Travel Blog : Bombay / Mumbai Revisited

[I_call_the_duck]

Lets see if you still prefer the prawns over the duck in the latest post 

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It's a toss-up.

[Shelby]

I feel the same as Kim--what a great gift to come home to!  The sights and foods are so wonderfully foreign to me.  I can't imagine living in such a city.  How great would it be to never have to have meat in the freezer???  A short walk to the market and it's fresh every day!

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Thanks Kim and Shelly. Despite best intentions, I haven't been as successful in posting in a timely fashion. Internet time seems to vanish quickly when bought by the hour.

Life in Bombay has its pros and cons, on one hand you have cheap labor which enables fresh produce and plenty of domestic help to assist with the daily tasks like cooking, but on the other, the selection is not as vast as you have in the US, the hygienic conditions might...ummm...vary and since super markets are sparse, there is no one stop shopping, so you are forced to travel to different areas in traffic that seems like a rally, for different items.

ETA: I have some video footage of a short rickshaw ride in some traffic which I will post the link to if I can upload it to Youtube.

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I'd love to see the video.

This might be a backward/dumb question, but I don't get out much lol. How is the water there? Do you drink out of the faucet or do you use bottled water?

[percyn]

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This might be a backward/dumb question, but I don't get out much lol.  How is the water there?  Do you drink out of the faucet or do you use bottled water?

No question is dumb and this is a very valid question. Unless you are used to the water (which is filtered and in many cases passes through UV rays to kill the bacteria), I would stick to bottle water. We started on bottled water even to brush our teeth and no ice for the first 3-5 days and are now consuming "perfect ice" (they distill the water), brushing and gargling with tap water and drinking bottled water/sodas.

[percyn]

Appologies as I am still lagging behind in my posts but I have to go eat a Thali and take pictures and will be traveling back, so it might be 24-48 hrs before I post again.

[Shelby]

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This might be a backward/dumb question, but I don't get out much lol.  How is the water there?  Do you drink out of the faucet or do you use bottled water?

No question is dumb and this is a very valid question. Unless you are used to the water (which is filtered and in many cases passes through UV rays to kill the bacteria), I would stick to bottle water. We started on bottled water even to brush our teeth and no ice for the first 3-5 days and are now consuming "perfect ice" (they distill the water), brushing and gargling with tap water and drinking bottled water/sodas.

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So, you kind of have to gradually get your body used to the different water? That makes sense.

[percyn]

Checking in from the Lounge @Frankfurt.

Still have to post about 2 elaborate meals (and more) - the wonderful Navjote meal, which is served on a banana leaf to approx 500 to 1500 guests. Here is a sample of what a typical Navjote meal looks like

and a sneak preview

The Thali we had was amazing as well. You can read up on Gujarati thali while I get around to uploading the pics and posting about it.

Sample Gujarati thali, similar to what we had.

Edited January 1, 2009 by percyn (log)

[percyn]

Day 11

Another day and another coconut later, we grabbed some lattes and a cashew muffin before heading to the Sea Side Café for an omelet and masala tea. They also had a good looking Chicken tikka roll which I decided to try today.

After some relaxing by the pool in preparation for what we knew would be a long following day, we went to Linking road, a busy shopping area in Bandra, full of street vendors and shops. Unfortunately, the crowds caused more stress for my wife who said she could not shop in such an environment, … words I thought I would never hear !!

Pool view from our room

Though the sun had set, it was still warm, so we decided to cool off with some handmade shakes – sitaful (a fruit like a chermoya) for me and chocolate for her.

Sitaful

Sitaful Shake

After a few failed attempts to shop, we grabbed only a handful of items and headed for dinner to Spice Tree, a restaurant we had passed on several occasions and was recommended to us as well.

We walked into an almost empty restaurant around 8pm, which gradually started to fill up and by the time we were done with dinner, it was full. Our dinner started with Jumbo prawns which they brought out on a platter to show us and tell us the price (pricing them individually instead of by weight seems to be the prevailing practice). There were 2 jumbo prawns left – one half the size of my forearm (almost the size of a small lobster) and the other a little smaller (unfortunately the picture did not turn out well). We bought both and asked them to grill them with some tandoori masala. I was expecting them to serve them head on, split down the center, allowing me to enjoy the goodness that can only be found in the head. Unfortunately, they were deshelled and only the tail portion was served. I should have made my intentions clear, but was a bit bummed since these were the last 2 jumbo shrimp they had left.

There were a few things I wanted to try on the menu but did not want to waste the food since we did not have the means to reheat it in our hotel room. Around that time I thought of an idea….I could wrap up the leftovers and share them with those not as fortunate to be able to enjoy the creations of this restaurant. So we ordered a full tandoori chicken (you are probably sick of me ordering this, but it is one my wife likes and every restaurant has its own special way to making it, thereby creating different renditions), a variety of naan, some basmati rice, kachumbar (salsa like salad) and shrimp Goan curry along with a Kingfisher and a passable Indian Shiraz.

Tandoori Chicken

Kheema Naan - Meat stuffed Naan

Kachumber

Goan Shrimp Curry

For dinner, we got some Sitaful kulfi. Of course we did not finish everything, but I did not feel bad since the leftovers went to a great cause.

Edited January 3, 2009 by percyn (log)

[percyn]

Day 12

As you suspect, the morning began with a coconut, latte, cashew muffin and an omelet sandwich. Unfortunately, this time around, a few hours later I was not feeling too well. Either I one of the last meals did not sit well or the over-indulging finally caught up to me. Either way, I will spare you the details and only mention this so that you can understand and forgive me for taking it a bit easy for the next few days.

During the day of the Navjote reception, there are a lot of fresh flowers used to decorate the cars, tables, stage, etc.

Unfortunately, the timing of the sickness could not have been worse, as it was the day of the navjote reception, who’s food I was looking forward to. Thus even though I only nibbled at it, I did want to share what these delights were:

Sarya – A white, crispy tapioca based fried cracker (similar to the shrimp crackers, but without the shrimp flavor), typically enjoyed with a sweet jaggery, mango and carrot pickle.

Paneer – A fresh cheese, similar to a savory (slightly salty) mozzarella.

Patra ni Machi – Pomfret tail, topped with coriander (cilantro) and mint chutney, wrapped in banana leaf and steamed. While the tail is the most preferred part, the hard core traditionalist opt for the head.

Masala Chicken

Kid nu Gohst – Baby goat in a cashew based sauce

Palau and Dar – Rice flavored with black and green cardamom, saffron, etc and cooked with goat and eggs.

Served from huge platters

Dessert was something a little different – instead of the typical Lagan nu Custard, we enjoyed Falooda Kulfi.

When you are done eating, simply fold the banana leaf and they discard the whole thing...and its biodegradable.

[percyn]

Day 13

We were so tired we slept in, while still recovering from the illness. Not much to report on this day other than we took it easy and went to a place which served some Anglo-Indian favorites

Counter

We tried the Chicken roll, Chicken Croissant, lamb burger, chutney sandwich and some grilled chicken. Unfortunately, none of the dishes were that great, except for the grilled chicken. We also enjoyed a great Lemongrass Cooler.

In the afternoon and early evening we relaxed by the pool and enjoyed a pizza and KingFisher for dinner

[percyn]

Day 14

Since we were approaching the last few days of our tip, we decided to spend some time with my brother and his family. We went to their house for a late breakfast and then headed to South Bombay for some shopping.

Those who remember recent events might recognize Leopold’s Café, the Gateway of India and the Taj Palace hotel, which were the sites of unfortunate events by cowards on Nov 26, 2008.

Leopold's Cafe

Gateway of India

Taj Palace Hotel

We did some shopping in the tourist mecca of Colaba and went to a relatively new place which served Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean and Burmese delicacies.

Double-decker bus which used to be a very common sight

We started with some Vietnamese rolls, then some Pho, followed by Khowswe, an Indo-Burmese dish my mother used to make. It consists of thin noodles topped with a mild curry then topped with the diners selection of fried onions, green onions, boiled egg, dried shrimp, etc. Delicious !!

Vietnamese spring rolls

Beef Pho

Khowswe - Noodles topped with curry and a variety of toppings

For dinner we had Papeta Per Eda (Eggs on spiced potatoes) and Sali Gosht (sweet sour and salty goat with potato sticks)

[percyn]

Day 15

For breakfast we had some Indian tea and cracked open a coconut which I had grabbed to go. We also had some some Upma, which is like a polenta, but made with semolina flour, tumeric, onions, cilantro, mustard seeds, etc.

I went for a straight edge razor shave, a back/neck massage and a haircut…all for around $5. When I returned, there was Shrimp Kebabs and Dhansak (a traditional Parsi dish eaten on Sundays right before taking an afternoon nap) waiting for us.

A few hours later a cousin who I had not seen for ages came over and we shared some masala sautéed shrimp, chicken livers and butter chicken.

Chicken Livers

Butter Chicken

[percyn]

Day 16

This was the last day of our trip and knowing that it would be a long day and night, we tried to sleep in a bit. When we woke, we had Indian foodina tea, malai (fresh cream) with sugar on brun pav (crusty bread). The fresh cream is made by gently steeping unpasteurized full fat milk (sometimes buffalo milk) and is naturally slightly sweet, so I went slow on the sugar. This is a delicacy that is not often enjoyed in the states.....I propose that we change that.

For lunch we went to Rajbough, which is a place that specializes in Gujurati style Thali. A thali is a term for a steel vessel or plate, but in this context refers to the type of cuisine typically served in a thali in Gujurat. Along the way we stopped at this place that serves a special kind of Mithai or sweet which has a fluffy pastry stuffed with milk solids, which is made by gently boiling raw milk until most of the liquid evaporates.

Here is another mithai called Rubber Halva due to its chewiness. Taste like you would expect, a sweet bubble gum which you can swallow and easily digest.

On the way we passed families crammed on small motorbikes, whizzing in and out of traffic.

We also happened to pass some Dubbawallahs who are people who deliver tiffins from their clients homes to office locations on bicycle, handcarts, etc with amazing accuracy and efficiency, despite many of them being illiterate. Their system has recently been studied by prestigious MBA programs and companies like Virgin and Richard Branson personally.

The Dubbawallahs

Back to the Thalis….there are about a dozen small items ranging from daals, vegetables, chaat, rice, pickles and sweets that are served as part of the thali. The main vegetable today was Undhu, a sweet and salty mixture of potatoes, peas, baby eggplant and a vegetable called papdi.

Thali with Khichdi (rice)

Closeup of pickles

We also enjoyed a smoked chass (salty buttermilk), which is made by mixing garlic, chilies, etc with a burning charcoal before adding it to the buttermilk. This lends a deep smoky flavor, but this method of smoking items is a little controversial since people claim it can also cause cancer.

Making the chaas

The fished product

On the way back, we saw effigies which are traditionally burt of figures representing an old person to symbolize the passing year, however this year, the figures seemed to have graffiti with the names of the terrorists who attacked Mumbai on 11/26 or in some cases Pakistan (which India suspects is where the terrorists were from).

After a few more hours of playing with my nephews, I was still full from the thali, so decided to take it a bit easy over dinner. My sister in law had bought some special items for me which went well with the fresh chapatis made daily

Daily Chapatis

Can you guess what this is???

Another rendition of the same ingredient

This was Dec 31st, and since our flight was early morning on Jan 1st, we celebrated the new year at the Mumbai airport and then had an opportunity to do so several times again as we would be “traveling back in time” and cross the 12am time many times over.

Edited January 3, 2009 by percyn (log)

[percyn]

Well, this concludes our trip and thus the blog. While there were many more places I still wanted my wife to see and experience, we simply did not have the time as we had to take it slow, being that this was her first trip. That means we will have to start planning for another trip and include a couple places outside of Bombay.

For my wife and I, this trip has created its own set of memories, which we will cherished. I hoped you enjoyed a short glimpse into some of them.

Cheers

Percy

[menuinprogress]

Great stuff, Percy - thanks for sharing!

[Abra]

Thanks so much, it's been a pleasure following along!

[percyn]

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I have some video footage of a short rickshaw ride in some traffic which I will post the link to if I can upload it to Youtube.

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I'd love to see the video.

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Well, I had some challenges uploading to youtube, but got it on flickr...

Rickshaw ride # 1 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/percyn/3163319422/

Rickshaw ride #2 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/percyn/3163256680/

General traffic - http://www.flickr.com/photos/percyn/316248...in/photostream/

Note - I tried to keep the camera as steady as possible. but all the shaking is from my body being tossed around like a rag doll, shaking up my internal organs.

[Shelby]

What a wonderful experience this has been! I'm sorry you were ill for a couple of days. That's no fun. How cool to be able to ring in the New Year over and over on the plane!

[Kim Shook]

Percyn – thank you so much. I am woefully ignorant of any type of Indian food and wish I had someone like you to go to restaurants with to help guide me. I was just reading an article in a local paper about how there is an explosion of Indian restaurants in Richmond, so now is the time. I enjoyed the videos, too. I hope that those bumpy rides didn’t occur when you were feeling low! I had to laugh at the American mayonnaise bus sign. Hope you are feeling better and will be rested soon from your trip!

[CaliPoutine]

Thank you so much for the blog. It was a very enjoyable read. Happy New Year!!

[I_call_the_duck]

Percy,

Thanks again for sharing your wonderful trip. I'm glad you and your wife had such a great time.

Now that you're back in the States, I'm sure your family misses you. But do you think the coconut guy misses you too?

[percyn]

Percy,

Thanks again for sharing your wonderful trip.  I'm glad you and your wife had such a great time.

Now that you're back in the States, I'm sure your family misses you.  But do you think the coconut guy misses you too? 

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Given that I used to pay over "market prices" for the coconuts, I am sure he does

[percyn]

As I was unpacking, I thought I would share some goodies (spices) I brought over

Spices

Fish Roe Pickle - Not likely to find this around here

[docsconz]

Bravo, Percy! you gave a great perspective on a very important place at a very important time in India's history.

[judiu]

Percy, again, thank you so much for taking me to someplace I'd never elsewise be able to experience! How beautiful it is there, as you show it.

[JTravel]

Fabulous!!!!! It was an example of the best eGullet can offer.......food of far away places.....from an insider's view point. There is nothing like finding out about the REAL thing. I know very little of Indian food, but now I have names to follow up on and I will try to find and/or make some of those dishes.

Thanks SO much.

J