One Food Experience: Royce' Chocolates

Royce' is a Japanese brand of chocolates with international presence in the US, India, Russia, and South East Asian countries such as . Their only store in India is at the High Street Phoenix Mall in Mumbai.

I recently came across their Nama Ghana Bitter Chocolate (Nama means fresh in Japanese) and was simply stumped! The experience of buying (as heard from the friend's stories) and eating (as felt from my own experience) are one-of-a-kind and are totally worth having.

Royce' Nama Ghana Bitter Chocolate

When you go to buy this chocolate, they give it to you with a frozen cooling gel pack in the bag and seal it up so that it maintains the temperature required by the chocolate till you get home and can store it in the refrigerator. And apparently, the gel didn't completely melt off till the next day despite Mumbai temperatures and being out for about 2 hours at least during the afternoon. This in itself shows how seriously they take their chocolate!

Now, let me come to the experience of having this chocolate. The chocolate is cut up into 20 bite-sized pieces on which there is a sprinkling of cocoa powder. The chocolate has a rich cocoa smell, laced with hints of cool - frozen, fresh cool and not minty cool. You pick up a cool piece of the chocolate (yes, it is best eaten straight out of the refrigerator, you do not need to bring it to room temperature unlike other chocolates) and you immediately notice that it still has a soft texture with silkiness from the cocoa powder.

Royce' Nama Ghana Bitter Chocolate Up Close

Then we come to the actual eating part. I ate a couple of pieces of it and I enjoyed it better when I popped the whole  piece into my mouth. The texture despite being cold was not frozen. It had a lovely creamy yet solid softness that melts slowly on your tongue. As it melts, it releases a dense, not-to-sweet cocoa flavour, which unlike the name of the chocolate is not bitter. The only thing that was marred the experience a bit was the feel of the cocoa powder in the mouth. It was kind of dry that took away from the moistness and freshness of the rest of the experience of the chocolate.

With the coolness of the temperature and the fresh, softness of the rich cocoa flavour, it is quite an experience! I can keep describing it and using more adjectives, but it is an experience best had rather than heard of.

One Food Experience: Soam

Soam, located near Girgaon Chowpatty, bang opposite the Babulnath temple, is a haven for tasty and authentic Gujarati food. It is a vegetarian's delight, that has enchanted meat eaters who are not too fond of vegetarian food. A clear sign of the popularity of this restaurant can be seen by the fact that though we had gone there on a weekday afternoon for a late lunch at around 2-2.30 p.m., we still had to wait in the queue for around 20 minutes before we got a table.

There were two of us who loved the different food experiences of the meal we ordered. I have decided to include both recommendations for the restaurant as the one-food experience you should have at Soam. Both of these, along with the restaurant itself, are really worth trying out!

1. Panki and Guava Panha

Panki is a very interesting Gujarati dish. It is made by spreading a really thin layer of rice flour batter (that has little bit of spices like jeera and turmeric) on a banana leaf and then steaming it in the banana  leaf. It is served on the table in the banana leaf itself, and you need to open a hot banana leaf and peel the Panki off it to eat it hot and fresh, right off the leaf.

Panki on the banana leaf

The experience of eating Panki is one-of-a-kind and very interesting. First, there is a release of aromas and steam as you open the banana leaf. Then when the steam clears a bit, you see this bright yellow colour against the backdrop of the lovely green, that just appeals to your eyes. Then you peel off little by little and enjoy the flavoursome, thin, soft Panki that just melts in your mouth. Ah! There is nothing like it!

Guava Panha

The Guava Panha is a take on the summer favourite Aam Panha. It goes very well with the Panki with its combination of sweetness with an edge of tartness.

2. Farsan Platter

This one is made for those who believe Gujarati food is at its best when its deep fried like my company does (and you can now guess whose recommendation backs this)! It has a great combination of traditional Gujarati snacks like ghugra and dhokla, with the modern touch of Palak Cheese Patti Samosa and Makai wadi.

The oh-so-yummy farsan platter!

Ghugra (top and bottom) is a savoury pea-mixture stuffed in a maida pastry that is folded in a beautiful manner, which takes a lot of skill, along the edges. This is then deep fried and makes a lovely crunchy snack with a spicy filling. Soam made it almost like my granny used to, and that is very good by any Gujarati standards, considering my granny's ghugras were very popular.

The Palak Cheese Patti Samosas (top right) were this fantastic combination of sauteed spinach and cheese stuffed in patti strips and deep fried till the cheese melts. When you bite into a samosa there is the crunch of the patti, followed by the gush of melted cheese with hints of flavour from the spinach. It is a delight in your mouth!

Makai wadi (left of the basket) was a unique corn snack that was steamed and then pan fried. It was a take on the Maharashtrian kothimbir wadi.

Last, but not the least, was the quintessential Gujarati dhokla. I am not much of a dhokla fan (yes, I am Gujju and no, I don't like dhoklas!) but this one was soft and fluffy, steamed perfectly, with just a little hint of spice from the chilly powder sprinkled on top before steaming. I know enough of dhoklas to know it was just like a good dhokla should be.

One Food Experience: Cafe Mangii

Last minute plans to go and eat at one of your favourite restaurants are always awesome! Cafe Mangii is one of my most favourite restaurants to eat in Mumbai. Cafe Mangii simply makes a statement that a combination of a relaxed ambience, good service, perfectly made and presented food with every dish and a great variety on the menu, you just can't go wrong!

The one food experience I would recommend at Cafe Mangii is their Poached Pear Salad Entree. This salad is a great refreshing combination of pears poached in spiced red wine, fresh crispy arugula leaves with creamy crumbled feta brought together by a balsamic reduction dressing topped with caramelised walnuts. There are a variety of flavours: spice and tartness of the pears, the slight fennel-like pungency of the arugula leaves and the distinct flavour of the balsamic reduction, balanced out by the neutrality of the feta cheese with hints of sweetness from the caramelised walnuts . And the texture combination of this dish is just perfect! The crunchiness of the walnuts, the crispiness of the fresh arugula, the softness of the cheese  make it a well-rounded dish in terms of textures. The creator of this dish can take a bow!

Poached Pear Salad in all it's glory!

A disclaimer to this recommendation is that balsamic tends to have a very distinctive flavour that not everyone in India may like. But, of the five people I know who have eaten this salad, four have liked it, so that is a good ratio!

For a more detailed review of Cafe Mangii, you can see the Spice Rover's review. 

One Food Experience: Theobroma

Theobroma's is a bakery and patisserie with branches in Colaba, Peddar Road, Powai and Bandra. I believe they make the best desserts in this corner of the country. They have the most delectable pastries, danishes, croissants and macaroons. The one food experience I would strongly urge you to have at Theobroma's is their Tiramisu.

Tiramisu is a rich creamy Italian dessert having layers of pastry/ or ladyfingers biscuits (traditional version) with mascarpone cheese, whipped egg yolks and cocoa.

Tiramisu of Theobroma's

The first thing you will notice about this tiramisu is how easily the spoon cuts through all the layers, like a knife through molten butter.

All the lovely layers of the Tiramisu

And when you start eating it, there is coffee, there is cocoa and rich creamy textures of the cheese. It is a delight with every mouthful, that makes you want to go "Oh!". No wonder Theobroma's (literally food for the Gods) is so aptly named! Kainaz Messman, take a bow! 

A cup of Tiramisu costs Rs 90 (without service taxes) and is worth every penny, and then some more...

One Food Experience: Starbucks

Starbucks has a great coffee menu and some really interesting food. The best part about their food is that it is very fresh, for example, a friend of mine loves the chicken mozzarella turnover that they serve because it tastes very fresh. We've noticed the trick to it is that it comes half-baked and the last part of the baking is done at the store giving it a very fresh feel!

The one food experience I would recommend at Starbucks is their White Chocolate Mocha and their Fudgy Chocolate Chip Cookie. The White Chocolate Mocha is a steaming, frothy mug of white-chocolate rich flavourful coffee topped with delicious whipped cream. The cookie? You just have to eat it to believe it! It's fudgy, chocolaty, dense, and gooey and VEGETARIAN. My best friend who has studied in the UK for a year and hung out quite a bit at Starbucks reading for her course, said this cookie was better than any with-egg cookies they serve over there. I can think of no higher praise for this cookie. 

Fudgy Chocolate Chip Cookie and White Chocolate Mocha (right front)

Needless to add this food experience is a very rich one and is not for the health or weight conscious. But if you can let go of it for one coffee experience, this is totally worth it! 

One Food Experience: Ci Gusta

My friend and I were having one of those great Sundays. We had just been to a play at Prithvi and we decided to have lunch at Bandra. We thought of going to some place near Linking Road so we could get some food and then do some street shopping. And walked into this little gem of a restaurant at the junction of Linking Road and Waterfield Road called Ci Gusta. I have been to this restaurant twice now and I have tried different things from their menu: their pizzas, pastas and crepes. 

The one food experience I would recommend at Ci Gusta is their four chicken pizza or the 'Quatro Al Pollo' pizza. This pizza comes with four chicken toppings: pesto chicken, chicken sausages, hot pepper chicken and barbeque chicken in a tangy tomato sauce with the right amount of melted mozzarella on top. Unlike what we commonly see in India, all four toppings are not put all over the pizza leading to a jumble of flavours. Rather there were two slices each of one kind of topping. This made each topping the star of its own slices and we had four varieties of pizza in one! 

Ci Gusta's Quatro Al Pollo

One Food Experience: The Banana Leaf

I have been thinking of doing something new for my blog. So, yesterday I had gone for a family Raksha Bandhan lunch to the Banana Leaf (Korum Mall, Thane outlet) and I ordered their thaali (again!) and I thought this is the 'one food experience' I would recommend easily to people who plan to come to the Banana Leaf. And voila! I had a new idea for the food blog... "one food experience"!

The whole idea of this new series of blog posts is I will share one dish or food experience that I would recommend at restaurants that I have been to. It can be a drink, an appetizer, a soup, a main course or even a meal combination that I feel should really not be missed, after trying various things at these restaurants! 

So let's start at the beginning of this idea: the thaali experience at Banana Leaf. 

Banana Leaf unarguably serves excellent South Indian cuisine. A good indicator of the excellence of the cuisine available here is that I have often seen many South Indians, including the very-particular-about-their-food Tamilian Brahmins, eat here and relish the dishes! It is like how we Gujaratis will go eat Gujarati thaalis at the really good places. It not only serves your standard known version of South Indian idli-wada-dosa but also great curries, different types of rice dishes and meals from the states in the South of India.

My frequent order here is the thaali and this is the one food experience I would recommend here. It is a great experience of the variety in South Indian cuisine that goes beyond what would be standard orders! 

The thaali here begins with a tangy, spicy, peppery rasam that hits the right place in the throat, clears your sinuses and tantalises your taste buds for the experience ahead. 

Rasam: starting the meal by hitting the right notes! 

Then comes the huge (make that HUGE) plate of food with six (yes, 6) types of vegetables, sambhar, rasam, a mini uttapam, two types of wadai, rice papadams, one sweet (generally payassam), yoghurt, a choice between pooris, neer dosa or Kerala paratha (I highly recommend the Kerala parathas).

The whole thaali  experience

The flaky, soft, layered Kerala parathas

In the end there is a choice of rice between steamed rice, tamarind/ lemon rice (I think this varies as I have seen both options on different visits) or Bisibele bhaat (rice sauteed with vegetables and sambhar masala-like spice). Here again I would recommend the Bisibele bhaat.

The meal ends with a glass of masala chaas that is really yummy! I often end up ordering another glass of it after I finish the one that comes with the thaali.

The thaali costs Rs 275 (plus taxes) and is a limited thaali unlike unlimited Gujarati ones you get at most Gujarati thaali restaurants. However, the quantity is quite a bit and can easily be shared by two people. I shared this one with my brother in true Raksha Bandhan spirit! 

Cannon Pav Bhaji: My Happy Meal

Mumbai pav bhaji has always been famous; but there is pav bhaji and then there is Cannon pav bhaji!

Located right outside CST (earlier VT) station, this place has been a landmark for years! The first time I had their pav bhaji was when I was in the 6th standard (about 12 years back) and was going to Birla Auditorium for an awards function and the taste hasn't changed since. It was also our Saturday special when we were studying at Xavier's (because it fits right into any college student's budget) and was on our bucket list of things to do when my friend came back from England after a  year! 

The pav bhaji made in huge quantities over these old cast iron tawas tastes the same from as far as I can remember it: perfect combination of spices, veggies with an overload of butter that just melts in your mouth (see the pic and you will see what I am talking of). This flavoursome (and not too pungent) mix of vegetables is served with two pieces of bread (again) drenched in butter! The best thing to wash it down with is the masala chhas they serve (its spicy, cold, tangy and yummy!)

Cannon Pav Bhaji with a just right overdose of butter and masala chhas: Our Happy Meal!

Cannon also serves misal pav, gajar halwa and wada pav, but I have never tried them because I go there for the pav bhaji and the masala chhas and that's what I stick to! The proof lies in the long queue of people, at any time of the day, having hot fresh pav bhaji right off the tawa!