Gulp Fiction

Pastas, Guacamole and more

Masala Fried Pomphret

Sea Food (Calamari & Prawns) Pizza 

Chilli Calamari and Kingfish Tikka

Mushroom Bunny Chow

145 Kala Ghoda, Mumbai

Even if you are vaguely familiar with Southern Mumbai or SoBo as they call it, you must have seen the iconic Rhythm House music shop in Kala Ghoda. The shop is closed now but right next to it on the first floor is the popular bar, Cafe 145 Kala Ghoda. Getting a place here at nights is a task in itself. Having returned once unsuccessfully, this time I went in the early evening hours with my sister, whom I was showing around Southern Mumbai because that’s what you show when somebody comes to the city.

The name of the place, written with splashed red paint on the front windows gives a feel of how this place would be. The place is kept with a grungy, unfinished look, a nice trick that restaurant owners are using quite a lot these days that achieves the dual purpose giving the place a theme and saving on finishing costs while doing so. Walls having exposed bricks with just a layer of white wash and plaster squirted here and there. Clunky tin containers to hold bills and stuff. Vintage window panes that all of this side of Mumbai has.

What I particularly wanted to try here was the Bunny Chow. If you notice, people all around the world have their own versions the ways in which bread and it’s accompaniments can be combined: 

If you put all your stuffing between two layers of bread, you get a burger or a sandwich, the Western style of eating

If you keep the bread and stuffing separately, break a piece of bread and dip it in some gravy, that’s the Indian style of eating

If you stuff everything in a big hollow sphere of bread, cut the top bit off for an opening and let the eater figure out himself how to eat it, that’s the South African way of eating, called the Bunny Chow

Chicken Nizami Kebab & Kepsa Biryani

Persian Darbar, Mumbai

I love festivals, festivals of any religion for that matter. And one major aspect of festivals that I particularly indulge upon is the food. This Eid, since I was in Mumbai and I sought to check out the famous Irani restaurant in Byculla - The Persian Darbar.

The darbar is a 4-storey restaurant cozily tucked under the flyover next to the Byculla station. Each of its floor has it’s own theme using lavish Persian decors. Though congested, as with most places in Mumbai, all the upholstery and other works serve to give a royal feel to the place.

We took our place on the first floor balcony, looking over this huge chandelier that’s welcomes you as you enter. To begin, I called for some Nizami Kebabs. For the mains, I didn’t give much thought and ordered the Kepsa Biryani, having heard its name so much.

Nizami Kebabs are a particularly simple dish but is loaded with aromatic spices and cream. The preparation was extraordinary with the right amount of tenderness and as you can see in the photograph, the luscious kebabs are grilled precisely to achieve the correct shades of brown, red and yellow. But the best part was the chutney they served with it. A mix of sweet and sour, a hint of spice and one of the best I’ve ever had.

The Kepsa biryani arrived in a huge steel plate, the long sleek rice grains having the yellow color of dum biryanis that I especially like. The waiter served us by taking in appropriate measures of rice and masala, which synergised to impart a taste I’ve encountere only in a couple of biryanis before.

On the whole, I highly recommend this place and I myself would be going to this place again, especially to try the raan delicacies they have here.

Chicken Shakshouka with Cheese & Waffle Sundae

Butter Garlic Prawns & Chicken Sizzler 

Cafe Universal, Mumbai 

Kutchi Dhabeli & Khandvi

Mutton Biryani, Mutton Meat Balls & Mutton Brain Roast

Zen Tea with Tomato, Basil & Mozzarella Panini

Zen Cafe, Ahmedabad

Balouchi-e-murgh & Murgh Chapli Kebab

Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms & Belgian Waffles

Spicy Mexican Baked Potato Madness