Buddy's Fast Food - Beware

Everybody deserves a second chance, is not a golden rule and definitely does not apply to food joints.

I have realised that once you strike off a food joint from your - must go list, you should never go back to it. Unless you have amnesia or have money to waste and idle time to spend.

I remember going to Buddy's when i was expecting my second baby, very often, as it was on the way to Indus hospital. And, even in that enchanced hormonal stage, i was pretty disappointed with the food. So, on my last gynae visit i had decided never to go there again.

But, today i was famished and happen to be at St. Bedes chowk, so i decided to give it another try. The place has modest interiors, hasn't changed much over the years.

It might look like a happening place to a fresher in St. Bedes college, but to a veteran like me, its just the same.

Self service and cleaning of the tables, by a very sad under paid looking steward. Blaring, misfit music  and above all terrible food.

I am never over critical with food, willing to cut slack most of the time. But, it was unpardonable today. We ordered chicken biryani with butter chicken in gravy. It took almost forty five minutes for the order to arrive.

The biryani was orange coloured rice, with two sad pieces of chicken. In the name of presentation there was a flower shaped capsicum on top.

The chicken curry was made of stale tandoori chicken, the gravy was made by a twelve year old it seemed. It was raw and tasteless. Very unpalatable.

But, the folly was ours, as on closer inspection we realised that the neighboring tables had ordered maggi and momos. Easy to make and ready to eat. As saving grace, the cold coffee was decent.

I am going to stick to my not to go list, from now onwards. Please go at at your own risk.. Avoid if possible.
 

Fascination Shimla

Ironically, as the name suggests i was never fascinated to it..

Some places never excite you enough.. But, i got an opportunity to change my opinion last week.. Shimla runs out of options to dine out on The Mall.. Its like a loop which keeps playing itself again and again..

My husband is a big fan of the place so nudged me to give it another try. So as a rule i always try new things on the menu and strange names always attract me.

So we ordered Chicken Chow soup on a misty Friday evening, which the steward described as chicken clear soup with soft noodles. The soup was delicious, the broth was clear, comforting and very well seasoned. Chicken was plenty and the vegetable had been cut beautifully in juliennes, not diced..

Then the next dish we ordered was Chicken Fuyong, again mystery name, which the waiter simply described as a chicken omelette. It was a surprise, and combined very well with the soup. Crisp outside, with a soft filling of chicken and veggies.

We ended our meal, with my husbands favourite chicken chowmein, and yes i knew thats noodles.. It was nice, not very indianised and very well seasoned. the noodles seemd handmade, not out of a packet.

The service was very good, the steward was polite and prompt, clean table cloth and napkins. And food served on warm plates..

The mist, the company, good food, lucky me.. Enjoyed ...

Chung Fa Chinese Food

Before i start, i must confess, that quite a few of you, might accuse me of being biased after reading this. But, when it comes to food -

Thou shall only hear what your heart seeks...

Chung Fa has been on my list of joints for more than a decade now. Mr. Anthony who runs the place, always welcomes you with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. And in a jiffy, comes up with good food.

Over the years not much has changed in terms of the decor or furniture. Except for the annual change of the Chinese calendar on the wall. As a matter of fact, food also tastes the same year after year.

Its my place of crime -
On a rainy day
On a shoe string budget day
Only girls outing day
Nostalgia day and so on...

A bowl of  hot chicken soup with noodles, does wonders to your soul. It revives your spirit and gets you going for the grind again... The spring rolls are unmatched anyhwere in Shimla. And i can bet on that.

The Chinese and American chopsuey both are pretty decent. The sweet corn chicken soup is a favourite with my girls.

Bsically, Chinese food with very minimal Indianisation. My suggestion, stick to the basics, keep a blind eye to the decor, and enjoy...

Chinese Food, Shimla

I have been in living in Shimla all my life. Yet one thing that always disappoints me is , non availability of good Chinese joints. To name a few there is Dim Sum, Aunty's and Chung Fa. The first i visited last weekend only to be disappointed again. For a place situated on the Mall, the place has very simple interiors. Thats not a problem. But the cutlery is so unappealing, the jugs dont seem to have been washed for days and picnic glasses and plates.. I'm willing to ignore this too for a good meal in return.. But theres more to come.. The portions are exceptionally small and prices shocking.. I ask for crab and ham rice, as expected crab not available. I am suggested to have mixed rice instead, which has miniature beings, supposedly called shrimps in them.. But i'm a fair person, the Teriyaki chicken was well cooked and so was the Manchow soup.. I had chosen to go here instead of Aunty's. cos the latter has a long waiting period, again very uncomfortable seating and sometimes good food.. I wish consistency was the top most goal for all restaurant owners.. Keep it simple and sweet.. Will be back with more food escapades soon..

Hotel Blossom, Shimla

We had lunch at Hotel Blossom the 6th of this month, i always like the ambience the garden, lawn and flowers. But this time i was disappointed. The tandoor was not available as always. The new waiter tells me with tongue in his cheek, that it works according to occupancy. But all said and done the golden fried chicken was good and so was my favourite crispy honey chilly potatoe. The spicy chicken salad looked different this time.And to top it all we ordered Imperial Chicken , the menu said it is served with garlic bread and white sauce. What is served looks like a desi version of Chicken stroganoff.. sad. We send it back and ask for what the menu says. To our utter disbelief the chef punishes us by sending out tawa toasted white bread with sauteed garlic pieces between them. The bar was always teir weak point. But this time we had Bloody Mary minus the vodka and plus tomato ketchup in it.. Screwdriver was made in mixed fruit juice. And despite the elaborate affair of desserts in the menu, only gulab jamun was available. It a pity that joints in Shimla fail to maintain a standard and try to retain customers..I dont think i'll be going back there soon.

Cream Coffee- Indian Coffee House

So i decided to give Indian Coffee House another try. I had ticked it off many years ago, due to bad service and below average food. I went there this weekend with hubby dear, to have vada sambhar. Sadly at 6pm, vadas were finished, so had to settle for idli sambar. The sambhar was awful, it seemed to have been boiling since 6am and been diluted repeatedly. I can still taste the after taste in my mouth. Now we ordered a supposedly famous concoction called ' cream coffee ', the waiter had not heard of it in these parts. In Shimla its called - hot cream. Now, i'm smiling it was wonderful and tooooooo good. Its black coffee served with whipped cream on the side. U can have it with or without sugar..I'm going to go back for it.. Must try for all.. 

Qilaa - Shimla, HP

So i decided to give Qilaa, another shot today. As i was bored of going to the same joints every week. This place had opened a little while ago, and in this short span , has already changed the menu - both look and content wise thrice. The decor looked different too and a previously run gift shop was absentee today.

Also, on a lighter note a chic lady, at the cash counter was missing today too.

The banofee pie, used to be my favourite earlier and the reason i stopped going there was, its exclusion from the menu.

But, on a rainy and foggy evening like today, i thought , why not.. So, i went in with my better half, looking for a steaming cup of cofffee. Instead, ended up ordering a portion of Shawarma, a Hawaiin chicken pizza and brownie with hot sauce.

The Shawarma was decent, by Shimla's standards. Although, the stuffing was a little runny. The pizza, was sadly, miles away from Hawaii.The problem with our country is that we desperately try to Indianise everything. Some things are best enjoyed original. But, then i am no authorised food connosier. But, i have had Hawain pizza innumerable times and what i had today was far from that..

Firstly and what i missed the most, there was no pineapple in it, the chicken was scanty and the base was raw in the middle. There was little or no seasoing. Which brought back memories of a banoffee pie, which was served without any toffee syrup, last time....

But, as saving grace the brownie was good and the sauce pretty good. Top it all the coffee, was extraordinary...Really good...

So will i attempt to climb down all those stairs and go again, maybe maybe not.....

Wake & Bake, Shimla

The name does not suggest anything, you have to go to see for yourself. Its the new most happening place in town. With an amazing view of the hills on one side and the Mall road on the other, its a great place to spend quality time with close friends. The interiors have been done very tastefully, the staff is happening, young and very efficient. We ordered the chicken, cheese and bacon crepe, which was very good. The filling was more than enough and the crepe was well done throughout. The hummus with the pita bread could be compared to any high end restaurant in the metros.It was really good, I would definitely be climbing those long flight of stairs for it, again. The pizza was ok and took almost thirty minutes to arrive. The other attraction there is the the hookah and free wi-fi. Which is attracting gen x like swarms of bees. On the whole the food is very good, the menu has been planned very meticulously.Hopefully, it will not die down like all good things that start with a bang in Shimla. Will visit again ?? sure why not !!!

IIAS - Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, HP

Nostalgia, fond memories and peace is what this place brings to me everytime I visit it. I have been going there since i was a young girl, now I go there with my girls. No photo album is complete without pictures of it. Its like a timeless legacy which I will pass on to my children. I remember a few years ago there was a lot of controversy, followed by agitation when it was being proposed to convert it into a hotel. For more than a decade now a small dhaba cum cafe is run by a private party in the basement of the building. A few years back the old fire station was converted very tastefully into a small cafe cum reading room cum ticket sales outlet. I remember I had google the lady architect who had renovated the station.A commendale job indeed. The place was always short on food options. In a way that was good, as it controlled the litter. Spring and early monsoon are very good seasons to visit. The flowers are in full bloom and greenery everywhere. I went  again this Sunday, only to be appalled to see the state of things. Firstly in prime tourist season the cafe closed at 6pm. So you shouldn't even expect a drink of water anywhere after it closes. The other dhaba had only Maggi to offer.There was garbage on the lawns. But, what compelled me to write today, was the utterly disgusting state of public conveniences. They were made state of the art, with the modern day fixtures and conveniences. But, it seemed that they had not been cleaned for ages. I am not a public wash room person, for this same reason, that whenever i have given one a try. I have been left with horrid memories that do not go away. In a place where literary scholars and geniuses are banging their heads for the betterment of mankind, this is a SHAME. Maybe it should have been handed over to a hospitality partner.......

Moti Mahal - Chota Shimla

So we decided to try a new restaurant in Shimla today, very risky buisiness and nine out of ten times it is a disappointment.New restaurants in Shimla are like cheap candles, they look fancy, but they burn out ever so rapidly.

So many have come and gone, only the best have lasted till now. We decided to try Moti Mahal, Chota Shimla, today. Firstly, it was so difficult to locate, as there was no prominent sign board giving directions. The man on the phone was not very helpful and didn't know his left from his right.

Hence, we crossed all of Chota Shimla market, then to turn back again. It is a drive in restaurant and has parking, no problem about that.

The steward came out to guide us to the restaurant. To our utter shock and amazement, the restaurant comprised of three separate tables, approx sixteen to eighteen covers, placed right next to the entrance. It was a make shift lobby cum reception cum waiting area.

We felt very strange sitting next to the road, but thought that the food will make up for it. The menu was A4 size sheets stapled together. The starters and the main course were mixed and there was utter confusion in the dishes on the paper.

There was gin but no lime cordial and the steward said we only have " domestic " spirits. He said since today is a dry day he'll serve drinks elsewhere and food in the so called restaurant.

We were directed to a waiting area outside guest rooms, and assumed to have out drinks in private there. I think that was the last straw in the hat, so we got up very graciously and decided to exercise our right to freedom. And decidedto celebrate azadi elsewhere...Go at your own risk, looks and ads on the tv can surely be so deceptive.. Jai Hind..

Monkey Menance

Monkeys monkeys everywhere... Shimla and monkeys have become synonomous. There is one monkey to every fifteen adults or less. They are everywhere. On the road, terrace, roofs, balconies, garden and sometimes even inside the house. Going out to shop, you need to be full alert as one might pounce on you from anywhere. They have a very advanced sense of smell and fear. If you are scared they'll smell it from yards away. Women and children are easy targets. But, we're to blame for a large extent, for present the days condition.

When i was younger, we only saw them few months of the year. Elders told us that they cant take the heat, so in the summers are mostly inhabiting the Jakhoo area and surrounding. Their main source of food was vegetation from the forest and what the religious amongst us, chose to feed them.

But, now they don't need vegetation or to look for food anymore. Humans have made food easily available to them by throwing garbage everywhere. Monkeys are very intelligent animals, they feed at a spot once, they'll come there daily to check and eat again. We have put grills and covered our balconies and open areas with mesh. Ironically, the monkey is caging us in and forcefully confining us to our habitat.

I dislike the fact that one cannot  even go for a walk in peace, without worrying about them. They eat my plants and destroy my garden, mercilessly. And even if they don't eat a plant they will still uproot it, just for the sake of it. I rarely get to see flowers in plants, as they have to spot a bud to eat it.

Old parents are terrified and feel helpless, and reluctant to go alone on roads, which are frequented by them. The Kalka - Shimla highway is dotted with them, all throughout. We regularly read newspaper reports of how they are destroying fields and damaging crops.The government needs to take some concrete steps soon.


 I dont hate them, but i wish they would go elsewhere and be happy. And, let us live in peace. 

Misty Hills

Rains is one of the most magical seasons in the hills. When its hot you long for them, when they come you long for the sun. In my younger days a short spell of rain would mean, sudden emergence of innumerable number of earth worms, snails and slugs on the road. They were everywhere, i was never too fond of them.  The slugs specially, with their sticky line following them. Nowadays, with my girls growing up, i have only sticky memories to share with them. I describe a slug by making dirty faces and draw an earthworm for my younger one. Where have they gone !!! Sad and strange. Till last week it was terribly hot by Shimla standard, a 31 or 32 degree, is too much for us to handle. Today, the heavens have opened their doors and we have much awaited relief. The mist creeps onto us, without a warning and its here to stay. Mist is such an amazing phenomenon, it  so exquisite and delicate. And never fails to surprise. Sometimes you cant see beyond a few meters, and sometimes it decides to settle in the valley and stay there. The drizzle is when it rains for days at a lazy speed and refuses to stop. Umbrellas become a part of your wardrobe and gum boots become a fashion statement. Plants get a new lease of life and the deodars and pine, dont stop smiling.

Shimla at 1600 hours today-

 Shimla at 1615 hours today-

Shimla ta 1630 hours today-

Enjoy !