Everyone loves it. I do too. Yes, food. And living alone in this big, bad city had meant that I had the chance to experiment, gastronomically speaking. That is not to say that I don't like to be guided. But a look at any of the commonly available books - the Times Food Guide is the first example that springs to my mind - makes me wince and say, 'No thank you!' Visiting any of the places listed in those is like walking into the kitchen, picking up a piece of hot charcoal from the tandoor and putting it in your pocket.
So what else do I have to fall back on? Ah yes, the tons of restaurant reviews and food columns in newspapers such as HT. HT? A certain Ms. Bhargava of HT Cafe (Mumbai) refuses to step into a restaurant unless she knows beforehand that the cost of an average meal for two is at least one and a half grand excluding taxes. Again, HT? The Brave One, a reknowned foodie, won't venture out of his little world which comprises exclusively of the highest of the high-end hotels and top-of-the-line (read: insanely expensive) standalone restaurants. Besides, he doesn't have to worry about a thing - there is not an occasion when he doesn't get recognized, and as to who foots the bill, your guess is as good as mine.
So I was left with plain and simple experimentation, the good ol' trial-and-error methods of yore, and it was working fine. Until one not-so-fine day, I got diagnosed with typhoid. Which relapsed. End result - no outside food for atleast a couple months more. Which is not such a bad thing after all, since mom is here and when she cooks, I'm not gonna give it up for any restaurant food whatsoever. Plus, now is a good time to look back and take stock of my favourite eating joints and particularly great items at certain places which I've relished over the past 4.5 years.
Without further ado, the IFA! (No, not a typo - there's just one 'I' and it stands for neither India nor International; it's I for Ibanov, what else?) Well, I won't exactly get trophies made and sent over to each of the places I list. It's more of a food listing. Bear in mind that there might be too many places from Bombay - but what the heck, you are the understanding kind aren't you?
So what else do I have to fall back on? Ah yes, the tons of restaurant reviews and food columns in newspapers such as HT. HT? A certain Ms. Bhargava of HT Cafe (Mumbai) refuses to step into a restaurant unless she knows beforehand that the cost of an average meal for two is at least one and a half grand excluding taxes. Again, HT? The Brave One, a reknowned foodie, won't venture out of his little world which comprises exclusively of the highest of the high-end hotels and top-of-the-line (read: insanely expensive) standalone restaurants. Besides, he doesn't have to worry about a thing - there is not an occasion when he doesn't get recognized, and as to who foots the bill, your guess is as good as mine.
So I was left with plain and simple experimentation, the good ol' trial-and-error methods of yore, and it was working fine. Until one not-so-fine day, I got diagnosed with typhoid. Which relapsed. End result - no outside food for atleast a couple months more. Which is not such a bad thing after all, since mom is here and when she cooks, I'm not gonna give it up for any restaurant food whatsoever. Plus, now is a good time to look back and take stock of my favourite eating joints and particularly great items at certain places which I've relished over the past 4.5 years.
Without further ado, the IFA! (No, not a typo - there's just one 'I' and it stands for neither India nor International; it's I for Ibanov, what else?) Well, I won't exactly get trophies made and sent over to each of the places I list. It's more of a food listing. Bear in mind that there might be too many places from Bombay - but what the heck, you are the understanding kind aren't you?
yes... yes... we all are understanding....take care....
ReplyDeletethank u :)
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