Aadil Bandukwala's Blog

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sea food

Troika – Comfort Asian Food

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Crispy Fish Coconut Chilly at Troika, Bangalore

So this one evening last month the wife felt like dining at one of the roof top restaurants in Bangalore. You know fresh air, the view, ambiance, a little bit of music, the works. Yours truly was craving for some comfort Asian food. Looked up Zomato and the menu of Troika intrigued me. In half an hour, we were at Troika, at the roof top restaurant at 100 Ft Road Indira Nagar in Bangalore, all set for a great evening.

Since Asian food was the craving, we started off with Crispy Fish Coconut Chilly. Like the name suggests, this tongue tingling delicacy is crisp Basa slices tossed with coconut cream, garlic and chilly, seasoned with Thai herbs. The dish did thorough justice to the way the menu described it and brought out signature thai flavors – the palate was delightedÂ đŸ™‚

We further ventured into Rochaedo Chicken Dumplings with Sweet and Sour Tamarind Glaze. What I loved about this dish was the fusion of Goan and Asian flavors. Rochaedo is very much Goan but the sweet and sour tamarind glaze when infused with Rochaedo created a bag full of flavors that came across as comfort asian fusion food. But then the evening had just gotten started.

For mains we decided to indulge in Tai Chi Chicken which is chicken stir fried in oyster chilly pepper sauce served on a bed of sticky rice. Again, something uniquely comfort Asian that was very palatable. All in all, a happy belly! đŸ™‚

Grilled Fish with Buttered Carrot Puree & Peas

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Grilled Salmon

So in 2012, I took off on this vacation to Bali – where my objective was three fold: 1) Make sure that yours truly and Her Majesty [Read My Better Half, My Wife] have a good time 2) Indulge in Amazing Sea Food 3) Go crazy over Water Sports.

We decided to stay at Ayodya Resort Bali which is located at Nusa Dua. Designed to resemble a Balinese water palace, Ayodya Resort is embellished with stone statues, fountains and lagoon pools that exude the exotic grandeur of the island. The rooms were nice and spacious – the food excellent and the resort by itself – huge and very pleasing.

The resort has seven different restaurants that cater to a variety of taste buds from Balinese to Asian to English to Japanese. The one that I liked the most was a restaurant that was located at the main lobby overlooking the lagoon and the ocean called Java Hut.

The sea food at this place was exquisite – the above picture in this post I’m certain does justice to what I’m saying. So what was the dish all about again? Grilled Fish with buttered carrot puree and peas. Whenever I look at his picture, it almost immediately makes me want to go back to Bali again – to experience the food again, to scuba dive again, to explore the island, to celebrate life! đŸ™‚

Scealta di Risotto

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Tuscana Pizzeria Chennai

A city I started frequenting lately for business is Chennai and on my last trip there, one of my senior colleagues at work was kind enough to take me out to lunch at this place called Tuscana Pizzeria. This is a nice Italian joint located at Wallace Garden Road, Nungambakkam.

I love Italian cuisine. Whether it is the range of pastas or pizzas, gnocchis or breads, I love them all. What I enjoy most in the Italian cuisine is a well cooked Risotto. And when that well cooked risotto comes in the form of Grilled Madras Prawns tossed in Parsley Garlic Butter, you know you have a winner. At Tuscana Pizzeria, they call this dish Scealta di Risotto. After wiping it clean, I got the expression *Happy Belly*!

This is one place that I’d definitely go back to, to satisfy my risotto craving whenever I’m in Chennai. Bon Appetite! đŸ™‚

Butter Garlic Crab at Mickeys, Goa

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Butter Garlic Crab at Martins Corner, Goa

 

I’ve been brought up in a city called Belgaum which is sandwiched between Bangalore and Mumbai. One of my favorite things about Belgaum is the fact that it is a mere 150 kms from Goa – which is on an average, a three hour drive.

That being said, you can only imagine the number of trips I’ve probably made in the last few years. One of my favorite food joints in Goa is Mickeys. If you like sea food and are in Goa, your trip is not complete without visiting Mickeys which is located at Colva Beach.

Talk about Pomfret, King Fish, The Red Snapper, King Prawns, Tiger Prawns, Calamari, Lobster – you name it, these guys have it all. But what I love most there is a good old fashioned Butter Garlic Crab. Every time I’ve dined there, the consistency in terms of taste is just spectacular. The same flavors hit your palette each and every time – which is the hallmark of a great restaurant.