Cafe Universal

Name: Cafe Universal
Location: Fort Market, Mumbai, India.

Google Maps Link
Please note that Cafe Universal has been wrongly plotted on Google Maps. It is located on Shahid Bhagat Singh Road.

Cafe Universal is one of those nice Iranian/Zoroastrian places which has a nice air about itself, and lends itself quite well to a nice and well stretched out lunch. The menu may seem slightly over-priced, but in my opinion, it is quite worth it for an occasional meal. Besides, the location(next to Ballard Estate) and setup of the place kind of justify the mildly higher rates.

We ordered:

1. Fresh fruit juices: A cocktail costs just as much as a single fruit juice, so we decided to go ahead and order a Water Melon and Sweet Lime(Mosambi) mix and a Pineapple and Mosambi mix. Both turned out to be very refreshing. Even though the price may seem a bit high at Rs 50/- per serving, they serve a lot more juice as compared to standard juice serving around the city.


2. Veg. Sizzler with Mushrooms and Baked Beans: This wasn't on the menu, but the chef was kind enough to prepare it for us :-) I must confess though that this sizzler contained a lot less veggies than it could have, and a bit more fries than it should have. Also, the mushrooms weren't as good as I've had in other places. However, on the whole, it was a satisfying meal.

All in all, a pretty chilled out place if you want some privacy and want to just chill out, cause this place doesn't have any of those snazzy jukebox thingies(which is a good thing). I would visit again, but probably not for a while and not for a meal. I'd prefer to spend that extra and have those juices again.

Rasraj

Name: Rasraj
Location:
S.V. Road,
Opp. Petrol Pump,
Vile Parle(W).
Mumbai, India.

Google Maps Link
Rasraj is just to the right of Jitendra Chauhan Law College on the Map.

Rasraj is one of those typically gujju places where you can hear people talking very loudly. It is a home to the so called 80db gujjus who like to in the true sense of the phrase make themselves heard. Pretty annoying if you are looking to spend some nice quite time with that special someone, but the food was quite good; esp. the Mysore Masala dossa.

We ordered:

1. Mysore Masala dossa: This wasn't the typical sada dosa with chutni and aloo ka masala dutifully stuffed into it. It was a slightly different and definitely more delicious preparation with the masala consisting of a fresh assortment of vegetables like french beans, and carrots apart from the aloo masala.


2. Idli: This was the run of the mill idli, but the chutny that we were served along with the dossa and idli was nice and thick.


3. Malai Kulfi

All in all, it was a nice experience worth repeating :-)

Cafe Mysore

Name: Cafe Mysore
Location: Kings Circle, Mumbai, India

How to get there?
The restaurant is located about 5 min from Matunga, or Kings Circle station. However, it is slightly more distant from Matunga Road, which falls on the Western line.

Google Maps link

The owners claim that Cafe Mysore is the oldest South Indian joint in Mumbai, and is very famous for it's authentic South Indian delicacies. On reaching there, we found out that there is a normal(ground floor) and A/C(first floor) seating arrangement available. We didn't try to figure out if food cost the same at both places, but my guess is that it would be cheaper on the ground floor.
We ordered:

1. Neer Dossa


2. Rasam


3. Idli Gadbad: Idli covered with fried onion, and bhusa


4. Mysore Pak, which doesn't feature on their menu, but is available :-)


5. Bisi Bele: A rice preparation with a delicious assortment of vegetables and just the right amount of masala.

and followed it up with Coffee(coppey) as they pronounce it. Along with the coffee, we also got some farsan(bhusa), which is labeled as Mixture on their menu card. The food was really very gratifying, and I felt nice after that meal.
My view would be for you all to surely visit this place if you enjoy eating good authentic South Indian food. Besides, how many other placed do you know of that advertise that the owners of the place eat there too!!!!

What is this blog all about?

Well, this blog is[I hope] going to be about all the interesting places I've eaten at, what all I tried, and what my views and opinions on them were. I'll try to include links, and necessary references if possible along with directions and maps; again if possible.
I hope you find this useful!!!!