IMBISS-The Meating joint

IMBISS is a tiny little German restaurant and has cozy interiors of exposed red brick walls. Every foodie that I seem to meet nowadays is talking about it and why not? It’s an ultimate  haven for meat lovers! You get everything from Quail eggs to Spare ribs here and all at super affordable prices. The downside however is that, they have only one dish on the menu for vegetarians i.e- The Eggplant Schnitzel.

IMBISS : The exteriors

My boyfriend introduced me to this place and today was the first day we actually went there (though we have home delivered food from there earlier). Since we were pretty famished, we ordered ‘Baby back spare ribs’, a ‘Sausage platter’, ‘Bavarian Ham and Cheese Sandwich’, a ‘Hamburger with extra cheese’ and a side order of fried Ducks eggs for lunch.

Baby Back Spare Ribs- Rs.385

The ribs were tender and juicy, barbecued to perfection and glazed with smoked BBQ sauce. It also came with a helping of fresh garden salad. Personally, I preferred picking off only the meat off the ribs as I’m not very fond of the cartilage that comes along with it, but my boyfriend loved it and finished off the entire thing to the bone. 😛

Chicken Sausages (Part of the sausage platter)

Pork Sausages-part of the Sausage platter

The sausage platter on the other hand had 6 sausages in all; 3 chicken and 3 pork along with a generous serving of French fries. The chicken sausages were my favorite as they were really well done and brilliantly flavored. The pork on the other hand was just about okay. At 180 bucks, this dish is definitely worth a try.

Bavarian Ham and Cheese Sandwich-Rs.155

The ‘Bavarian Ham & Cheese’ sandwich was glorious.  Priced at Rs.155, it consisted of shredded bacon served on toasted bread covered with heavenly cheese. It also came along with a dip of brown stock which had little to no taste whatsoever.

Beef Hamburger with extra Cheese- Rs.120

Hamburgers at IMBISS just can’t go wrong. It consisted of a minced meat patty with cheddar cheese, sauteed onions, lettuce and a cherry tomato on top. It also came along with a generous helping of french fries and tomato ketchup. Juicy, succulent and absolutely mind blowing. A must-try!

Fried Duck Egg- Rs.30

I ordered the Fried Duck egg just out of curiosity as I’d never tasted it before. Priced at Rs.30, the egg was a sunny side up garnished with pepper, chilli flakes, coriander and onion rings.  The onion rings gave it a wonderful flavor. But overall, the egg wasn’t to my liking as it was way too runny!

Glinter : An orange flavored aerated drink

We washed our entire meal down with ‘Glinter’, this amazing Orange flavored aerated soft drink which comes in this cute little can. I just had to take a pic of this. Cute, isn’t  it? It also comes in Kiwi and Peach flavors.

On my next visit, I’m going to try the Pork and Eggplant schnitzels, hopefully with a side order of pickled Quail eggs. Till then, ciao!

 Address: 14, Ben O Lil Haven, Waroda Road, Off Hill Road, Bandra West, Mumbai

Kepsa at Afzal’s

By default, Friday nights have to be be spent with office friends. It’s somehow become a standard norm by now. Anyway, for the past few Fridays, the word ‘Kepsa’ has been thrown around way too often by a bunch of my office friends.

Well, I’ve never heard this name before and it fascinated me so, thought I’d give it a try. I was warned to order only for a half plate if I was going with a group of 3 people as the quantity would be too much for 2 to finish.

So I went along with 3 of my friends to Afzal’s (this place situated in Love lane, Byculla) It’s not a very posh place, but decent enough. [On customer’s requests, they have now opened up a family room too :)] Anyway, we ordered for a half plate of Chicken Kepsa and I kid you not, I thought the waiter got us the wrong order when it arrived.  I kept asking him if this was the full plate which he must have mistakenly given us. To my surprise, it wasn’t. It was the correct order. :O

Chicken Kepsa

Chicken Kepsa [Picture credit: Ankita Parab]

It consists of a combination of Chinese and Indian food i.e- a mixture of Chinese fried rice along with tandoori chicken and a little Indian gravy. The rice is served in one huge stainless steel thali  and is surrounded by vegetables. It also comprises of 2 boiled eggs which gives the overall dish a wonderful flavor. Although the combination sounds pretty weird, it tastes far from weird.
The best part is, it  is served in the traditional Muslim style where everyone has to eat from one plate. I personally really liked the concept.

Chicken Kepsa- Picture Credit: Ankita Parab

By the end of it, all I can say is there wasn’t a single grain of rice left on our plate. I’d definitely recommend this place to all my readers as I think this dish is worth a try. It has quality served with quantity, both at an amazing price of 200.

Address: 9/A, Shop No 36/37, Tulsi Wadi, Opp SAI Niketan Building, Shivdas Champsi Marg, Mazgaon, Mumbai 

Happiness at Cafe Zoe!

A few months ago, I had gone to meet a friend near Phoneix and she suggested that we go to Cafe Zoe for a quick bite after shopping. I was skeptical at first, coz I thought that it would be really expensive but we headed there anyways. Let me tell you, I was in for something fabulous!

The Cafe is neatly tucked away in the hustle bustle of  Blue Frog.  As soon as we entered, I was literally blown away by the ambiance. It had a very warm, cozy and homely feel to it, not to forget elegant and creative as well.  The random bicycles placed here and there, the exposed brick walls, the picture frames, the pipes on the ceiling, a wall adorned with cook books and an English bar  made me feel like I was in England.

A bar with an English feel

The Dessert counter

We ordered for  ‘Mac and Cheese’ and ‘Buffalo wings’ along with ‘French Fries’ and ‘Beers’. Let me tell you, not only did it look good, it tasted awesome. The quantity was good and the “Mac & Cheese’ was filled with this delicious gooey rich cheese with made it impossible for a person to finish the dish single handedly.

Mac & Cheese

My personal favorite however was the ‘Buffalo wings’. It was perfectly spiced and the meat was lean and tender. Coming to think of it, I wish I would have ordered another plate of it.  But anyway, I can always go back (and I definitely will).

Buffalo Wings

We ended up paying 700 bucks per head and all in all I think it was worth every penny.

 

           Address: Todi Mathuradas Mill Compound  126, N M Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai

The tale of three monkeys..

Ronak, Rebecca and Ranjit

• After graduation

Two monkeys came together

They discussed their future

And helped each other

• They checked out companies

And sorted out their journeys

And while carrying out these duties

Forgot their anxieties

• Then one fine day

All of a sudden

Another, third monkey

Joined them with passion

• This third monkey

Was frightened and scared

And he didn’t want to spend his holidays

In utter dismay

• So he joined the clan

And thus started the gang

And then the 3 famous monkeys

Worked out a plan

• They decided to work together

Stick by each other

And thus became

Each other’s energy boosters

• They blabbered and chattered

And did things that didn’t matter

But in the end, they slithered together

And headed southwards, to sort out their futures.

Future Calling

 

Confusion personified?

Now as I’m a graduate, the thought about my future scares me…

What am I gonna do in life? How am I gonna make ends meet??

I don’t doubt my capabilities…its just that the thought of stepping into a new and different world, sends a shiver down my spine….

I want to explore soo many things in life and get a taste of everything, but I don’t know where exactly to begin!

Sometimes I wish things were easier, but later on I thank God that they aren’t…

Because if things were soo easy to accomplish, then the joy of enjoying the sweet fruits of rigorous toil and labor wouldn’t really mean anything, would it?

 I don’t want everything on a platter, I wanna work my way through.

I want to shine and surpass my fears and anxieties.

And finally, I want the world to recognize me as I am.

The Serum Of The Sky

Rain is grace. Rain is the sky giving to the earth; without rain, there would be no life. ~John Updike

There are days when I wake up to the clouds casting a shadowy feeling on the earth beneath

The smell of sweet mud fills the air, whilst the chilly cool breeze plays hide n seek with the trees

The fresh dew gets comfy on the lush greenery and looks nothing less than shining diamonds

I’m not a writer by nature, but the climate makes me want to write more and more about it

It makes me want to fall in love all over again, fall in love with the beauty and richness of God’s creation

The cool comforting ambience adds a fresh touch to everything around as mother nature prepares herself to usher in one of the most glorious seasons

People shift their gaze towards the sky as if they are thanking God

The wind makes the leaves rustle about in the air with a hissing sound

And lo! The people’s expectations get fulfilled as the first drops of rain carpet the dehydrated earth.

Parting Feelings..

                                                           Distance makes the heart grow fonder

   The day finally arrived

When he had to leave

There was awkwardness in the air

It felt like it wasn’t fair

  He looked at her

Her eyes fell

She was looking at him

He could tell

  Time froze, their eyes glowed

The face put up a brave front

But the heart cried silent tears

It said, “I could do this for the wonderful years”

  He hugged her

She wept inside

He tried to talk to her

Her silence replied

  He consoled her

She kept on weeping

His words felt like soothing balm

Comfort was what her soul was seeking

  He was undoubtedly the best

But she was no less

The world said that they were made for each other

It was finally put to test.

Her Worth

Her worth

Her messages, her words, ‘Love’ dripping from every sentence,
The way she called you ‘Baby’,
The way she held your hand and comforted you when you needed it most,
Her pictures, the way she hugged you tight….
The intimacy, the warmth, the feeling that you’re at home in her arms..
Her memories, her touch, her voice, her face…
It all haunts you when it’s over.
You realize her worth when you aren’t with her anymore
So, why wait to reach that stage? Trust me, it’s far from pleasurable.
Acknowledge her as a part of your life
Don’t argue, don’t fight
Accept her as she is coz you know you too are far from perfect
Treat her with a lil love, it will work wonders.
It may be difficult but not impossible.
A few people in life get someone whom they can call their own.
I had you but don’t know about how much I own you now.

Throwback!

All I could ever ask for, is to take me back into time so that I could relive those tranquil experiences near the beach with the waves gently splashing particles of cold sand onto my feet, the coolness of the air around me and the setting sun, the silent hours of meditating on the mountain top, hearing heart touching, soul stirring music .Those were the days when I’ve actually sat and reflected on something. And the result, was truly in the superlative. Although, the first I.V had its own predicament, I can proudly look back and say that those moments were once in a life time moments and they surely will be etched in my memory for a lifetime.

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The excitement of traveling to Kolhapur in the bus late at night, the joy of spending quality time singing away with friends and not really caring that we would probably be in for sore throats the next day, the thought of deriving sadistic pleasure by clicking funny pictures of friends sleeping and drooling with their mouths wide open, the pain yet anticipation of getting up early in the morning and waiting in turn for someone to vacate the bathroom, the craziness of running around the room at the last moment to find our book, pen, cap and sunglasses, the fright at being yelled at for coming a second late, the ‘good for nothing’ stare from Sir, the feeling of guilt, the sheer eagerness of visiting forts and beaches…of clicking loads of pictures and then some more… The scintillating experience of climbing up forts which were on the edge of the ocean, the thrill of traveling by boat and looking into the ice blue waters, the willingness to learn new things from the best tour guide ever available, the heart thumping experience of going with friends for night walks to the fort…then getting awfully frightened of an old lady in a pure white saree…running away from her as if she was a ghost from the story that we were narrating to each other during our climb…having small tiffs with friends over petty issues….getting lost on my way back to the hotel…searching desperately for cell phone network in the middle of a jungle. Getting none.…crying bucket loads of tears and scaring the daylight out of my friends who couldn’t find me…climbing breathlessly up the lighthouse, visiting the sugar factory but coming out without sugar, shopping like mad freaks for kolhapurichappals, jumping into other people’s balconies and then into their rooms, catching frogs, bitching away to glory, running in our nightgowns from pillar to post in search of someone or the other, sleeping on the cool green lawns at night, going to the boys rooms and getting to see a dose of pure unadulterated gaygiri, sitting for sessions in the conference room at night with a cup of hot cutting chai in our hands, writing warm fuzzy letters to each other…then becoming sentimental and emotional….followed by a session of touching words ‘I love you’s’,’you mean so much to me’, tears and hugs…eating or rather hogging away at the delicious food that was set in front of us.. sitting by the swimming pool and hearing music with our dinner in our hands…shivering because of the chilly cold… snuggling against each other on our beds to get some warmth….celebrating birthdays and eating some more…being royally pampered by sir …..and the cycle never ended …. I owe all my gratitude to Sir without whom, experiencing these fantastic moments would have never been possible. He was definitely THE BEST teacher, guide and mentor anyone could ever ask for. Jai B.M.M!