just a sensational change from the regular taste of pies in your mind. The crust and the use of cheesecake to add just that little bit of pizzaz made this last pie a true slice of heaven!!!
Enough said…. take a moment to check the gallery which has the awesome creations made by Rachita and have a visual treat 🙂 Also below some crazy numbers & facts about the Pie.
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Super Duper!!!
Approx. $700 million in pies (approx. 186 million units) are sold in grocery stores every year. This does not include restaurants, food service or price clubs, only grocery stores. If you lined up the number of pies sold at U.S. grocery stores in one year, they would circle the globe and then some.
According to a 2008 survey by Crisco® and American Pie Council:
•Nearly one out of five (19%) Americans prefer apple pie, followed by pumpkin (13%), pecan (12%), banana cream (10%) and cherry (9%)
•Pie just isn’t for after-dinner dessert. Thirty-five percent of Americans say they’ve had pies for breakfast. Pies as lunch (66%) and midnight snacks (59%) also have a popular following.
•When asked what dessert Americans would prefer a friend or family member bring to their house for a holiday dinner, pie was the winner with 29%. Cake (17%) and cookies (15%) rounded out the top-three spots.
Pumpkin pie was first introduced to the holiday table at the pilgrim’s second Thanksgiving in 1623.
Pie was not always America’s favorite dessert – in the 19th Century, fruit pies were a common breakfast food eaten before the start of a long day.
Pie By the Numbers
•36 million number of Americans who identify apple pie as their favorite
•47% Americans for whom the word “comforting” comes to mind when they think of pie
•6 million Number of American men ages 35-54 who have eaten the last slice of pie and denied it
•27% Americans who believe chocolate pie is the most romantic to share with someone special
•1 in 5 Proportion of Americans who have eaten an entire pie by themselves
•113 million Number of Americans who have eaten pie for breakfast
•75 million Number of Americans who prefer to drink milk with their pie
•32% Americans who prefer no crust on top of their pie
•90% Americans who agree that a slice of pie represents one of the simple pleasures in life
•9% Americans who prefer to eat their pie crust-first
•7% Americans who have passed off a store-bought pie as homemade
•18% Men who say their wife makes the best homemade pie
•2% Women who say their husband makes the best homemade pie
Unbelievable!!!
Pie Personalities
If you love… You are likely to describe yourself as…
Apple Pie – Independent, realistic and compassionate
Pecan Pie – Thoughtful and analytical
Chocolate Pie – Loving
Pumpkin Pie – Funny and independent
Pie Preferences
•More than one-third of Americans have eaten pie in bed
•Nearly one in four women believe that they make the best pie – better than Mom or Grandma
•More than one-third of Americans have craved pie in the middle of the night
The first mention of a fruit pie in print is from Robert Green’s Arcadia (1590): “thy breath is like the steame of apple-pyes.”
Tags: 4th of July, American Pie, Apple Pie, Avengers, bajaj avenger, Baking, baking powder biscuits, baking tips, ben turpin, biker, bikers, biscut, breakfast, Cheese Cake, Chocolates, Comfort Food, cooking, cooking tips, Cream, dinner, eating, Flaky Pastry, Food, Fresh Fruits, Fun, holiday, Hulk, love baking, love eating, lunch, movie, Oven, pastry shell, Philadelphia Cheese, Pie, Pie Crust, Pieing, red velvet cup cakes, restaurants, the avengers, The Hulk, Tips, vacation, wife, Wikipedia
Crazy Bombay Rains!!!
Yesterday was crazy considering the awesome food places we went to for both lunch & dinner – it was super awesome so decided to write about it on the blog. So the way this played out was that the morning was totally crazy with the city being lashed by heavy rains. Somehow Rachita, Mihir & me rode through the same & reached work. While at work, got random calls basis traffic jams across the city, also social media was going crazy about the jams, etc. We decided to leave early by lunch so as to avoid the traffic nightmare. Though come noon, the day suddenly was bright & sunny and there wasn’t an iota or indication of rains.
Yummy Salad!!!
This is when we decided to go for lunch at the local mall. On reaching Inorbit, we were contemplating where to eat considering the amount of options availiable, right from the Food Court which offers everything from Mcdonalds, Subway, Tibbs Frankie, etc., to stand alone places like Kareem’s and Pot Pourri. After much contemplation, we finally decided to go to Pot Pourri. Rachita & me have been to the place before – some time ago – but Mihir hadn’t and thus the excitment. At Pot Pourri we realized they had a buffet for lunch which was for Rs 440/-. Mihir & I opted for the same while Rachita ordered a chicken prep off the menu.
Pretty Damn Good!!!
On the Buffet counter, there were 2 soups to choose from, the veg and non veg. We had the pumpkin & chicken soup, post which Mihir went and got some awesome salad of the live counter, the same was super yum! After soups & salad, we decided to try the pizza – the same, unfortunately, wasn’t that good. It was a bit dry & cold, also the sauce on top barely had any flavor. Moved to the main course wherein there was pasta, rice, madras curry, korean chicken & rice. I opted for some korean chicken & rice, Mihir opted for the pasta, fish curry & korean chicken. The main course was total value for taste & money & was devoured in minutes & then finally there was dessert, which was Tiramisu & Orange Souffle. The same was also pretty nice! Overall, the experience was extremely pleasant – the ambiance of the place is casual & the waiters are also extremely helpful and polite. That just takes a simple lunch experience to another level. Even though we didn’t drink, we checked & the Alcohol is well priced & the menu for the same is decently extensive.
Our Rating for this place:
Inorbit Mall
Pot Pourri
Our Rating – Please note this is basis Km 10 to 100 (10 being the lowest & 100 being the highest)
Ambience – 90 km
Service – 92 km
Food – 88 km
Burn – 80 km (This place is well priced)
Badbikegang Average Speed – 87.5
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Superb Stuff!!!
Steak , Chips & Barbecued Onions!!!
Post the lunch, the evening was something we were still super excited about as the POA was to go to our favorite Sizzler place in town – Kobe Sizzlers. While this was going to be a family affair, the promise of Sensational Steak & other goodies available there were definitely upside. Reached Kobe by about 7:30pm with the jing bang of about 16 people. Kobe doesn’t take bookings so it is first come first serve based policy, Oh ya! the 16 people included the in-laws and our immediate family. Everyone more or less ordered Sizzlers except for Mihir & me who weren’t so keen on sizzlers as we wanted to eat some hard core yummy steak, biker style! 🙂 Went ahead and ordered a steak bun & also an egg & cheese bun to start with. The same was totally awesome – bread just rightly roasted on the pan and the egg with cheese in between just totally brilliant! The steak bun was totally in another league as with every bite you could taste the yumminess. Post this, we ordered a portion of steak, chips & onions to end our meal. The main course absolutely stunning, as you can see in the picture. Also a note for people who don’t like their meat too hardcore, if you are at Kobe’s and ordering, do not order the steak, go for chicken instead, though if you are the hardcore variety, do not miss the steak! The Sizzlers are to die for at Kobe& they customize them to your taste. Also the burgers are super juicy succulent & all the wonderfull things you expect. Finally, after being stuffed silly, walked home which is about a 1 km away & called it a night.
Brilliant Steak Bun!!!
Our Rating:
Kobe
Our Rating – Please note this is basis Km 10 to 100 (10 being the lowest & 100 being the highest)
Sensational Sizzlers!!!
Ambience – 80 km
Service – 88 km
Food – 93 km
Burn – 84 km (Value for Money)
Badbikegang Average Speed – 86.25
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Tags: bajaj avenger, barbecue, barbecue onions, bikers, bikes, bombay rains, bread, brunch, buffet, Burgers, Chicken, chips, Choppers, curry, dinner, egg bun, family, Food, food court, french fries, kilometers, km, kobe, kobe sizzlers, korean curry, lunch, mcdonalds, menu, motorbikes, our ratings, pasta, patatoe, pizza, pot pourri, Restaurant, rice, salad, sandwich, sizzlers, souffle, soup, Steak, steak bun, subway, tibbs frankie, tiramisu, traffic, travel
If you remember the post on Monday, 23rd of April, 2012, we had spoken about Rachita’s birthday celebrations at Mainland China. In today’s post, we write about our experience at one of the finest eateries in South Bombay.
Mainland China
Awesome Ambiance
After the morning bike ride & post multiple discussions last weekend and where we should go to celebrate the Mrs. birthday we zeroed in on Mainland China. Although we have been to this place loads of time we decided to revisit the same. Reached there by about 12:30pm. Fortunately the restaurant is situated 10 minutes from where we leave at SOBO Central Mall, off Haji Ali in South Bombay. Going up in the elevator to the 2nd floor of the mall there was the distinct smell of food being cooked across the ground floor & even in the lift. At one point we did laugh about the fact that the building was on fire.
At the entrance, we were greeted by the manager who recognized us as regulars and gave us a quiet place in the corner of the restaurant. Walked in, got seated, were welcomed by an extremely polite staff of waiters. Here let me take a moment to describe the decor. It has a nice warm feel, I personally like the fact that the restaurant is not too brightly lit; it has a nice dingy feel. Also there are Ming Dynasty Vases and Statutes around and chandeliers which do not have any implication basis china 🙂 Back to the celebrations now! As all bikers do, I ordered my daily fix of beer………. Mihir, Rachita & Yooti ordered mocktails. The bar here is priced reasonably, though like most places Beer is the cheapest. Also there is a decent selection of Whiskys, Rum, Vodka, etc. the normal stuff. There was also some herbal tea given to the ladies basis request. Side by side the kimchi, which according to us is the bestest ever, was being devoured.
Crazy Spicy Chicken
Important point to note, we all love spicy food…the hotter the better. No soup was ordered though the normal Sweet Corn, Chicken, Talu Meian, etc. are available on the menu. We ordered crispy fried sichuan chicken with smoked chillies and peanuts which was crazily spicy (please see the picture of the chillies), the beer here was a life safer 🙂 there was also some lemon potatoes ordered & konjee crispy lamb. The chicken & potato were absolutely spectacular the Lamb though had a smell which was a bit fishy, the same was highlighted to the Stuart who replaced the same with the greatest lamb preparation humankind has seen – the cumin lamb :). While all of this was happening, plans for the evening celebrations were also being discussed & Rachita’s & mine first bike ride date also was the topic of discussion. Main course was sapo tofu vegetable and some fragrant pot fried rice. The same was just perfect!
The overall menu at Mainland China offers a variety of different foods which caters to all palettes: Lamb, Chicken, Fish & Vegeteable. Startes & main courses are brilliant, also a special note here to the service which is absolutely exceptional; not even in 5 star hotels do you get this kind of treatment. Remember the konjee Lamb we gave back & got the cumin lamb instead? Well, post our main course, we did not order any dessert as we were decently stuffed. We asked for the check. Though, to our surprise, we received a platter of chocolate spring-rolls complimentary. Boss! Free food… That being the first feeling let me tell you the desert was absolutely and totally awesome!
Exceptional Maincourse
All in all we highly recommend this place if you are in South Bombay and have a craving for Chinese food, Mainland is one of the finest places you can visit, add to that the service & trust me, you wont be disappointed.
Our Rating – Please note this is basis Km 10 to 100 (10 being the lowest & 100 being the highest)
Ambience – 85km
Service – 94km
Food – 92km
Burn – 80 km (Just about affordable)
Badbikegang Average Speed – 87.75 we give it an 88
Tags: beer, bike bikers, Bike Ride, Chicken, date, Desert, dinner, Food, haji ali, km, Lamb, lunch, mainland china, Restaurant, sobo, south bombay
Badbikegang 