Cafe Goodluck, Pune

There are not too many restaurants that have a Chowk named after them. This is one of them. The restaurant is one of the institutions of Pune and has been active since 1935. Its a particular favourite of the "filmi" crowd across the country due to the close proximity of the Film and Technology Institute of India.
Goodluck serves Irani food and does a damn good job of it. Irani food emanates from Persia, but is different from Parsi fare. The roots are Mohammedan rather than Zoroastrian, however what is great for us foodies is that the quality of the food does compare extremely favourably.
The restaurant is value for money and hence there are no frills. No AC/ No fancy decor, basic chairs, tables and from what I could gather very hygienic. We were quite a few of us at the restaurant and could sample quite a few dishes. The food was mostly non vegetarian and deliciously so, they do however have a Thali for vegetarians.
We tasted Mutton Masala and Mutton Kheema which we had with Rumali Roti. The Kheema was tasty and pretty much the regular fare you get at decently good eateries. I really liked the Mutton Masala which was a yellowish gravy, the dish was definitely spicy but not overly so.. it had a distinct tangy flavour to ease the chilli and give the dish a delightful taste.
We also sampled the Bheja fry - the dish I will remember most from Goodluck Cafe. The Bheja fry was not the regular fry that you get in Bade Miyan in Mumbai. The Goodluck Bheja Fry is a deep fried Bheja, in appearance not very different from a fish chop. It is obviously a ball of cholesterol so one is not advised to have the same everyday, but if you do go to Goodluck Cafe and are not pukish at the thought of having Bheja, do order and taste it as it is a unique offering and tastes fantastic. I did not sample the deserts but my colleagues swear by the Caramel Custard and the Fruit Funny which is a trademark multi layered fruity offering at the restaurant.
A meal for two at Goodluck Cafe will cost you approximately Rs 200/-
How to get there: Goodluck Cafe is on Goodluck Chowk :) which is at the corner of Ferguson College Road and Bhandarkar Road

Zaafran, The Mughal Kitchen, Lucknow

Lucknow takes art and comfort very seriously. Among the many arts that they take very very seriously is the art of cuisine. The food in Lucknow is to die for, the rest of India agrees and envies the fact and yearns for more. However, over the times I have travelled to Lucknow, there seemed to be a gap to merge great cuisine and comfort. Sure for foodies, food beats leisure, but at times you look forward to the opportunity to enjoy great food in an ambiance where you can spend time with your colleagues and friends. This clear cuisine plus comfort gap has been identified and addressed by Zaafran, the Mughal Kitchen which has been started recently by Shivendra Seth and Mohd. Tariq Hasan and long may it prosper.
What leads me to believe that it will are the attitude of the owners, one a gemologist, the other a finance professional clearly understand the importance and long term benefits of offering value. They are not into manufacturing the quick buck and have stayed away from quick imitations of the Tunday. They also understand food and stress on original recipes. The stuff you get here is the real deal, served in an ambiance that is as good as any restaurant in Mumbai or Delhi. I also had the opportunity of visiting the kitchen and can vouch for how clean it is.
I had the opportunity of sampling quite a bit of the food. We started with the Murgh Dhaniya Shorba - an outstanding broth to start your meal. The pieces of chicken are substantial and the broth nice warm and perfect for bracing you for the meal ahead without taking too much space. We tried the pepper fish, which is something i typically avoid at restaurants. It was brilliant and beats any Tandoor fish I have had in Kolkata hollow.
The Barra Boti which is Mutton barbecued in Galout Masala is out of this world. The meat literally drips of the bone and is worth going to the restaurant repeatedly just for than one dish. Its Lucknow and the serving is also very substantial. The best thing about the Barra Boti was that it was not over cooked in the least as most such Botis are. The mutton biriyani was typically Lucknowi and very delicious, the highight of the Biriyani was the quality and the softness of the meat. The owners vouched that they are not cutting costs and are buying the best quality from the market. Lucknow being Lucknow, there are three grades of meat quality and Zaafran buys

the best - as I said the people of Lucknow are very serious about their food.
If all this was not enough, the meal was rounded off with the Rogan Josh, which the owners vouch for and not without reason. Pure ghee and all the right spices and none of the wrong ones, this authentic dish is served at the restaurant and tastes as good as any that I have tasted.
The gravy is so beautifully flavoured that all of us at the table were intent of polishing off the left over gravy as a soup after we were done with the mutton. A truly amazing dish and it is possible that the same will become the signature dish of the restaurant till they create something even more spectacular.
We did not have space to sample any sweet dish but given the experience and the conversation with the owners, if you are unsure at Zaafran just ask, and you need not be worried about the quality and the authenticity. The owners would rather not have the dish on the menu that keep something that does not conform to the integrity of Lucknow cuisine originality or is not of the highest quality. The outlet is a truly outstanding culinary experience guaranteed - you can take my word for it! It is pretty much the only place you go for authentic Lucknow cuisine with your family or colleagues in a completely comfortable and hygienic environment.
A meal for two at Zaafran, the Mughal kitchen without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 500/-
How to get there: From Puraniya Chowk, you have to go towards Sitapur Road, take the first right approximately hundred meters down the road. Zaafran is on the right, another hundred meters from the turning.

Tunday Kababi, Hazratganj, Lucknow

There are Kebabs, and there are Kebabs and then there is Tunday Kababi Lucknow. Quite possibly the most famous kebab maker in India and not without reason. Tunday Kababi owns the Galaot kebab in Lucknow and pretty much worldwide with outlets even in Dubai.
The Galaot kebab is known for its softness and its melt in you mouth quality - it really does. Tunday Kebabi serves the most famous variety of the preparation and definitely the best that I have ever had and I have had a decent variety. What is a Galout Kebab? It is a kebab that has been made after the meat has been marinated for a few hours atleast with 'papita' or Papaya. As the Lucknow gentleman and fellow foodie Mohd. Tariq Hasan emphasised - the Papita is what creates the family and makes the meat Galout, i.e. 'Gala', melt. From then on, its the different spices that make the kebab what it is and obviously the Tunday Kababi is not giving out his formula on the Internet.
Lucknowi people may not revere the outlet as much as the Non Luckowi, but it is the pride of the city and for every Non Vegetarian food lover a stop at Tunday Kebabi during a trip to Lucknow is a must. The Galaut kebabs come in two varieties Chhota - mutton and Bada - Beef. The beef is better but the mutton works brilliantly as well. They serve with 2 Parathas as part of the meal option available at the outley but I would advise you have it with the Sheermal - a roti made with eggs, milk and saffron. The colour - saffron and the combination is heaven and after you have the meal you will understand why the Nawabs of Awadh paid more attention to culinary excellence rather than military prowess.
The other interesting trivia about the outlet is the name Tunday - which means cripple. The inventor of the recipe was apparently a cripple hence the Kababs were christened as Tunday Kebabs. May the God of food bless his soul and those of the generations emanating for ever and ever. Inshallah!
A meal for two at Tunday Kebabi would cost you Rs 120/-. And it will be one of the best meals that you will ever have.
How to get there: Tunday Kebabi is on the top floor of the Sahara Mall in Hazratganj. The original outlet is at Aminabad but this one is the easiest to reach.

Sarvana Bhavan, Ashok Pillar, Chennai

If you are not from Chennai or are not fully aware of the phenomenon that is Sarvana Bhavan, chances are is that you will think that this is a chain that does not have any business sense or you will think that the restaurant has a huge family business that has been split down the middle and each faction wants to outdo the other. After all when you see 3 restaurants within 50 meters of each other you are well within your rights to make the above assumption in normal cases. However Sarvana Bhavan is not normal. It is I believe the Chennai-ites alternative to their home kitchen and the chain is doing well - a great testament to the quality standards and value for money customer offering that they have always kept up with. The same is evident in the decor. Clean, hygienic and very basic.
The last time I was at Sarvana Bhavan was for breakfast and had a plate or butter idlis, a ghee dosa and filter coffee. Tasty, simple and value for money food!
A meal for two at Sarvana Bhavan will cost you Rs 200/-.
How to get there: You will see Sarvana Bhavans all across Chennai. Just jump into an auto and ask him to take you to the nearest one.

Anjappar, Ashok Pillar, Chennai

Anjappar is synonymous with Chettinad Non Vegetarian cuisine in Chennai not only is it like the last word on Non Vegetarian food, I suspect Anjappar is almost infamous given that it borders on the exotic offering preparations of quail and rabbit ( I tasted them when I visited Chennai for my summer training almost seven years back) along with the standard chicken and mutton.
The decor of Anjappar at Ashok Pillar in Chennai is basic almost to the point of being sparse. Plain simple furniture; banana leaves and Tamil meals. Unlike the Andhra meals where it is usually vegetarian, the meals at Anjappar come in both the vegetarian and the non - vegetarian varieties. The Vegetarian meal is standard, the difference from the Andhra meal is the absence of Podi and Pappu, and instead you have some Tamil vegetarian preparations and multiple types of Rasam and Sambhar. The Non Vegetarian meal very innovatively comes with unlimited servings of gravy - mutton, chicken and fish. You might find the odd piece of meat but the same needs to be ordered separately.
Last time I was there I ordered the standard meal along with a portion of Chicken Chilli Dry Chettinad style. It makes your eyes water if you are not careful, but with the armour of curd you can send your taste buds drooling.
A meal for two at Anjappar will cost you Rs 250/-
How to get there: Anjappar has around 12 branches in Chennai. We went to the one at Ashok Pillar, 100 feet road.

Nafees, Palasia Square, Indore

Indore is known to be a Vegetarian Paradise. Hence, Nafees restaurant is like an oasis for non-vegetarians. It is easily the most famous Non Vegetarian restaurant in Indore and the food compares with the best the rest of our country has to offer.
The Biryani is decent; the same is served covered in a pot in which the dish is supposedly cooked. The highlight however is the Kheema that you get in the restaurant. The same is outstanding and is the tastiest Mutton Kheema dish that I have ever tasted across India. What makes the Kheema special is not only the substantial size of the mutton pieces in the preparation but also the taste - Superb! As an aside, do not order Butter Roti if you have heart problems. They are truly munificent with the butter in the butter roti :)
Do definitely make it a point to go to the restaurant if you ever visit Indore.
A meal for two without drinks at Nafees will cost you approximately Rs 350/-
How to get there: Nafees is at Palasia Square. It is a famous landmark in Indore and you should not have any trouble in finding the same.

Fusion 9, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad

As against the Nawabi expectation from Hyderabad cuisine Fusion 9 clearly caters to a more cosmopolitan 21st century India. The restaurant is a pointer to Cyberabad, the IT city thriving with development and increasingly growing as a corporate hotbed of Modern India. The place is nice and chic with a nice ambiance, good music and comfortable seating.
We had gone there to catch up with some old friends and the setting was perfect for the occasion. The music was audible without being loud and the layout ensured that we did not feel that we were being overheard. After drinks we moved over to the main course of Steaks and Sizzlers. The preparations were tasty and the servings were adequate. The slightly funny event was at the time of placing the order when a friend of mine almost changed the order when the waiter asked thrice to confirm if the order was indeed that of lamb chops.
A meal for two at Fusion 9 without drinks will cost you Rs 500/-
How to get there: The restaurant is right next to the Apollo Hospital at Banjara Hill.

Hyderabad House, Masab Tank, Hyderabad

The land of the Nizams has always been renowned for their Biriyani and Hyderabad House along with Paradise are two of the most famous outlets for sampling the Hyderabadi Biriyani for visitors to Hyderabad. Among the two, I prefer the fare at the Hyderabad house because it simply tastes better.
Hyderabadi Biriyani is different from the Biriyani that you get in the other parts of the country. Each part of India has different innovations of the Biriyani and the same is well documented, however the difference in the Hyderabadi Biriyani is stark in the very way the dish is cooked. The Hyderabadi version of the dish is where the meat and the rice are cooked together different from the Delhi / Lucknow school where the meat and the rice are cooked separately and later mixed. Anyways, enough Biriyani Gyan, the Biriyani at the Hyderabad house is great and is a definite must do if you are at the city of the Nizam.
The decor at Hyderabad house is simple and to the point. The food as mentioned is very good. It is the best Hyderabadi Biriyani that I have sampled. You can also have it with the Saalan that is served alongside although I like my Biriyani slightly dry.
A meal for two at Hyderabad House will cost you Rs 300/-
How to get there: Hyderabad House has a number of outlets all across Hyderabad. The one at Masab Tank is near the flyover.

Southern Spice, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad

There are Andhra meals and there are Andhra Meals, then there is The Andhra Meal you get at Southern Spice. When the foodies in the capital city of Andhra Pradesh vouch for the Andhra meal that you get at one restaurant and one restaurant only. You know you are on to something special and you are not disappointed by Southern Spice. Not in one bit. It is also a perfect example of an upmarket Andhra Meal restaurant. It manages to give an upmarket feel while you are digging into rice, ghee, podi and Gongura which to me is a remarkable achievement.
We had meals of course and also ordered some side dishes. The dish that stood out was the Gongura Mutton which was really very tasty. Overall a truly outstanding experience, next time I am there I will sample the Andhra Style chilli chicken as well which is apparently a speciality.
A meal for two without drinks at Southern Spice will cost you approximately Rs 450/-
How to get there: Southern Spice is on Road No 3, in Banjara hills

Lassiwala, MI Road, Jaipur

Another must do if you are in the Pink City is Lassiwala on MI Road Jaipur. Be sure to reach before 1:00 PM in the afternoon or otherwise you may be too late as the Lassi runs out before 4:00 PM everyday and even earlier on most days of the week.
Only God and the owner know what they put into the Lassi and how they make it because it is far superior to the ones you get at the other Lassiwala imitation stops. Be sure that you go to the one which says clearly that it has been there since 1944 to get the real thing, because the other outlets although very good on their own are not quite at the same level.
There is no seating place so you have to have the Lassi while standing on the street. The portions come in two sizes, large and small. I always go for the larger as you just cannot get enough. Beware to understand that after having a portion you will feel like sleeping so you have to push yourself. Piece of advice - if you can, go for a snooze after having one, it will be one of the best naps you will ever have in your life.
One Lassi glass comes for Rs 30/- to Rs 40/-. It would still sell if they triple the prices.
How to get there: Lassiwala is just of the Panch Batti Mod at MI Road. Again it is an institution in Jaipur.

Rawat, Polo Victory, Jaipur

Rawat. The Rawat Mishtan Bhandar is not a restaurant. The same is an institution and the fame of the outlet has spread throughout the country along with the Rajasthanis. Each and every person who has food at Rawat becomes an immediate ambassador of the outlet and trust me the same is with good reason.
Rawat is famous for its Peyaz or Onion Kachoris. Made of onion, potato and special batter, all deep fried in the shape of a kachori is Rawats core offering and quite simply is heaven on Earth. The same is only one of the various snacks and sweets you get at Rawat, the other more famed offerings being Mirchi Bhaji, Mewa Kachori but the Onion Kachori just blows me away so badly that I always get stuck at Onion Kachori.
There is no place to sit at Rawat and there is only a common table where people stand and have the Kachoris. The only problem with the Kachori is the size. You can never stop at one because of the taste and it is a bit too much if you are greedy enough to order two.
Rawat is definitely a must do if you are ever in Jaipur. Probably right after the Amber fort:)
A meal, breakfast for two at Rawats will cost you Rs 150/-. Two of you should ideally order 3 Kachoris and a mineral water bottle.
How to get there: Just get into any transport and say Rawat Hotel, Polo Victory. Anybody in Jaipur will know where it is. Polo Victory is a movie hall. A big testament to the quality of Rawat from personal experience is that every time I have been there the auto/taxi driver has also not been able to stay away from the Peyaz Kachoris.

Cafe Goa, Bandra

I love pork. I love spicy food. I therefore totally love Goan food. Goans and I have heard the North East people know and cook pork the best and the Goan Pork sausage is I think one of the all time greatest preparations mankind has ever conceived of.
When I heard of Cafe Goa, I though my prayers of having a decent Goan food restaurant closer than Goa Portuguesa had been answered but I came back, happy because Goan food can never be bad but disappointed as the search for a really good quality Value for Money restaurant had still to be answered.
Cafe Goa is located where Trafalgar Chowk used to be. It is really out of the way, so much so that the claim to be Bandra's best kept secret. I hope the place does well in the evening because we went on a Saturday afternoon, peak lunch hour and there were hardly any people in the restaurant. Throughout the time we were there we only saw one couple enter and sit down for food and that is a clear signal that something was amiss. That something is Value for money, the food is not bad but it is too expensively priced and just not worth it.
We sampled the Goan Pork Sausages and some Pork Vindaloo with rice. The Goan Pork sausages were good. There were nice cubes of potato and the pork was cooked well - potato is a key component of Pork sausages according to me and thankfully the potatoes were present in the Cafe Goa version. The Vindaloo was also nice without being outstanding. It was a bit too sweet for my liking. Overall decent food but not a secret than Bandra is dying to reveal.
A meal for two at Cafe Goa will cost you Rs 650/-
How to get there: You have to go up the lane past the ICICI Bank at the Mehboob Studio circle and ask people as to where the restaurant is. The address says it is off St. John Baptist road but you really have to do a lot of asking.

China Garden, Kemps Corner

China Garden or CG-83 - the name that it goes by is a restaurant by Nelson Wang, probably the father of Chinese cuisine in India and is known to be one of the best restaurants serving Chinese food in South East Asia. The restaurant obviously came with a reputation and we were not disappointed.
The restaurant obviously is fully aware of the quality of the cuisine and has attitude and an unusual rule preventing kids from being allowed in during dinner time. This I suppose is done so that guests can have dinner without any disturbance. However on the day that we had gone the objective was destroyed by a huge gang of overgrown kids having a birthday party and causing most of the guests a noisy distraction. The decor of the restaurant is very red and very Chinese. There are Chinese dolls and statues all around the restaurant. Another innovation is the bar near the waiting area where you can wait till you get seated. I forgot to mention that reservations are a must if you want to go to the restaurant. One has to usually wait in spite of having a reservation already.
The food was of the highest quality that I have seen in a Chinese restaurant. By quality I mean there is no riff-raff, the pieces of chicken even in the soup were proper pieces. Quality is something that the restaurant prides itself on and the same was clearly apparent. Two dishes were particularly fantastic among what we sampled.
1. The Coriander Soup - The soup was spicy without being hot. It could be the ultimate offering if anyone has a slightly dodgy throat and is very tasty.
2. The Stir Fry Chicken starter - One of the tastiest dishes that I have ever had. Brilliant ! The same is not on the menu so you have to ask the Captain. We ordered the same on the Captains recommendation.
A meal for two at China Garden without drinks will cost you Rs 2000/-.
How to get there: China Garden is at Kemps Corner. If you coming from the suburbs. Do not take the fly over at Kemps Corner and take a right at the crossing. On crossing the signal you have to take the first left which you see is quite a steep uphill road. China Garden is on the left on the uphill road.

Masalacraft, Bandra

Masalacraft is an out of the way restaurant. The place where is it located implies that it will have traffic from its regular patrons and the only time I went, it was full which is ample proof that the fare is decent.
Masalacraft has tried to give an upmarket feel about its restaurant and has been reasonably successful in the attempt. There is a lot of polished bare wood. Long tables, large rows of wood over head and pretty neat and innovative seating spaces. The light is a bit too dim for my linking but I guess it adds to the slightly upmarket feel about the restaurant. The other really good aspect is that there is load of space around and absolutely no chance of your table conversations being heard.
The food at Masalacraft is decent without being outstanding. I have sampled their Biriyani which is better that the usual variety available at Mumbai. Tasty without too much oil. We also ordered their house special, the lemon chicken. The first time they served the lemon chicken was a touch too burnt. We asked them to change the same which they agreed to do after a good deal of convincing. The second time of serving they got it right and it was good to eat although the initial reluctance to change left a bad taste in the mouth.
A meal for two at Masalacraft without drinks will cost you Rs 450/-
How to get there: Masalacraft is in Reclamation, close to Lilavati hospital. If you are coming towards Lilavati from Bandstand, you have to cross the hospital and take a right towards the Western Express. However immediately on taking a right you will see a left turn which you need to take. The left term leads to a T junction and you will see Masalacraft immediately on taking another left.

Lemon Grass, Bandra

I am a huge fan of South East Asian food. Thai, Singapore, Indonesia - I love the fare that you get... Lime leaves, galangal and coconut milk according to me add a different dimension to chicken and prawn. Lemon Grass, Bandra is my favourite restaurant in Mumbai for South East Asian food. The restaurant compliments great food with the typical casual Bandraesque decor which I love. I was devastated when they closed down their Bandra branch and was equally overjoyed when they returned to Bandra.
The food? They have added a stir fry section to their menu which was not there previously. The stir fry preparations are served on a base of rice or noodles as per your choice and are nice hot and spicy. The other section on the menu is the main dish section which I recommend you order with a serving of plain steamed rice. I am not a Phad Thai fan and believe that steamed rice brings out the flavours of South East Asian food better than anything else.
The last time I was at Lemon Grass, we ordered a Thai Green Chicken and some Malaysian Satay chicken to accompany our stir fry. The food was great as usual, with the Thai Green chicken deserving a special mention because of the brilliant lemon grass flavour. The one think i have not found out in the menu so far is the brilliant chicken and mushroom gravy in yellow sauce which used to be my favorite dish in the restaurants older avatar. If you do figure out that the dish exists with some other name, please do comment and give me the new name.
The new restaurant has opened where Pot Pourri used to be located. The good part is that they have retained the confectionery section of Pot Pourri. So do not forget to leave some space aside for a sweet dish if you do happen to visit.
A meal for two, without drinks, at Lemon Grass will cost you approximately Rs 500/-
How to get there: Lemon Grass in on Turner Road Bandra. If you are driving via Turner Road towards Carter Road. Lemon Grass will fall at the signal after the Moti Mahal, Popleys outlets. It is at the signal from which you have to turn right towards Pali Naka.

Candies, Bandra

Candies is one of my most favourite Mumbai restaurants. Its not a standard restaurant, as in its pretty much an evolved cake/ snack shop with some seating arrangements. What you get is however a lot more than just snacks and cakes (both of which are very good at Candies). You get everything from salads, Chinese food to chicken - a - la - Kiev. Quite an assortment but what really works for Candies is not just the food. Its the buzz, it is the bad service, it is the ambiance.
The place is great, an old Bungalow which has been converted. The restaurant is near the entrance and there is seating on the ground floor, but if you have the time and the weather is good, taking your food and going up the stairs will lead you to a number of quaint and well made terrace gardens. The terrace gardens are numerous and the semi -outdoor experience of chilling out and having good food with your relatives and friends is pretty much a one - of - a -

kind experience in Mumbai. The crowd at Candies is young and there is always a queue at the counter where you have to place the order for food. The queue is large and the service slow and confused at most times. To me however, it adds to the overall casualness of the atmosphere and it adds to the charm.
The food? Good and ok, depending on what you order. Among the snack variety I totally love the chicken and mushroom quiche - outstanding in one word, the understated slice of pineapple at the top really rounds of the snack. The other item on the menu I freak out on is the Mutton and Potato chop which is also very tasty and well made. Among the food items I really like the chicken preparations - the a-la-kiev and the steaks.
Overall a great place to hang out and spend time. You can hang out for hours - no rush and relatively lesser sense of guilt. Highly recommended.
A meal for two at Candies excluding drinks will cost you Rs 250/-
How to get there: There are a number of outlets but I recommend you go to the one at Pali Naka Bandra. After taking the right from Turner Road to go towards Pali Naka you have to take the left past Papa Pancho. The road goes straight and you have to take the natural left. Candies will be on your right. Parking may be difficult but you do find space eventually. If you are going there for the first time and it is not unreasonably hot or rainy. Do go and sit in the Terrace garden.

Calcutta Club, Andheri West, Mumbai

Calcutta Club in Oshiwara, Andheri West is one of my most favourite restaurants in Mumbai. It serves decent Bangali food, not as good as what you get in Oh! Calcutta, however the outlet serves what according to me is the best Calcutta Biriyani you get in Mumbai.
Replete with a full hardboiled egg and a large half potato - ingredients which might make a Hyderabadi and Lucknaowi cringe makes a Calcuttan salivate. The version that you get in Calcutta club although slightly heavy on the oil is exactly what I like and makes me feel almost at home. I also love the decor at Calcutta club and the pictures of Old Calcutta are really nice and gives the place a nice feel. The only issue is how cramped the place is and I hope that they soon open another larger branch closer to Powai.
Last time we were at Calcutta Club, we ordered the Biriyani obvously and preceded that with some Luchi , Cholar Daal and Aloor Dom. The Luchi and Cholar daal is just an unbeatable combination and was great, however the Aloor Dom was really bad and all of you would be strongly advised to steer clear of the preparation when and if you decide to frequent the place.
A meal for two at Calcutta Club will cost you approximately Rs 300/-
How to get there: Calcutta Club is in Oshiwara Andheri West. It is a bit difficult to spot alhough you will not really get lost. If you are driving from Bandra via linking road. You will have Fame Adlabs to your left. You have to drive straight on past Cinemax mall and crossing two further signals. Calcutta Club will be towards your right. You will know that you have missed it if you come to a T junction. In case you do take a U turn and keep an eye on your left.

Desi Dhaba, Oberoi Mall, Goregaon

I have been eyeing Desi Dhaba for some time now after being greatly impressed by Only Paratha. I was in the mood for some vegetarian food, yes on some rare occasions I do get some blasphemous feelings, and we were at Oberoi mall which does not have an Only Paratha outlet. The situation was just right for sampling Desi Dhaba and I went ahead and ordered myself some Chola Bhature. The Kulchas were very large, enough to be the subject ogle for every sub ten year old passing my table but the compliments unfortunately end there. The Kulchas had far too much oil and the accompanying daal was not really that good at all. It was not the kind you feel like finishing once you are through with the Kulcha. I might have chosen their worst dish to sample but the daal which is a common accompaniment for most dishes in joints like these makes me put Kailash Parbat at a distant second to Only Paratha.

A meal for two, without drinks at Desi Dhaba would cost you approximatley Rs 250/-

How to get there: Desi Dhaba is in Spoon - the food court of Oberoi Mall

Nandhini, Jayanagar, Bangalore

Nandhini is an Andhra meal outlet in Jayanagar and Bangalore and like all good Andhra meal restaurants in South India, the restaurant serves outstanding delicious food in surroundings that are hygienic but definitely not elegant. The unique thing about the restaurant is that it is a restaurant and bar and the seating for the two is exclusive although part of the same open floor. The main eating zone has three rows of seating. The centre one for the bar and the other two for the restaurant. If you, as we did sit on the middle row and ask for the regular meal, you will be politely but firmly advised that you will need to move to the restaurant rows. I guess it must mostly work for them but I found it slightly weird.
The food - spicy and delicious Andhra food. Great Podi, Ghee, Pappu, the usual sambhar and curd, unlimited rice obviously and served on banana leaves. As is my wont I complimented the vegetarian meal by ordering a portion of Chilli Chicken Andhra style, which was quite nice, though I realised that ordering something more Sukka would have been better. At these meal joints I love combining the side order with rice and curd. The combination is always great and leaves a lasting impression. Overall I would highly recommend this place for some good Andhra food in Bangalore. To corroborate the same I had a second meal there during the short trip.
A meal for two at Nandhini, without drinks will cost you around Rs 200/-. This will include one additional Non Veg portion.
How to get there: Nandhini is at 27th Cross Road in Jayanagar. It is right at the main signal and cannot be missed.

Sankalp, Powai

Firstly, my sincere apologies to all those of you who have clicked on to the link over the past one and a half months and have seen no updates on the site. Its not that I have not been eating as the next set of posts will testify. Just been a bit busy and lazy... I promise that the same will be rectified going forward.
Sankalp, Powai is in the Guinness Book of world records, they are there because they have made the longest Dosa ever in the world - some 27 feet long. The achievement is prominently displayed as part of a pretty classy upmarket decor - spacious and very comfortable. The only issue is the Hindi music which according to me takes away from the ambience of a South Indian restaurant.
Sankalp serves both your traditional dosa, idli , uthappama as well as appams and non veg preparation from the South of the country and we ordered a mix of both. We ordered a Dosa platter and were served a combination of Paneer Dosa, Chettinad Dosa and Dhaniya Dosa. The dosas were tasty although slightly on the more generous side when it came to the oil. The highlight was the assortment of podis and chutneys on offer. Alongwith the standard white coconut chutney they serve chutneys based on garlic and mint which were really nice and different from the usual fare that one is usually accustomed to. We wanted to also try out the main course preparations and also ordered Iddiyappams and an Andhra Chicken preparation Royal Vepudu. The chicken was OK, but the Iddiyappams were a disaster, they were served like you serve noodles which really put me off and will put off anyone who has had the real stuff down South!
Overall I would say that Sankalp serves a better than an average Dosa given the options usually available in Mumbai, specially Powai. Stay away from the main course South Indian dishes - the same is not a patch on what the authentic fare down South is like.... Maybe its not really there fault. After all they are a North Indian South Indian food chain based primarily out of Gujarat. The ubiquitous Dosa is prepared quite well but the South Indian food should be steered clear of.
A meal for two at Sankalp, without drinks will cost you Rs 200/- if you stick to Dosas.
How to get there: Sankalp is in Hiranandani Powai. If you are driving from Haiko towards DMart the restaurant will fall to your right.