Fun, Fast Food Break at Bombay Blues

I did like the decor and the interiors. The blue and white illustrations of famous landmarks of the city I call home now for the past two years. I was invited to blog about Bombay Blues at Phoenix Mills. I decided to take mom and dad along with me as we wanted to celebrate mom's new job.

The restaurant manager and chef were very sweet and made sure we tried a variety things on the menu. Bombay Blues serves a variety of cuisines- Indian, chaats, Lebanese, Mexican, Sizzlers etc. If you have grown up in Mumbai as Cream Center and New Yorkers as your childhood haunt- this place seems like a bit more modern version of those classics. As a kid though- the Mexican and Middle Eastern food held so much appeal.  I did enjoy the nachos and cheese (home made crisps). Mom loved the alu tikki stuffed with hung curd. That was pretty unique- the creaminess of the curd with the potatoes. Of the non- veg appetizer platter I liked the jerk chicken quite a bit. The flavours were authentic something I have not had in India yet- a Jerk chicken done right. The other two on the platter was a Andhra style lamb done in a deep fried spring roll (a bit much) and the other was a spicy fried chicken.

I think the rest of the food - the pasta and the sizzler were alright. The sauce of the pasta was a bit too sweet. To be fair I was too full to eat the sizzler and the large pieces of sausage just looked a bit intimidating. I am very fond of sausages off the grill and these were missing those char grilled marks.

We finished the meal with a sizzling brownie. Even though I have had this combination many times before I still enjoy the whole show of pouring hot chocolate sauce on a hot iron platter and watch the whole thing sizzle. My parents thoroughly enjoyed their dessert. I am a bit of brownie Nazi and love a gooey super chocolatey brownie. I have yet to come across brownies in Mumbai that make the mark for me. I did take a bite and as I said before- it was alright. 

I have to thank Bombay Blues though - my parents and I did enjoy our meal and the overall ambiance of the place. We relaxed and let the chef pamper us. Would I recommend it. Definitely for the snacks and appetizers and if you still have space for more experiment off the main courses.

The West View bar & Grill - On the Other side

Yup! Last night I stepped into the kitchen of the West View Bar & Grill at the ITC Grand Maratha. I was followed by an enthusiastic bunch of fellow food bloggers who took many fun photos of me along with the chefs in the kitchen grilling up some lamb and pork chops and some Indian Pomfret. I carried with me Papa's Magic Masala and sprinkled it generously on the various assortments of meats and fish and vegetables and one by one placed them on the grill to cook them to slightly charred perfection. It was fun. In the kitchen with chefs- in a white skirt and yellow heals and the funny chefs hat. Not the most practical thing to wear in a professional kitchen but none the less fun.

This was our almost bi- monthly Mumbai Food Bloggers meet. Now a very boisterous and raucous bunch of folks who diligently bring forth beautiful food stories, restaurant reviews, recipes, travel adventures. Each one has his or her take on the food but constantly pushing pixels, little superstars in their own rights with a global fan following. These meets are organized by food blogger and consultant Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal who calls herself the mother hen of the peck. Rushina writes the blog A Perfect Bite and now has column in the Hindustan Times called the Spice Route. This group by far is the most enthusiastic, well organized, most interested in all things food that I have been a part of.

So what was the West View Bar & Grill like? Well as a concept you pick your raw vegetables and meats and fish on a plate and hand it over to the kitchen and they will prepare it for you either in a lemon butter sauce or a red wine reduction on the flame. Chef  Padmaja experiments with spices and sauces and innovates each night. She was one of the most delightful, cheerful chefs I have ever met. Enthusiastically letting me into her kitchen with my own spice mix- Papa's Magic masala, and then setting up a hot stone grill showdown for the rest of the bloggers.

It was a fun and spirited evening. Here is to many more such wonderful evenings with my Merry Band of Mumbai Food Blogger friends. Cheers!

Vegetarians beware- raw meat pictures follow:

Big Thanks to Rushina and the folks at ITC for the lovely evening.

Of Rendezvous, Run-Ins and Sinful Chocolates

The following blog post is more of a memory of one run in after the next in which the food was just incident and celebration of these run ins. The photos were taken by my Iphone which does not do well in low light but definitely attempts to capture the story.

It was a Friday- I was at site in Bandra and done with work early. Somehow going home felt like it would be a let down so I decided to call a few folks and see what they were doing. The first person I got through was Natasha who said she was in the changing room at some fancy wancy place in Paladium with her mum. The next person I got through was a buddy of mine from college Zameer who runs a beautiful design shop called The Busride housed in the incredible Ranwar Village in bandra. The Studio is a small two room house in the 1st floor of one of those gorgeous old Goan homes in the village. Some of the work these guys do is outstanding. Beautiful sites, great briefs and a whole lot of fun. My other friend from college Ipsit also works with Zameer. They had an intern Maulik and it was decided we will all go out for dinner. Soul Fry was the destination everyone seemed to settle on.

An hour later, wrapping up the week's work, we all set out for Soul Fry. When in Bandra walking seems to be the way to do things. The streets are sprinkled with old beautiful homes that one can only dream of even entering. My mind always wanders in to a what if.. I had inherited one of those homes. We walked past the Bandra gym where cricket was being practiced. One fellow in there recognized Zameer and got chatting. His name was Calder Salazer. What an amazing old name. We said goodbye to Calder and marched towards Pali Hill past a streetside chaat wala called Ranjeet. Zameer told us this guy was legendary even the Bollywood Khans ate at his Paani puri. The fact it was called Ranjeet cracked us up (a long lost dearest common friend). A plate of Pani Puri and Bhel Puri it was. As we ate these nice crispy balls stuffed with warm potatoes topped with spicy water, someone came up from behind me and closed my eyes. It was Natasha. We invited her to join us but she declined. So we walked further up Pali Hill to Soul Fry. Aah Soul Fry! Its probably not the best Goan food, because I dont think some nice old Goan aunty actually cooks in the kitchen but it is an honest attempt to make the food as delicious as possible. Seafood is their speciality.

We ordered prawns, clams (teesri dagdabeet) and fried surmai with pao and a pitcher of Beer. For the sweet intern boy it was the first time eating all this seafood and wine. After a bit Natasha messaged me that she is joining. We ordered up some more food and more beer. Soon the table was filled with insane laughter and crass jokes. The teesri- clams is my favourite. The sauce is slightly sweet, warm and rich. It is done in a typical Maharashtrian style which means no coconut only onions and masala. Would explain the sweetness. The fried Surmai was spicy but gentle which is what makes surmai so special.

After dinner it was decided that we must indulge and sin some more. Chocolate seemed the right way to go. San Churros was voted upon and we headed down the hill to this delightful little cafe on Waterfield Road. The place was almost full of Friday night post dinner revelers. It was very loud and mostly felt like people were on a chocolate high. We settled for some churros with white and dark chocolate and two sinful strawberry with brownies and chocolate and custard cup (cannot remember its name). Our very loud and talkative table got silent all of a sudden and in five minutes flat and finished all three desserts. The Churros are a deep fried Mexican treat, crispy on the outside ans slightly warm and gooey inside. Dipped in dark chocolate, they awaken the child inside you. The other dessert was a lovely combination of all the things you love in this world, brownie, strawberries, custard and chocolate. Cannot go wrong.

The conversation was fun border line inane and full of laughter. The food was delicious. The run -ins were unexpected and very delightful. Bandra makes a lovely setting for such Friday evenings. Could this be planned - I dont think so. We all wanted to attribute our evening to Ranjeet Pani Puri walla.
Promise for more such evenings are always made. Will they happen, we can only hope so.

To the Busride

Ranjeet!

The three boys

At soul fry- the clams

Zameer

Maulik and Ipsit

Clams all gone

Prawn curry and rice

Natasha

The entrance of San Churros with a promise of the beyond.

Beautiful pies

The fondue plate

The energy of the people seated at the table behind us was wild.

The Churros and the strawberry brownie chocolate thingy

Disappearing quickly

All gone.

Thanedar's Mamledar's

I love Pav, a popular local bread in Maharashtra and Gujarat that is borrowed from the Portuguese word for bread- Pao. I'm pretty much a fan of how Pav is eaten in Mumbai- Bhaji Pav, Vada Pav, Misal Pav, Usal Pav, Pav chai even love Pav with Goan sausages. I heard of Mamledar's from the folks at the office. The Thane bus folks rave about its Misal Pav. Many claim it to be the best in all of Maharashtra. People apparently come from everywhere for some Misal Pav.
I was intrigued. A hunt for things in the old marketplace led me to the threshold of Mamledar's. So this Misal Pav joint is right outside the Thane Police chowki and the Mamledar's office and hence the name. Who is a Mamledar? Well I think it is the regional district office. This little food place started to cater to the office people and the Thane Police station. But apparently is so famous that everyone comes to. The Misal pav is sold in three degrees of hotness- mild, medium and hot. Apparently the hot is searing and can burn a hole through your tongue.
Whats Misal Pav - well it literally means mixture of a spiced chana curry with all kinds of crunchies, onions, and a dash of lemon. The Misal is eaten by soaking the pav in the crunchy curry mix. Its delicious. So here are some pictures from the adventure of wandering in old Thane and then finding the famous Mamledar's.
The owner of Mamledar's told me he has been running the place for 58 years. The place is busy from the moment it opens at 8 am to 9:30 pm. There is always a line and never a place to eat. Initially he was not very happy that I wanted to take pictures - he kept saying no advertising.  So I pulled up my blog on my phone and showed him the fish post. He smiled and said ok. There was a huge line outside to pack Misal Pav. Every table in the place was packed. A sure sign that a place is super.
Do come and check it out for yourself. We got the Misal Pav to go which we relished at home. Medium spicy was good for me. I am sure I could not take it spicier than that.
Here are a few photos of Thane's marketplace and then Mamledar's. All photos are taken by my phone camera.

Lovely old house

 The Gamdevi water tank

 Bead shop

 Party dresses

The orange wig had me at hello.

 The way to a steel utensil shop

 Finally Mamledar's. A line waiting to get in and a longer line for parceling the Misal.

 The entrance to the offices

 Lassi and chhas

 Line for parcel

 The Misal tadka

 Pav in a drawer near the counter

They are closed on Sundays.

 The Misal mix ready to go on the tables

 Rich man with their onions

 Hot Chai is a great accompaniment to some spicy Misal Pav

 The curry base for the Misal

 At home- Janu's first time with the Misal Pav. Carefully mixed in the right proportions for her to enjoy.

 Janu loved it. The misal was spicy. Perfect tanginess once some lemon is squeezed. Definitely the oil floating on top is scary which I separated. The crunchy bites soaked in with the fresh pav and super spicy curry base is a great blend of textures in the mouth. The Pav was lovely and thick and soft and bouncy. It was superb.

Dear readers- a very happy new year to you all. I have loved bringing my food adventures to you. This year has been quite amazing and its been great sharing it with you. Love to all.

My favourite song at this time of the year. Do listen.

55 East at the Grand Hyatt- The Grand Food Bloggers Dinner

Many of you who have been following my blog from the very beginning know that I started it during my couch surfing / homeless (more dramatic sounding) days. I was in transition; I had quit my job, broken my leg, was on intense physical therapy and was trying to decide what next. So I decided to take time out of life and travel across the US thanks to the generous kindness of my friends who let me crash on their couches in exchange for me cooking them delicious meals. Halfway through the process the genesis of this blog happened. I can't say that I documented well that exciting time of my life in this blog but you can read some of the initial posts to see what I was experiencing.

When I finally decided to move back to India, I decided this blog will be a way for me to re-acquaint myself to a city I left 13 years ago. I looked up other Mumbai bloggers. I found many but the two that caught my attention were Finely Chopped and Purple Foodie. One writes food porn and the other creates it. A few weeks into my return I had the pleasure of working with Lulu of Lulu loves Bombay and I knew I was in the right company. Slowly but surely my blogging network grew and I started following up on reviews and places to eat and what to cook.

Then one fine day last week I got invited for dinner by Rushina of A Perfect Bite (thanks to Lulu). The Venue: 55 East at the Grand Hyatt. The guests: 15 Food Bloggers and food critics.

All I could say was OOOOOOOOOOOH YES!

And guess what? The invite list numbered two of my food blog crushes. Yes, they were coming too! I was finally going to meet the Knife of Finely Chopped and The Purple Foodie- 'the size 0 baker'. And there was going to be Vikram Doctor- the food blogger who writes a food column on the Economic Times. But I was also excited to meet the others- hear their stories, know more about blogging- why they blog, where they eat and most importantly where do they find their ingredients. (Remember the ordeal I had finding Parsley). How exciting could a night like this be!?! So many foodlovers at one table, and of course not to mention with a backdrop of dinner at the Fifty Five East restaurant at the Grand Hyatt should be a blast.

So let me take you through the night. I will list all the people I met at the end of the blog. Do visit their blogs. Each one is unique and has a different angle to food. So here is to citizen journalism!

Presenting 55 East at the Grand Hyatt. The interiors are designed by this Japanese firm called Super Potato.

As Anupam, the guy behind making this evening possible explained the walls are laser cut, with light being projected and further reflected with the help of mirrors creating this kaliedescope of light effects. It was quite magical like walking into an Alice in wonderland. It helps you forget about the city outside and you are in the mood for a glamorous night ahead.

The concept behind 55 East is large open kitchens where you can see the chefs prepare your meals for you. You can ask them to customize the dishes according to taste or you can try what they make. There are various cuisines being cooked up in the kitchen, mediterranean, sushi, thai, Indian and continental. Finish it all with a lovely desert selection.

Oh Yes! I am going to walk you through the various kitchens.

The kitchens were beautifully organised with the top of the line cookware. They were clean enough to eat off the floor. 

I started with the Sushi

Freshly made Sushi by a Japanese chef who kindly cut me some fresh salmon and rolled it into lovely rolls. I LOVE Sushi. I was so happy to enjoy these rolls.

Oh yes that is Ocra Sushi. Crunchy ocra with sticky sushi rice.

I love loads of Pickled Ginger on my Sushi. I was in Heaven.

Moving on to my next favourite cuisine- Thai. What I loved about transitioning from one kitchen to the next- there were palate cleansers. Like these fried, crunchy, salty rice crackers. Each kitchen counter was decorated with relevant dinnerware- lovely copper, cast iron utensils and the raw ingredients used essentially in their cuisine- chillies in the case of Thai. Check out the lovely chopsticks. 55 East truly plays with all your senses.

Yummy fish curry with sauteed greens. Served up with some spiced soya sauce and jasmine rice. Also tried some of this lovely spring beans, carrots and mushrooms

Drama in the Kitchen. Oooh exciting- that chef totally did that when he saw me take his pic.. I think we had a connection there. (just kidding)

Moving on to the Indian cuisine- cleansing palette with some Papad. I tried some spicy fried Prawns. The rest I just took pictures of. The ambience was set by piles of tomatoes and lemons and dried red chillies.

Pickled Pumpkin seeds and onions relish

The dishes

Deep Fried Spicy Prawns on banana leaves. 

I was so ready to eat that I rushed through the continental section. Next is a picture of a cut of steak with rosemary and grilled green and yellow squashes. 

I loves this lovely cast iron gravy holder. They also made tenderloin to order and many different kinds of steaks. I was more into the Thai and Sushi so I went back to try that out.

The set up from the other side.

 Ok I know this is a long post. But I have to share with you the dessert counter.

Meringues in jars, chocolate and strawberry sauces, beautiful copper-ware all beckoning you to submit to these sinful pleasures. I love the styling of this place - i wonder who did it. Its a lovely play on your senses.

 I think that is Marshmellows in the jars at the back. Oh why did I not ask them for S'mores.

Making a fresh crust to the creme brulee with some sugar on some velvetty custard. My absolute favourite- a thin crust of crunchy, burnt sugar to break into a soft creamy custard.

yes fresh figs made into this delectable fig pie served with custard or icecream

And they made you crepes as well. Fresh cherry compote and a side of ice cream

And finally the true stars of the evening. The fantastic blogger. Forgive me for the less than wonderful photographs... the lighting was dim, everyone was busy interacting and I was too excited for my own good.

Snigdha, Rushina and Shaheen.

Javed and Simran

Mangal and Anupam

The Knife (kalyan) taking a pic of me taking a pic of him.

Snigdha, Simran, and Mangal

The Lovely Lulu, Rushina and Kalyan

Atish- the Animator

Nitin, Nikhil (hidden), Poonam, Shaheen and The Vikram Doctor

Poonam and Shaheen

Anupam who was our kind host

And finally an incredibly excited me in the presence of the people who I look forward to read.

I unfortunately did not capture everyone there. I missed this amazing blogger that I met that night probably becasue she was also busy taking pictures. Harini- of Tongue Ticklers. She is a working mom, romantic, writer and maker of vegan recipes (a concept that is slowly catching on in India)

I would like to thank Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal-  writer, food consultant. Thanks for including me in this wonderful band of merry bloggers.

A list of the food writers and bloggers. Read up and I promise you won't be disappointed!

Now Cooking - http://nowcooking.blogspot.com (member of APB team)
Vikram Doctor  - http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/onmyplate
Finely Chopped (Kalyan- the Knife) - http://finelychopped-k.blogspot.com/ 
Purple Foodie (Shaheen) - http://purplefoodie.com/
Lotsafood (Shanky) - http://lotsafood.blogspot.com/
Homemade Happiness (Poonam Joshi) - http://home-madehappiness.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html 
Eating out in Bombay - http://eatingoutinbombay.blogspot.com/ 
Lulu loves Bombay (The Lovely Lulu) - http://lululovesbombay.blogspot.com/ 
Sunshinemom of TONGUE TICKLERS (Harini) (http://tumyumtreats.blogspot.com/)
Nonchalant Gourmand (Nikhil Merchant) - www.nonchalantgourmand.blogspot.com
Ifoodee (Nitin Raghani)- www.ifoodee.wordpress.com
Bombay Foodie (Simmi Sareen)- Foodzone Blogspot

Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal- A Perfect Bite

Snigdha Binjola - Life on a Simmer

Street Food named desire- Al Kauser at Malcha Marg

My biggest foodlove is Mughlai kababs. There is nothing like bites of succulent, spice infused pieces of meat that melt in your mouth contrasted with the tangy and crunchy bites of onions. These kebabs are usually very hot with lots of green chilies, coriander, cardamom, cumin, red chilies, and various other spices in which the meat is kept marinading for several hours till the spices soften the meat. Placed on a char grill the meat cooks with a smokey flavor. These delicious babies leave you sweating as you eat but you cannot stop at just one. And before you know it the love affair has begun! So did I say it yet- I heart Kebabs (should make a t-shirt).
As promised in the previous post on Delhi- Al Kauser at Malcha Marg gets its own post. Typically like street food that are famous for their kebabs, Al Kauser is a stand alone joint on  Malcha Marg in South Delhi. You pull up to Al Kauser - a little 10' x10' shack in your car. Place an order for your favourite kebabs- kakori, tandoori, seekh, boti, mutton malai tikki with rotis and parathas. While waiting in the car order up some coca cola as well to help with the heat factor. Enjoy the meal in your car.
I had the pleasure of eating at Al Kauser with my friends Jes, Aman and Shagun. Jes and Aman are regulars and knew exactly what to order. We ordered the famous Kakori rolls, tandoori chicken, the dry fruit paratha and mutton malai tikki and rounded it up with a sweet delicious Firni.

The set up: An open charcoal grill, a concave tawa, the metal barbecue rods, a ceramic pot with ghee.

 

The man behind the grill

We started with their famous Kakori kababs also popularly known as Seekh Kababs.

 The roomali roti to wrap the Kakori in

 Putting together the Kakori roll

Next, we ordered the mutton malai tikki roll in the dry fruit paratha. This was the most interesting combination of sweet and salty nuts such as raisin, cashews, pistachios all ground in the stuffing of the paratha which is used to wrap these incredibly hot mutton malai tikkis. Notice the green chilies in the pic. It was the most tantalising combination of sweet paratha and hot, mouthwatering and moist tikkis.
The mutton tikkis frying-

 The absolutely incredible dry-fruits stuffed paratha

Shagun loving this roll

What fun!!!
Now moving onto the Tandoori chicken. Once again one of the most tender, spicy, melting in your mouth chicken I have ever eaten. Oh! Al Kauser!

 Jes and I watching as our food is being made.

Finally we wrapped up these delicious wraps with a sweet end- creamy, silky, full of almonds and pistachio bowl of firni...

Absolutely loved the experience and the food. And safely my stomach held upto this food.
It was delicious!
Some of my other favourite street kebabs places:
Mumbai- Bade Miyan
Ahmedabad- Bhatiyar Gali (must have strong stomach)
And if you ever are in Chicago - trek up to Devon street and sit down at this little hole-in-the-wall place called Sheesh Mahal Dhaba.

Britannia- The Quintessential Lunch Place!

I love food reviews. Following up on someone's suggestion on where and what to eat there. Infact many of the blogs I follow, I love to read what people have to say about their meal served at restaurants around town. Lately two of my favs have been

Finely Chopped

(for his honest, comic and absolute love for food)  and

Lulu Loves Bombay

(a food trip around Mumbai and the globe!).

I read a review about Britannia a few years back in the newspaper when I was down from Chicago on my winter break. I always thought Britannia was a biscuit brand and had clearly never heard of this legendary, quintessential, office crowd flocking lunch spot. The review was very well written and the description of the delicious berry pulao that leaves tangy bursts of flavor in your mouth with each spicy bite had me salivating. So dad and I ventured to try some food there. And what a meal. From the typical Irani interiors of a 100 year old cafe, peeling paint, old school chandeliers and red checkered tablecloths to a delectable list of Irani and Parsi cuisine- berry pulao, salli chicken, mutton cutlets, dhanshak, fried bombil (yum yum yum). Did I say YUM? Sounds charming right. Most charming was the owner Mr.

Boman Rashid Kohinoor Irani

and his son who run the place. They make it a point to greet everyone who walks in through the door and despite being extremely busy, they have the time to  share some stories with their customers.  (Apparently the berries in the pulao are imported from Iran. Also Mr. Irani senior is as old as Britannia itself - 88 years old)

I ofcourse fell in love with Britannia ever since and have returned to it year after year to take delightful mouthful's of Berry Pulao.

Two saturday's ago as I was on my Shantaram assignment for a paper at work, dad, mum and I decided to grab lunch at Britannia. Mum had never been there and was excited to try out the place. Below is a photo series of our lunch. Again the most delightful moment was chatting with Mr. Kohinoor Irani who makes the rounds- from table to table, checking on each person and making sure we are enjoying our meal. In case something is amiss he calls out to the waiter and makes sure that the problem is fixed. He advises to come a bit early so that you can get your own favorite dishes as those happen to be other's favorites as well and tend to run out (great logic).

All I can say is Britannia never disappoints! A treasure in the city's old Fort Area. A must visit by every foodie in town as well as visitors coming to town. Old world charm mixed with true hospitality and delicious food makes it one of the best, affordable meals in the city.

The delightful

Mr. Boman Rashid Kohinoor Irani

personally serving his guests. The peeling paint, the hanging fans, the red checkered tablecloth, Britannia was in full swing and still serving on Saturday at 2pm.

We ordered Salli chicken (mouthfuls of succulent boneless pieces of chicken contrasted by crisp Salli chips. Mutton berry pulao- oh the berries the perfect tantalizing play in the mouth. The surprise element for me was the vegetarian Dhanshak. For a place popular for its non- veg food, the vegetarian Dhanshak was delicious. It was a perfect blend of flavours and after a point I gave up on the non- vegetarian fare to eat spoonfuls of the dhanshak. Served with rice, Britannia's dhanshak makes it to my top ten list of comfort food.

PS: The caramel custard is to die for. Also, see if Mr. Irani will spare some raspberry soda with your meal as well.

Ssswwwweeeeeeeeettt Temptations!!!

I love taking pictures of desserts. Right now with all the circuit training at the gym that I am doing- I can only look, admire but not eat. I did try many of these and gave into my chocolate cravings whilst I was traveling early this year. It was comforting, satisfying and always exciting to find a new place in a new city.

Here is a collection images of some of my favorite sweet somethings:

Melissa's mini cupcakes, NYC

Sharing a raspberry cheesecake, cappaccinos and hot mulled wine at La Lanternas, NYC with Jae.

One Girl Cookies, Brooklyn - Beautiful cake in the window

Gourmandise- Salt Lake City, Janu's favorite

Bienenstich by Barbara- Salt Lake City (all home made, it took two days till two in the morning). Oh and it tasted just as good as it looks!

German Bakery- Salt Lake City- perfect delights for Saturday morning breakfast.

Cupcake A la Mode- Kansas City, adorable interiors. Who would have thought in Kansas City!

 

The Bella Nutella was delicious.

Pies at the Upper crust- Pryde of Old Westport, Kansas City

And they had adorable cookware:

Sugar Bliss - Chicago (photo from the website)

Now for two of my very favorites:
The chocolate flan at Cafe Iberico 
(photo taken by my friend Jacob)

And Swirlz Cupcakes - In Lincoln Park Chicago, where I had the pleasure of meeting Pastry Chef Beth who showed me how she makes these delicious babies..

Yummy right. Finishing it off with a lovely hot cappaccino always hits the spot.

Satisfied!

So now its Mission Chocolate in Mumbai...
Suggestions anyone?

For cupcake recipes see Foodista.com Filled Chocolate Cupcakes Orange Ooze Cupcakes