Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Taaze-garam, Garma-garam !

 That is their motto, its embossed on their windows and adhered by them. The place im talkin about is ' Vinay Health Home'. Its our friendly neighbourhood breakfast place, located on the Business end of Fanas wadi, (whatever that means) opp. Jawahar Mansion in Thakurdwar area. Started in.................. well long ago, by the Tembe family, this snack place was passed down through generations. I can vouch for the generations part coz my grandpa used to take my dad, my dad took me and if it is still running when i have kids, i am gonna take them. Now us friends usually meet up there for a good breakfast.They say breakfast is the most important ,meal of the day ;).

     Done with bragging...... now lets get serious shall we (haha, i know). It is divided into two sections, as most of the restaurants are nowadays AC nd non AC..... (thankfully the non AC section is bigger). I just dont like my food getting cold, dats all. It has 15 tables entirely nd though they are all 4 seaters u will always find ppl cramped up on 1 (maybe ul catch us only). It doesn't have reservations (so dont bother calling), u will have to stand outside in a line to enter. Trust me on good day it will take almost an hour to get in. Opens by 8:30 am and closes by 9 pm, and it is closed on wednesdays.

    Ahh YESS!!!! FOOD !!
   It serves Maharashtrian cuisine, in its best form. Quick, Hot & Spicy. With recipes handed over by their Grandmothers, they can give any delicacy in the world a stiff competition. It is known for its 'Puneri Misal' (this one dish can take up the entire blog) and they probably put out 600 - 800 servings of the misal alone. Then follows your usual Usal Pav, Sabudana wada (the best part of this is the potato chutney), Kothimbir wadi,Kanda Batata bhajji, Thalipeeth, Kanda Poha....... i can go on & on. 
When i visit  i usually have more than one dish always (no surprise there, i know). They also have an option of South Indian food (the idli vada sambar is delicious) and some Sandwiches, which are decent,  I would go with the Marashtrian stuff. They also have an option of fresh fruit juices, u know for those "health concious ones". They also have a 'Diet misal', which is an insult to the hardcore misal lovers (aaarrrrgggghhhh !!!!!!).
      The one thing you cant get out without having in Vinay is their own coffee aka 'Saadhi Coffee'. It is awesome and even after hogging on all that food the first sip of that coffee just makes it disappear (hmmmm..... good business strategy). No other coffee tastes like theirs and after the Puneri (thats what they call the misal) is their most guarded secret.
       The service is good, not always with a smile but still appreciative of your existence :P. The one thing i like about them is...... they let you have a conversation (directly aake bill table par nahi rakh dete). We have overstayed our welcome quite a few times (were all a chatty bunch), still they ask us if we want anythin (with a smile here). They have adopted the no hassle way of cooking so ur order will be at ur table in max 15 mins.
Conditions Apply* :P.

Word to the wise people, Do not (i repeat) Do not go there in your car, u will not find a place to park (even the residents dont always get one). catch a cab or just walk it up (it'll make room for all the food).
Since it was renovated a few years back, ALL the Gujjus in my area have a 'Vinay Sunday'. It is flocked all day long. So i would suggest avoid it on a Sunday if u dont want someone yapping in your ear.

 To summon it all up, Vinay is a place where generations after generations have preserved their memories. You wud always see someone telling their kids or wives "we used to sit in that corner or that table". The homely atmosphere and ambience makes u feel welcome and tempts you to return and re-return. So when are you going ??


- Date.







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