Travel

Lanka Diaries: Must Do

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Here’s my second post of my Lanka Diaries series. I just cannot seem to get over the vacation I had. Hoping you have read the last one featuring the best of Sri Lankan food and where I found it. (Read it here). Lanka is so raw, beautiful, and untapped – it has everything from surly mountains, to bustling cities, to pristine waters, to clear blue skies. It has the potential to become THE next tourist destination. But I sincerely hope it does not. I rather prefer a quiet, less commercial holiday over a fast paced, ‘touristy’ one. 

In this post I jot down my ‘Must Do’ recommendations while considering a holiday in the land down south. Remember this does not even cover a fraction of the actual list. This is just a list of the some of the stuff I did there, and enjoyed so much; so I thought I’d share the love. There are only so many hours in a day, after all.

1. Feed a baby elephant at Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

A half hour drive from the main city of Kandy in the Central Province lies a quaint little town known for it’s elephants. The elephant orphanage in Pinnawala is known for having the largest herd of captive elephants in the world. Over here you can see daddy, mummy and baby elephants in their natural habitat prancing around, or even bathing in the nearby river. The elephant bathing happens only at a particular time during the day, so make sure you research that beforehand because it is quite an experience. We went during elephant feeding time in the evening, where the grown ups were munching on leaves and branches. The babies on the other hand were being bottle fed (awww). Pay a little extra and get to bottle feed a baby elephant yourself. Don’t forget to touch the little fellow’s wrinkly, tough trunk while you’re at it. Accompanying elephant stalls try and sell elephant rides to you but we didn’t do that. These gentle giants are supposed to be admired from afar, not ridden.

Guaranteed: Maternal instincts towards the little one as you see him gulp his bottle down, and holds your hand with his trunk asking for some more feed.

Lover’s Tiff
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Food

The Food Week That Was – The Great Bowl of China

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Hello, and welcome to another episode of The Food Week That Was. (Sorry, I have always wanted to say that.) This weeks eating out schedule featured a whole lot of Chinese food. One pan-Asian delivery joint operating out of Lower Parel, and another Bandra based QSR focussing on make your own woks. I was craving some dirty Chinese after my Lanka trip (read about Part One here) and both these places satiated my cravings. Read on to know more:

Tao 9 Delivery, Lower Parel

Tao 9, a take away and delivery joint, serving Chinese, Thai and a spattering of a few dishes from a few other Asian cuisines, launched a month ago. Purely operating from the Lower Parel – Mahalakshmi belt, I was lucky that they made an exception to get my meal sent all the way to Bandra. My meal got delivered on the promised time, and arrived warm even though it arrived all the way from their Lower Parel kitchen, in sturdy packaging. I did not even need to re-heat the boxes. Major plus points there!

Silken prawn green Thai curry with steamed rice (Rs. 259/-) started the meal off with a bang. Flavourful, with a lingering aroma of lemongrass and basil, and chunks of prawn floating in between – this makes for a hearty meal by itself. Must try! Both the Basil Wine Prawns (Rs. 219/-) and Black Pepper Fish (Rs. 189/-) were a delight, with robust desi Chinese flavours – garlic, pepper, bell peppers, Thai chilli – to name a few. I’m ignoring the fact that they used basa here, and two thumbs up to the portion sizes. 

Prawn Thai Green Curry
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Food, Travel

Lanka Diaries: Must Eat

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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.

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Food

Summer Lovin’ – Pizza Express’s Summer Menu

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This week has been exceptionally hard for me. I am literally counting minutes to my impending vacation where I shall be sipping cocktails on the beach, leaving behind work and all such worldly woes. But time just refuses to pass! And the heat is adding to my misery. It feels like we are sitting inside Satan’s Inferno, and the flames are going to eat us alive. Amidst all of this, came one positive that added sparkle to my dull week. A visit to Pizza Express happened!

My name is Zenia Irani, and I am a Pizza Express-o-holic. I love the pizzas there, the Calabrese and Padana being my favourite. And let me not get started on their Baked Vanilla Cheesecake. *wipes drool off her screen* So when invitation bells arrived, to review their Summer Menu I jumped for joy. 

Pizza Express’s new summer special menu has both extremes, one will make your summer more bearable, and the other will raise temperatures. The menu comprises drinks and a few mains that are light, refreshing, cooling and perfect for the summer. And then some of their pizzas are fiery, scorching and leave you sweating for more. Depends on how you want to celebrate this festival of heat. 

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Food

Out With The Old, In With The New. Review: Crave, Prabhadevi

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Mumbai’s restaurant scene is ever evolving, and ever changing. On one side we have older restaurants shutting shop, and we mourn the loss of heritage eateries. Let’s blame this on the city’s soaring real estate prices, and the ‘fast food’ culture that has led to the replacement of older, stand alone restaurants. And on the other side there are newer, evolved restaurants emerging, not only highlighting different world cuisine, but also experimenting with Indian fare.

Di Napoli, a stand alone pizzeria in Nariman Point shut shop recently. They were known for their delicious, authentic Naples style pizza and a lot of fans, including me were heart broken to hear about their farewell. But what goes around, comes around. Di Napoli’s closing led to Crave – an all day cafe cum pizzeria in Prabhadevi by the same owners. 

Jai Thakur, owner and pizza aficionado invites me to Crave one evening, to chat about his new venture, and of course sample the delicious pizzas. Amidst conversation over soaring real estate prices in the city, and restaurant trends, I check Crave out. Situated in Prabhadevi, in an area where there is a severe dearth of cafes, and Quick Service Restaurants (QSR), a place like Crave serving up and delivering pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, and desserts has immense potential.

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