Wood Winds

CityInfo Mumbai
Gourmet Pick

Wood Winds
Karma is one of the very few restaurants, which serve really thin crust pizzas in Mumbai.

The entrance is embodied with the word Karma carved into a wooden sun. This is just the beginning of the woodworks at Karma, the pub-cum-lounge in Mumbai.
Wood panelled floors, brown textured walls and a wooden bar counter, accompanied with dim lighting and candles make for a cosy and comfortable ambience at Karma. The mood is set with lounge music playing softly in the background. As the evening mellows, the tempo increases and creates a peaceful crescendo.
Karma maintains a soothing effect with low and comfortable seating. They also have beanbags placed near the bar area.
The food is definitely noteworthy in this place. Milano Pepper Pizza is the best thing one can order at Karma. It is a 14-inch paper-thin pizza with edges rolled up and stuffed with cheese. “Karma is one of the very few restaurants which serve such thin pizzas in Mumbai,” said Nitin, assistant business developer. Their other speciality is the Lebanese Falafel Pizza.
Karma also serves pastas – Pesto, Penne Ariaeiatta and Sussilli with Forchi Sauce. These would make a great combination with Karma’s signature drink Karma Sutra that is a zingy combination of gin, tequila and cranberry juice.
An average meal for two will make your pocket lighter by Rs 500. Karma also has an unlimited lunch buffet for Rs 150. They have counters serving soups, salads, noodles, rice and sandwiches. And don’t forget to order a mug of Kingfisher beer, which goes very well with the Dim sum at Karma.

Karma,
534 SVP Rd
Opera House
Ph: 2361-7171
12.30 pm – 12.45 am

Gujarati In-Flight Cuisine

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I guess I just was not prepared for a journey by train. I mean, gastronomically.
If you’re accustomed to flying and to cabin crew bringing out trays of waxen edibles, you forget that you must take food with you on a train.
It takes about a day, 24 hours, to get from Bangalore to Mumbai on the Udyan Express and there I was with a croissant, a packet of chips and two cans of Diet Coke.
Bangalore sailed by my window and greenery yielded to open fields and naturally, my thoughts drifted to the croissant, on which I would gorge to the envy of my fellow passengers — a substantial Gujarati family — and what’s more, I speak Gujarati fluently.
As it turned out they had the same idea. Someone said “food” in Gujarati and the cousins who debated the dropping of Saurav Ganguly fell respectfully silent.
In seconds newspapers were spread out across the compartment. I raised my legs to allow the Sports section to serve as a placemat for my immediate neighbour.
A huge basket was pulled from under a seat.
Plates emerged from nowhere.
Parathas followed dhokla followed pickle.
I replaced my croissant quietly. I silently twisted in envy and hunger.
“You there!” the matriarch said. I snapped to attention and saluted, “Ma’am.”
“Look at you. Thin and starving.” I preened at this compliment.
“Eat!” she barked.
I ate. I even beat the quarrelling cousins to helpings of thepla and mango pickle.
I ate till I could eat no more. And before the approving matriarch could offer my hand in marriage to a cousin, I fell asleep.
By the time we steamed into VT, I had bested the family at their own dinner and
I ate all their gulab jamun.
And then, I loosened my belt and saved the croissant for the long cab ride home.

Choose Your Lobsters and Crabs

CityInfo
Cover Story, Mumbai

What You See Is What You Get
At Mahesh Lunch Home, you can choose your lobsters and crabs before it is cooked and served.

It may not be a good idea to count your chickens before they are hatched, but you sure can choose your seafood before its served to you. At Mahesh Lunch Home, the seafood of your choice is brought live to your table before it is cooked and served to you. You can choose your lobsters and crabs before the chef begins working his magic and transforming them into appetizing and finger-smacking dishes.
The restaurant is known for its Prawns Gassi which can be had with Appams.
“Gassi is another name for curry, except that it has a little more body than the conventional curry does. It is made by grinding coconut with handfuls of red chillies, with cumin seeds, coriander seeds and tomatoes for taste, kokum and tamarind water, thereby assuring that the taste is both hot and sour,” said Suraj Shetty, director.
Started as a humble Mangalorean eatout specialising in seafood in the corporate hub of Mumbai, Mahesh Lunch Home has grown to become a much sought after destination for seafood.
“When we started 27 years ago in Fort, the restaurant was frequented mainly by office-goers in the area,” said Shetty. “But the consistent quality of our food has attracted people from all over Mumbai.” Mahesh Lunch Home has also gained an equal amount of popularity among foreigners visiting the city. Begin your meal with a glass of Solkadi, which is a popular Mangalorean drink. It is the Konkan elixir for the digestive system. The extract of a tamarind variety called Sol (kokum), it is tonic for the soul. No Mangalor-ean meal is complete without this appetiser. The ingredients for this drink are supposed to have soothing properties and help combat acidity. Solkadi comes as a highly recommended drink if you order a plate of Crab Curry and rice.
Mahesh Lunch Home is modest in every sense, except for its food, which is exemplary. The interiors of the restaurant are simple yet contemporary. The décor combines glass, wood and brick to create a welcoming warmth. The lighting is subtle, concealed behind frosted sheets of glass with fish embossed on them. A massive fish tank at the far end of the restaurant will not escape your eyes. It has some beautiful fishes. Mind you, these fishes are not for eating!
The staff at the restaurant is friendly. And if you can’t decide what to order, follow their advice. Rest assured, you will have no regrets. And if you want to play safe, order Solkadi with Fried Fish and Rice – satisfaction guaranteed.
Everything is incredibly fresh, but favourites include Surmai Fry, Pomfret Curry and Tandoori Pomfret. Also recommended are the Prawn Koliwada, Crab Tandoori, Pomfret in Green Masala, or any of the fish curries. Some of the more popular dishes are Pomfret Tandoori, Crabs in Butter Pepper Garlic and Lobsters in White Sauce. They have delicious Pomfret, Surmai, Mackerel and Prawn Masala. They also make excellent fish in gravy called Fish Masala.
If you’re tired of the usual rice or chapattis, try the Neer Dosas. They are thin dosas or crepes made of rice flour. They are thin, light, puffy and delicious; they simply melt in the mouth. They go very well with Fish Curry or Prawn Masala.
Mahesh Lunch Home also serves meat, chicken and Chinese dishes, but only the misguided would come here and skip the sensational seafood.
And if all of this has set your tongue on fire, polish it with a cool malai kulfi for dessert.
Mahesh Lunch Home is a restaurant infrequent visitors to Mumbai must visit, if only to sample what the seafood craze in Mumbai is all about.

Mahesh Lunch Home
8B Cawasji Patel Street
Ph: 2287-0938

Juhu Tara Road
Santacruz West
Ph: 5695-5554
12 – 3 pm & 7pm – 12.30 am

Silk Route

CityInfo, Mumbai
Cover Story

Dress Up Your Home In Silken Splendour This Festive Season
Svistii, the newest home linen store in the city, has a colourful palette of bedsheets & bedspreads, drapes & duvets for you to choose from.

Having carved a niche for itself as the most favoured home interiors store in Bangalore, Svistii recently launched an outlet in Mumbai.
The home linen you will find at Svistii is not your common, run off the mill kind. Each design has been carefully crafted, after a lot of research by the designers. This has given Svistii the status of an exclusive linen store.
Like most success stories, Svistii too has modest beginnings. It started off as a home textile company. Today, it ranks among the favourite haunts of the elite in Bangalore.
Designs of life, with the vibrancy of colours and a symphony of craft, Svisti houses a rare assortment of fabrics, colours and designs. The collection at Svistii draws inspiration from the rich textiles of India.
You might have seen a lot of Rajasthani bedsheets, but the collection at Svistii is a class apart. Their range includes exquisite silk duvets and ethnic cotton bed spreads in bright colours.
Gaurav Jain, the owner of Svistii, is staunchly against rip-offs of popular designs. Every piece at Svistii is well researched and resourced after a thorough screening. “I see at least 25 pieces before I pick up one,” said Jain. In fact, Svistii also restrains itself from popularising its merchandise through catalogues to avoid replication of their exclusive designs.
“Our USP is customer delight, which comes with the essential elements of quality, authenticity and style,” Jain said.
Svistii has an extensive range, which will bring life to all the rooms in your home -- Bed sheets, bedcovers, duvet covers, silk curtains, quilts, rajais, throws, dhurries, table accessories, pillow and cushion covers, wall hangings, Svistii features all of these and more. A Svistii home can be easily recognised by the quality of their products..
And if you don’t find something fitting just right in, drop in the following week. Svistii religiously adds new designs to their already exhaustive collection every week.
“We don’t repeat designs,” claimed Jain. “Our designs are constantly evolving.” Unless, of course, clients come back asking for more in the same design,” confirmed Jain.
“Pastel colours in pure fabrics are our forte. Some of the best designs in curtains and cushion covers (prices starting from Rs 70) can be found here. The handiwork done on the cushion covers is extremely intricate. And of course, comes with a high price tag attached. The filigree work on these unique pieces is done by expert artisans, using precious Swarovski crystals. Which makes them exquisite as also expensive -- Rs 2100 apiece.
The collection of designer bed spreads at Svistii begins from a price range of Rs 5000 and shoots up to a whopping Rs 75,000.
Jain added, “Svistii is about fabric energy. It’s a symphony of exquisite craft and vibrant design. Walk into our plush showroom any day and you’ll find it difficult to resist the richness in variety. Customers can choose from any of the yardages on offer and we can make sheets, table cloths or curtains according to the person’s requirements.”
Affordable rates, excellent quality, unparalleled service, latest designs, vast range and customer satisfaction are what keep Svistii way ahead of others in its league.

Svistii
63 New Oberoi
Shopping Centre
Nariman Point
Ph: 5632-5757