Location and services
Now this restaurant / multi storied Hotel which is also a place where one can reside(has both lodging and boarding). It's a big hotel near the fire brigade at Link road . The room rentals are 1500 and above for a day's stay for a couple . But since I never needed to stay here I will only talk about the food component .
I have been here so many times that now I have lost count . I am sure everyone at the restaurant which is also a Pure Veg one knows me and my son by face .
Why I prefer this place .
There are 2 or 3 main reasons why I like to come here again and again .
Its really clean( well generally, but there are a few issues) and very airy when you sit outside the AC room.
It's priced very reasonably.( But many items are priced oddly as well, some a lot lower than they should while some a lot higher than they should).
The service is probably not super quick but it's not slack either and the waiters and the captains are courteous .
I found over time that it's best to be here for either a Pav Bhaji / dosas/ idlis and the likes .
I love the sambhar and the coconut chutney they serve here. Absolutely lip-smacking and as authentic as it can get . The coconut chutney is so rich and so thick and when I ask for a refill they never charged me for it .
The sambar is so tangy and just that tad sweet, i'm drawn to this place solely due to the way they make the sambar and chutney.
Sometimes though I was served medu wada sambar where the vadas were only partly cooked and I had to complain . The item was immediately replaced with a good one without any fuss and an apology .
As mentioned earlier pav bhaji is also as good as it gets . The flavour and aroma is really nice .The use of butter is liberal and the masala is so well done . You can smell the Bhaji from a distance . Guys remember, its good that the use of butter is preferred over vegetable oils as saturates though should be consumed sparingly are more stable than any other fat and the fatty acid bonds don't break easily, which means lesser oxidation even under high heat cooking .
The plating of all items is good. I would suggest that you don't order tea here, The only time I ordered one, the taste was so yuck, I decided to never order it again .
For a change I ordered Chole Bhature once, although it was a little greasy, the quantity was more than enough for 2 people and i'm happy that I didn't have to eat such a greasy item loaded with maida or refined flour all by myself. The taste was along expected lines .
As pointed out earlier, it's a neat and clean ambience but during winters I find there are more flies than I would like to see especially around the Pav Bhaji tavas and Kitchen .
Pricing is flawed
Also the management needs to re-think their pricing of certain items that have been priced oddly . I have been indulging in fresh lime soda a lot as its priced almost the same price as a cup of tea .
Like the tea was a disaster another item I have ordered a couple of times didn't turn out very well and that was Misal-Pav . But all in all it's a big place which has both ac room and non Ac area( partly open with very good ventilation)with seating arrangement for about 50-60 guys(for the entire restaurant).
The place is really very airy(the outer area - non ac one). The ac room has a 32 inch Led TV to keep you engaged while waiting . The service isn't bad and this makes this place an ideal eating out experience .
Expect to dish out around 250-350 INR only for a lavish meal for 2. This remains one of my top choices at vasai-east hands down . Since this place has 2 entrances parking will never be an issue .
Since the pricing is a lil odd(erratic actually) and some of the items served need a major improvement, I will settle for a 3 star rating .
A word to the management
In the end if anyone from the management is ever going to read this I wish to tell you guys -" no one makes sambar/ coconut chutney and pav bhaji like you guys serve, keep it up".
A word to Everyone
While eating out is fun and convenient especially on weekends . This should be curtailed . The use of cheap vegetable oils, over-use of saturated fats and trans fat is rampant even with bigger brands .
The sugars they use is refined(with many chemical residues like sulphur) . Ideally at home one can use alternatives like coconut sugar / palm sugar / jaggery / honey and maple syrup- grade B / stevia / one can also use dates and raisins to sweeten the dishes.
At home you can also cook with the best fats like organic Ghee/ Butter / Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Coconut oil . Avoid the use of refined oils at home and cook with filtered oils that no restaurants that I know, do . Saturated fats like Ghee and Butter have a high smoking point and are the best fats to cook with under high heat, coconut fat is also saturated .
This is contrary to what you've been told all your life . Even doctors and nutritionists have kept you in the dark unknowingly .
Saturates nevertheless should be limited to 10% of the total caloric requirement.
FYI- olive oil is only a dressing oil not suited for high heat cooking .
The modern dairy is inflammatory . It's loaded with hormones and antibiotics . That's why it's safer to use organic butter/ ghee if possible .
Why should we prefer rice to wheat?
Sometimes I wonder if I really am a punjabi. Not many punjabis love south indian food like I do and not many indians eat coconuts in the many forms that I love and not many Punjabis prefer rice over rotis or chapatis .
Remember rice is the most benign grain, after wheat was genetically engineered in the 60's and 70's . Its not the same wheat your ancestors ate . It's not the same Einkorn wheat discovered 10, 000 years ago or emmer wheat from the times of Jesus Christ . The shoulder high plant is now only waist high . More yielding per acre but sadly also with more inflammatory gluten and gliadin(proteins found in wheat have been altered from mutations).
Gluten sensitivity is real .It's affecting more and more people these days . People who have quit gluten by quitting wheat have come off wheel chairs that caged them for years mysteriously! Wheat is also slightly addictive and has an opiate like effect, Its observed on an average that we eat 440 calories more per person per day by consuming modern wheat .
Weight watchers should anyways consume grains like condiments only .
I just had a banana shake with coconut palm sugar and full cream milk(never use toned or low fat products.it's a marketing gimmick). No one uses coconut sugar or palm sugar at hotels but you must use these better sweeteners at home . They have a lower GI and are also more nutrient dense . There is a saying in sanskrit which means - coconut tree gives you everything that you need for existence . Know that coconut is a super food. Its anti-viral / bacterial / microbial / fungal and protozoal.
The food scientists have invaded you platter in a massive way by mutating / genetically modifying your food and promoting heavy use of pesticides and insecticides . They have even managed to push animal genes into plants - GMO should never mean "God move over"
