My Filling Time

Food for Thought
My address is about to change in about a month now. It’s been a filling stay at NITIE for me and everyone else from the management batch of 2008. People who disagree need to just check their old snaps or the new trousers with extra waist they bought for their summer/winter internship.
So where did I hog? What did I like? Read on to know more just in case you’ll be around to try these places.

1. Mess1-2: Awesome time when it was monthly bill-unlimited food. 4 times a day, 7 days a week, Casserole after Casserole of Medu vadas, uttapas, Parathas, omelettes, flowed through the sea of hungry and vella students. Breakfast and Snacks were the highlights. The lunch and dinner were good enough for that price but lost the zing once we found other avenues. No great ambiance, but one doesn’t look at that when one has pals to chat (read bitch) around with.

2. Mess3-4: As good (or as bad) as Mess1-2, but made smacking Chole Baturas.

3. IIT Midnight Mess: As long as u could jugaad some company (easily available) and a bike with 2 spoons of petrol(very difficult), our neighbors across the lake served value for money food. The options range from Chinese to Udipi fast food and a smattering of fresh shakes and juices. Will cost you 1/8th of the only other option: Midnight buffets @ Rodas.

4. Shiv Sagar: Decent Food, decent price. Nothing great. Junta came up here for just for options. Gadbad Ice cream is a reco here , with 3 ice cream scoops and jelly it really is an indulgence.

5. Srishti: This was like an extended mess. You were bound to bump into at least 30 other batch mates on any day. Nothing distinctive for the veggies apart from the well steamed Dal Khichdi. Non Veggies could feast on the chicken delicacies. Tandoori Chicken in very popular, though my reco is the well grilled, succinctly spiced Chicken Tikka.

6. Thambhi: A very late discovery for me. Tucked away towards Chandivali, this Tam eatery is a nice cozy place. Refreshingly different menu from the “North Indian – Paneer” clones, it’s very easy on the wallet. My reco is the Grilled Potatoes. Excellently sautéed.

7. NH1: Stipend rich junta ka popular watering hole. Came into prominence during summers. Decent ambiance, slightly cramped space, but enough privacy. This is slightly premium priced. Avoid the soups, go order the chicken/mutton kebabs. Decent place to enjoy drinks if accompanied by female crowd. For teetotalers, don’t miss out on the “Death by Chocolate”. Unlike CCD or Mochas, this is a concoction and sinful to the last drop. Though after a couple of trips, you’ll realize the menu is limited.

8. Spirit: Near JB Nagar on the Andheri road. Drinks are reasonably priced and much better place than the shadier Krishna Bar outside NITIE. He will also stock the apple flavored vodka you have heard about, unlike some other “up” places. The chakna of boiled peas dowsed in lime-onion serving is this place's USP. My reco is Chesse Aloo corn Tikki. Very well done, not too oily and very filling, perfect accompaniment with a Kingfisher/Budweiser. Be here on a premier league night. They have 2 large TV screens.

9. Curry Twist: Arguably the best veggie food this side of Andheri. It’s pricey, but it’s worth it. The roti basket is actually a fine collage unlike so many other places just out to fleece you for serving a plastic basket. Offers different cuisines but a limited offering under each. Their “Chutney wale Aloo” will satisfy you as much as the salads and the pastas. The deserts though are NOT awesome.

10. Chakra: A related concern of Curry Twist, shares same rating food/drink wise. It appears to be slightly less expensive than the Curry Twist, maybe for its lesser glamorous ambiance.

11. Maharaja (saki naka): Food/Drinks are okay-ish. I didn’t find anything novel in the menu offerings and nothing grand about the food either. But the seating offers a setting for a quiet conversation.

12. Sujata Palace: This Sujata had a special place in the hearts of many its fans from two of this country’s premier education institutes, IIT n NITIE. These fans observed a 2 min silence as obeisance when this place was razed for road widening. Cheap place for good drinks. It stocked almost every1’s choice. But more importantly it had good and reasonable priced grub. Very cramped up AC section. You were likely to shock yourself for having placed your arm on a complete stranger’s shoulder for past two hours, as much as he would be to find he had been eating from your plate.

13. Pizza Hut: You know the food, its standard. Expect to find a 100 people waiting outside the Powai joint. The one in JB Nagar is generally not as crowded.

14. Smoking Joe’s: Delivered almost an hour after you called them up, had a tendency of leaving me hungry on exam nites, but offered free if one got really upset at them. Subbu has me and Smokin Joes to blame for all the trousers that won’t fit him now. My reco is the simpler ones like Tandoori Paneer and the Grilled Chicken.

15. Pop Tates: I Love the décor of this place. Very different, very young feel about it. Cocktails are good. Mickey and Donald is one kiddo sounding drink but they make it well there. Decent music, a smoky yet comfortable ambiance, a din in the air but doesn’t prevent you from making a decent convo. Grab a suitable seat to catch the sporting events. They make a decent pizza, enjoi the Al-fredo Pasta (creammmmmyyyyy) as well as the Lasagna. The fresh mango mousse, I tried last week was very light and not at all too sweet.

Other places I didn’t frequent but were equally popular are Krishna Bar, Sai Palace, Gurukripa, JK, Dominoes, Sub way, Archies, Mochas, Kobes, Yokos, Bread Talk, Great Punjab, Sheesha, Happy Singh.

These were the places I went to and that form a critical artifact of my fond memories I carry from these two years.

Happy Munching! Cheers!