The Kukkad Diaries

The best part of being a blogger, a food blogger at that, is not that you get to try new cuisines and sample dishes at up and coming restaurants. Well, it is a very enticing to be sure but it's not the best yet. Okay, fine! Who are we kidding. It is absolutely mindblowingly fantastic that we get to hog on to all that delicious food. But other good thing that we found out was meeting like-minded, food loving folks whose love for food sometimes surpasses the need to pick up your parents from the airport. But well, such is the pull of true love.

Mr. TKD and me, we squabble a lot. Quarrels leads to fights and periods of 'cold treatments', but no matter how angry you might be or how right you were at your position, you know you have to swallow that pride and sulkily talk if you want your ritualistic Kukkad eat-outs. We are not very social and at the end of the day we only have the other to go out with. This is a serious situation, y'all.

So one fine day we got an invite from a team of food bloggers and enthusiasts, uncannily called The B Team, asking us if we'd join them for a wine and food tasting event. We, of course, said yes. (We are big gluttons like that) It was a friday and much relieved the week was behind us. We arrived at the spot, The Bridge at Clarks Inn Tarawade off JM road. We were having a tiff as usual but we did behave ourselves. The B team were a pretty cool bunch of food fanatics who make it a point to go out and try new places and they are always gracious enough to invite other poor folks such as us. The event was in association with an exciting new food app, aptly called the FoodieApp and Rhythm Winery.


Rhythm Winery is brand that focuses on fruit wines and has a line of exciting flavored wines such as Alphonso, Peach, Kiwi, Strawberry and Plum. The Winery had sponsored a wine tasting session for the bloggers in attendance and we got a class on 'See-Sniff-Sip-Summarize' way of wine tasting. We were given out the Peach and Alphonso wines to taste. The Alphonso one had a yellowish hue and at the first go it smelled and tasted, as the general consensus went, quite like 'mango bite' the sweet. But it did grow on us as we sipped along and it might have preferred it over the other one. The Peach wine had a subtler flavor of peach and was a nice sparkly liquid. Mr. TKD appreciated it by downing copious amounts of Peach wine which probably means is his favorite.



The fruity wines are created by blending fruit wines with grape wine separately. They are usually served chill so as to not let the flavor overpower the palate and go smoothly with the spicy Indian fare as we soon found out.

The dinner was organised by Clarks Inn Tarawade, which is considerably new in the Pune food scene.  Based out of Lucknow, Clarks Inn has a formidable presence all over India and they are branched out as resorts, hotels, restaurants and lot of other projects. In collaboration with Tarawade group, there are many new projects in pipeline for them. The Bridge is a multi-cuisine restaurant specializing in North Indian, Chinese and Continental. Since Clarks Inn has its roots in Lucknow, The Bridge had planned out a Lucknowi meal for us.

Our tables had bread baskets with bread sticks and bread rolls in them. We had already started nibbling on the bread sticks, famished as we were, by the time the starters arrived. The starters had PANEER TIKKA, PANEER HARIYALI TIKKA, MUTTON SHEEKH KEBAB AND FISH TIKKA.


PANEER TIKKA and PANEER HARIYALI TIKKA comprised of chunks of soft and moist cottage cheese, marinated in their respective spices and grilled to perfection. The PANEER TIKKA was nicely spiced and cooked to our liking. It went quite well with the green dip that was served. The HARIYALI variety had a green marinade and cheese on the paneer chunks. However, it tasted a bit under-seasoned to us. The tikkas were good but not exceptional considering their speciality in Lucknowi cuisine.




MUTTON SHEEKH KEBAB was minced mutton rolled on to skewers and tandoored to deliciousness. The spices really played to our tastes and we loved how succulent the meat was given that it was mutton.


The winner for us was definitely the FISH TIKKA. We are not really fish people but we had to hand it to the chef, this made us love fish. The boneless pieces of fish were so fresh and tender, the meat was falling off. It was grilled to the perfect crispiness and the spices we the right amount of pungent and zesty. We really couldn't have enough. And it went really well with our fruit wines.


The main course had VEGETABLE BIRIYANI and MUTTON BIRIYANI. We had already stuffed ourselves with so much starters that we decided to just have a taste of the mutton biriyani. At first, we didn't really like it as much. It seemed bland and the rice didn't really impress us. But it seemed our server had served us with just the top of the bowl of biriyani and the spices were mostly in the bottom so it required a good mix. The spices were aromatic and flavorful, however the mutton pieces were a bit too stretchy to bite. Also, the dish was quite pungent though the raita did take the edge off a bit. However, having had my fair share of biriyani in Kolkata, where it is revered as the food of the kings, I wasn't as impressed.


For dessert we were served with hot GULAB JAMUNS with a dollop of ice-cream and chocolate sauce. The plating was quite ingenious and the warm gulab jamuns went well with the ice-cream but at the end of the day it was just a gulab jamun.


The Bridge might be a good place to dine in if you want to experiment with North Indian fare. The ambience is pretty nice and service is decent.

We mostly loved this tasting because we met fellow-bloggers who are fun and as enthusiastic about good lighting on a Gulab Jamun as we are. (It is quite exasperating eating out with our 'normal' friends who are subjected to 'wait-don't-you-dare-eat-I've-not-clicked-a-picture-of-that-yet' treatment every time a new course comes in. Yes, exasperating for them.) A big warm thanks to Maanas, Divyanshu, Vaibhav, Neel and Arvind for having us over and big love to the other partners-in-crime. We had a great time hanging out with you guys and maybe we will hang out more often (here's hoping).

For us, TKD, it was a silver-lining, making new 'food' friends which means smooth cold wars with uninterrupted quibble until one decides to yield without calling unnecessary meal-time truce. Life looks good right now.

Most days, when we are eating out, we prefer ordering in our choice of salad. We are big fans of the Chicken Caesar Salad and really particular about how its prepared. The dressing shouldn't be too runny, the bowl shouldn't be too stingy on the lettuce, the chicken pieces should be in a apt amount and croutons are always welcome. It's not everyday that we can get our hands on the perfect bowl of salad and living in an area as Wakad, the options for places with good salad is really low.

Not to mention, The Kukkad Diaries has been championing all things healthy recently, thanks to the Mr. TKD's insistence on fitness and health conscious food choices. This new green wave that we've been riding introduced us to a phenomenal home-grown brand, Green Tokri. And might we say, it's a revelation! If you are a resident of Pune and have heard of Green Tokri, then you are one of the luckier ones. And if you, like us, were/are unaware of what this might be, you are in for a treat!

For the uninitiated, Spear-headed by Dr. Marc Cremer and his wife in partnership with Mr. Zaheer Vakil and Mr. Mohiuddin Mulla, Green Tokri is a brand that brings you fresh produce straight from the farm to your table! Dr. Cremer is an agriculture engineer of profound caliber holding a PhD in his field from Germany. Using his engineering acumen and love for farming he was able to grow lettuce on sweeping Green Tokri farms in Saswad, Pune. Since it's inception in 2001, Green Tokri has grown with leaps and bounds relying mainly on word to mouth publicity. And if it has grown it's because of the unmatchable quality and freshness of the produce and the absolute convenience getting it delivered to your doorsteps.

If you go on to their website, you can register to view all the products on sale. All the canned processed foods are made from the farm grown produce and hence are fresh and tasty. They have listed an extensive range of salad vegetables so that you can go ahead and make your own salad as per your preference. To add to that you can also order dressings, sauces and other condiments that you might require. Everything is extremely reasonably priced considering it's fresh out of the farm and you'll find almost all items priced below 100 Rupees. If you want to make salad just for yourself you can order a pre-cut ready-to-eat salad bowl with dressing for just 75 Rupees! Isn't that a steal?!


Green Tokri spoiled us silly with such amazingly fresh and healthy products. We were only too happy to receive our big bag of super fresh veggies and goodies. Our bulging bag had every vegetable that you'd want to be in your salad ranging from sweet succulent iceberg lettuce to ruby red cherry tomatoes.We got to taste jars of mayonnaise and sauces and dressings. We spent the weekends trying different salads, using the vegetables for new recipes and trying to incorporate the condiments in our everyday food. Green Tokri has amazed us. We absolutely loved everything we got our hands on.


We spend the entire week trying new ways to use the products and at the end of the week, the iceberg lettuce were still fresh in their zip lock bags. It was extremely easy to simply tear off the fresh, crumbly leaves into a box, throw in some veggies and a drizzle of the dressing and pack it off to work. And since, we tried so many ways to eat our vegetables we will sharing it with you too! Right now, however we will start off with our favorite salad that uses the Green Tokri products.

The ingredients we used were:

A bag of Ice Berg leaves: Though this bag of salad leaves had 250gms of produce, yet we were able to use it for almost 4-5 helpings of salads. We stored it to almost a little more than a week and it still tasted as crunchy and sweet as before.


Red Cabbage: It came in whole pieces and it lasted us more than 5 bowls of salad. We used it for sandwiches later. Rupees 50 per piece.


English Carrots: Priced at 29 Rupees for 500gms.


European Cucumbers: We love cucumbers and we totally love it on our salad. These cucumbers were juicy and sweet. The bag of 500gms contained 3 large cucumbers for 25 Rupees. It was so tender we didn't even bother peeling it.


Cherry Tomatoes: These tiny tomatoes instantly pepped up a bowl of greens. It was as fresh as they come and 2 weeks on, we still have a couple lying around in the fridge. It came in a bag of 200 gms and priced at just 29 Rupees!


Pickled Gherkins: We love love love this pickle. It can be used in sandwiches or pizzas and salads or eaten as it is. We loved snacking on the sweet and sour gherkins. Priced at 79 Rupees for 350Gms, we can't wait to stock up on this already!


Roasted Seeds: These are great addition to the salad and adds a crunchy texture. It came in a tiny packet but had enough to out-last all the salad making fervour.

Roasted Chicken: Now, this ingredient is optional if you want. We picked up a packet of pre-cut portions of smoked chicken from Nature's Basket. You can try them too if you are a chicken lover and like adding protein to your salad. It tastes great and stores well.


Mayonnaise and Belgian Samurai Mayonnaise: Even though Mr.TKD avoids mayo like plague yet he gave in to these ones this time because they tasted so good. The Belgian Samurai Mayo is like a spicier version of the regular mayo and it has a great punch. However, Vegetarian friends, be warned, these goodness has eggs in them. 89 Rupees for a jar of 180Gms.

Garlic Dressing: This is a bottle of wonder. It immediately uplifts the entire bowl of salad and makes it taste gazillion times better. This paired with mayo is our favorite dressing. Don't over-use it though, you don't want to overwhelm your bowl with a garlicky flavor. 79 rupees for 250 ml.


Making of the salad was the easiest part. The only thing that takes up a bit of the time is the prepping. Make sure to wash your lettuce before you toss them to your salad bowl. Once you wash them you can just wring it with your hands to break it into bite-sized pieces and then keep tossing the veggies you love into your salad bowl. Sprinkle the dressing on the salad and spoon out some mayo into it too. Toss the salad and enjoy a guilt-free, healthy and delicious meal.


Watch this space for more as we try our hands at Bruschetta with the Green Tokri Basil Pesto! Meanwhile go visit Green Tokri's website and register to go through appealing list of products at www.GreenTokri.com | http://Webshop.GreenTokri.com | www.facebook.com/GreenTokri

P.S: Green Tokri also organizes farm tour of their extensive farms in Sasvad. You can visit with your family and enjoy the greenery and natural landscape of their sweeping farms as well as pick produce for yourself. The tour will help you understand the working of Green Tokri and give you a peek into the farm life. The tour is chalked for an entire day and sounds quite fun! Contact GT for more details.

Comparatively a new kid on the block, Yolkshire has since established a reputation for itself in the last 6 months since its inception. A reason, probably why it clicks might be its concept of an all-egg menu. You heard it right, Yolkshire has all things eggs under one roof. Right from the delectable egg benedict to the humble masala egg bhurji, it has it all. How diverse could the menu get if it's just eggs you say? Well you are in for a surprise. A pleasant one if you enjoy eggs. There are a large variety of ingenious meal omelettes with sides such as hashbrowns, salami, sausages and mushrooms. You can customize your meal with your choice of sides.

The avant-garde venture was first conceptualized by a trio about 5 years ago and the first ever Yolkshire opened up in Kothrud. Despite the slow start the cafe started picking up a clientele, mostly owing to it's innovative menu and fresh concept. Only when Saili joined the management that she started contemplating an expansion of the brand. She took on the tough job of acquiring the location and managing the process of setting up the new branch. The toil and sweat weren't in vain, because on the October of 2015 the Aundh branch of Yolkshire opened its doors to public.



Though they were prepared for a slow start too, it was a revelation when the turnout on the first day itself was more than they expected. They haven't looked back ever since. Headed by Saili, Yolkshire Aundh runs like a well oiled machine. More and more people visit the cafe everyday to try the fare and most often than not they end up returning, which happened to us too. The location of the cafe is perfect; idyllic yet not very remote. It's a leafy neighborhood that might look like a nice residencial place but it boasts of several corporate offices, gyms, boutiques and pubs. If you land up here on weekends seeking perfect breakfast, which you will obviously find, you might be in for a wait because the tables are mostly taken. At least the outside ones are, which are perfect spots to have a meal, while you have a sweeping view of the street and other cafes across.

Saili is the epitome of girl boss. Previously working in the IT sector she realized that her true love lay in food which made her jump headlong into the hospitality sector. From not having any previous knowledge of the workings of a restaurant to successfully setting up a cafe, she has done it all. Running a busy eatery as Yolkshire is a task in itself yet she finds out time to pop in to the Kothrud branch. She is a powerhouse and she's always on her feet, waiting tables or in the kitchen or behind the counter, making sure things run smooth.


We were able to sit her down one day and talk about Yolkshire and food and other things. Saili, we know this post has been pending for ages now but we wouldn't have forgotten this for the world. Things have been busy at this end but this has always been on our minds.

Though these features we hope to put faces to our favorite eating places in Pune; to help you peek into the world of the people who are responsible for our favorite meals. We hope their journey is not only enlightening but also inspiring.

TKD: How did you plan to start a restaurant?

Saili: I have always been a complete foodie and great lover of food. My world revolves around food, it's all I think about. Even as I sit here I am already planning what I'm going to make for dinner. I really love eating and appreciate good food. I have a degree in engineering and was previously working in IT. I worked there for quite some time and though I loved food even then I hadn't really planned something like this.

Then I joined my dad in his company and that was when I got to travel a lot. I travelled through Europe and got to experience the different cuisine and culture. That was an eye-opener for me.

Yolkshire Kothrud was a few minutes walk from where I lived hence I used to frequent the place a lot and became a regular. It so happened that overtime I got to know the owners and I was in the position to give them suggestions about the dishes and the menu. Along the way I started to think about opening up a place of my own. I wanted to really convince myself that I could do it so I took up the management of the Kothrud branch doing everything from handling the accounts to being in the kitchen to cleaning. After a month I knew that I could handle it and I decided to take the leap.

TKD: Describe the setting up phase of the restaurant? Was it difficult or was it easy because Yolkshire as a brand already existed?

     It's not easy to do business in India. You'll face hurdles in every phase. I mean it took me 3 months just to get a food license. You have to keep everyone happy plus there is always a risk your work won't get done. For instance there was no way to track the status of my application for license. You don't get any email or message plus there is no way to contact them on the website. I had to make at least 5 rounds of the various offices before my query got answered.

     Another challenge is if you are a woman and especially of my age group you won't be taken seriously. If I'd been 10 years older I'm sure things would have been slightly better. I have done all my licensing work myself and I have always faced this problem in the government offices. I have had a hard time from applying for loans to acquiring license. Some people like troubling you just because you happen to be a female. But I can't do anything about this thing except for to fight it out.
      And these are just start up issues. It's even more difficult managing the staff especially when they don't take being bossed around by a woman very well. They have had a different upbringing where they don't understand the concept of men and women being equals and it is a task to make them look up to me as a leader.
   


TKD: So do you still face hiccups in the day to day operation of the place?

Saili: The challenges are always there. I always have a lot of worries at the back of mind. Like I have to look for a new manager or retaining the staff.

So to you it may seem like a glamorous job but there are lot of little hurdles like these and there are days I just want to give up. I sometimes start wishing for a 9-to-5 job but I can't since I have already leaped into the fire. So when my cousins tell me they want to do something just like me I tell "Please, don't. Because I love you too much!" :D

TKD: haha...but unlike a 9 to 5 job everyday must be eventful, right? No two days the same.

Saili: That's true. There are days which are very exciting and days which are very depressing. And this is just not the sales point of view, it's from the operational and customer point of view. But it is fun. Trust me, everything that you may have planned goes for a toss. You don't get to do everything you planned and you end up doing what you need to do to survive.

TKD: However, going by the response you seem to have struck a chord with the people. Yolkshire aundh is now one of the most popular cafe in this area.

Saili: That is the only thing that keeps me going. The sales figure that we hit on day one was 3 times higher than the sales figure that we estimated and till date we haven't tied up with any marketing agency or PR and still our response has been as good. When I see the familiar faces that have been coming back since day one, I know that I am not doing horribly wrong things in life. :)

TKD: How popular has it been since it started off? How is the footfall and when are you the most crowded?

Saili: It's been over 6 months now and I have started noticing a dedicated footfall. I see the same faces for breakfast especially. That's mostly because I don't think any other place opens up as early as ours. Also there are gyms close by so we get the gym regulars every morning and evening.

TKD: What has been the weirdest experience managing a Cafe?

Saili: Believe it or not, people not paying their bill and walking off is one of the strangest experience. I didn't know this actually happened in Pune until I saw people do it. Also, people come up with a lot of excuses. One is "I've just come back from the gym and I don't have my wallet on me, so I'll pay tomorrow".
I maintain a register where I keep a track of these things and at the end of the day I end up paying from my pocket to tally the balances. And these are nice looking people with cars and fancy watches!

TKD: Which restaurants do you like in Pune personally that you'd like to suggest foodie to foodie?
 
Saili:  Well, one of the fine dine places I'd suggest is the buffet in Westin which is the best buffet I have had in Pune. Ditto for the buffet in Novotel. As for cafes, I really like the Where Else Cafe for their Parsi cuisine. Also, I can't get bored of barbeque in Barbecue Nation. Other than that, Arthur's Theme at Koregaon Park. Also do try waffles at Henny's food truck..they are the epitome of waffles.
       
        I like breakfast at Skip's too. I recommend it even though they are my competitors :D But I'd suggest that they make changes to their menu. They've had the same menu since the last 3 years though their food is good.

TKD: What are your picks from the menu that you'd recommend our readers?

Saili: Being a hardcore vegetarian, I would be very bad suggesting vegetarian options but for people visiting Yolkshire I'd suggest Mexican Salsa and Omelette Reve in eggs. Also my current favorite is the Stroganoff Rice so I'd suggest that. Also, Chocoburst pancakes because I personally like them too.

TKD: What, in your words, is the USP of Yolkshire?

Saili:  Nutritious, pocket-friendly food sums it up. We are very clear on keeping it pocket friendly even though it lowers the profit margin for us. We want people to come here again and again as frequently as possible and their pocket should permit them every time.

TKD: What are your plans for the future regarding this place?

Saili: I would really like to open up atleast 3-4 branches of Yolkshire in Pune in the next 2 or 3 years time. I have really realized the brand value of Yolkshire after coming to Aundh. Initially I was doubtful as how many people would really know about Yolkshire outside of Kothrud but I have been totally proven wrong by the response and I'm really happy about that.

Apart from that, I have plans for my own food truck. Though the plans are still in my head but I really hope to do it in Pune. I think we are really lacking good food truck.Also there is lot issues with starting a food truck. People in India still don't know about food trucks. There aren't many laws regarding their licensing and all and the people who are running food trucks are facing a lot of problems. However I think things should work out by the time Yolkshire Aundh settles in a bit.




Well, she does seem like a feisty lady doesn't she? She sure knows how to get the work done, crossing the t's and dotting the i's. We wish her the best for the future and hope Yolkshire goes from strength to strength, especially since we are already in love with the egg benedicts there. We are glad we can count her as one of our good friends in the business.

We were also lucky enough to get a photoshoot done for their new menu and in the process were able to sample the newest additions to their selection. We will be putting a detailed review on the blog soon. Till then head over to Yolkshire and make sure you pass on a 'Hi' to Saili now that you know her too! 

We know it's been ages since we put out a blog post but the schedule has been rather hectic lately. TKD has been away visiting the home city, running errands,getting work done, wrapping up photo-shoots and being a super-hero in general. We've hardly had time to check our social media too. We are very cave-people that way. However, while we have been away we have also unearthed great treats for all you fellow health nuts out there.

How many times has it happened to you that you get a pang of guilt every time you snack on the cookies kept oh-so-conveniently close at hand or cursed yourself for munching on the packet of chips offered to you by your friend (and no one can have just one,can they?) because it's been more than a couple of hours post lunch and you are hungry with no options for anything but these sinful eats? Well, we have been through these guilt ridden phases every-day; hogging on junk while promising ourselves that we'd work extra hard later that week.

Mr. TKD is usually strict with his diet: no mayo, no cheese, no sugary-drinks, no fried food, no sweets, that is until he starts feeling hungry. Once he is starving he hogs on to pizzas and pasta, gobbles down cans of Pringles and finish off fries like it's nobody else's business. He spends the next two days wracked with guilt and running extra laps trying to burn down the calories he might have strapped on. It was then that we heard of Snackible, a brand that creates and delivers healthy and tasty snacks and we tried a monthly box. Mr. TKD was impressed and we decided that we had to share this piece of information with you.

Snackible was kind enough to curate us another box for pictures and review. The best part about this brand, apart from all the hard-to-find, delectable nibbles, is that you can assemble your snacks in your subscription box as per your preference. Snackible currently has 16 variety of snacks to choose from and we're sure you'll find your favorites too. There's something for everyone!

The snacks come in ziplock pouches which are great for storage and a boon for people on the move. Each pouch has a description of the snack inside and a table of nutrition facts, which might be handy for some of you who count their calories before they eat. As per Snackible, the snacks have no added preservatives, MSG, artificial color or flavoring, transfat or cholestrol (can we get a yay!). The snacks also have a good shelf life as they are nitrogen packed. The snacks are all conceptualized and created by Snackible team in collaboration with nutritionists and food technologists and they source the freshest and healthiest ingredients to manufacture these amazing snacks.

Our favorites have been the Wholewheat Belgian Chocochip Waffles (oh the joy of devouring something with choco-chips without feeling guilty), Dark Chocolate Ragi cookies, Jalapeno Peanuts, Cream and Onion Wholewheat Thins and Seedy Crunchers. However, we really loved the box that Snackible created for us. It had:

Roasted Mexican Chickpeas: 100gms/Rs50
The crunchy chickpeas coated in spices makes for a great tea-time guilt-free snacking. We love munching on this while we work, on the way to work, on the way back, basically anywhere.



Cream and Onion Wholewheat Thins: 100gms/Rs50
As it proclaims 'Crackers with a twists' and it is. The wholewheat crackers are flavored with cream and onion seasoning and tastes so good we haven't really missed the packaged chips since.



Maple Honey Granola Crunchers: 70gms/Rs65
This has lately been a great breakfast option for us. It has a great mix of oats, chia seeds, sunflower seeds and almonds formed into chunks and can be had as it is or with some cold milk, It's really filling and deliciously healthy.


Jalapeno Peanuts: 75gms/Rs65
The peanuts has always been a favorite between the meal nibble for most unless you are a allergic to peanuts, which is unfortunate because these roasted peanuts coated with spicy jalapeno flavors is addictive. The unique jalapeno flavor reminds you of pizza and the peanuts may not taste like a slice of pizza but are definitely healthier.



Seedy Crunchers: 75gms/Rs80
These are mildly sweet amalgamation of crunchy seeds loaded with dates, raisins and dates and very filling for when you are hankering for something to chew. But chewy they are and hard to get off of your teeth, hence they might not be our most favorite snacks of the lot.


As they put it about themselves " Snackible is a healthy snacking startup, bidding to revolutionise the snacking industry by providing healthy, delicious and unique snacks, delivered all over the country, that too right to your doorstep" and boy are they right. Our experience has been smooth so far. The website is convenient for choosing the snacks and ordering it and getting it delivered to you. Apart from that you can whatsapp them for orders too. The customer support provided is incredible. The one time our order was late, we were constantly updated on whatsapp about the progress of our orders. The prices of the snacks are very reasonable and all under 100 rupees. Subscription boxes start from Rs 1140/- and are great value for money but you could always try out a trial box before you commit to a subscription. The weekly trial box is dirt cheap at Rs. 299/- and the monthly box (with larger packs) is priced Rs.850/-

As I sit here writing this blog post, I'm munching rather busily on my pack of the roasted chickpeas and hoping you find a happy ending to your snacking problem with Snackible as well. And if you try out their chocolate and ragi cookies and think it's awesome, thanks us later :D

P.S: Keep an eye trained on our Instagram page for a special giveaway featuring Snackible! Follow us for more info @thekukkaddiaries

For more information about Snackible check their website out (www.snackible.com) or Whatsapp them at 9930871199.

March brought along a mini break for the kukkad diaries. With all the pressure at work and slogging that we were doing, we decided that it was high time we took our dose of vitamin SEA. So tickets were booked, reservations were made and we found ourselves in Goa with our backpacks on.

Goa is a treasure trove of eating places. All you need to do is get a scooter on rent and travel around discovering all these eateries while you take in the scenery on offer. 

Backpacking in Goa is the best form of cheap therapy on offer. And when you find some time off (or if you don't, take some!) book tickets to here. It's a cauldron of every possibilities and has everything on offer. Newly married couples have their beautiful sunsets and typical beachy backdrops for the mandatory honeymoon selfies; pot-heads have their secretive rave parties and hippies by the beach thing going; quiet reserved ones have their reflective moments by the beach, lying on the sun-beds and reading and contemplating on life and world; while wandering hungry reviewers have their fill of sundry cafes and eateries to sample, some amazing while some not as easy on their gastronomic well-being.

The Kukkad Diaries, as the name would suggest are very emotionally and psychologically connected with chicken, but the same may not be true for seafood. Prawns remind me of insects and as much I love looking at the flora and fauna of the under-sea, I'm not thrilled about consuming them as much. This piece of home-truth is always followed by a deep pang for potentially not being absolutely at home in Japan, as I would have hoped to be, which has been on top of my must-travel-to list. So this time, we decided to dispel my fear of sea creatures by, you guessed it right, having them prepared in the spicy local flavors and devouring them.



Initially we wanted a homely (preferably a home), authentic preparation of the local konkan fish dish to try. A quick calculation brought our grand total of people we knew, actually living in goa, as null. Hence, Mr.TKD suggested we ride around the random streets of Baga and Calangute and around, looking for places that might seem like they'd have a friendly Goan aunty cooking meals of sumptuous local flavors and coaxing guests for second helping. Even though we eventually conceded that a place like that didn't exist or if it did it'd take more than a day to uncover. Famished with all the hunting we ended up as we always do, at Fat Fish.


Now, Fat Fish has its own special place with us. It was the first place in Goa that we'd had a meal on our first trip here and on every trip, Fat Fish always warranted a visit. Eating out at shacks can be a dicey experience. You might end up having the best Cafreal or you might end up with 15 trips to the loo the next day. But in all the previous trips, Fat Fish has always been impressively consistent, both with quality and taste.
In our past visits we have mostly stuck to the chicken dishes and they have been amazing. The chicken Cafreal is always a favorite. The juicy chicken marinated in the best amalgamation of spices, the pungency of the chillies and the spicy gravy makes sure we are begging for more. Couple that with their jeera rice, it's heaven.




Another dish that we loved was the chicken steak in mushroom sauce. It is a perfect meal on a plate with the succulent meat and the crunchy boiled vegetables. No wonder Fat Fish has always been our go to. So in the event of inability to locate the elusive Goan aunty with her perfect Goan lunch, we decided this had to be the next best place we could dine in.


So feeling rather audacious we ordered in the Special Goan Fish Thali. We were just beginning to wonder if we had made a bad choice by ditching our much beloved chicken, when it arrived. It was a feast on a plate. The big plate was lined with small bowls of different curries with rice, papad, salad on the side. There was also a couple of fried fish , fried to a perfect golden. There was a Crab Xacuti which was basically crab curry which was interesting to try given we never really had had crab before. In one of the bowls was Tisro, which is a preparation of clams in coconut curry. The other bowls had vegetables cooked in different ways.

All the curries tasted great and not as we were supposing them to. We specially loved the fish fry and Crab Xacuti. We soon had everything polished off our plates. Fat Fish had done it again. At that reasonable price, the fish thali was a steal. We only found out later that it was an award winning dish at the restaurant. But we already knew why.