Machaan, why I like this restaurant

First time we went to Machan, we were ordering a la carte. But the waiter insisted on giving us lots of stuff from the buffet table as well: pakodas, finger foods. It felt royal:)

Next time again, we went we had a great time. The place is dimly lit, has a jungle motif and a softly rustling waterfall. But that is not why we go there. The food is truly excellent. The price reasonable.

This time we ordered some non-veg and vegetarian stuff. The food is non-greasy. Done just right. Tastes yummy. Options for regular and large are offered. I loved the Pattewali roti, with leaf pressed into rotis, while the malpua (with sugar syrup and crispy) and rabdi to pour over it/dip into as dessert was truly sinful. The appetizers are really non-greasy -- and that, in my opinion, is truly artful. The green vegetable patties (sorry, I forget the name) was cooked on tawa and was filled with nuts yet retained its shape and texture. For me, food is so much about texture. And while I must say the recession means some restaurants cut out the stylistic stuff like tasty mukhwas, here we got some amazing sweet mouth freshener that I kept popping in my mouth. Tandoori Table in Kandilvi east used to have a mint-flavored til-ka mukhwa that has now disappeared. But I loved that Machan is not cutting out such stuff.

Actually if you want to go budget you should try their Buffet: About Rs 399/ taxes. It is a gourmet spread man!

Address:

Palm Spring Bldg
Unit No 812, 8th Floor, Kanchpadha
Malad (W), Mumbai

Phone 28818844, 32687147, 28806668

The animals in my backyard

The little bird has gone now. I was lucky enough to spot him and then click him before he flew away. For two days for a few minutes he would leave his nest to hang about in the sun. He actually entered the tiny netting in my computer room to sit and watch me type. Then he flew out and sat on the grill in the garden, sunning himself and allowing generously to be clicked despite my nervous fingers trying to zoom before he decided to disappear. I saw him early the next morning, his alert parents fluttering about. He was always alone in the nest and I am glad his parents thought he was safe in our balcony. But now that he is independent he can be at risk -- flying about adventurously into some larger bird's mouth -- a nice morsel or a dessert!! So now his parents have taken him to where they normally roost and I have his empty nest hanging in the balcony. The ravens have been curiously visiting it, hanging at my grill like some dark creatures... I like ravens -- they reek of intelligence and seem to be rather useful about this city. Where would we be without scavengers?

A large monarch butterfly has been fluttering about my lemon bush. It is not just the white flowers that seem to lure it but even the leaves. Perhaps it will also lay its eggs here? Who knows.. If you have seen monarch pupae, they are very exotic and colourful and then when the butterfly emerges, its wings still wet and sits under a soft morning sun to dry its wings, it can be a beautiful moment...So I will wait:)

Other bird visitors are the bulbul, examining my flowers and sparrows. The one you see has been worrying my foot mat in the garden, tearing some fluff from it for lining its nest.

We had decided, my husband and I, that once the birds leave the nest, we will put the pigeon netting -- to keep off the marauding pigeons which squat fatly on my plants, or shred them. And not mention the tonnes of crap I daily have to clean. So I wonder if the netting will keep off the other visitors or maybe the holes will be big enough to let them through. But will they trust and come in?

This fat little chick!

This plump little chick is now out of the nest. It fluttered through the grill to my computer room, through a hole one-inch in height... then while I worried about it rushing into my fan, as I shut the windows, he fluttered out through the one-inch hole happily...

Now he comes out of his dirt-bag nest occasionally and sits on my balcony grill, as his parents flutter about him. Does he not look so divine...
He cheeps loudly, is quite active and seems to be eating the whole time, if you watch his anxious parents carry food for him non-stop. Parenting can be so tough!

We did not put a pigeon protecting wire netting just so he won't be disturbed. Once he is gone, we will have to put up the wiring since the pigeons otherwise trash my flowering shrubs... Then such birds won't come. The other day, a bulbul was there, examining my pink flowers curiously... Even he won't come. Nor the rascally Mynah who plucks my palm leaves with a vicious venegeance...

Political posters: big farce

Yesterday I was very happy to see the BMC van go along the highway and even in Samta Nagar, nearby where I live, plucking off the political posters off from the roadside. I felt good that the ruling that all such posters defacing the city may be pulled down. But I realised that the whole attempt was rather farcical. It was on the tenth day of Ganpati immersion -- which meant the posters were allowed to stay on the entire course. The whole tamasha yesterday, with police vans, etc was just hogwash then!!

Oh btw. a blog visitor later came along and sent me this email which explains why the whole farce was carried out:
Actually, they were being removed that day because the Maharashtra elections had just been announced earlier in the day and the model code of conduct, under which hoardings etc are banned, came into force. Not being pulled down because they were defacing the skyline or any such thing…