Sakura Matsuri at Brooklyn Botanical Garden

Under funs:

Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom Festival)

Brooklyn Botanical Garden

One drizzly Saturday this May, we journeyed to Brooklyn Botanical Garden to take out DJKung's cousin and her boyfriend for some sightseeing. They are both huge fans of martial arts and bonsai gardening. Luckily, the Sakura Matsuri was being held during the weekend. It ties perfectly with the Japanese-themed holdings that Brooklyn Garden has. The event was very well-attended.

DJKung amidst the pretty cherry blossoms. The damp weather lifted by midday, and we had gorgeous sunshine to enjoy.

What we find particularly interesting was that there was quite a collection of kids in cosplay outfits. Some of the Lolita outfits were quite impressive. There were several photographers too, out taking portrait shots.

Japanese garden.

The calendar for the day was action-packed. We stayed for the Kodo drums and the sword exhibition. We were also fortunate to enjoy the rest of the park too. The Brooklyn Botanical Garden has an impressive Japanese garden, a lush Spanish bluebell walkway, a huge tree peony selection (it was not in bloom yet when we visited), and a huge conservatory with bonsai and plantings of desert, tropical and temperate flora.

Sushi at Sachi

Under food:



Sachi

Upper East Side



Sachi has been one of our lunch spots close to work; they have hearty lunch specials (soup + entree + unlimited hot green tea) from $12 to $14. DJKung met up with me one time and we decided to have lunch here.

Futomaki. These were nice big pieces, good for filling you up.


Tempura lunch special. The picture does not do it justice; this serving is big enough to share for two. It comes with about two pieces of big shrimp and some fried veggies, tempura sauce (foreground) and your choice of white or brown rice. The tempura was nicely breaded and fried.

Toro. I like the little boat with the salmon eggs in it. This was just one order, and the chef divided it into two slices so we could share. We did not like it---too lean and lacking in that buttery mouthfeel you get with the good stuff. Also not as superfresh as we'd like.

South India: Mumbai: Bademiya

Bademiya Seekh Kababs
Colaba, Mumbai

On our last night in South Mumbai, DJKung was daring enough to try some street fare. Bademiya is a well-oiled joint that is actually based on a single food cart, but nevertheless, it manages to serve quite a few tables set up on the sidewalks and has a number of busy waiters ready to take your order. It is a popular late night joint.

DJKung ordered three different kebabs to try: chicken, special kebab and beef. As well as a side of freshly made roti. The kebabs were like the Turkish kofta, where the ground seasoned meat is shaped onto metal skewers. They were all tasty and definitely gamy.

It was nice hanging out in the sidewalk and feasting on these juicy meaty morsels.

Here's another shot of the kebabs.

Here's the view of the street.

And guess what--- DJKung was relatively unscathed with the street food! So much or the infamous Bombay belly! It is just really unfair that I got stuck with the diarrhea and fevers on the way back home despite avoiding the street food. I think next time, I will take DJKung's approach and get for street eats.


Let's not forget the other half of the UFC, who eagerly awaited our return:

Chibby and Babams obviously cannot contain themselves upon seeing us return home.

South India: Mumbai: Shiv Sagar

Shiv Sagar

Nagin Mahal, 82 Veer Nariman Road

Churchgate, Mumbai



Our friend Varum from Siolim House recommended Shiv Sagar as a not-to-be-missed pure veg place. Shiv Sagar was pretty packed on some nights that we passed by, so we knew that the had serious food here.

Fried baby corn with chili sauce. The corn was crunchy, fresh and sweet.

Dosa paneer tikka masala. This dosa was massive and just lip-smackingly good.



DJKung taking a slice of the paper-thin dosa. (I wonder where we can get it back home.)

Veggie lollipops. These are cauliflower florets with a masala mix, breaded and deep-fried. It was ok, but not comparable to the chicken lollipops according to DJKung.

Chili garlic potato. French fries with loads of garlic and pepper. This was a spice explosion in your mouth.

Kulfi falooda. Kulfi ice cream layered with yellow rice noodles, cashews and almonds and drizzled with rose syrup. Deeelish.

Three-in-one falooda. I think the other two flavors were mango and pistachio.

Shiv Sagar was definitely a veggie lover's place. It was too bad that we only checked it out once; the menu was vast enough that we could have eaten several times here.

South India: Mumbai: Naval Restaurant

Naval Restaurant


Colaba, Mumbai





Naval Restaurant is a no-frills eatery close to our hotel. It is frequented by locals and the prices are very reasonable. We actually went here twice.

Prawn fried rice.


Vegetable chop suey. This was a very interesting interpretation of this faux Chinese dish. There was a layer of bright yellow noodles at the bottom. The handful of veg that they did put in was swimming in a thick cornstarch-based sauce, as you can see. Nevertheless, the sauce went well with the rice.

Veggie fried rice.

Roasted chicken. DJKung said that this was excellent.

Like with most other no-frills places, some of Naval Restaurant's items (mostly the little snacks) are only available at lunch time.

South India: Mumbai: Indian Classical Concert in the 'Burbs

Indian Classical Concert


DV Paluskar Hall


Sharda Sangeet Vidyalaya


Kala Nagar, Bandra (E)





We saw an advertisement of this program in The Times of India. DJKung was hankering for traditional live music, so this looked like a good bet. We took a cab to Bandra, a suburban enclave about an thirty minutes from Colaba and got dropped off at a school/community center. This was deeeep, and we were amply rewarded.



This program was in three parts. The first part consisted of tabla drum performance with traditional song. It reminded us a lot of Middle Eastern prayer chants, but the notes were more sustained and meditative.



The crowd really liked the latter performance by this trio of young musicians playing fusion music, where they tried to meld musical traditions with electronic music/Western drums.

Musician on sitar.

One of the traditional dances. We did not catch whether the performances were Maharashtran or were shaped by a different regional area.

Rhymin' it, Mumbai-style.

The dancer here is wearing anklets with lots of tiny bells and stamps her feet to the rhythm. It was very nice.

South India: Mumbai: Indigo Deli

Indigo Deli

Colaba, Mumbai



Bombay belly finally struck Superfatty!!! For our foray to Indigo Deli, DJKung had a solo flight with trying the food. Fellow travellers we've met at Green Palms recommended the cheesesteak here for those who are undergoing serious beef withdrawal.



Indigo Deli feels a tad like the French delicatessens that offer cheeses, sausages, jellies, etc. It felt like a motherlode for all the expats in Mumbai because there were a lot of foreigners. Probably everyone here was jonesing for some red meat like DJKung.

Cheesesteak. DJKung could not identify the type of cheese used. He liked how the bread was toasted and the way the beef was prepared, with a masala spice thing goin' on.

ZIngy mustard and ketchup.



THis was all Superfatty could have--- a restorative cuppa (yes, I was feeling sorry for myself; the menu looked quite tempting).

South India: Mumbai: Royal China

Royal China


Mumbai





After a wonderful experience at Trishna, we wanted to try out a "great" Chinese restaurant specializing in seafood. I also had a serious craving for dimsum. Time Out Mumbai recommended this restaurant, and we were game to try their menu.

Fried seaweed. I am not sure what the point of this was--- it tasted like the dried green seaweed snack that comes lightly salted and sugared. Frying does make it somewhat crunchy, but it also absorbed a lot of oil. It wasn't much of an appetizer, but rather, stunted our tastebuds.

Fried calamari. These were good---tender on the inside and tasted like squid.



Scallop dumplings. These were ok. We did note that Royal China, though specializing in dimsum, does not have the little carts that visit each table. Instead, you order a la carte from their dimsum menu.

Shrimp dumplings. These were a disappointment, considering that we've had a lot of fresh prawns throughout the trip. These dumplings were rather bland and dry.

Fried grouper in soya-chili-ginger sauce. Though impressive in size, it was not superfresh.

So in conclusion, Royal China did not satisfy our yen for seafood and dimsum that day. We also felt that it was too pish-posh for us, and definitely did not give too much bang for the rupee.

South India: Mumbai: Elephanta Island

Elephanta Island

(accessible by ferry from Gateway of India)

Mumbai



After a hard night of partying, we woke up early, breakfasted, and went to get tickets for the 9am ferry to Elephanta Island. Elephanta has about five caves open to the public with Hindu carvings dating back to 450 to 750 AD.

DJKung was very excited to see more ruins. The trip by ferry took roughly an hour each way.

Gateway of India. This structure was created to welcome King George the fifth in 1911. It is a popular tourist spot for locals and foreigners alike, and gets crowded especially at sunset. On its left one side of the Taj Hotel. More recently, this area is known as the ground zero for the 11/7 terrorist attacks.

Ferry boats.

DJKung dozing off during the ferry ride.

Once you get to the island, there is a kiddie train that takes you from the piers to the island (~5 minute walk). The train is good to take on an especially scorching day. The stairway up to the caves takes about a fifteen to thirty-minute hike, but at least it is shaded by awnings set up by the souvenir stalls all along the way.

I love how dynamic and three-dimensional this sculpture of Shiva the Destroyer is. You can almost feel the wrath burning out from the eyes and mouth! The posture is also very aggressive--- you can see the remaining right arm holding a sword, and the two left hands hold a bell and another object I cannot identify.

These are some sculptures guarding the stupa inside. You need to take your shoes off before entering.

Three-faced Shiva. This sculpture is very breathtaking in its size and detail. From this piocture, you can make out the destroyer face on the left. The cave where it lies, Cave 1, is a massive temple that contained the stupa, several larger-than-life images of Shiva and fat pillars. Unfortunately, they are not as well-preserved as those in the Kalehri caves. The restoration work done is also very noticeable and kinda detracts from the overall flow of the place.

South India: Mumbai: Henry Tham's

Henry Tham's

Kalagodha, Mumbai



On one of our nights in Mumbai, we were able to check out the bar scene. The headliner that evening was Talvin Singh, a DJ/musician who has some reknown as a contributor to the Cafe Del Mar series.



Henry Tham's is a restaurant during the day. Some nights, they are buzzing with loads of pretty young kids. We got in early and watched the bartenders do their thing.

This was the opening DJ that night. He played mostly house.

Talvin Singh finally came on about 11 or 12pm and started rockin' the drum n bass.

South India: Mumbai: Trishna

Trishna
7R Walk Lane
Kalaghoda, Mumbai, Mumbai City,
Maharashtra 4000023, India
+91 22 22703214

We've heard nothing but raves about Trishna from cab drivers, concierges and people-in-the -know in Mumbai. Trishna's reputation for the freshest seafood around is well-deserved. Reservations are essential. If you're feeling pretty flush, ask to see their specials for the evening. While we were there, the waiters would parade around giant crabs and lobsters for the customers' approval.

We were not too hungry that night and limited our orders to a couple of dishes.

Rajastani fish (dry roasted). We decided on pomfret, and the fillets were just huge. The veggie fried rice was ok.
Chicken chili. DJKung liked this too.

Garnishes: fresh red onions, sliced limes and green sauce. These went perfectly with the fish.

This is another view of the Rajastani fish. The outside was crispy and perfectly seasoned. The flesh tasted clean, sweet and superfresh. The inside was juicy. Trishna's kitchen definitely has a deft touch with the seafood.

Tiger beer. Tiger beer was our brew of choice in Mumbai. This lager is smooth, very easy to drink and goes well with spicy Asian food.

It was at Trishna that we had our first taste of kulfi. This is the local ice cream. It has the consistency of ice milk and has a taste very similar to dulce de leche.

We wanted to return to this restaurant for seconds and were truly sorry that we missed out on our last night. Trishna is definitely on our list next time we go back!