Thursday, June 7, 2007

Shabree - FC Road

ph: 25531511

I dont exactly remember when was the last time I had a Thali. Long time I guess..perhaps eight years back, when I was in college. Then, it was the need of a hungry stomach. Today it is the craving of a ravenous tongue. Shabree, located on FC Road, next to Manmeet, aims to satisfy both of these needs.
There is no menu card, just the brightly shining thalis with vaatis lined up. And they start as soon as you are seated, clock work precision. Each server knows its turn, twirling the 4-in-1 serving container, knowing what to serve. And before you know it, the thali is packed with goodies.
Here is what we got in our thalis, not in any particular they were served :

Sweet Gujrati Kadhi,
Typical Toor dal
Dahi Aloo
Chawli (Rajma/Lobia - similar to kidney beans)
Koshimbir(sweet mixed raita - tomatoes, onions, beetroot etc)
Pitle Bhaji - a spicy dish made of gram flour ,
Baigan Bharta
Chilli Pakora and some Dal vadis
Curd
2 types of chapatties - wheat and bhakri
2 types of rice - plain and pulao
Papad
2 pickles and 2 chutnies

Whew...Have I forgotton anything ? I hope not.. although I am sure the main dishes will vary with the day, but more or less, basic items would remain the same.

So, where do i begin ? Decided to bite into chilli pakora and dal vadis first. soft and spicy pakora and crunchy vadis. ok, time to take the plunge. Bhakri with chawli and kadhi. delecious combination of sweet and spicy. Tried Pitale Bhaji next, i have never tasted this before. Spicy. Baigan bharta, spicy. Ok, time out. give it a rest. Try toor dal, pretty ok, Dahi Aloo, ok. chutnies, tangy and spicy. koshimbir- sweet.Alright, time to restart..yes..spicy..but the amazing thing is, I cannot stop myself. It doesn't seem if we are eating at a restaurant. No added colour, no artificial presentation. Just plain simple delecious food.I almost half filled up just while sampling the different combination of served dishes. The kadhi gets over faster than anyother item, since i have to take a spoonful after every bite.

The servers materialize again, for the next round. Take some, leave some, no way I can repeat all. Take some more bhakris and kadhi, which are way too good to describe. Finally, have to force myself to stop feeding. Then, the rice and pulao appear. What ? Can I eat any more ?? But, hey , a few spponfuls will not do any harm right. Pualo and rice, served with spoonful of ghee ( Of course, you can refuse the ghee..!!), are good to taste, but thats about all I can do. Taste, not eat. Stuffed till the throat. Rising up and leaving the table would require help. Lossen the belt a notch or two.

I have already admitted, I belong to Northern part of India. So, I do not have a typical experience of home cooked maharashtrian food. But, I am sure, it would not be any different than this one. For a simple reason - the simplicity of the food itself which lends it the authenticity. My maharashtrians friends vouch for the same. I would go by their words as well.

The service is fast, ambience well lit, neat, clean and hygeinic. Although, the waiters were not dressed as peshwas, as I have read at some other places/blogs!
So, for a typical home cooked maharashtrian experience, different than the regular punjabi paneer/mix veg/kofta/kabab/tandoori roti routine, try Shabree. You won't come back disappointed, and definetly not hungry. Better still, skip the breakfast/lunch, if you planning to go for lunch/dinner. You will do more justice to the Thali !!.

Wallet dent : Costs you Rs 100 per Thali. I do not think you can share. And this one is for the Air-conditioned dining area. May be less for the non-A/c dining.

Monday, June 4, 2007

Konark Restaurant- Nr. Chandni Chowk

Am going to keep this one short and simple. Konark Resorts, situated about 2 kms from Chandni Chowk towards Mulshi, opposite Ambrosia enterance, is one hot and spicy place. Although, did not get the oppurtunity to roam freely, since it was raining buckets, but still got a decent oppurtunity.It has a small display or private collection, as they call it, of a variety of parrots and parakeets. Really amazing place for kids to see these beautiful and colorful creatures. Also, there looked like an open space for kids to play, also a covered courtyard to hold games or meeting but was deserted and I could not explore much.Amusingly, they have a few private huts with a table and seating capacity of 6-8 for families wanting to have their own private party. Though, a bad idea in monsoons, as it will certainly get you drenched with showers.

The food, again, a typical combination of Chinese and Punjabi, Veg, Non-Veg and Alcohol. Sufficient seating arrangement for couples and families. Have had some chinese before and it was decent enough.This time, decided to to with regular desi food. For starters, ordered Tomato Soup ( Rs. 30) was typically sweet, looked like a lot of tomato ketchup had been used. Veg Seekh Kabab (Rs. 70) was served with shredded onions-radish-cabbage salad. Frankly, not appealing at all, too much spicy and well, could not make out what exactly it was tasting like.
For the main course, went ahead with a simple Dal Fry and Veg Lajawab( which the server had recommended as "medium-spicy"), Nans and Roomali Roti.Dal Fry was typical but I think, a bit more chillies been used than usual. Veg Lajawab, on the other had was one fiery red spicy dish. I am inclined to believe that it was by mistake than by intention. Nothing unusual about the dish but frankly it was spicy AND tasteless, both at the same time.
Nans were ok, but one of the Roomali was having black soot one one of the sides. looks like it was tossed too much high up in the air..! Anyway, returned it and the waiter asked if we wanted a replacement. but, till then, we were already done by now and filled up, so we declined. No rice and no desserts.

So, to sum up : A nice, decent place with quiet ambience. Courteous staff and decent service. A 5% discount was offered in lieu of the Roomali incident. As I mentioned, the Non- Veg chinese I had tried some time back was ok, so was disappointed by this experience. But, go in a leisurely afternoon to enjoy the place and the greenery, but mind you, the courtyard is not air-conditioned. So, try a typically mild Pune afternoon, rather than blazing sun of April-May. They offer corporate discount to some organizations.

A Veg meal for 4 should be about Rs. 300.