Anand : Serving Mumbai's best Vada Pav !!!

Assembling a Vada Pav - Bun (pav ), Butter, Green Chutney, Masala powder, Potato patty ( vada ) takes less than 10 seconds ...

"Vada Pav" is the street food Mumbai survives on ... and "Anand Vada Pav" opposite Mithibhai College, near Narsee Monjee is definitely the best I've had.

Bombay Times official annual Vada Pao ranking gives it the runner's up position ... which is not bad considering there are over 5,000 Vada Pav street stalls in Mumbai !!!

There's even been an attempt to McDonaldize the humble Vada Pav with the launch of Jumbo King ... should be an interesting case study on how to sustain a business with razor thin margins competing with street vendors who have almost no overhead costs. While they may have scale ... their product lacks the necessary zing which titillates the taste buds ... street vendors like Anand know how to pack in that punch !!!

Durga Puja 2010 at Powai, Mumbai

pic above : yummy fish fry with mustard sauce !!!!!

This might well be the last Durga Puja celebration at Hiranandani Powai. In its 5th year, this puja organized by Powai Bengali Association, has come a long way in terms of scale and popularity. Unfortunately the ground where the pujas are held has been earmarked for construction of a bus stand !!!

Cant think of any alternate grounds nearby to organize the puja at this scale. Having a relatively large ground also allows the setting up of an entertainment zone to showcase local amateur talent and import the pros from Kolkata ... bengali rock band Chandrabindu, Usha Uthup etc are artistes who perform here regaularly.

Finally there are the food stalls ... with all the goodies loved by bengalis ... mochar chop, fish fry, chiken roll, mutton kosha, luchi alur-dom and biriyani. Gobbled up quite a few fish fries with a dash of mustard myself today evening and looking forward to checking out more dishes tomorrow for dinner.

Hope to visit the Lokhandwala, Poonam Nagar, Santra Cruz pujas tomorrow ... lets see if can can squeeze in the Kandivli pujas ... unfortunately will have to give Shivaji Park, Vashi pujas the miss this year.

Downtown Skylines

Left : Cincinnati, Right : Chicago
Was quite impressed by the dazzling Trump Tower & Hotel in downtown Chicago ... downtown Cincinnati is staid in comparison ...

Maruti Suzuki Ritz ZXi

Just replaced my 10 year old Hyundai Santro with a Maruti Suzuki Ritz ZXi.

The Indian car market is so overcrowded with small hatchbacks that buyers are spoilt for choice - one can choose from Hyundai i10/i20/Santro, Nissan Micra, Volkswagen Polo, Fiat Punto, Ford Figo, Indica Vista, Skoda Fabia, Chevy Beat, about half a dozen offerings from Maruti Suzuki - Alto, AStar, WagonR, Swift and of course the Ritz.

So why select the Ritz ??? For me it was all about looking for the best cost - value equation. Thankfully the decision making process was made quite simple ... Maruti Suzuki made me the best exchange offer for my existing Hyundai Santro ... and the Ritz had additional discounts to boot. Finally within the Ritz versions ( LXi, VXi and ZXi ) the ZXi came bundled with all the safety features I wanted.

Ironically Hyundai simply refused to buy back my 10 year old Santro ... while Maruti Suzuki offered me INR60K + INR12K "Loyalty Bonus". I was wondering how I'd demonstrated loyalty to Maruti Suzuki by driving a Hyundai for years !!!

Maybe they should call it the "Loyalty Shift Bonus" ... anyway who cares.

Pind Baluchi @ Mumbai

Bringing dhaba food from rustic upcountry punjab to plush upmarket malls ...