You Must Check Out These Non Cliched Travel Destinations In India!

The Taj Mahal in Agra, the Gateway in Bombay, Qutub Minar in Delhi, the back waters of Kerala and the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata are amongst the most well known tourist spots in India and everybody has heard of them. Sure they make for great sightseeing and experience but India has so many more hidden gems that people aren’t even aware of and those places don’t even cross their minds while planning a holiday.

So the next time you are thinking of a little getaway, this may just come in handy!

Bhitarkanika National Park (Orissa)

Located in the Kendrapada district of Orissa, the Bhitarkanika National Park is home to the endangered estuarine crocodiles (the largest living repltiles) and the white crocodiles.  If lucky, one can also spot pythons which inhabit this area.

Covered with lush mangrove forests , a boat ride on these waters from Khola to Dangmal is an unbelievable experience and more than often you actually get to see the big crocs in abundance.

Accommodation: Sand & Pebbles Jungle Resorts

Nearest Airport: Bhubaneswar (160 kms away)

Wayanad (Kerala)

Think Kerala and all that comes to your mind is Munnar, Kovalam, Cochin, Trivandrum and Alleppey, But Kerala has another gem of a destination called Wayanad. Nesting amongst the mountains of the western ghats, Wayanad is rich in wildlife and has an abundance of coffee and spice plantations. Believed to have been inhabited by humans more than 3000 years ago one can still see a glimpse of the bygone era at the Edakkal caves which rich in wall paintings and pictorial writings. In addition to this Wayanad also boasts of the largest concentration of the wild Asiatic elephants in the world. A safari at the Muthanga wildlife sanctuary almost always guarantees you a sight of this giant beast.

Accommodation: Tranquil Resort

Nearest Airports: Kozhikode (100 kms) ,Mysore (140 kms) & Bangalore (280 kms)

Orchha (Madhya Pradesh)

The historically rich town of Orchha has plenty to offer to history and culture enthusiasts. Dotted with ancient architecture, a walk through this town will leave with a tingling eeriness of the bygone era. A must visit is the Orchha fort complex which consists of three palaces – Jehangir Mahal, Raj Mahal and Rai Parveen Mahal.  

Other notable places of interest are the ChatruBhuj Temple, the Laxmi-Narayan Temple and the Rama Raja Temple.

Accommodation: Sheesh Mahal (a heritage property)

Nearest Airport: Gwalior (119 kms) Orchha is also well connected via rail from Jhansi

For more details to plan your travel click here.

Yelagiri (Tamil Nadu)

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Yelagiri is a small hill station located in Vellore district in Tamil Nadu. While it is slowly becoming popular as a tourist destination in Tamil Nadu, it’s still not as crowded as other popular destination in Tamil Nadu such as Ooty and Pondicherry. It’s an ideal destination for easy, laidback weekends. Yelagiri serves as a fairy good spot for trekking with three hills that have a good number of trails – Swamimalai hill, Javadi hills and Palamathi hills. The Punganoor artificial lake is good for an evening walk or a boat ride can be enjoyed at leisure.

Travellers’ Tip: Alcohol is not sold at Yelagiri nor is it readily available on the sly, best bet would be to carry your own stock.

Accommodation: Hotel Landmark

Nearest Airport: Bangalore (193 kms) & Chennai (219 kms)

Netrani Island (Karnataka)

Netrani is small island located off the coast of Karnataka. The closest town to Netrani is Murudeshwar, which is 19 kms away.  It is also known as Pigeon Island, because of the large number of pigeons that inhabit the island. It is one of the best sites for scuba diving in India and one can sight a large range of aquatic fauna such as butterfly fish, trigger fish and sometimes even Orcas and Whale Sharks!

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There a lot of certified diving organizations that can arrange for scuba trips and the necessary permissions required to visit Netrani Island. It is advised to get all the necessary permissions before you plan a trip to Netrani as the island adjacent to it is used by the Indian Navy for target practice.

Accommodation: RNS Residency (in Murudeshwar)

Nearest Airport: Mangalore (154 km) & Goa (206 km)

So which one are you exploring next?!

Seven Street Food Spots In Bombay You Must Try!

Sure, Delhi might take the crown when it comes to the Ragda Pattice and the Gol Guppas, but Bombay too has its specialties when it comes to street food. Home to the quintessential Vada Pav and Pav Bhaji, here are my top picks for street food in Bombay. Yes, we have tons of non vegetarian options too!

Vada Pav at Anand Stall (Vile Parle-W)

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Bombay’s  most popular snack ; The Vada Pav is easy to make and you can see a Vada Pav stall at every nook and corner of Bombay, but if you haven’t tried out the award winning (literally) Vada Pav at Anand in Vile Parle you are definitely missing out, ask the Mithibai college kids if you don’t believe me!  

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The crisp potato patties or more commonly known as vadas are a perfect combination of mashed potatoes flavoured with garlic, chillies and coriander which is fried fresh and wrapped in a soft bun or Pav while it’s still piping hot makes for a delectable snack. The rock salt fried chillies are an added bonus. In addition to Vada Pavs you also get sandwiches, dosas, frankies etc. Oh and this little stall even has their own website. Go figure!

Cost For Two: Rs. 100

Location: Opp Mithibai College,Gumohar Road 1,Vile Parle

Rolls at Bademiya (Colaba)

Bademiya is famous even outside Bombay, whenever I have friends visiting me in Bombay; two things are always there on their list; and shopping at Colaba Causeway and a Tikka Roll at Bademiya.  This little joint is the saviour of many Bombayites who after a long night of partying flock in herds to have their post 2.00 am snack here. Located right behind The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, this open air kitchen has a larger following than Narendra Modi on Twitter! The menu has many options and is a meat eater’s paradise. My personal favourites are the Butter Chicken Roll and the Mutton Seekh Roll. The best part about this eatery is its operating hours- 7pm to 3am!

Cost for two: Rs. 500

Location: Tulloch road, Apollo bunder, Colaba

Parathas at Lassi Te Parrontthe (Bandra W)

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While this Carter road stallish kind of a place may not necessarily be street food in the traditional sense, but hey as long as it’s cheap food and has a stall by the street I am going to consider it street food! Yes and for all those going, ‘This is that Carter road tattoowala place’, yes you are right.

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The very unconventional chef aka owner Nikhil whips up fresh hot and piping parathas as you attempt to watch without drooling all over the place. My personal favourite is their Gobi Paratha and the Spinach and Corn Paratha. Every Paratha is served with a pickle and curd and you can wash it down with some Chaas available at the stall. If you are lucky you may just hear him casually strum the guitar as well, totally depends on his mood though.

Cost for two: Rs. 250

Location: Cafe Coffee Day lane, Carter Road, Bandra

Prawn Fry at Jai Jawan (Bandra-W)

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You have to shove and push your way through the maddening crowd that collects in front of this tiny eatery almost every day. Located on the busy Linking Road in Bandra, Jai Jawan has a limited menu with about 10 items listed but each one surpassing than the other. My personal favourites are the Punjabi Prawn Fry and Mutton Kheema Masala. I haven’t really tried any of the vegetarian options but going by the delicious non vegetarian food they make I am assuming the vegetarian dishes should fare well too.

Cost for to: Rs. 700

Location: Opp National college, Linking road, Bandra

Fruit Cream at Haji Ali Juice Center (Mahalaxmi)

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This place is famous for its fruit creams and milk shakes. A wee bit overpriced but once you have their fruit creams you will forget about the pricing. I absolutely love their fresh Strawberry and Cream and if it happens to be summer then you should definitely try their Mango and Cream.

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You don’t even have to get out of your car to place an order, they have attendants pacing up and down the street to come to your parked vehicle and take your order as well as deliver it over to your car. I have never tried anything besides their fruit creams and the occasional milk shake but this place is an absolute delight. It opens as early as 5 am and shuts at 1 am, making it the perfect takeaway joint on your way back from a late night out.

Cost for two: Rs. 600

Location: Lala Lajpat Rai Road,Haji Ali Circle,

                                                                          Mahalaxmi

Pav Bhaji at Sardar’s (Tardeo)

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Pav Bhaji is best served with loads of butter and toasty tawa grilled buns, and no one does it better than Sardar’s. A mild heart attack is well worth this buttery delight. A finely mashed vegetable laden gravy with hot buns make for the perfect Pav Bhaji, so if you are from Tardeo or are ever heading to that part of town, do ask for directions to Sardar’s and go taste Bombay’s best Pav Bhaji. Don’t expect much in terms of ambience, service or even finding a seat for that matter, it’s always crowded but I guess that speaks for the quality of food now doesn’t it?!

Cost for two: Rs. 200

Location: Tardeo rd junction, opp. bus depot, Tardeo

Egg Bhurji at Khurshid’s (Vile Parle-W)

Khurshid’s has been my personal saviour after many late nights, nothing tastes better than greasy Egg Bhurji and tawa toasted buns after you are a down a couple of beers. Tucked away in a corner this is a popular haunt with the suburban Bombay crowd especially at the wee hours of the night. One of the few places to serve cheap, filling and delicious food even at 2.30 am Khurshid’s hits all the right spots. If you aren’t particularly looking at non veg you can even opt for their Pav Bhaji.

Cost for two: Rs. 200

Location: Opp. Vodafone store, JVPD, Vile Parle (W)

Honorable mentions:

Amar Juice Center (Vile Parle-W) for Pav Bhaji and Tawa Pulav

Bachelorr’s (Marine Drive) for juices and milkshakes

Five Places You Must Eat At In Delhi

Every time I visit Delhi, I come back to Bombay having put on atleast 2 kgs if not more, courtesy all the amazing restaurants and food joints the city has! There are just way too many and if I had to write about all my favorites, this list would never end. So what I’ve done instead is picked out atleast the 5 places you should absolutely try in Delhi. And no, I haven’t included restaurants serving Butter Chicken in this list, because let’s face it, Delhi has a lot of good restaurants that serve fantastic butter chicken(psst..Gulati is my favorite btw). So here are my personal picks from restaurants and food joints in Delhi:

SodaBottleOpenerwala

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I personally love Parsi cuisine and had heard a lot about SodaBottleOpenerwala from my friends in Delhi, so  during one of my visits to Gurgaon I made it a point to visit this busy restaurant in Cyber Hub.  Coming to the food, they have the usual favorites such as Berry Pulav, Baida Roti, Sali Mutton and Dhansak among other items on the menu. The beverages on offer  range from Irani Chai to Pheteli Coffee and coming to the alcohol, you can find quite a few unusual cocktails such as Dikra-Kiri (Rum and fresh sugarcane), Parisiana (Vodka, plum and oranges) and Daaru Wala Vimto (Rum with 5 berries).

From its quirked out décor to little details like serving food in aluminum crockery and brass tiffin carriers, SodaBottleOpenerWala gets full marks on the ambience. Apart from the traditional Parsi fare, do try the Bombay Rasta Sandwich, Bacon Kheema Macaroni and the Sekanje Bin (a drink made out of mint and dried plum)

Approximate cost for two: Rs. 1500

Location: 3,Cyber Hub, DLF, Cyber City, Gurgaon

MI Food Center: 

This is like Delhi’s answer to Bademiyan (Bombay). A tiny non pretentious place with absolutely no frills but definitely high on taste. The place has no seating, but that shouldn’t get in the way of some lip smacking food now should it?! Meat eaters will love this place. It serves some of the best Mughlai food such as mutton Kebabs, Khemeri Roti, Seekh kebab rolls and Chicken Changezi. If you don’t mind standing or sitting in your car then you must definitely try out this place tucked away in Meher Chand Market. Also just in case you are struck with some inspiration while eating there and feel like cooking up something once you go back home, this place sells raw meat as well!

You must absolutely try their Mutton Korma, Chicken Malai Tikka Roll and Kheemeri Roti.

Approximate cost for two: Rs. 500

Location: 43, Meher Chand Market, Lodhi Colony, New Delhi

Cha Bar:

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This one is for all the tea aficionados , well the name kind of speaks for itself. A small café in the Oxford bookstore at C.P, this place is a tea lover’s wonderland with its mind boggling range of teas, each served  in their own dedicated  stylized set of cups and teapots! They also keep a small but delicious range of finger foods one can have along with the teas. Only drawback- the seating is very limited as people who come here usually like to read leisurely while sipping on a cup of cha and more often than not you may find it difficult to get a table.

You must try the Bollywood Masala Mix Tea, the English Tea Sandwich and Cha Samosas there.

Approximate cost for two: Rs. 500

Location: N-81, Oxford Bookstore, Connaught Place, New Delhi

Thai High:

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How does dinner with a view of the Qutub Minar sound? I’m guess abso-fucking-lutely fantastic! Thai High is a hidden gem, and when I say hidden I mean it. The food tastes good (well as good as Thai can get in Delhi) and definitely one of the better places to eat Thai cuisine in Delhi. I am recommending this place more for the ambience and setting than the food.

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The approach is a little tricky and it can get a bit difficult to find the restaurant, so put your Google maps to some use and go find this place. A hidden place that opens into a grand terrace with the view of the Qutub Minar, the best meal to have here would be dinner, simply because of how beautiful the view is at night. As the name suggests the restaurant serves Thai cuisine. 

Do try the Yam Phak Krob, Satay Kai and Som Tam. Cocktail lovers will be happy to know that the drinks are quite potent. They don’t scrimp on the alcohol here!

Approximate cost for two: Rs. 2000

Location: 1091/1, Ambawatta Complex, Kalka Das Marg, Mehrauli, New Delhi

Yeti – The Himalayan Kitchen:

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This place really makes me wish it was in Bombay as well. Awesome people who own Yeti, are you listening?  Yeti has to be one of my favorites from all the places I have eaten at in Delhi and Gurgaon. Serving the tastiest Himalayan (Tibetan, Bhutanese and Nepalese) cuisine, just one visit is not enough for the Hauz Khas eatery.

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While the Momos and Thukpas are delicious you must also stuff your face with the Shabalay (Tibetan meat filled deep fried pie) Tshoem (Bhutanese buttery curry with meat) and the Mothuk (momo soup) there. Everything that I ate was non vegetarian but they do have a lot of vegetarian options on their menu as well.

Approximate cost for two: Rs. 1200
Location: 2^nd Floor, 50 A, Hauz Khas Village,Delhi

Please add below some of your recommendations, so that the next time I'm in Delhi I could hit up those restaurants as well!

Five Sunday Brunches In Bombay You Don’t Want To Miss!

I am sure most of us love the sound of brunch. The idea of sitting back at a Mediterranean-isqe set up, with a glass of sangria, some delectable food and sharing some good old banter with friends while some music playing softly in the background keeps the tempo up. Sounds awesome, right?!

Well luckily for us, Bombay has quite a few great Sunday brunches to choose from. 

Here are my top 5 picks.

1. Novotel (Juhu)

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A buffet spread boasting of Indian, Italian and Chinese cuisine can be found at the Sunday brunch at Novotel. The fact that the buffet is spread over all three restaurants at The Novotel (Olio, The Square and Sampan) makes this brunch a must. With the majestic view of the Arabian sea, the brunch here is an absolute delight. Be ready for the never ending signature cocktails and some taste bud scintillating food at The Square. What’s even better is that all those who brunch there are given a 20% discount on the spa services as well and can even take a dip in the pool. Now that’s a double win!

Cost per head: 2299 + taxes (approx.), inclusive of alcohol

Hours of operation: 12.30 pm to 4.00 pm

Address: Novotel, Juhu Beach, Balraj Sahani Marg, Juhu, Mumbai

2. Olive Bar & Kitchen (Bandra)

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Who hasn’t heard of the brunch at Olive Bar & Kitchen now. Olive Bar & Kitchen has Bollywood glitterati to thank for making it one of the ‘IT’ places in Bombay. But even if we take away the b’town glam quotient from Olive, it still has so much to offer, especially when it comes to the Sunday brunch. A Mediterranean set up with a mouthwatering spread of salads, pastas, pizzas and  eggs await you with a full accompaniment of an extensive list of alcohol which includes wines, beers, cocktails and Sangria, the perfect way to spend a lazy Sunday! For all those who don’t think of Bombay beyond the sea-link, the Olive at Mahalaxmi racecourse also offers the same Sunday brunch.

Cost per head: 1850 + taxes (approx.) inclusive of alcohol

Hours of operation: 12.30 pm to 3.00 pm

Address: 14, Union Park, Bandra, Mumbai

3. The Little Door (Andheri W)

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The Little Door was a game changer for Andheri, finally the Andheri folks had their very own venue for a kickass Sunday Brunch, oh and it has Karaoke too! Did this just become the best brunch in town? Head to TLD to enjoy a scrumptious spread of Greek, Italian and Spanish delicacies as well as a wide range of salads, breakfast items and desserts.

Cost per head: 1393 + taxes (approx.) inclusive of alcohol

Hours of operation: Noon to 4.00 pm

Address: Plot B31, Siddhivinayak Plaza, Off New Link road, Andheri W, Mumbai

4. The Blue Frog (Lower Parel)

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Blue Frog’s Sunday brunch is all about fun, food and some great music , all lazily spread over five hours. Well those five hours can be put to some really good use, as the spread boasts of over 50 dishes and an array of cocktails to try. Suddenly even five hours seem short now! The open bar includes a collection of cocktails, wines, champagnes , fruit juices and martinis. One can enjoy some good live music while sipping on some champagne and sampling one of the many dishes on the menu.

Cost per head: 2500 + taxes (approx.), inclusive of alcohol

Hours of operation: 11.30 am to 5.00 pm

Address: Mathurdas Mills, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai

5. Indigo (Colaba)

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Indigo serves one of the most popular Sunday Brunches and for good reason too. The delectable array of food consists of numerous choices in small servings, salads, marinades, antipasti, entrée, grills, desserts, and of course an abundant choice of sides. They also have a pretty exhaustive wine and cocktail list to choose from, with the test tube shots taking the popularity vote! There are enough choices for both vegetarians and non vegetarians .

Cost per head:  2100 + taxes (approx.) inclusive of alcohol

Hours of operation: Sundays-noon to 4 pm

Address: 4, Mandlik Road, Colaba, Mumbai

So which one are you going to next Sunday?!

7 reasons why you should attend SULAFEST 2015

Festival season has begun, and I'm talking about the music festivals! 

2015 looks like its going to be a good year for the music festival scene in India, what with talks of many international acts coming down to perform and many more music festivals launching in addition to the regulars. 

One of the most awaited music festivals; The Sulafest is taking place on the 7th and 8th of February at Sula Vineyards, Nashik.

If you haven't really made u your mind, here are 7 reasons why you should attend Sulafest 2015.

       1. Because spending your weekend at a vineyard is better than doing most other things!

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      2. There is wine, there is cheese and there is music in an amphitheater , what better way to spend a weekend!

      3. Because eating from all awesome restaurant pop –ups all at one place is lip smackingly amazing. This time expect stalls of Maroosh, Woodside Inn, Cafe Zoe and Busago amongst others.

    4. You can also while away time at the "Bazaar" getting foot massages , a tarot reading or simply indulging in kitschy finds all to the sound of music!

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   5. Because where else will you find live performances by Nucleya, Lucky Ali, Gentlemen’s Dub Club, Swarathma, Jewlung and Kefaya all at one venue?!

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      6. You get to be a wine snob, I’m talking wine tours, tasting sessions and grape stomping.

      7. Oh and they've got a camping out scene this time. Sleeping under the stars at a vineyard is something we could get used to.

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