The Tiny Taster Top Tasty Treats !!

 

Gallops at the Mahalaxmi race course is known for its Indian and Continental food. After eating the usual chicken a la kiev and achari chicken, I stumbled upon a very different dish. Cheese smoked mousse served with crackers. It’s a starter and so unlike anything on their menu, in fact it’s such an odd ball between the staple continental fare and the heavy robust Indian. Its heavy and you will need another round of crackers but smoked cheese in a mousse is just delicious. I’m so glad I found this because it really was a find. I would go to Gallops just for this one. Sadly I haven’t taken any picture to show.

Sizzlers traditionally are beef based and to be honest the best ones are. Or so I thought. I’m the first one to scoff at a chicken sizzler and laugh at a vegetarian one because if there is no beef it ain’t a sizzler! I have to swallow my words because one of my all time favourite things to eat is a PRAWN sizzler. Yep, not beef but prawn. Most sizzler joints have options with prawn sizzlers but the best one is served up at Yoko’s in Fort. Its Prawn sizzler (no rice, like the shashlik) and a sauce of your choice with the veggies n fries. I always opt for the garlic sauce because it’s well flavoured and thick and I like my prawns doused in sauce. It’s an impressive sizzler as they serve almost 10 well sized big prawns and ample sauce along with vegetables and fries or mash potatoes depending on what you asked for. Once again I tailor make it and ask for it with fries, caramelised onions or sautéed onions as they like to call them and cabbage. If I ask for anything more it’s a waste as it is anyway a herculean task to finish this sizzler. Prawns with garlic sauce have my vote anytime!

I hate it when you have a favourite dish in a restaurant and then the fools knock it off the menu !! Once I have my heart set on a particular dish then I get very stubborn and want only that. A few places are kind enough to oblige and will serve you what you want despite it not being on the menu. Cafe Royale at Regal does that. Their Beef Hedlock is no longer on the menu but if you describe it and request politely enough they will serve it to you. You can substitute the beef with chicken but according to me that’s no fun. This dish is beef is a fiery spicy orange-ish sauce served with cilantro rice and strips of bell pepper. I need a tall glass of iced water to accompany this dish but oh lord is it worth the spice trauma. It’s been a while since I’ve eaten this and after writing this you can be assured I’m going to go get some!

Chinese restaurants serve great food but the most hopeless desserts. The usual suspects are around like the lychee toffees banana toffees and crispy honey noodles with ice cream and the pancakes. I have no affection for any but all that changed when I was served a coconut pancake at Ling’s. Good ol Ling’s really never ceases to amaze me. Every restaurant serves the pancakes with coconut fried so it becomes hard and flaky and I find it unappetising. This pancake is soft and almost crepe like stuffed with grated coconut and a few raisins served with vanilla ice cream. I LOVE crepes so maybe that’s why I love this so much. It actually reminds me of this Parsi dish called “chapat” which is a thin sweet crepe. The coconut stuffing is a bit much but so I open it up and scoop some out. Either ways its soft warm and delicious!

I’m a soup person and sometimes the simplest soups are the best. Yet most places manage to mess it up. A simple well made tomato soup is really hard to find. A trip to the relatively new Cafe Sundance and my prayers have been answered. The soup there is fresh mildly creamy with a hint of basil. It managed to convert a non soup lover as she sipped on it and asked for seconds. Simple food but in my opinion the most satisfying.

What was considered “exotic” once upon a time has now because a regular on any South East Asian menu. The Burmese Khowsuey is an old favourite. In fact, we love it so much that we have khow suey dinner nights at a close friend’s house as often as we can. A khow suey is typically ramen noodles with a thick almost Thai curry or laksa curry like gravy with either chicken/ prawns/ vegetables and presented with a number of condiments like fried onions, garlic, chopped coriander etc. The fun in eating this is in making the meal so you can add as much or as little as you like. My favourite khow suey is with prawn ( very obvious) but I’d eat it any which way.Busaba serves up a mean Khow Suey.

Alcohol is a great ingredient for desserts. I’m use to brandy and baileys in cakes but this was my first alcohol infused ice cream. The Jack Daniel’s Ice cream at Bungalow 9 in Bandra sounds and tastes too good to be true. One would imagine a mild whiff of alcohol but what you get is a heavy load of that wonderful whiskey. Served in a lovely crisp biscuit basket with crushed biscuit sprinkled on top this is an ice cream lover’s dream.

As every good meal ends with a dessert its only right that I should conclude my list with a drool worthy dessert. This one might seem very unlike me but I have nothing but praise for the Chocolate Brandy Surprise at Cafe Mocambo in Fort. I’m not a chocolate lover and given the choice will NEVER order a chocolate anything! I had a bite from my cousin when he ordered this once and there has been no turning back. This pastry has a dense outer covering of chocolate which is probably the highlight for most of you but does nothing for me. The best part for me is the middle where there is this creamy mousse like filling drenched in brandy and a thin base of brandy soaked sponge cake. Each bite has three very different layers of texture and flavour rolling through your mouth. Somehow I’ve managed to not take a picture again but if you manage to find your self at Mocambo try it.For me this was really memorable and I felt worth a mention on my top treats list.