TheTastingTummy™

My first solo leisure trip was quite an adventure!!! Decided 2 days in advance as my weekend getaway. Karnataka's heavy rains welcomed this Mumbaikar travelling from extreme summer temperatures.  With the only bus option available which arrived at Madangere petrol pump at 3.30 am. Fortunately, I had booked my cab knowing the fact that I would not get any vehicle to reach my Hotel at that hour. It was pitch dark, thundering, raining, trees were moving with the wind and me all alone waiting for my cab where suddenly a stranger came upto me and asked where I wanted to go and waited along with me till my cab arrived after 5 minutes of my wait. Gokarna is easily accessible by road and rail. Nearest taluka is Kumta and Karwar approximately 30 kms away. I had booked online Lotus Beach Resort which is a property in next to Kudle beach. I have got good reviews about Gokarna International and Zostel. My hotel wasn't connected directly to the road so I had to climb down and w...

I had always believed that when it comes to Fudge nothing beats Coopers at Lonavala, Maharashtra. It has been my benchmark since childhood. If I have a sudden craving for Fudge in Mumbai I couldn't do anything about it. It ot anymore. I was playing contests on Instagram and came across the Oh! Fudge one. Saw that the winner would get a hamper of almost 8 flavours of different Fudge jars. Wow na? The winners were announced and The Tasting Tummy wins it! Woohoo! I was so happy and excited for it to be delivered. I opened the pack immediately after a little photo session as I love to do so. Dark Chocolate, Coffee Chocolate, Sea Salt Peanut Chocolate, Cinnamon Chocolate, Classic Walnut Chocolate, Chunky Cashew Chocolate, Chocolate roasted Almond, Hazelnut Fudge. Oh My Gold 😍 Sweet is a treat ain't it? The first jar I opened become my favourite was Chocolate Almond. So gooey, chunky crunchy almonds generously added while preparing it smooth chocolate base. Best one. Se...

SoBo really doesn’t have many casual good meating joints. Being a meat lover was all excited to go and try this one which is just next to my office. The Boston Butt in Kala Ghoda by Siddharth Kashyap, Nishant Rao and Meghana Shinde, is a new smokery, charcuterie and bar. The Boston Butt is the American name for a cut of pork that comes from the upper part of the shoulder and is usually used for pulled pork. Ambience: Very vintage and rustic with an old-world charm. Solid wooden floors, custom-made leather chairs and copper fixture, hand painted mirrors advertising alcohol, old-fashioned cut glasses, black and white vintage photographs on the wall, swinging jazz music. The mounted paper lantern “heads” of pigs, rams and stags are a nice touch, as are the mirrors with hand-painted logos of American liquor brands. Bartenders wearing bow-ties and suspenders give the feeling of pre- prohibition era. The restaurant is a split-level space, with the bar upstairs and restaurant belo...

I have always loved Dumplings and my mouth waters when it comes to steamed momos. In Mumbai except we pay some hefty price for it but this is a pocket friendly option when it comes to momos. Obviously I am not referring to the ones we get on street. Some friend of mine shared a link to this place “Dumpling Khang” and I see Santacruz East which I never visit being a complete spoilt townie. It was far from my house but I thought should go once to try for the love of momos. Ms. Shreejana Rai, who started this place in Mumbai with all her passion, brings in the Tibetan and Bhutanese flavours to Mumbai. The very kind and warm lady who I met for the first time has kept up her charm to this place. Ambience: It’s a very tiny outlet more like a hidden gem with 3 stools for seating both the sides and one small table on one side. It is a non Ac outlet but they have kept a standing fan to make us feel comfortable. The owner made sure that the place maintained hygiene standards.  Food: The...

It was late in the evening and me and a close friend were super hungry.. We both were in search of yoko sizzlers in chembur and there we read Bhojohori Manna somewhere around that area. Since a while i wanted to try Good bengali cuisine. My eyes sparkled and taste buds started salivating. So damn excited entered, this restaurant which is near diamond garden in chembur. Ambience: Small and homely space with warm decor having wooden floor and yellow walls. Easily can accommodate 3 couples and 4 families. The seating had wooden tables with a regular combination of sofa and chair. A TV screen in front of the door which could be viewed from all tables. Since it was a weekday and late almost 10.30 pm I guess we got the seat keeping in mind the space. Food: We ordered Betki kabiraji cutlet for starters which is a cutlet fried in flaky egg batter. Betki stuffed was mildly sour to taste and it melted in my mouth. The flaky egg batter could have been tastier than it tasted, but I liked ...

As the names says Mime which means action, character, or emotion without words. Mumbai’s first restaurant with a fully deaf-mute staff serving the food. Touched with the bright smiles of the staff and their warm hospitality. It was a simplified menu with each section have signs. We were explained how to order using the sign language if not we could even order by simply pointing out at it. Started by two friends from London in Mumbai now.. Well managed by 4 floor managers. A very good way to encourage the challenged humans to earn for their living. Sometimes i feel these people understand well what we want more than the servers without any challenges. Meal for 2 : Approx 2500/- with drinks, starters, main course and desserts. Loved this place, cute ambience, would definitely return. Good news for Sobo heard they are to soon open it in Colaba #thetastingtummy like me if you like food!

Tanjore  by restaurateur Gitanjali Ramji whose nick name is Angie is situated at Colaba. A tiny, 24-seater, which opened in January 2015. I had Molgapudi Idli and Rasam Vadai. The menu is more or less identical to our favourite south Indian restaurant chain Dakshinayan, at Malabar Hill and Juhu. There were 2 servers but they did not have proper knowledge about the dishes. The dishes served to us were not made fresh but just re-warmed. There were some lovely beverages which i had was Paanagam which was a drink made from jaggery, chilled water, ginger and lime juice which was very refreshing. Another refreshing beverage was vasantha neer which was made of coconut water, basil leaves, honey and lime juice..