Ohh, I just returned from a wonderful vacation, from the island country down south – Sri Lanka. If you’ve been following me on social media, you’ve been witness to all the wonderful sights, sounds, and food Sri Lanka has to offer. 

My holiday was beautiful in so many ways. Beaches that are pristine, with clear water and blue skies. Mountains that provide peace, tranquil and helped me re-connect with myself. Locals that are warm, smiling, and ever helpful. Sri Lanka is raw, natural, and untapped – and I sincerely hope it remains that way. 

And don’t even get me started on the food. I emptied half of the Lanka seas with the amount of seafood that I ate. Sri Lanka is a paradise for the pescetarian and the meat lover. Vegetarians may have a difficult time finding local food. I made it a point to eat authentic Lankan food on the trip, may it be from a restaurant, street side stall or a beach shack. This post is a tribute to the many meals I had while on vacation in Sri Lanka. And in no way does it encompass everything. There’s only so many meals you can have in a day.

I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve traveled to Pune for work and play, conferences and recreation. Ever since my maternal grandparents moved to Pune over a decade ago, a lot of weekends were spent there with family which included movies, shopping and most importantly stuffing our faces with food so that we’d come back five kilos heavier. Anything lesser, and my grandmother would take it as a personal insult. I was back after almost a year, and this time I was looking forward to trying out my old favorite eating places again. And trying out the newly recommended and read about foodie joints. So in absolute random order, here is my Pune food diary – including the old and the new. (Keeping it short and sweet here. Listing out only my absolute favorites from the trip, along with a few pictures. I could do an elaborate review also, but then that would result in me having to write a book. Any publishers interested? Lol.)

Something Old:

1. Dorabjee and Sons:

Every time someone asks me for Parsi food recommendations in Mumbai, I tell them to take a bus to Pune and eat at Dorabjee’s. My visit this time around, was consistent with all previous times; hearty food, memories, tradition, and the same waiter serving me who has been working at Dorabjee’s since 30 years! This institute of a restaurant, established in 1878 is situated on a picturesque street that screams out – Bawa! This place proves that good food comes first in the restaurant business, everything else later. Go on a Sunday and try out their mutton Dhansak (Rs. 250/-) and Patraa fish (Rs. 200/-) which is unavailable on other days. Round it up with an awesomely caramelized Lagan nu Custard (Rs. 50/-) which transported me back to a Parsi wedding. Jamva Chalo Ji! 

Being so used to writing about food, and enjoying sharing what’s on my plate I decided to do a separate blog post on my dining experience at The Deltin, Daman. Read on for a foodie journey across The Deltin’s three functional restaurants, and see what all we stuffed our mouths with.

Vegas Cafe: 

Aptly named and aptly situated at the hotel’s casino entrance, Vegas Cafe is a multi-cuisine restaurant. They serve a la carte and buffet meals, and are open 24 hours daily. We had two lunches and breakfast at our stay there.

In lieu of our arrival they had prepared an extensive set lunch menu for us. The food was average and nothing exceptional to write home about. Multi-cuisine restaurants fall into the ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ trap in my opinion. They try to do too much, and end up not excelling at any specific thing.

I enjoyed the succulent and Masaledar Gosht Seekh. The Chicken Hariyali Kabab had a moist chicken filling and went well with the green chutney. The Kandahari Paneer Tikka needed more seasoning. Garlic, Pepper & Butter Tossed Potatoes made for a decent snack which I would want to eat at a bar with my beer. 

Mahabaleshwar is called the Grand Canyon of India. And rightfully so. Vast expanses of greenery, deep mountainous terrain, dizzying heights, narrow roads and chilly weather! Perfect for a weekend getaway. And the amazing local food and produce makes it even more worthwhile for foodies like me to take a trip. So a bunch of us set off this weekend for a getaway. (Which explains the long hiatus from blogging).

The weekend was filled with food, food and only food. We lived between meals, planning the next meal while we ate our first. Out of all that we ate, here are my top three most memorable.