1dish 1 week

1 dish recommendation, a week at a time

Parneeyam at Dakshinayan

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What: Parneeyam

Where: Dakshinayan

How much: Rs. 75

 

Dakshinayan is a small hole-in-the-wall at Walkeshwar. It doesn't look fancy, and delivers on serving absolutely high quality south Indian food at non-gourmet prices. At the same time, they have taken it upon themselves to teach the south bbay crowd spoilt by the banal Shiv Sagar that South Indian food  is much more than "Idli-Dosa-Sambar". And boy, do they. From bisibele rice to appam & stew, I've loved most things I've eaten here, but the one dish that I absolutely will go back for again & again is the simple looking parneeyam. 

Parneeyam is a relatively simple dish, and it shines with a perfectly crispy exterior, which you cut into for a soft core of rice, onions & kadi patta. Ask for their alternate chutneys: tomato & onion (which they don't serve with this dish by default) and with it, this dish is tangy, slightly sweet, and strong flavors. 

 

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Apple Crumble from Le15

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What: Apple Crumble
Where: Le15 (at Worli & Lower Parel), Mumbai
How much: Rs. 95 for a small (for 1), 650 for a large (for 7)

A hint of cinnamon, a just right crust, and a not overly sweet filling makes this a perfect apple pie. Was devoured in 3 minutes to a bevy of 'ooh's and yum's. The pie shines in its restraint, as will this recommendation. Go get yourself one.

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Asparagus khichdi with paneer lifafa at Ziya

P38

What: Asparagus khichdi with paneer lifafa & tomato salsa.
Where: Ziya, Oberoi (Nariman point)
How much: Rs. 750

Ziya has taken indian food & elevated it. Pre-plated, layered flavors & brilliant combinations make this fine dining Indian. The dish originally comes with a wild mushroom khichdi, but they were nice enough to replace it with an asparagus one since my wife doesn't like mushrooms. The khichdi was buttery, the lifafa pastry puff a tiny bit overwhelmed by the puff but flavorful nonetheless, and the salsa & cashew-flavored spinach chutney were perfect accompaniments.
Put all of that on one spoon & you have the perfect bite, where you could still taste each clean flavor perfectly. It was a dance in your mouth, with each partner playing their role perfectly.

p.s. I love mushrooms, so still asked for a side of the wild mushroom khichdi. And that was earthy & deep -- absolutely brilliant.  

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Filter Coffee at ID, Chennai

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What: A cuppa filter coffee. (no frills)

Where: ID, Chennai. 

How much: Rs. 40

 

So here's a bit of a trip around the country, and down memory lane.

Having lived in the self-dubbed coffee capital of the world (thanks to the not-so-great but omnipresent Starbucks), I thought I'd tasted some of the "best" coffee. And then I moved to Chennai for work and realized that filter coffee in general, trumps the milky coffee elsewhere or the watery coffee in the west. And then, there is ID's filter coffee.

 

ID is a contemporary (designed) restaurant that is firmly stuck to fantastic south Indian food with no frills. I'd go there routinely and gorge on 3 bowls of sambhar, their 4 types of chutneys and the just correctly crispy dosas. And then <drumroll> THE COFFEE. The coffee is foamy, creamy, and a taste that lingers for at least half an hour after you've had it. Reason enough to go for a horrible movie just so that I have a reason to pick up a cup. Reason enough to get nostalgic for a brief moment every time I sip a Barista/CCD/Costa/<insert fancy Bbay cafe> coffee. 

 

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Grill sandwich at Right Place

P45

What: The multi-grain veg grilled sandwich
Where: Right Place, breach candy.
How much: Rs. 80

3 layers of a sandwich stuffed with veggies, lathered with butter, chutney & a ton of cheese. This ain't for the faint hearted or the healthy ones (the multi grain simply tastes better, IMHO). Before the age of the fancy-shmancy paninis, I think RightPlace set the taste bar & trend for such sandwiches. Their secret chatpata masala, triangular bread, and seeing the guy making 4 sandwiches simultaneously -- while keeping everyone's order idiosyncracies straight! --   have made their sandwiches worth the sometimes Soup Nazi-esque lines.

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Raspberry tart at Debaillleul

 

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What: The Raspberry Tart
Where: Debailleul. (Prabhadevi, Mumbai) 
How much: Rs. 370

More details:
I've been salivating since I saw pictures of a fresh raspberry tart available locally. And it didn't disappoint – while it is not 'fresh' (they are flash frozen in Belgium & imported), the tart itself is super. Not overly sweet at all, with the raspberries tingling like they should. 
Expensive though, and I agree with my colleague that I'm afraid that these prices, especially in this location, makes one feel that this pretty cafe/bakery may not have legs.

 

 

 

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Granola parfait yogurt at Yogurtbay

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What: Tart, sweet, cruncy and healthy. The granola parfait at Yogurtbay alone is worth a 1/2 hour drive to Yogurtbay. 

Where: Yogurtbay, Bandra (+91-22-30629191, +91-9833360235, +91-9930811185)

Price: Rs. 120 for a damn large glass of frozen yogurt goodness. (enough for two)

 

More: From the first time I tried yogurtbay, I was hooked. Would go there twice a week to satisfy my cravings. The blueberry cheesecake is a super find -- I'd take this over an *actual* blueberry cheesecake. But then you get a large glass of carmelized almonds layered with frozen yogurt layered with your pick of a couple of fruits layered with frozen yogurt, and then topped with granola. Take it all to Carter road, and suddenly the already pleasant walk becomes mmm-worthy. I sugest not to mix it all up; every spoonful is a burst of fresh flavor. Parfait!

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To begin

People often recommend a specific dish at a restaurant or in a city; we've each done it scores of times, and seen friends tell us many times too. 1D is an effort to direct you towards exactly that.

 

The specific type of pizza from X, or the drink at Y, or the single fantastic entrée at Z. It is the one hit you cannot miss. 

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