SodaWater Opererwala - A Restaurant Review

Parsi culture defines the essence of the city since it was called Bombay and has always intrigued me due to its distinctiveness. Similarly Parsi food was in my "to experience" list for long. But somehow things were not falling into place. But recently to my utter joy "SodaBottle Operwala" a famous restaurant chain of Parsi cuisine, opened their outlet in stone throw distance from my abode. Off-course I had to visit it, and so I did.

The decor, interesting isn't it?

My hubby enjoying his share of Dhansak

The decor of the place resonates Irani culture, but the evident constraint on space availability makes it a bit clumsy and also noisy. But overall there is uniqueness which is appealing.  The menu card is a relief from the ones we encounter regularly. There was not much I had tasted before. So me and my husband chose to start with "Chicken Farcha", a Parsi style fried chicken and spiced it up with "Masala Coke". The chicken preparation was a bit too oily, nonetheless tasted great and the masala coke really added to the flavour. For main course, there are no prizes to guess that we selected the famous Parsi delicacy "Mutton Dhansak" and I really loved it. I had heard that there is a remarkable similarly between Parsi and Bengali food, and this experience proved me correct. 

Overall, "SodaWater Openerwala" was a great experience to me and my first encounter with Iranian food. It is first of its kind in Thane and is drawing numerous Parsi Food lovers each day. I suggest it to all non veg lovers, for the vegetarians I really don't have an opinion to forward. However the sitting arrangement could be a bit more spaced out making the experience a little more comfortable. No, its not a fine diner but the prices are towards the higher side. Yet its a wonderful addition to the restaurants of the place, and definitely I will  be visiting it more.

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta
Visit my site: http://www.talestotell.co.in

My posing never seem to cease...

The Fishermans Wharf - An experience to cherish

It was a beautiful night, but I was not feeling too good. Any vacation must end, but that end never comes easy. It falls on you with its share of agonies and mental turbulence. Going back to normalcy feels dejecting and heart-aching. I was experiencing the same syndrome. It was our last night in Goa, at least for that trip and I wanted to cling to it a little longer. Keeping with our food trip spirit, we carefully chose the diner for the night. "The Fisherman's wharf" it was. 

Romantically inclined was the ambience

A shack-style yet fine diner located by the river in Salcette, South Goa, this restaurant had a magical ambiance to say the least. Just opposite Holiday Inn Resort, as you approach this one the sound of live band playing nuzzle your eardrum welcoming you to an evening to remember.  

When we entered, initially we could not get a table by the river, but eventually we managed to get one. The river flowed along, and so did the music. We enjoyed both to the fullest. The lights, the decor and the romantic songs played by the musicians created a spell of rejoice, the stars and the softly rippling water added to the beauty.

We relaxed with my glass of "Cosmopolitan" and my husband's scotch, for satisfying our taste-buds there was "Stuffed Crab", an unusual combination of crab with cheese, crispy chicken and Goan special Masala prawns. All tasted great, but I fell in love with the Crabs, though not essentially a crab person.

Choose your eat

Foodie's life

And then off-course we danced and rejoiced, euphorically spent the evening in a way I always love. I strongly suggest "The Fisherman's wharf" to all those romantic souls who hit the coasts of the tropical paradise regularly, and also to those who love to get a touch of nature wherever they go.

Dancing away...

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

Martin's Corner - a restaurant review

Our September trip to Goa, was a foodies's delight. An indulgence to dream of. Staying a little away from the beach, kind of annoyed us but we tried to compensate for that loss by binge. Today I plan to review what they call South Goa's celebrity eatery "Martin's Corner". Well before I entered the place, I had no clue why Goan people called the place so. But it just took me moments to appreciate the reason, once I was there. "No" it wasn't celebrity studded, the actual celebutante was the ambiance, the colourful decor, the cheerful crowd and off-course the live music.

To me, it isn't too important to rate the food, though I would say it was good enough. The place is for experiencing the ambiance, food is just an added flavour. Having said that we had ordered quite a bit, starting with my cocktail "tequila sunrise" a fruity delight with tequila, which tasted wonderful. We also ordered "Basa fry" which was heavenly, "Calamari Butter Garlic", which was our first try with squids but unfortunately we both hated it, not the chef's fault though, our taste buds aren't that versatile with non-veg stuff yet, so as a compensation we added cliche "chicken fried rice" to our order list, which tasted, expectantly "cliche". 

But I loved the prettification and accessorising of the interiors, pretty cool and colourful stuff was used. The live music was heart-warming, they mostly played vintage english tracks. My hubby who never ceases to surprise me, without my knowledge requested a hindi number and one of my all time favourites "Pehla Nasha, Pehla Khumar" and dedicated that to me. It was a sweet moment for both of us, but what amused me more was that, the crowd came much more alive as the singer started to play the prelude, probably an awaited relief from the ongoing english tracks. Afterall we all love bollywood music, don't we?

Overall, I would suggest Martin's corner to all the lovers of spirited atmosphere, music and offcourse food.

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta