Sheetal Da Dhaba, Lonavala

There are some days when you want a getaway from your busy lives and plan a fun trip with your family or Friends. It is this time when joints like sheetal da dhaba comes to rescue with their  delicious food along with an amazing experience.

                              

Located on the old mumbai pune highway,it is a perfect place to chill and relax for all the travellers and other patrons.

Food is suprisingly of very good quality and super delicious. I remember my every visit from the first one to the last time when  I had lamba chicken,full butter chicken,garlic naan and Romali Rotibpapad since we all were hungry even after having these dishes we ordered chicken biryani which is the best.

While i mostly feast on starters and kebabs and they have mind blowing varieties in that and accompanied with a nice white sauce and the sublime green chutney. As the mainstay is North Indian - Punjabi cuisine and desi chinese, i had have some amazing tandoori chicken, tikkas and butter chicken at this place.

This place has never disappointed me with their food but sometime the waiting time is not at par. I guess it's the cravings and the HungerPangs that make time crawl before food is served.

Not to forget, the friendly and the courteous staff and the owners who will make sure that you have best of the times.

As The menu is quite varied, the staff will guide you through the menu and recommend some good dishes according to your palate

Few of my favorites here are -

Their awesome Chutney

Butter Chicken and garlic naan,

Tandoori chicken

Chicken cheese chilly kebabs , chicken jungali kebab, lambha chicken(Punjabi- Chinese) and butter chicken biryani.

PS - Gluttony is not a sin at Sheetal Da Dhaba and there was not a single time when I didn't overeat at Sheetal. And I should not forget to mention  @jasronak who introduced me to this place.

                               

The Bombay Canteen, Lower Parel.

This place has a classy and quirky look with a formal ambience. This review has been due for a longer time  and now I am happy to finally round it off. As I am writing this review, my mouth is watering just thinking about the food.

The yellow rickshaw at the entrance with high Ceilings and bricked wall give it an old Bombay look. As it is tucked in kamla mill compound you can except some corporate crowd at day time and on weekends this restaurant runs full and you might have to wait a little to get a table (They dont take  reservations).
   

Honestly speaking, I got confused with the menu as it contained things which I generally avoid eating at home -arbi, baingans, the legendary ALU Vadi which I am avoiding since I was born. and some which I eat very often being a punjabi - Gobi, parathas, sarson ka saag etc etc..
As I was with one of my hard core Vegetarian friend - the non-veg was out of bound for me..


It took me a little while as I was going through the menu again and again in search of something that is different and I can order.

We started off with the Egg Kejriwal as it seemed simple yet it was an  amazing affair. The thepala Tacos and kutchi Dabeli were good and something innovative.
For drinks I have called for a Passion Fruit Ice tea and it was refreshing and brilliant.

Every dish is unique and has a whole different taste - just like the varied culture of our Country. The staff was courteous and patient enough and guided us through the menu and recommend some of the good dishes. The service is very efficient and well organised as they knew the servers has to spend a good amount of time recommend and guiding guest through the simple yet complicated menu.
Speaking about the main course
The crispy Alu Vadi's dunked in a subtle and lightly spiced Dahi Curry and served with a side portion of Kandha poha

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I missed their Kothu Roti with the pumpin Gravy but sadly they have removed it from their menu and  was Disappointed that i couldn't try their "Sea food bhel" as i sworn upon my best friend that i will try this as i visit this place.

The Gulab nut and chai popsicles were the perfect end to this gastronomical fare.


PS - Old world  charm gets complimented very well by the contemporary rich indian Cuisine - Might not be everyone's cup of tea but this is the place if you are looking for desi food with a twist.

                                           

Icekraft, Oshiwara.

This place has added a new aspect to ice-creams – surprising our taste buds with customised make yourself flavours. Plus, it’s not only a ice-cream parlour, it’s a dessert parlour cum small eateries with choice of waffles, sandwiches, Churros & salad. But the mainstay is their Stone Cold Ice Creams and other scrumptious desserts – pancakes, churros & waffles.

               

Ice Creams - People like their ice-creams to be easy and quick but icekraft does completely opposite of this. Firstly you have to choose from few rhetorical overused bases and then add toppings to make it look and taste better. As there are chances that you end up making a weird concoction. But once you are sure about how you want your ice-cream with all the sauces and toppings then this place will not let you down.

Since your ice-cream is made on your demand, people have to wait a lot. Sadly ice-cream was less than what was expected.

The perfect end to the day with Ultimate Chocolate @Icecraft. #mumbaifoodlovers #munchydessert #foodiefeed #foodiliciousmumbai #eatoutmumbai #travellersdeliciouslife #dessertlove #innovation #cravings #dessertlove #indulgence #mumbaidiaries #mumbaifoodstories #pleasure #stonnedovericecream #ultimatechocolate #sweettooth #love

A video posted by Maanik Julka (@travellersdeliciouslife) on Apr 6, 2016 at 11:59am PDT

Waffles, Churros and Pancakes – The churros waffle topped with marshmallows, whipped cream and maple syrup was the star.  I have tried the Red Velvet Waffle and loved it. The waffles and pancakes will not disappoint you either and priced very sensibly. They are worth coming back for.

Moreover, the space is too compact - there was more space for staff than customers. Being a small joint, they managed a little space for seating by adding an entresol. And they have a small live kitchen counter and that smell of kitchen adds to the disappointment.

Vanilla With salted Caramel sauce 

Absolute Chocolate

These few things made my experience at icekraft a little underwhelming.

But it also had few positives, like the concept itself is good but still in a very under nurtured stage.  And the staff was quite friendly and hungry for feedback.

To sum it up you should go there when you have enough time and energy to put on ice-creams as it is a decent effort to add different aspects to ice-creams. And if not ice-cream, you can visit this place for other desserts or a quick bite.

Make Your Own Sanndwiches & Salas with fresh Ingredients

PS – I haven’t tried their sandwiches and pasta but at the price tag like these they are going to be the steal deals.

                              

Sardar Pav Bhaji, Tardeo

Craving for some Pav Bhaji, then Splurge in the AMUL Pav Bhaji with loads of buttery goodness at Sardar refreshments, Tardeo.

      

You must have had butter chicken, daal makhani, paneer makhani and many other Punjabi dishes packed with butter and ghee. I Guess that's the story with Sardar ki pav bhaji.

     
















An amazingly tasting bhaji with pav done in Amul butter explains why people were standing in a queue for hours.Raving all the time, with the waiting period for more than 30 mins.

Amul Bhaji

One of the best Pav bhaji in Mumbai

The pav bhaji is loaded with butter and that’s what sets this place apart.

I surely can’t say that it’s the best Pav bhaji. Well it’s a debatable topic but surely one of the iconic joint. Hot piping Pav bhaji with pavs dipped in butter will surely make you indulge in every bite.

Though some feel that taste of butter supersede spicy and tanginess of the bhaji but the buttery Goodness adds another flavourful concoction to it.

Apart from Pav Bhaji’s, several Juices and milkshake are available to accompany with.

Mango Milkshake

Looking at the long waiting line you can always opt for Thermacol plates and sit in your car or near the car to enjoy this scrumptious pav bhaji.

The Special Pan's embarks the best end to the sinful experience.

Magai

Special Dry Fruit Pan

Though its raving popularity, it has kept its price quite reasonable and competitive.

PS- if you are calorie conscious, Stay away from this place.

                                

Pizza Box, Vile Parle(E)

A quaint little pizza joint tucked on Hanuman Road,Vile Parle (E).

My first interaction with this brand happened in Dec 2014, at a college festival in Juhu and the Recent interaction with Pizza Box happened to be on my complimentary visit from zomato and all these times, Pizza box has never disappointed me.

                 

I must say they are a perfectionist in thin crust. Their thin crust goes perfectly well with their elegant toppings. This time I have tried their multi-grain thin crust pizza and it did take a lot of time to be served but definitely worth the wait. And the best part is that while I was inquiring about the delays, the staff assured me that they make fresh dough and have informed the same while placing the order.
I am completely in love with their Barbeque paneer and garlicky mushroom pizza - what a brilliant concoction and the pepperoni Cheese pizza.

BBQ paneer & Mushroom Pizza

The paneer and chicken Stromboli couldn't be given a miss as the marinated proteins with cheese wrapped in bread are rich in flavour and are served with an amazing salsa which adds more flavours to it.
The chicken pizza cones are good but the veg ones can totally be avoided as the vegetable give a raw taste.

The place is small with indoor and outdoor seating. The indoor seating though only have 3 table, but the setting is very sophisticated and comfortable with a colour combination of white and red.

An amazing place to quench your pizza cravings with simplistic and elegant toppings.
PS - It is sometimes difficult to find a table.