Feel King or Raja at Rajwadi Hotel

Recently CAT had the opportunity to travel from Gujarat to Mumbai by road. On this route just after the Bagwada toll plaza, a stunning and spacious hotel grabbed the attention.

It is "Rajwadi Hotel". A perfect place for family halt. What a spot it is!

The most convenient thing on your road trip is to get a good place to relax and eat, the place which is just on highway, that does not force you to leave the main route or skip the flyover. This is exactly what is achieved at Hotel Rajawadi.

CAT recommends to have any Kathiyawadi dish here. Especially hot rotlas with the sabji to once delight is a healthy, energetic and yummy option.

CAT generally avoid eating rice when driving - although that takes away some personal fun.

The best part of all - is the ambiance provided to kids. Even washrooms are safely away in the same campus. This could be a roll-model spot for other similar joints to ensure that families or groups that opt to take a halt are actually refreshed before continuing their drive.

After all, those who do not drive are more tired and dizzy when you are on road trip.

With such a wonderful experience, CAT is happy to shout Miyaaon here.

Enjoy food -

Miyaaon.

Navnath snacks center- Fresh food destination at Bhugaon Pune

Navnath Snacks Center

Ever been to Pirangut - a wonderful place near Pune ...? Most of you might have heard of hotel Kombada on your way to Pirangut from Pune. CAT had been on the same way.




A Misal lover punekar informed CAT about an amazing place just opposite Hotel Kombada, Bhugaon - Matalvadi fata, Taluka Mulshi, Pune.

Here the generous and kind family of Mr. Tukaram Khanekar will server you with everything that is freshly cooked.

Small setup - 1

 Do not mind waiting for the fresh food being cooked and served to you ... meanwhile order a sukha Bhel! The movement your Bhel is served, you realize that you are up for a very special delight.

Small setup - 2

Apart from Misal and Bhel, you can order variety of snacks like Pohe, Bhaji and of course the Puneri Shample.








When CAT curiously enquired about why don't you keep fw things ready say - chopped onion, curry, etc...?

Tukaram Khanekar

The couple smiled and said that "we do not serve stale food - everything here is prepared and served only after the order is placed; this place is not just a hotel that mints money - we believe in providing healthy and tasty meal to our guests". Wow- what else do we need to believe that this couple is a follower of Nath sampraday.

Khanekar Family

Green chilly chutney is something which one should order and get packed from here if possible. But if there is no power - you might miss this glory!

CAT with friends and stomachful of dinner and memorable taste.

Yummmmy!!!!!

Hats off to Khanekar family for running your super joint that is based on "principles".

CAT would like to recommend this place for all food lovers and would like to Miyaaon here.

Just on suggestions - do not mind the time of delivery - order sukha bhel, as you food is being cooked fresh!

 

Enjoy food -

Miyaaon.

Shegaon

Cat been to Shegaon recently. It is located around 300 km west from Nagpur - Maharashtra. Shegaon has traditionally been a big market for cotton; cotton from ginning / pressing mills was transported to textile mills. It has colleges offering degree in the area of Commerce and Arts; there is Industrial Training Institute and also an engineering college - Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj College of Engineering. Well, it also has a touris attraction "Anand Sagar".

In Cat's opinion Shegaon is more popular as a pilgrimage destination as it is believed that Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj lived here.
Cat has visited the Gajanan Maharaj Sansthan (Institution) Temple and Anand Sagar. During course of these visits Cat managed to taste food from various stalls on the roadside...

For foodies - Shegaon is well known for "Shegaon Kachori". You will find a large number of outlets that boast to be the 'Shegaon Kachori Pioneers' or 'Original / Famous Shegaon Kachori' ..... Cat is not sure about who the real pioneer is - however, from old days there is a shop below Shegaon railway Station Bridge ... in Cat's opinion that Kachori is far better than other vendors.

But .... apart from Kachori Cat found many wonderful and tasty varieties at Shegaon, like - Sabudana Khichadi (also termed as Sabudana Usal here), Bhel and other fast food and tea joints.

Khichadi @ Vaibhav

When you are near the main entrance of the femous Gajanan Maharaj Temple at Shegaon, just look at your left hand side. Along with many hotels, kachori shops you will see a board - "Vaibhav Lodging Bhojanalay and Udipi Restaurant."

The appearances, cleanliness may not appeal some of you who expect a clean treatment at food stall. But the first spoon of Sabudana Khichadi will take you in the different world - and be certain about it.

The awesome Sabudana (Tapioca) Khadi where every dish is freshly cooked, with abundant shengdana koot (crushed peanut).

The Khichadi is served with fresh Dahi and Kothimbir (Coriander).

For Pav Bhaji lovers, do not miss the Sai Darshan Pav Bhaji just outside Hotel Vaibhav.

You will have a good treat for your taste buds...

 

You should not leave Shegaon without having Bhel on your last day. This is a unique bhel with 'Vidharbha flavor". This bhel has bhadang (masala kurmura - (otherwise bhel has white Kurmura) ), two to three variety of chivada, boiled peanuts, different salad veggies like - capsicum, beetroot, carrot... finely chopped, ... and the wonder comes towards the end when they serve it by asking 'tez banaau?' ... if you say yes - it is topped with a special 'red' chutney and finally "sping onion dressing".

Oh Man! ... its just amazing.... I never thought that a bhel without usual nylon sev and with salad dressing would taste such great!

 

A holy place with such a great variety of food ... In cat's opinion it is a foodie paradise. There are more such options to try out - variety of pakoda, special misal (with poha and boiled sprouts with masala), pure milk tea.

CAT observed that tea vendors here do keep a 'package' - manjan-tea-biscuit or manjan-tea-small breakfast.... it is a great discovery out of the needs of pilgrims who reach early morning for darshan and want to catch a train back home after that.

Cat strolled at midnight, late-night and early morning and found that there was at least one shop open to ensure that the person reaching this place should be well served to get fresh, to have tea and to have at least a quick breakfast. Cat admires the hardwork and commitment of local vendors and suporters who make all this happen.

Cat feels that Shegaon is a Foodie paradise as well .... more cleanliness will bring the "wow" factor.

Jai Gajanan!

Enjoy food -

Miyaaon.

Jai Jai Maharastra Maza .... Foodie way to express this in Malad

Part of the long menu

Jai Maharashtra Trupti Kendra ... it is a street food paradise especially for Dosa, Sandwitch lovers. If you are low on budget, low on hygiene cautious food and need variety of chutney, sauce, sambar like side menu - then just say "Jay Maharashtra!".

On Malad S.V. Road Junction - just diagonally opposite to Ramanjaneya, you will find "Jai Maharashtra Trupti Kendra". At the first site you might wonder that why this not-so-exciting road side joint is crowded.... This not-so-exciting mood will blur immediately after the wonderful and sizable dosa is served to you.

Dosa / Idli with variety of tasty chutney and sambar without any constraint on use of Butter bring the unique look, taste and the true road side feel to your plate.

The Set-up

The long long list of dosa-idali menu (CAT counted more than 40!), separate Sandwitch Menu will amaze you if you could locate the boards in the overall setup.


CAT ordered Shezwan Masala and was in love of this joint in just one bite! The service is prompt and proactive.

Moreover, for all you foodies the good news is- just behind this joint there is Soda Pub that can offer you kashmiri masala soda! and just few steps away comes the famous Survanshi Pan Bhandar! What else one needs for a perfect Roadside Dinner.

CAT quickly analysed that it is difficult to find this joint not crowded by foodies ... until it closes! Students, Bikers, office goers, groups, people waiting for bus all seem to be attracted by the fragrance and the quality offered here. Many foodies were happy with take away (oops - parcel) too!

CAT is extremely happy to shout Miyon here.

- Enjoy Food
Miyon Miyon to "Jai Maharashtra Trupti Kendra" @ Malad West.

Mahim Koliwada - Vada Pav

Last week when the Mumbai city was surprised with the stormy rain ... CAT got the chance to be with a friend on Bike. After the long queue and bumpy ride, we stopped @ the corner under the overhead pedestrian bridge at Mahim Koliwada.

To my delight, a stress was relieved by a decent hot Vada-Pav fragrance. Investigations - turn out in a discovery of another vada pav joint on the foot path of Mahim Koliwada. Great taste.... and in CAT's opinion it is a wonderful stop by location for bikers traveling from Worli to Suburbs.

Enjoy break and enjoy vada pav.

Miyon

Foodie journey to Mangaon (Konkan)

In recent past CAT traveled to konkan for a Family function. Apart from the enjoyment that comes from Indian traditional functions this journey turned out to be a good foodie experience.

We started early morning from Mumbai and had the first food break and Vadkhal naka. For the most of the konkan road-travelers this is the logical spot for tea-breakfast break.

We broke fasting at Milind Vihar at Vadkhal Naka. Milind Vihar offers variety of 'maharastrian' breakfast menu.
Although like  old food joints in konkan this one also ranks low on cleanliness, Huygens and presentation. However on the other side, CAT believes that such food joints are surviving & will continue to survive because of their routine customers and the homely taste that they offer. All traditional breakfast menu - 'poha', 'dosa', 'idli-chutney', 'misal' and snack food like 'moong bhaji', 'vada-sambar', 'puri-bhaji' retain its taste on fairly high level. One also should not expect high degree of service out here.

The lunch halt was in Chiplun. Chitale upahar griha is one of the welknown place in Chiplun. This is one of the favorite spot for many travelling towards Goa; if you start early you reach nearly at the lunch time in Chiplun. When you are travelling by road and it is a long drive CAT always recommends having a light homely food like simple rice plate rather than spicy or heavy food (e.g. gravy, Chinese, junk food). The light food is easy to digest and keeps your spirit high when you are travelling.

The the interesting mode was faced. No konkan journey is complete unless you miss the route; we took the kolhapur route after Ratnagiri ... and realized it at Nanijdham. CAT was lucky though .... the tea break at Nanijdham was a unique experience.



The fantastically refreshing masala tea with a typical village house with puppy, kitten, calf, rabbits. This was an unplanned tea break where kids enjoyed their stay and really felt re energized! If  you can easily do away with ten odd kilometers then CAT strongly recommends you to visit Nanijdham on your way to Goa from Ratnagiri.

Wonderful experience within interiors without mobile network, television a rediscovery of yourself and all coupled with mouthwatering food.

Yeva Konkan Aaplach asa!

Enjoy food -
Miyaaon.

mango masti @ Champion Foods

We come across many occasions when we want to distribute sweets.
CAT always wondered about how many varieties one can get ...
- The typical one: "mava" based sweets e.g. barfi, pedha, etc.
- Ladus
- Katlis: kesar, anjeer, pista, kaju, and many more
- Dryfruits: dryfruit sweets e.g. kaju / pista roll, dry fruit punch, etc.

Recently CAT came across a unique mix of flavored fruit pulp, dry fruit and katli base - "Mango Masti".
Place to purchase it - Champion Foods Vile Parle East.

This is an awesome and unique sweet that when you distribute, more than 70 percent of your guests will inquire from where you purchased it. The square shaped basket made up of kaju base, filled with real mango pulp, dry fruits and simple yet attractive presentation. The cup based serving makes it a perfect choice for distribution at functions.

    

Champion Foods has been a well known food outlet for Parlekars. You are assured for the quality, variety, price and service for anything you purchase here. And this is going on for decades...
Mango Masti is one of the USPs for Champion and you will not find it anywhere.

If you order it upfront for the function, you are certain to have your sweets freshly made and packed at the time of delivery.

Apart from the variety of sweets, Champion offers daily fresh stocks of Puranpoli, Thepla, Tell poli, breakfast items, snacks, branded ready to eat variety, pickle - chutney, bakery products, mukhwas, etc.

One must say that their brand name is reflected in their offering. They are the Champions of the Quality Food.

Enjoy food -
Miyaaon.