1 day. 2 hours. 3 cups of Taak. 4 intestines of steel. 5 Misals.

The Misal Trail takes off

Last week at the 11 ESB PEO tasting, Prashant Kunjir and I caught up, and he proposed going out on what he likes to call a #MisalTrail. Plans were drawn up, and Pashan was selected as our first hunting ground. D-day arrived, and we met at sharp 9:30 AM (to be perfectly honest, the agreed time was 8:45 AM, but, well IST), and set out taking down some amazing joints in the area. Here’s a quick run down

1. Tapkir

The Special Misal. About a year back they shifted to Pashan from Sus-gaon, but they continue serving the same “thali”. Its an elaborate setup with taak, dahi, misal, pav, and a gulab jamun. Not too spicy, quite tasty.

2. Shrimaan

This one is at the other end of the road, with its entrance tucked away in the corner of a grocery shop. The tarri here is quite tasty, though I found the ratio of matki to farsaan off. Wayy too much farsaan in the initial serving. Also, the tarri and the matki had clashing flavors, so adding the matki later didn’t work out. Totasted pav added some nice flavors though.

3. Avdhut

I had tasted this at the Misal festival a couple of months back. However, trying out the fresh batch early in the morning, right off the gas was amazing. Very delicious, with just the right amount of burn around the lips. Toasted pav. Full marks for this one.

4. Someshwar

This on was on Pashan main road, on the way from Sai chowk to the highway on the left side. Another delicious medium spicy misal, served with toasted pav. This is literally an ‘everyday’ misal, i.e., I would be happy to eat this everyday!

The tarri had a nice bit of zatka, and a flavor of star anise was noticeable, adding a lovely flavor to the misal.

Someshwar

5. Shiv Malhar

Located across the highway towards Sus gaon, this is quite a “well developed” place with a large variety of misal types. With a lot of indoor and outdoor seating, this place has a nice view as well. Coming to the misal, we had options of Puneri and Kolhapuri Misal. We quickly figured out the only difference between the 2 was that they added som spicy tarri on top of the sampal for the Kolhapuri one. Wel,, names aside, this was also superb. We were full with the previous 4 places, but couldn’t stop lapping up some more. Definitely worth a weekend visit – lots of space for kids to run around, and the Puneri misal is low on spice.

Shiv Malhar

PS: This is not an attempt at ranking any misal place. Each place had its own flavor, and we just want to appreciate each of them, while trying to understand what sets them apart.
More to come 🙂

Effingut Brewerkz, Baner – Pork ribs heaven!

This is going to be short.

And sweet.

And sticky.

And delicious!

I’ve been visiting Effingut Brewerkz, Baner at least twice a week since it opened. My usual order? Strawberry cider and bacon wrapped prawns. And the jerk chicken, if I’m hungry. And, the chicken khow suey, if I’m super hungry!

Khow Suey

Bacon Wrapped Prawns and Sausages

Strawberry Cider

Yesterday i tried the pork ribs and man it was mind blowing!

Meat falling off the bone. Sticky sweet spicy sauce. Mashed potatoes. Veggies. And the fat…

Oh the fat

Melts in the mouth, super soft, absolutely perfectly cooked. So well cooked, that you can cut it with a spoon!

All you pork lovers out there must have this! Arguably the best pork ribs in town!

Effy-B rules!

The ‘tasters’

Maratha Samraat, Baner – Mutton Madness!

My favorite Maharashtrian mutton joint Maratha Samraat finally opened up in my neighborhood.

The location is bang in the middle of baner road, there’s ample parking space along the road. The decor is similar to the Kothrud branch, yet it is open, airy, and can comfortably fit about 20-25 people in the upper and lower sections each.

The food… Oh the food! They have maintained the same quality of food that they serve at the Kothrud branch. Here’s a glimpse:

Mutton Ukkad: alani soup (mutton stock) with huge pieces of mutton – light, flavorful and absolutely delightful.

Mutton Ukkad

Kheema Prawns fry : This is a new addition to the menu. The preparation is slightly spicy, and lip-smackingly delicious! Who knew mutton kheema and prawns are such a match made in heaven!

Kheema and Prawns Fry

Kala Mutton : Arguably the best item on their menu, the kala mutton masala is absolutely mind blowing. Not too spicy, thick dark masala, jam packed full of flavors with chunks of tender juicy mutton. Pairs well with bhakri, chapati or rice. This is a ‘must-have – either as an ala-carte dish or in the thali version.

Kaala Mutton Masala

Chapatis, bhakris were served quickly and hot. Service in general is amazing – everyone right from the owners to the waiters payed personal attention to each guest. Quantity of each dish was generous enough for 2.

On another trip, we tried the Surmai fish thali which consisted of :
-2 medium sized Surmai fry : well coated in masala, very fresh, really tasty. However it lacked a bit of proper seasoning , sprinkling a bit of salt on top helped.

 

Surmai Fish Fry

-Prawns curry : typical maharashtrian flavors, this gravy was medium spicy,suited my palate well and had about 4-5 good sized prawns.

 

 

Prawns Curry

Sukat chutney : this was something i tasted for the very first time. Dried tiny prawns stir fried in a spicy chatakedar masala. Liked the taste, however, people with a spicier palette will surely love this thing!

 

 

Sukkat Chutney

Solkadi : A small bowl of this blissful drink was already a part of the fish thali, however I always need more of this, so ordered another glass separately. A perfect palate cleanser that compliments food here so well. A must have with whatever you end up ordering at this joint

 

 

Solkadi

The thali has ultra soft chapatis/bhakris in option and prawns biryani to end the meal.

 

The fish thali

This time, we also tried Mutton Maratha, again a superb mutton preparation , sure worth trying out. On the spicier side, with a generous amount of red chillies, this dish is going to be a hit with the spice loving Puneris!

Mutton Maratha – check out those red chillies!

We tried out a light and yummy Alani fry preparation (succulent mutton pieces cooked in very light masalas and stir fried in garlic), which our 2 year old relished on.

Mutton alani fry

Welcome to Baner, MS! You are here to stay!