Ratnagiri, Ganapatipule, Jaigad - Weekend in Mango Country!

One of the great advantages of living in Mumbai is the plethora of travel opportunities available. Maharashtra, with the hilly terrain of the Western ghats, the scenic beauty of Konkan coastline and legendary historic tales of the exploits of the Chhatrapati serves up a delectable buffet of options for the leisure as well as the curious traveller.
The trip to the Konkan coast with Ratnagiri, Ganapatipule and Jaigad is one of the must - dos of anyone planning to travel in the state. It needs a bit more than a weekend (slightly cramped even in a 3 day schedule), and serves up a holiday combining leisure through fabulous beaches, culinary joy in outstanding konkani seafood and the most luscious mangoes, spirituality in a one of a kind religious pilgrimage, and history via the legend of Jaigad fort.
Though well connected by train, I would recommend embarking on the eight hour road trip to Ratnagiri as there is a lot to see and do, and transport on demand is a great advantage.
We had hired a car for our trip and enjoyed one of the more complete travel experiences that we have ever embarked on.
Day 1:
Ratnagiri is approximately 370 km from Mumbai and we left at around 7 AM to beat the Friday traffic. We would be taking the old Mumbai - Goa highway and were keeping our fingers crossed as travel can be disrupted easily on a two lane highway. The plan was to hit Chiplun for an early lunch, and then reach Ratnagiri by around 3:30 to 4:00 in the afternoon. We were lucky, with the traffic and reached Chiplun by around 1.00 for a hearty lunch.
I always research my food when on travel and knew exactly where I wanted lunch in Chiplun.
Hotel Abhishek is easily one of the more famous eateries in Chiplun - at least for the tourist and the restaurant prides itself on its popularity as is evidenced by the numerous pictures of Maharashtrian politicians and theatre and film personalities on its walls. There are so many pictures that it sort of overshadows any other aspect of the decor. The restaurant has a mezzanine floor as well and the seating is what you expect in a typical Maharashtrian Thali joint with very basic, but practical seating arrangements.
Konkan food is one of my favourite cuisines and the food at Abhishek did not disappoint. I ordered Surmai Fry and a prawn curry plate.
The surmai was obviously fresh and was fried with just the right amount of spice. The prawns curry plate was served with the typical reddish curry and with a bowl of rice and two "vade" (which are effectively puris). The vade were slightly different than the version you get in Mumbai as they had a hole in the centre and were almost resembling flattish doughnuts. The taste though was exactly like the ones you get in Mumbai. The meal was expectedly tasty though the taste can take some getting used to if your palate does not have a liking towards sour which is the very essence of "kokum" - the hall mark of Konkan cuisine.
After the hearty meal we almost dozed off as we navigated the rest of the way. Truth be told, we did not miss much. We had initially thought that the road was by the sea, but were slightly disappointed as there was no sea visible until we took the right into Ratnagiri and made our way to Ratnasagar resort where we were to stay.
The resort is located on Bhatye beach and is spread over 3 Km of coast line with over 30 cottages. The rooms are nice and clean, the service is well meaning if not always prompt, and the hotel has an outstanding restaurant serving multi cuisine food aided with access to the freshest sea food and alphonso mangoes which form the culinary bed rock of a Ratnagiri holiday.
The combination of direct beach access, great food, clean and hygienic rooms make Ratnasagar Resorts a definite thumbs up for your Konkan holiday. The only down side I guess would be local transport if one does not have a car as the resort is a bit outside the main town.
There was quite a bit that we planned to achieve in Ratnagiri on Day 1, and we immediately left after freshening up to the palace of King Thibaw from Burma, who had been banished by the British to India to spend his last days in a quid pro quo swap with Bahadur Shah Zaffar ostensibly to quell any rebellion rallying around the former premier in either British colony.
Thibaw's palace is still in relatively decent condition but is obviously not a happy place, given the background of its existence. The palace obviously holds more interest for people who have read Amitava Ghosh's glass palace, and is worth a visit if you have read the novel. We were too late to visit the museum inside the palace as it closes at 5 PM.
The place that is a definite must for all is Thibaw point, the spot from where the exiled king use to stare out into the sea, apparently dreaming of the vessel that will take him back to Burma. The view from Thibaw point, at sunset with the backwaters winding their way past the mangroves to finally reach the Arabian sea is outstanding.
The effect is multiplied by the sight of the fishing village on the banks of the shore near to Thibaw point with colourful fishing boats lining the shore. The evening "azaan" from the number of mosques in the village added to the surreality of the setting as we took in a spectacular sunset.
The last thing to do before we retired for the night was a visit to the home of one of India's greatest freedom fighters - Bal Gangadhar Tilak. One is actually allowed entry and can roam about in the house compound and get a sense of the typical house of a Ratnagiri resident.
The Bharatiya Janata Party take care of the ancestral house of Tilak and deserve credit in maintaining the house in decent condition.We retired for the night after paying our quick respect to one of the founding fathers of India and a sumptuous Malvan lunch at Ratnasagar resorts. The sweet dish of fresh Hapus Mango with Vanilla Ice Cream was the star of the meal as we retired, tired, and very happy with the first day of our "long weekend" break.
Day 2
We had ear marked Day 2 of our stay for our visit to Jaigad fort and Ganapati Pule and left early right after having break fast. Jaigad is around 45 km from Ratnagiri and the coastal road from Ratnagiri to Jaigad is one of the most scenic drives that I have ever been on. The road winds along a slightly rocky coast winding up and down smallish hills with the vast Arabian sea and virgin beaches a constant companion all through. The fort is another one of the famed forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji and was built for the strategic purpose of protecting the meeting point of the Arabian sea with river Shastri. The view from the forts walls is stunning and one can look far out into the sea as well as a significant way down the river inland.
Legend has it that the fort got its name "Jaigad" from the sacrifice on one "Jai" who was an ardent follower of Shivaji Maharaj. The builders were facing issues in construction due to the rough seas and Jai apparently sacrificed himself to the Gods to enable the fort to be built.
Apparently the sacrifice worked and the legend of Jaigad was born. I personally enjoy forts a lot and with the legend adding to the charm, I would not have missed the trip for the world.
We left Jaigad and travelled back 20 km to Ganapati Pule which is one of the most famous destinations in Maharashtra for the religious traveller. The destination also has pristine white sand beaches which the Marathi Manoos claims to be among the best in the world. Ganapatipule is famous for Swayambhu (self originated) Ganapati idol that mother nature herself has created with her waves lapping against the rocky sea shore. A truly unique story and the reason why the place is packed to the brim with devotees paying obeisance to the elephant God all around the year.
We paid our respects at this most unique temple and proceeded to have lunch at the MTDC resort in Ganapatipule. The lunch unfortunately was highly forgettable with the service really slow. Maybe they were too busy with the guests already staying at the resort but the food itself was also nothing to really write home about. The experience was doubly disappointing as I had heard nice things about the resort, but I left there thanking my lucky stars that we were staying at Ratnasagar and not at the MTDC resort in Ganapatipule. Back at Ratnagiri we retired early for the day after taking in another glorious sunset from Thibaw point.
Day 3
Day 3 was a travel day again and we decided to set off early to track back to Mumbai. But this was Mango Country and there was no way we would be allowed back to Mumbai without purchasing some Mango products. The locals had recommended "Bhide" in the main Ratnagiri market and we found every imaginable Mango product available there from squashes to pickle to preserves. The Alphonso Mango or 'Hapus' as the locals call it, is what Ratnagiri is famous for and Bhide was testament to a roaring and thriving business, but our trip served testament that there is a lot more to see and do and love Ratnagiri for.
The trip back to Mumbai took slightly longer than our trip to Mango country mainly due to the weekend market at 'Khed' which took some time to negotiate, the same is pretty unique with all the neighbouring villagers coming to trade their wares and is pretty colourful. We were also stuck for quite a while due to a traffic on the two lane highway which is clearly a peril to tight schedules as even a slight issue with the traffic could hold up many for ages.
One experience which will stay with me from the trip from Ratnagiri and Mumbai was the unique and in our case extremely successful advertising strategy employed by Green Village Hotel which made me decide to stop and have our lunch at this particular hotel.
The hotel is slightly off Khed but what really strikes the traveller is the kilometers of the highway that they have covered with spectacular photographs of their fish, meat and the odd vegetarian dish.
Atleast 30 km either side of the hotel are tantalising posters and hoardings of the dishes served at the restaurant which I think is a fabulous marketing ploy for the slightly hungry traveller. On the way to Ratnagiri we were well fed at Chiplun and avoided the temptation through sleep and a satisfied stomach but on the way back there was no escape from the temptations posed by the posters. Unfortunately the food at Green Village was decent at best and does not live up to the expectation promised through the hoardings, but they do deserve a commendation for their marketing ingenuity. Very hard for anyone to resist! We returned to Mumbai, tired and happy, having spent one of the more fulfilling three day weekend breaks I have ever embarked on. The Mango country is definitely worth more than one weekend visit!

Aaswad, Dadar, Mumbai

In my mind if I were to serve you an authentic Maharashtrian food experience it would not be possible to do so through one meal. I would need a minimum of four to introduce the distinct and authentically Maharashtrian food experiences that the state has to offer. The coastal cuisine from the Malwan coast is a fish and sea food lovers delight. The spicy Kolhapuri cuisine with the famed Tambda and Pandhra Rassas that take the meat eating experience to a whole new altitude, only to be shamed by the even more spicy Saoji cuisine from Vidarbha. The three aforementioned cuisines are however the glitz which sits atop the basic vegetarian Maharashtrian cuisine. The fare is the 'ghar ka khana' the Marathi manoos survive on everyday and Aaswad is one of the more famous eateries in Mumbai where you can taste hearty vegetarian Maharasthrian cuisine, may not be glamorous, but it is definitely very very tasty.

Aaswad is a value for money food joint and the interiors seem to state the same. Space is a bit cramped with almost all tables designed to seat four people at the most. Most importantly the place appears to be clean and hygienic. The service is prompt and attentive with language being a slight problem. The waiter we had was not very fluent in Hindi and we were lucky to be bailed out by a Maharashtrian who could converse with him as well as suggest a few of the local must haves. You could be restricted to try your luck pointing out dishes on the English menu card without knowing a great deal about what might be served to you but I think that's a risk worth taking.

At Aaswad we sampled quite a large number of dishes due to us being a pretty large group, we sampled piyush, pithale bhaji bhakri, dalimbi usal, kharwas and puran pohli. (I think you may understand now that it is safer to go there with a Maharashtrian :)).

Piyush meaning "amrit" is the Marathi Manoos' food of the Gods. We were served this first at Aaswad, piyush is a yellow drink with a lot of milk, kesar and shrikhand (if you are Bengali the taste is somewhat like a "Ghol", only better). Piyush looks a bit like liquid custard and has a sweet curdy taste. It was the perfect filler as we waited for the meal without taking too much stomach space.

The pithali bhaji bhakri was served next, the dish had three parts, the bhakri which is a round bread cam with choices of bajra, rice and jowar. We sampled a bit of all three:). The bhaji was made of brinjal which the Marathis refer to as "Vang", it was spicy with a generous helping of tomato and coconut. The pithale was the undoubted star of the piece, it looks exactly like daal but is cooked using 'besan' or chikpea flour spiced up with mustard, cumin with a generous amount of coriander, the texture is exactly that of a thick-ish daal with the coriander clearly visible. It was brilliant both from a taste perspective and when you know what the ingredients are.

Our meal was rounded off by the dalimbi usal and the special pola usal, the dalimbi usal was a preparation of sprouts cooked in soury kokum. Again extremely tasty and easily one of the best ways to have bean sprouts. We had it with some more bhakri and also ordered a couple of puris as a side. The dishes were also wonderfully complemented with a kokum chutney and another spicy chilli chutney on the table - added spice on offer at all times.

For dessert we ordered kharwas and puran pohli, the 'kharwas' is a pudding made out of the milk from a cow which has just given birth, soft, not too sweet and positively delectable. The puran pohli appears to be a bread but is stuffed with some lentils and a generous amount of jaggery. The dessert made us wish that we had not had the main course but then that is always the case in a great meal. Overall a truly outstanding meal and a must have for the all round Maharashtrian culinary experience.

A meal for two at Aaswad for two people without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 250/- on the higher side.

How to get there: Aaswad is perhaps aptly located right out side the Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar TT. Bal Thackeray's imposing statue looks to the restaurant situated slightly towards the left of the gaze. It serves as a rightful beacon of the unequivocal competency of the Marathi Manoos with a clear niche in the city with much cosmopolitan competition - at least on culinary terms. Jai Maharashtra!

Gajalee, MIDC

We Bengali's usually have an attitude to fish. Do not get me wrong. We love fish - but we usually turn up our noses at any preparation which is not Bengali. We are completely enamoured with European preparations, the grill, the Muniyar we are in love with but usually we feel that if it is Indian cooking we are talking about, no one cooks the fish as well as the Bengali. This is where Gajalee proves a point for Konkan cuisine with outstanding fried and Tandoor preparation of the Bangda and the Pomfret. However they have reached culinary nirvana with their version of the Bombvil or the Bombay Duck. If you can stand the smell of fish, you must... try the Bombvil fry at Gajalee and I will insist... Do squeeze some lemon on top before devouring the fry.
Gajalee also serves some great Crab Butter Garlic and Squid but I think the last visit was one of our most focused and hardcore. There were three of us and between us we polished off 4 plates of Bombvil Fry and 2 plates of Bharwa Bombvil (Bombvil stuffed with prawns). The Bharwa Bombvil is great on its own but I do not rate it as the sum of its parts separate servings of prawns ans Bombvil fry is far greater than the whole. Overall a fantastic option and I can declare that if I ever had time for one meal in Mumbai, I would go to Gajalee and order the Bombay Duck.
Gajalee can burn a hole in your wallet if you freak out on the large crabs and prawns which are priced as per catch. Standard meals involving Bombvil fry, Neer Dosa and Prawn Gassi/ Mutton Masala should cost two people without drinks approximately Rs 750/-
How to get there: Gajalee has multiple branches in Mumbai. Phoenix Mills would be easiest to reach, we last went to the one in Andheri East, MIDC. It falls on the lane to the right if you are on the MIDC road going from Chakala towards JVLR (look out for the sign on the right that is visible from the road).

Sadichha, Bandra East

Sadichha keeps to the tradition of outstanding, value for money food options in Maximum City. The decor is neat and hygienic without being lavish in the least. Focus is on utilisation of space and the chairs are just prevented from being top of each other. The message is clear, have outstanding food, pay and leave, please do not stretch your arms and relax... This is a hard core place for hard core foodies.
The food is coastal, there are meal options, masala and fry for prawn, pomfret, mutton and chicken. The meals come with rice and a chapattis with soul curry to be added. Strongly advise all to have at least one plate and share fish fry, Bombvil, Pomfret, Bangda or prawns all four of which are really nice, though prawns would just steal it if given a choice. After being gastronomically drowned with the meal one is strongly advised to cap off the same with some Aamras which is as good as God made mangoes and I think he made them really special.
Overall a fantastic meal. Long live the Konkan Coast!
A meal for two at Sadichha would cost you Rs 550/-
How to get there: Sadichha is right opposite the MIG ground in Bandra East. If you are driving on the WE highway from Andheri towards Bandra take the left exit just before the Bandra fly over. Take the first right at the circle. Sadichha would be on your left.

Jai Hind, Bandra West

I am not a fan of having fish (with bones in it) and crabs (with the shell still on) at restaurants - at least definitely not in fancy ones. The reason is simple. You simply cannot do justice to the dish. Crabs should be had with both hands holding the two ends of the claws and with ones molars biting the centre. A loud crack should then follow with the sweet taste of the meat and the juice seconds after. Similarly fish when had should be ideally had mostly without hands. After the reasonably fleshy portions are polished off. The entire bony mass should be entered into ones mouth and chewed in all glory till until the bones are taken out one by one.

Therefore when I had gone to Jai Hind for the first time and my colleague ordered the Pomfret Gassi I actually thought it was a waste of good money. The first bite however made me regret the Bharwa Bombvil and the prawns in green curry that i had just had - it was amazing, the best Konkani fish preparation I had ever had.

We were fortunate enough to frequent the place again on Friday. Samit Basu - my childhood friend and soon to be internationally famous writer was in town to attend the Kala Ghoda festival and we went there after catching up at Sunays house. Much to my pleasure, as Jai Hind was my suggestion, the food, specially the Pomfret Gassi did not disappoint in the very least.

Jai Hind is a nice homely restaurant which looks slightly out of place in the upmarket Hill road area. The restaurant retains the look and feel of the main branch near Phoenix Mills Parel and quite honestly I like it that way, it is neat, air conditioned and clean without the unnecessary frill of Chinese lanterns and glass statues and dividers. The focus clearly is on hygiene and taste although the place is a bit small and may seem slightly cramped.

We ordered Bharwa Bombvil which is Bombay Duck stuffed with prawns, Pomfret Gassi, Prawns Ambotik and a mix of Neer Dosas and steamed rice. The Bharwa Bombvil though quite good, unfortunately tastes much better imagining a mix of the Gajalee Bombvil fry and prawns, it is actually a fish chop made with prawns with the Bombvil instead of the potato mash acting as the crust. The Pomfret Gassi was as good as it was last time, which is saying a lot as this time it carried the not inconsiderate weight of expectation. The Ambotik which is a vinegar based Goan preparation of a red gravy was different and tasty though apparently one gets a far more concentrated and better tasting version in Goa (Rapti - will confirm that once i taste the same myself). The meal cost us Rs 1500 for five people which according to me is damn good value for money as well.

So if you like fish, are hungry and around Bandra or Khar you know the place to go for some value for money, lovely steamed rice and Pomfret Gassi from the Konkan coast.

How to Get There: Take the turn past Lucky Biriyani and go up Hill Road in Bandra. Jai Hind is on the right just beside Bandra police station.

Pure Pur Kolhapur!

I had initially sampled food at Pure Pur Kolhapur near Kothrud in Pune and had fallen in love with the place. I had heard rumours of the place having a branch in Mumbai somewhere in Parle East but no one had been able to give me exact directions and even the internet had proved incapable of leading me any closer. Today, Yash was supposed to take us to a Kolhapuri restaurant in Parle called Asal Kolhapuri but to my great joy I figured out on reaching there that he had got the name wrong. It was Pure Pur Kolhapur in all its spicy glory complete with the Kolhapur Zero kilo meter milestone.

Pure Pur Kolhapur is a small place and has 4-chair seating counters in its ground and mezzanine floors. The ceiling height is unfortunately the same for the ground and mezzanine levels - you really have to bend over if you are more than 4 feet in height. The food was expectedly very good and very spicy. I ordered the Mutton Fry Thali which comes with a plate of mutton fry, a plate of mutton keema, an option between 1 bhakri and 2 chapattis, go for the bhakri for a different taste, and a plate of pulao. You also get unlimited helpings of the Taambda and the Pandhra Rassas or red and white gravies. The food quantity is perfect for an afternoon meal on a working day and is very delicious.

One can also order the dishes separately as plates as we had done in the Pune outlet. You can order whatever you feel, thali or a-la-carte like but do definitely go for a taste of the spicy food from the Southern Maharashtra heartland.

How to get there: Pure Pur Kolhapur is in Parle East next to the station. After you cross the road leading to the station, it is on the right turn just after the road leading to the ICICI Bank Parle East branch.

A meal for 2 at Pur Pur Kolhapur would cost you approximately Rs 300/-