Kokum & Spice
KOKUM AND SPICE
Cuisine: Malwan, Goa, Mangalore and Kerala.
I can’t stop smiling. Your fabulous and continuous emails, calls, tweets not only make me overjoyed but also connect me to an ever enlarging foodie network and make my work meaningful. To you, I owe many an off the eaten track discovery. I follow your leads and tip offs with a seriousness and today I follow them to Alibag and Nasik. To two eateries, both serving authentic local fare made by women from the region.
KOKUM AND SPICE
Local food is my passion and here not only do they serve up local ingredients made to many a local recipe by locals. …starting with the crazily addictive Nachni papad and fanas papad . Let me make it clear upfront, that I’m not recommending a special weekday trip to Alibag’s superb Coastal cuisine restaurant. Reason? Its open only for dinner,
except for Saturday and Sunday lunch. So should you happen to be in Alibag then make a beeline for this eatery which serves up dishes from Malwan, Goa, Mangalore and Kerala. The over batter fried Bombil bhaji disappoints but then the rich with coconut my favorite Tisri sukhe delights. Robustly spiced Mutton sukhe and Valachi bhirde, flavorsome and authentic Goan prawn curry make for a satisfying meal. While the Kerala ishtew is lackluster ditto for the accompanying appam, the local Alibag chicken dish simply made with jeera and black pepper Chicken jeeri miri delights with it’s
homestyle flavors. Bharla bangra in green masala, crabs, thalipeeth and kothambir wadi served here too.Avoid the oversweet Amrakhand and opt for the delicious Malwan ukidi che modak to end the meal.
All this in the comfy, airconditioned restaurant of the Raddison Blu with its suffused red lighting and many a diyas. Here, chef Sudhir Jadhav helms the kitchen where locals Samira Thakur and Mangal Patil not only handpound masalas but cook to authentic recipes too. And the difference shows.
KOKUM AND SPICE
Radisson Blu Resort & Spa -
Gondhalpada, Alibaug
+ 91 2141 302400
Open dinner only (during weekdays) lunch and dinner (weekends)
Alcohol served. Average meal per head Rs 600
RATING
FOOD 3.5
SERVICE 3.5
DÉCOR 3.5
PANCHRATNA
In this holy city and wine capital (Nasik) this recently renovated twin leveled comfy, contemporary restaurant showcases once again the brilliance of women cooks. The local, Bharati Nagre brings to the stoves generations old authentic recipes and skills. I dine here with the ever helpful Nina and PK Vasa and sure enough the local Nasik
specialty Muttoncha kala rassa thrills with its robust hand pounded roasted masalas. As do the tasty chicken dishes of Kombdi che suke and kombdi cha rassa. We mop it all up with the delightful millet Bhakri. Well made gramflour Pithla and coconut infused bharli wangi delight. Thankfully Ahmer Siddiqui has scrapped the Chinese menu, introduced North West Frontier fare, (superb melt in the mouth galoti kabab) too. Some of the kababs in the platter are overdone and the
puran poli is too doughy. Chef Nitish Phanis unique dish of Hara moong palak delights. Ask for the “Wine flite” where for the price of one you can sample three wines of Nasik. Cheers!
PANCHRATNA
Gateway Ambad hotel,P 17, MIDC, Ambad, Nasik
Open lunch and dinner.
RATING
FOOD 3.5
SERVICE 3.5
DÉCOR 3.5
Average meal for one Rs 600
FOODLINE
Star of this week? @yogeshkashalkar for many a recommendation.
@Rad da banda @Thebigbhookad, @ The black Sakura thanks for your feedback.
Once again with gratitude. Thanks for your twitter, fb and email
Feedback on eateries, caterers, dessert makers and more.
Space constrains me from printing all the fabulous details. Mail
(rashmiudaysingh2012@gmail.com
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Classes for hand moulded dry fruit sweets, Bengali sweets, Sizzlers, Vegetable and Fruit Carving, Chocolate bouquets, Bread Making, chocolate making and more. For details contact Mini Arts, Meena Savla
Ph: 26460936
Contact Nargish Lala for delicious pickles prawn, dried Bombay duck, brinjal, gajar mewa and tomato chutney. She also takes orders for badam pak, pork vindaloo n sorpotel. Ph: 9819002500
@surabhhilicious recommends California Kitchen Pizza for great soup, pasta and pizza options in both veg and non veg .
@Dumbbellman recommends the perfect spicy grilled calamari, flavorful lobster at “The Table”
QUERIES ANSWERED
Margaret you were looking for Mrs Goriawall’s number, here it is 23871434, 23874467
QUERIES
Om Tejwani is looking for the number of Su’s Kitchen