DESERT MANIA

                       THE FUSION KITCHEN -BORIVALI    

'THE FUSION KITCHEN' restaurant is an amazing place to have some yummy desserts in this summer heat. Apart from the cafes in Bandra , Andheri ,Vile parle and other parts of Mumbai , this place can be considered a great option to hang out with family and friends and enjoy some delicious food. I went there recently and felt myself lucky to have been there.

Here are some of the irresistible desserts to be tried here: 

1)CHOCOLATE MAGNUM FREAKSHAKE:  

2) NUTELLA DONUT MILKSHAKE 

3) THE CHOCOLATE BALL 

4) SINFUL NUTELLA  MILKSHAKE  

5) CHOCO WAGON 

ADDRESS: Shop 1 - opposite Veda building , near Bhavdevi Garage , Holy cross road , IC colony, Borivali.

Opening: 12 pm- 4 pm , 7 pm to 11;30 pm

Price: 500-1000 rupees

famous juice centres in Mumbai

1)HAJI ALI CENTRE: 

This centre is known for its mouthwatering pizzas , desserts and healthy juices. Sitafal shake, mango shakes , the Ganga Jamuna and  Saraswati shake are among the top list.

ADDRESS: Lala lajpatrai road, Haji ali centre , Mahalaxmi. 

Phone- 02265226074 

Hours open: 5am to 1am.

2) HEALTH JUICE CENTRE:

This is emerging to become an important place since they have plenty of knowledge about foodstuffs that are good for health. The coconut cooler, chocolate and sitafal milkshake are a delight!!

ADDRESS: Kings circle, Matunga east 

Hours:10am to 1am

Price: Rs 100-200

3)AMAR JUICE CENTRE:

Pav bhaji, idli , dosa, tawa pulav, cheese dosa and juices, grilled sandwiches, mango pulp milkshake, cold coffee milkshake, apple chocolate, and chikku kesar chocolate are the must try items at this place.

ADDRESS:3, RN Cooper hospital compound, gulmohar road, Vile parle west. 

Phone:02226247917

Hours: 12pm-2am 

Price; RS 500 FOR 2 

4)HAS JUICES AND MORE 

Fruit juices , vegetable juices, and smoothies kiwi, pineapple , watermelon, thickyoghurt, honey and muesli, dark chocolate , mango, strawberry smoothie are the delicacies that are relished here.

ADDRESS;Food court, oberoi mall , Film city road, Goregaon east.

Phone:918108281039

5)PISHU'S JUICE CENTRE :

This place is known for its mushroom sauce, cheese sauce, pastas, mango milkshakes , walnut brownie shake, berry juice, dark chocolate avocado smoothie. 

ADDRESS:8, New shantivan building, Oberoi complex road, SAB TV lane, Lokhandwala, Andheri West

Hours:10 to 12 am

6)BACHELORS JUICE HOUSE:

Ferrero rocher shake and strawberry , chocolate milkshake, watermelon desire, also a chocolate shake with pieces of watermelon, mango creame with mango pieces, green chilli ice cream are famous here.

ADDRESS; 45 Chowpatty sea face, NS marg, Marine drive.

7)LOVE AND LATTE

Ferroro rocher shake, hazelnut blast, strawberry milkshake are truely amazing.

ADDRESS:1, ground floor, interface 11, behind new infinity mall,  Malad west/

LBS road, next to new york gym, near waters pub, Mulund west.

8)JOOST JUICE BARS:

All berry bang, banana buzz , mega mango magic, blue berry blast should be tried here.

ADDRESS; Shop 8B, Khao galli, Carter road, Bandra west.

PHONE ; 022688888223

9)BLOSSOM JUICE CENTRE:

Nachos , pav bhaji, juices,  and shakes, choco fest, choco almond, king blossom, blackforest , kala jamun , falooda are popular here.

ADD: Vikrant circle, tilak roD, Ghatkopar east.

Hours: 3pm -12am

Price; Rs 300 for two

10)ELCO JUICE BARS:

Pani puri, grape blossom juice, thandai shake  are famous here .

ADD: 2/A , ELCO market ,46, hill road , Bandra west. 

Hours: 9;30 -11;30pm 

11)PATIL JUICE CENTRE: 

Dry fruits dabang rich with cashews , almonds , pistachios, fresh fruit ice-cream, mahabaleshwar masti with strawberry , kiwi guava and vanilla ice cream, kiwi cum pineapple and mint juice, mango berry full of alphonso mangoes, strawberry cream and ice cream , mango milkshake , Lai bhari with combination of custard apple, strawberry mulberry and vanilla ice-cream.

ADD: Centre Tata road2, Supariwala estate, Opera house, Charni road. 

12) BADSHAH COLD DRINKS: 

It is known as the fruit juice and falooda capital of Mumbai.Juices , shakes, kulfi, falooda , rose falooda, idli, dosa, uttapas, sandwiches, pizzas, bhel pav bhaji, dry fruit milkshake, kaju anjir milkshake, masala almond , chocolate  are the most enjoyed items here.

ADD: DR DN road, Crawfold, Cst area.

hOURS : 7 AM TO 12;30 AM

PRICE:600 FOR TWO

Phone:02223421943

Vasai is one of the most naturally gifted places not only in Maharashtra but also in India. The lush greenary, long beaches , the fort , fields and the innumerable number of fruit trees just would give you vacation goals for an ideal holiday. It is getting recognition gradually due to a large number of Mumbaikars looking for new spots near Mumbai for sight-seeing and picnics. Vasai lies in the northern part of Thane district. Virar is another tourist and commercial centre nearby.

Where the Ulhas river meets the Arabian sea , lies the historic Vasai fort. This fort was an important landmark of the Portuguese.  Later , Bajirao Peshwa -
the Maratha commander won the fort for the Marathas .
That ended the Portuguese rule in the region.                                                                              SURUCHI  BAUG BEACH:
 This is for beach lovers . This beach is located on west side of Vasai next to Vasai gaon (parnaka) .
You can visit any time of the year with family and friends.
HOW TO REACH:
Get down at Vasai road station on the western line . Take a direct auto. A short walk and ahead comes the beach.    
ACCOMODATION:
Currently no overnight stay faculty available on the beach.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE:
Less food items are available on the beach like bhel , and some snacks , cold drinks and packed water only , so carry food with you . There is ice gola , horse riding while going back home.

BHUIGAON BEACH:
 This is a very quiet place. This beach is much closer to the city.
HOW TO REACH:
It takes 8 minutes to travel from Vasai station to Bhuigaon Phata   bus stop.Distance is 7 kms.
ACCOMODATION:
There are hotels with good affordability and service. Grand villa , Alexson resort and Green Paradise resort  are well known here.
FOOD:
You can carry your own food. Fruits, coconuts , jellies , and some chaat items are available.

RANGAON BEACH:
This beach is more of a private beach away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Clean fresh air is the speciality of this beach.
HOW TO REACH THERE:
This beach is said to be just four kms from Vasai city. It is nine kilometers away from Vasai station. During low tides vehicles can be parked at the beach.
FOOD:
There are no options for food before one km.

Here are some of the beaches to be definitely visited in mumbai.

1) Aksa beach:
This beach is known for its quietness , calmness , beauty and serenity.  It is not advisable to stay there after 7 in the evening for safety concerns. One can reach this place by bus from malad station on western railway

2) Dadar chowpatty:
Dadar chowpatty is suitable for long walks , jogging and having snacks at various stalls over there. View of the bandra worli sea link with the sunset is unique to watch.

3)Girgaum chowpatty:
Known as the most famous beach after juhu, this place is always crowded with people. The food stalls here sell amazing street food like pav bhaji , masala pav , biryani, pani puri  and ragada pattice.This beach is relatively smaller but has many important landmarks around it.

4)Gorai :
This beach should be visited before dark because of issues of high tide. It is yet to be developed as a tourist spot and acts as a connecting junction to go to manori and the famous essel world and water kingdom. You can reach gorai by ferry from malad or borivali.

5)Juhu:
It is the longest beach in mumbai spreading upto  six kilometers. The food stalls here are a must visit because people over parts of north India , west , east and the south sell their regional foodstuffs introducing  us  to a variety of food specialities of different regions.Actor Amitabh Bachan's bungalow is not too far away.

6)Kalamb beach:
It is located in nallasopara , a station on the western line after Vasai .Lazing around is the favourite activity here.

7)Madh island:
Located in malad , it comes after aksa village. Take direct buses that goes upto madh island.

8) Marve beach:
Marve is comparatively smaller and narrower than other beaches because of its quick Sand. It became famous for its picnic spots.

9) Uran beach:
It falls between Panvel and Karjat and is far away from the city side. One can see remains of Karanja fort.

10) Versova beach:
It is an extension of Juhu beach towards Andheri. It is connected to versova village fish markets which are very famous. Lot of crowds have been seen here during Ganpati visarjan.

The Siddhivinayak, mumbai

I recently visited the Siddhivinayak temple in Prabhadevi and collected some interesting facts from the priests there and the local people about the temple.It is important to know these facts :
1)The Siddhivinayak temple is dedicated firmly to Lord Ganesh.
2) It was built on 19 November 1801 by Laxman  Vithu and Deubai Patil.
3)The inner roof of the sanctum is played with gold.
4) The temple receives a donation of around two million rupees every year making it the richest temple in India .
5)  It opens for early morning visit from 3:15 to 4:45.
6) Early morning prayer begins from 5:00 to 6:00.
7) After the Ganesh pooja, from 20:45 to 22:00 ,the doors are closed.

famous khau gallis in mumbai

Mumbai's street food has always been a delicacy. I travelled to many parts of Bombay to get to know all about the places selling these foodstuffs and why they drive people so crazy !! 

Here are some of the khau gallis I visited out of which some  are well known while some which are extremely good but are not much recognised by the people yet.  Do grab a bite in these stalls when you are in Mumbai. It's food time! !!!!

1)Ghatkopar khau galli : 

It's the most famous amongst Mumbaikars and is the pride of Ghatkopar. It sells unique dosas , pastas, milkshakes and pav bhajies. The favourite stalls are Sai Swad dosa, WTC pasta stall , Jay mashitala juice centre , Jain pani puri and hotspot.

2)SNDT to Cross maidan khau galli:

It's the favourite joint for college students and office goers. Popular items are Manchurian rice, alu baby , corn chaat, pav bhaji, cheese paneer frankie, the Bombay sandwich and the bhajiyas.Popular stalls are Hans ras Mandir, lenin pav bhaji centre,  raju's Chinese. 

3)Carter road: 

This is located near the Bandra promenade. Specialities are frozen yogurts,  sweet cupcakes, or freshly made waffles for deserts, momos; lime sprinkled corn. The must try stalls are Carter's blue ,Kepchaki momos , lassi te parrobtthe 

4) Chembur khau galli:

It's one of the best khau gallis but is not reachable too easily as it lies in the interiors of chembur.It consists of regional specialities such as koki,  kulchas, dal pakwas,  ragsa pattice and sweets.Famous stalls are Bhatt vishranti gruha,  vig refreshments and sainath dhaba.  

5) Mahim khau galli.:

Known as a lengendary spot for mumbaikars, it has stalls selling yummy eats like baida roti,  khiri, chicken tandoori , khichda , ice cream falooda ,dry kulfi,  falooda at baba falooda 

Advisable stalls are Hussain khichdawala, makhdoom masahab .

6) Zaveri bazzarr:

Rightly known as the hotspot for office goers and diamond merchants.  The famous stalls are Bhagat Tarachand, mohanbahi pudlawala , jagannath chaturbhuj. 

7) Tardeo:

Tardeo khau galli is also an emerging centre especially among office goers. The popular delicacies here are puri bhaji,  south Indian lunch thali , shawarnas and mutton biryanis.  Do go the stalls of the well known sardar pav bhaji, mamaji 's grill and pizza , and hotel sai gomantak restaurant.

8) Mohammed Ali road:

 This khau galli is most famous for its delicioys kebabs, biryanis and sweets. The best stalls are bademiyan , noor Mohammed  hotel, and sulemaan usmaan mithaiwala.