Parama Sundari - Dance Blast!

I am not conversant with most of the recent film songs but this one certainly happens to be an exception. I heard some gloating reviews about this number and realized it indeed was an instant chartbuster the very first time I gave it a listen. It has a contagiously catchy feel to it and keeps growing along as you give it repeated hearings. 

AR Rahman just stepped into his 30th year of film music and the man literally shows in audacious fashion that he is still very much relevant in the music scene. This one's a belter of a rip snorter that makes the listener dance in delight. The elements of desi entwined with funk certainly charms you over leaving one feel mesmerized. 

The song as such is said to be a reflection of the lead character's dreams. Shreya Ghosal does ample justice to the number through her lilting timber capturing the requisite local constituents and elevating the song to a higher pedestal. 

This is a small labour of love to capture the magic that is Parama Sundari. It was fun attempting those opening lines on the bass string which keep chirping in frequently giving an extra pep and zeal. And of course the phrases across the song feel so hard hitting and full of energy. I hope I was able to capture at least a miniscule essence of this gorgeous grand gala composition.

Desi Di - Sounding the Dinchak!

Taking Desi Di at face value, it will surely pique your interest. The place comes with the caption 'Dhinchak' which roughly translates to attitude and that is quite clearly seen in their interiors which has a sparkle about it. It embosses and makes use of multitudes of colour giving itself a quirky and bohemian feel. It captures desiness in full vigour and it's the kitschy set up that brightens up the atmosphere and gives it a zany outlook. The seating arrangement is pretty large and converged into different enclosures and you see each of them portraying the shiz through its wall paintings, miniatures, antiques, colour co ordinations etc.

Talking about the food, it goes in tune with the name of the place and is all desi. They have deliberately avoided South Indian cuisine but brought forth a lot of different items from canteen style to road side to hardcore Punjabi flavour and much more. A lot of innovations also came to the forefront with regard to taste and presentation. One more thing is that they have tweaked some of the items mildly in order for it to suit the palette of the localites.

We started our foray with a few drinks and chai. The lemon barley shikanji was more of a refreshing tonic to beat the heat. The Punjabi Lassi with nuts was pretty frothy and flavourful. The kala khatta soda was a lovely iced drink. The red hibiscus ice tea which was presented in a large beaker looked very appealing but somehow I didn't find it to be too distinctive on taste to any other usual fruit infused tea.

There was a section in the menu titled "All Day Menu" comprising of snacks and starters. The paneer bhurji papad waa very nice with smudged pieces of cottage cheese gregariously spread across the roundish oval along with sprucing of masala and inter laden in the center with a delectable pumpkin dip. The samosas were served in a canteen style box with 2 kinds of chutneys and a bunch of chilli's. These contained the usual potato masala but the texture of it was very good. The Arbi Pakoda was super crispy and slathered with the rightful dosage of spices making it a great snacker. The vada bao was quite lovely with the aloo loaded vada made Bombay style dunked in steamed bao buns. This one defined the Dhinchak as it was made in true Bambayya style with generous garnishing of podi mixture in addition to gentle spraying of chutneys and to infuse the spice quotient lengthy pieces of green chilli's were provided as accompaniment. The sambar kichdi was another one dish which was absolutely yummy and this one was great eating with the crispy papads. The Pav Bhaji fondue however was quite a disappointment. It was the usual pav buns torn as pieces and kept like bread sticks to eat dipped with the bhaji. The masala lacked a bit of creaminess and surely could have been better.

In the main course part, we had a Gujarati special item called Panki. We tried the palak corn version and this was basically a stuffing inside a green leaf that needed to be scraped and eaten. Quite a different experience trying this one. We also got naan with Malai Kofta which was done with the right ammunition and went very well with the Indian bread. The best of the lot was the Paneer Kurchan which was an aromatic panneer gravy cooked with much love and going really well with Naan. It was also served interestingly in a cooker and the flavour was very vehement.

The desserts were a complete win. The Pudina chai brulee was toothsome and really rich in taste with a subtle hint of pudina flavour in a cream brulee base. The gulab jamun cheesecake was a conglomeration well done with the mellow effect of the cake and the juicy taste of the jamuns being simply melt in the mouth. And we rounded the proceedings in superlative style through the Gajar Ka Halwa samosa with candy floss. This was totally bindaas with the samosas containing a sweetened pasty essence and coming along with a bowl of Malai floating with nuts and a fruit infused cotton candy floss. The whole dessert was a sinister creation and a wonderful workout for the sweet craving aficionado.

The rates seem fairly reasonable for the quantity and quality of stuff served. The service was quick witted. It was a pleasure conversing with the host who had complete knowledge of the items in the menu and about the specialities of each dish. Parking is of least concern as it's located in a club with abundant space being available. The place radiates with a kaleidoscope of colours and showcases dhinchak (attitude) in resolute fashion. This is a nice little place to visit especially with large groups and spend some good noteworthy time by soaking in the colour co ordinated ambiance and eat sumptuous food to your hearts content.

Patina - When Desi meets Italian in Pataka style!

Patina is cushioned in a cozy space by the way side of the Woodpecker furniture store. The interiors are tastefully designed and a zingy appeal adorns the surroundings.

It has a very interesting menu comprising of street food, desi twist on Italian, a bit of North Indian and also added on are some delectable parsi dishes.

We were here on a weekday evening and tried a number of items on the attic and majority of it left us asking for more. First up the special carrot soup with coriander finely chopped was riveting. The taste was smattering containing a remarkable aroma.

On the snacks section, the okhra fries thatched with thecha aioli was crispy with a distinct taste. The anda pav which is the egg equivalent of the evergreen vada pav was a sure winner. The gun powder fries had a brittle feel to it subdued with an interesting tinge of masala which again was a tongue twister in a nice way. The aloo & peas samosa thought could have been a tad better with the mince of the flavour not appearing apparently. The best of all and rightfully the show stealer in the snacks side was the Papeta Pareeda a parsi dish comprising of sliced potatoes over a bed of tomato sauce bedecked with fried eggs on the up blossomed with a gooey center. This one was truly top notch.

For mains we tried the peas infused luchi. Now luchi is the upper North frontier version of the traditional puris. They tend to be a little more crispier and it went well with an aloo peas masala gravy. We also tried the Amritsari Panner Akhuri which were scrambled panneer pieces garnished with coriander and fried onions. This was like a high end version of panneer bhurji. We ended the show with a couple of pastas - the first one being the oil & herb version which had a lovely infusion of herbs, flakes and garlic. The second one and the better of the two was the Curry Macaroni pasta. Comprising of a tantalising creamy curry sauce topped up with corn & bell peppers these macaronis just danced away in full glory and it just tasted all the more exotic with a dripping layer of cheese dressed over the dish.

All in all, the food not only tingled out taste buds but also won over our hearts. It was a lovely experience with some fine churned up cuisine whipped up in a fashionable avatar which is not usually well associated within the city. Totally worth every bite.

Desi Klub - As desi as it gets!

There is a lovely buzz feed about Desi Klub. The place screams loud of the full on larger than life culture of Bollywood and there is a lot of colour and spice associated with it. The food is predominantly good ol Indian food mostly from the Northern side including the most loved street goodies infused with a native flavour and local touch.

The ambiance is bright and replete with colours, wall arts and sign boards depicting the glory of Bombay. It isn't a very big place but there is enough seating arrangement made available for large gatherings. The kitschy scooter placed at the entrance is a give away of what to expect with the decor and set up which is bindaas in every way.

The menu runs into a number of sub sections and it's their starter and short eats fare which is not only catchy to the eye on presentation but also great for the taste buds. First up, gulped the Bubble Gum shake which entices child hood memories. This one gets the flavour spot on and this pinky drink which is placed with a piece of gum on the top was a flashy way to begin proceedings.

The starters virtually all that we tried hit the bulls eye but however there was one clear man of the match which outshone everyone else. That was the roller coaster panneer. Presented in immaculate fashion in a rotating ferris wheel with a dip placed in between, the layered rectangular panneer rolls consisting of a non spicy pasty mix with essential ingredients was just arresting to taste. The cheese corn masala balls had a jaw dropping spread inside those soft pressy breaded balls and was lovely to consume with the tartar based dip. The Chennai se China Tak wasn't bad either. This was idli in a redefined avatar. Fried and tossed with capsicum and green chillies this was more in the line of a manchurian.

In the main course section titled Bhara belly, we had the Pasta Desi Ishtyle. These macaroni conch shells were bathed in a lip smacking delectable makhni gravy making this Italian wonder undergo a brief makeshift change to an Indian style curry delight. Dressed up with oodles of cheese and accompanied by a maska slathered bun, this one was melted to make you drool. And the finale was grand with the Chole Te Bhature. You would just love the way this one is presented in a cycle carrier with the seating space containing the bhatoore's and the holder in the form of a local large sized tea glass consisting the brown chole gravy. The Bhatoore's were soft and it was great to munch them with a generous spread of the chole which was so flavourful. This Chole Bhatoora was easily one of the better one's I've had anywhere in the city.

The service was speedy with hardly any waiting time in between the dishes. The prices turn out to be slightly expensive more so with all the taxes added around. I enjoy local Indian street food and Desi Klub is a nice little place to feast yourself to the best of delicacies that the city of Mumbai has to offer with a drum beat abashed atmosphere with feel good Hindi music playing in the background.

Chai Galli - Eminently Desi with a twist!

'Chai Galli' plays it simple and yields the desired results. It capitalises on age old traditions, masala and flavours to bring about a glorified confluence celebrating the vintage in a modern redefined avatar. It brings to light popular street food from various regions across India with a cutting edge. The best part is you would find that local essence intact giving it a lovely old school feel. They have also innovated to varying degrees by blending Indian with Indian as also other cuisines to add a diverse portfolio.

From the moniker, it's pretty clear that tea is the most prominent factor. Tea is the most consumed beverage across India and it has a history to the way it's made, viewed and drank in different parts of the country. The beverage epitomises a local element and it's in petty shops that it's most popular with loud dance music playing at the background. They've captured this beautifully by serving them in those small glass shots retaining the flavour with the presence of loud epoch Bollywood music playing from yesteryear. Movies play a major role in the ambiance setup and you would find wall arts depicting posters of popular movies from down the years.

Food, music and movies are perhaps the 3 most loved things in the country and kudos that they've been able to make justice to it and in fact with the setup and ambiance, pay quite a homage to these ever loved delights. I admired the fact that they could put this across rather well without sounding too obtrusive and on your face. It's been carved out artistically and you wouldn't call it as being over the top with the interiors. It appears larger than life but yet within limits and not too garish. The colour combinations have been used very well and you'll surely associate with the bright spots paying tribute to the colour and retro era from around the 60's onwards.

What they have in their attic to consume is quite a lot. Apart from the traditional fare, innovation is the name of the game here. Tea occupied almost a third of the menu with variants of classic, capturing borders - from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, western touch with imported flavours, green tea, black tea, white tea and even handcrafted ones. They also have iced versions and for that tete a tete, a few coffee varieties also along with oolong tea and those classic drinks ranging from Shikanji, kokam, masala soda etc. There was too much to try but I would suggest you give a shot at one of the authentic classical ones. We had the Adrak chai with parle G biscuit and it was quite an effect drinking it held up in small glass containers. The hibiscus tea which a mild majanta colour to it was invigorating and in the iced kind, the Bulldozer which is a chilled drink drawing upon the combination of ice tea and red bull was kick ass and killer, just about ideal for the scorching heat.

They have a section "Chai ke murmur dost" which underlines the accompaniments that go along with your tea. They had further sub sections highlighting on the shandaar (popular), chatpata (crispy), samosa/vada pav alternatives, puchka shots and pakhoda and Baaki sab (everything else). We tried two of the pani puri shots viz Namkeen and a Corn based one which was enjoyable. It was served with a twist as the puri's in the former were ballooned up with a sweet/salt mixture and the latter had a gregarious coating of cheese with tartlets of corn inside. The absolute stunner from the chai's company side, well and truly happened to be the Dal pakwaan. It was absolutely delectable with flavourful lentils on top of a papad base and soaked with a sweet as well as savoury tinge and topped with salad veggies. The poha layered on a papad base somehow didn't appease me much.

The main course section is categorised as "Khana Shuru" which loosely translates as start the food. We had an aloo paratha which was well made with nice stuffings of potato inside that comes with a tomato & chilli dip. The Tadke wali maggi with zing of fried onions was quite lovely to slurp. In pizza's, the Italian flag which is the usual expectant pizza was quite nice but what took the cake was the concocted one in the form of the 'Veggies on a Khakra' which in the sense is the marrying of pizza and khakra infusing italian pizza ingredients over a quintessential Indian crisp khakra base. This Gujarati classic corks up a feast with a melange of sauces, spices and veggies generously spread along making the eating experience both crispy and crunchy. The pink sauce panther pasta was another winner as it had all the ammunition to rise to the top being creamy with just the right amount of herbs and spices to go along with exotic ingredients like broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini and garlic.

The final finale was no less. The watermelon juice was of the usual kind. I took a liking to the dry fruit falooda which was bunched with a pleasing degree of assortments and also being creamy on the bottom layer. The chikku cream had that sappota twang right on the button and you could feel the flavour hitting on every spoon. However the outright starlet in the dessert section was the "Chai Galli special falooda". It had a perfect motley of fruit, sweet and nuts with the texture and thickness being bang on. It was a delectation decorated to devour. Easily would say, one of the best falooda's I've ever had.

On the whole, Chai Galli turned out to be really pleasing and engaging. It wouldn't be much of a surprise if you fall in love with the place. I had a personal connect with the decorations and the music playing in the background which had a lot to do with the 90's which is in sync to my growing up childhood phase. The service was quick witted and they were more than willing to help us with our choices. The prices won't worry you much as they are all rated within the normal border range.

This place would surely ignite a tinge of nostalgia within you. Your love for Bollywood and happy loud good ol music will be satiated here. It's lovely the way they have captured and brought in all these quirky elements within the minimalistic surrounding environment. It definitely felt nice visiting this outlet and if you're the one looking for some shiz in a local langoti set-up, 'Chai Galli' is your direction forward.