Bombay. Where to start and where to end on the city
of dreams.. Wait, for me, it was the city of chaos. And I think in that chaos,
it is easier for people to lose themselves and their worries.; not leave them
behind but lose them. People are so busy getting through the minute that they
barely get a second to spare for what the bigger picture is. And then
somewhere, gradually, in that chaos, one step at a time, clarity strikes of its
own accord. Just one step at a time. And in that chaos, every moment of peace
becomes all the more prized, all the more personal, all the more yours.
When I think of Bombay, three things strike me, the
crowd, be it the traffic or the locals where everyone is the same, just stuck;
then there is marine drive, where there is peace and quiet and a walk which I
never want should end; then there is the third high end of life, eating out,
shopping, all of that: distant somehow. The one that I prize most is probably
Marine drive.I have been to marine drive as a kid. This time I
went there from work. There's a nice café called the CCD Square where they
serve origin coffees at Nariman point which I went to right after work, hoping
to meet a friend after work. Though that didn't work out, I met my mum and both
of us ended up on Marine Drive, enjoying the cool breeze on our faces. For those of you who don't know, Bombay has the
best Chana jor garam sold by hawkers; mix it with lemon and some peanuts and
you've got yourself a real delight. On Marine drive you'll also find hawkers
selling some amazing kulfi; though not too much of a sweet tooth myself or
selectively so, I have to say, that kulfi was remarkable. Once you've moved on
from this, there are a ton of other street foods to try. For instance, outside
Mitthibai College in Andheri, opposite the road you have what I can only call
the most amazing chocolate milkshake I remember having; it has a nice thick
pudding like flavour. Being crazy for puddings, I fell in love with that
milkshake instantly. Beside the milkshake stand is a dosa stand which makes
innovative topping dosas such as those with pizza toppings and the likes.
Again, something you must try, if you like pizzas or dosas or both. Even though
I'm not a dosa fan myself or a huge pizza fanatic, I really liked it. I haven't
even gotten to the staple vada pav and anda pav which you'll find recommended
all across the web if you care to look up things to do in Bombay. And then of
course there is the pav bhaji, which is my personal favourite of the three. One
thing which was recommended to me but which I failed to try and will on my next
visit is the sandwiches sold by tiny stalls by the road. I'll update you once I
know what they're like. Moving on to non-street food, we have my personal
favourite, Café Leopold. I'm not trying to build up the hype. I personally went
there because of the legacy and the hype myself but I became a fan because they
made me love vegetarian food, something that is very hard to do, mostly
because of the fact that I barely ever eat vegetarian outside, but being accompanied
by a vegetarian friend I was that day. Their pot rice with vegetables was
simply delicious. The flavours simple yet so beautiful. My comfort food kind of
dish. Like I've already said, it gave me the Hanaichi feels. I want to try the
one with chicken as well. #CannotWaitToGoToBombay Other than that Global Sigree
is also a beautiful place if you're in the mood for grilled meat or, um,
vegetables. I found their assortment and range remarkably better than
Barbecue nation's. And their desserts and main course was a good spread as
well. Candies, a highly recommended café especially known for its bakery,
seemed a little overrated to me though I will admit to the fact that I may not
have tried the right things there and may be judging them a tad bit too much on
their angry bird cupcake the fondue on which was way too sugary for my liking.
Theobroma, another bakery, in all fairness, was quite nice. Since the most I
tried was one brownie I refuse to post a negative comment on it. On the other
hand, I want a brownie right now.
I am so hungry right now. I want a brownie with a
cold coffee preceded by pot rice. Oh and a friends episode would be great.
Someone take me out of this office right now. Other than food, Bombay is a city you can love or
you can hate but it is a city that welcomes you either way. In all its chaos,
you choose to look from the periphery on choose to jump right into the
whirlpool, you'll be caught by the feverish excitement either way. Other than
once in a while, when you do stop to see the one thing that doesn't seem to
change- the sea by its side. And that's why I find myself so mesmerized, so at
peace, every time with the ceaseless traffic running on one side and the calm
sea on the other and just me, sitting, walking, thinking on my ever favourite-
Marine Drive.
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