The Hurry Burry Kind of Love

A hurry burry post coz I just want you to go and get nostalgic at this restaurant. To all my Indian friends who live by themselves or r missing some authentic treats in Muscat, if you wanna relive the masaledar memories of chai and poha then rush to Khana Kazana, next to Khimji Mart Ruwi

Maharashtrian kanda poha

Saboodana kichidi

This restaurant personifies nostalgia. In my earlier post titled THE QUICKIE KIND OF LOVE I had informed you guys about Yummy Gola treats that you get here. No no they don’t pay me any fee or offer me free food for blogging about them (not that I would mind if they do)

Go hurry up. Grab a bite and let me know what you think. Saboodana kichidi is a bit oily but the poha is perfect with it’s salty, sugary, peanuty goodness.

August 31, 2014August 31, 2014 by Smitha Categories: UncategorizedTags: best indian restaurant in muscat, bombay chaat, dubai food blog, fast food muscat, food that reminds you of home, foodblog oman, foodies, homecooked, maharahtrian poha, middle east, must eat places oman, must try restaurants muscat, saboodana. kichidii, snacks, top 10 fast food indian restaurants muscat, yum Leave a comment

The Natural Kind of Love

I consider myself blessed as I belong to a ‘generation of parents’ who are firmly grounded to their roots. They might have branched out to greener, brighter pastures but their roots keep pulling them back to the land they were born in. Because of that gravitational pull – me, my brother and my cousins got to experience the village life in all its glory.

So when my cousin whtapped me the images of the produce from my Uncle’s vegetable garden it filled my heart with the memories of my late Grandma overseeing all the mango and tamarind harvest in our backyard.

My Ancestral Home in Palakkad, Kerala, India

Our ancestral home is more than 100 years old and has a lot of acreage.

My Uncle the man behind the produce

Kudos to my uncle for nurturing the land that has the potential to yield gold. He has such a big heart that he distributes the produce to family, friends and passerby for FREE. Such is our love for food 🙂

Here are some of his productions:

Half blushing Tomatoes

Okra / Lady Finger – Hmmm i never knew it grew upward, facing the sun.

Melony goodness

Look closely – wild yet tamed chili

When you love you love naturally. When you love food you love it to the extent that my Uncle does – Nature-lly. Some day I wish to do the same.

First Bite Experience:

I cant tell you how different these home grown, organic veggies taste. If you have never had it, I have to boldly say that you are missing  sublime goodness that stems from the lap of nature. My Omani friends have farms and they have got me freshly plucked Cherry Tomatoes and they taste just the same. Sublime!

Have you ever tried to grow something a herb, a plant, a veggie… anything? Do share your experience. 

 

August 28, 2014August 28, 2014 by Smitha Categories: UncategorizedTags: chili, dubai, earth, environment, farm house, farmer, farming, farms in Oman, fresh food, fresh produce, freshness, fruits, herbs, india, instafood, kerala, melon, natural, nature, okra, oman, Oman green awards, Sultanate of Oman, tasty, vegan, vegetable garden, veggies, yum Leave a comment

Worth the Wait, Kind of Love

Oh My! I can’t tell you how much I have waited to put out this post. I wanted it to be perfect; I wanted it to be the best; I wanted it to be so many things and more that I realised if I didn’t write it now I would never end up writing it. The Manhattan Fish Market – A dinner date with ‘the man I am waiting’ for at ‘the restaurant I have waited to go to’

best seafood restaurant in muscat, oman

It finally happened. My hubster took a short break from the 3 year course that he is pursuing in India and came visiting. So date nights were on an all-time high and I was on a spree of showing him all the treasures that I had discovered in Oman in his absence. Ever since I read the dreamlike post about The Manhattan Fish Market on Andy in Oman (thanks Andy, I owe that night to you!) I was dying to go there. Waiting for the perfect moment, waiting for the perfect company. Even if you don’t read what I have to say, look at the pics and make it a point to go there. It is totally worth it. The food is amazing, the staff is extremely friendly and it’s worth the wait and worth every baisa you spend. Best Seafood Restaurant in Oman The Manhattan Fish Market, 6855 Way, 18th November Street, Azaiba Tel: 24 499621  Facebook Page, Website  First Bite Experience Stewed Tomato Mussels. Costs RO 2.9 and is served in a pool of tomato gravy infused with magical spices and condiments. Scoop the earthy, tangy sauce into the shells of the mussels and sup it up.

Us – Muscling up the romance.

The creamy mussels and the magical gravy will make you want to lick the last traces off the plate. Manhattan Flaming Seafood Platter

Aren’t you happy when what you see is what you get?

We wanted to taste everything on the menu as that was not possible we decided to go in for the Platter (RO 11.9). Squid was deep fried to perfection not chewy, not soggy and oily but just light, crisp n tender.

Flaming it up for us – Table side.

What can you say about a dish when even a grain of rice is flavoursome? The garlic fried rice, and the creamy flamed shrimp will help you attain nirvana. The fried oysters were good not great but good. The fish fillets were of buttery perfection. We wanted the veggies to be pan friend instead of their usual steamed version, and our request was delivered, without a single question. The quirky and creative decor wordplay combined with the oceanly love makes this experience totally worth the wait. But why wait… go for it and do let me know what you think.

August 26, 2014November 23, 2014 by Smitha Categories: UncategorizedTags: abudhabi, best of oman, best seafood restaurant muscat, bestrestaurant, dubai, easy recipe, fish lovers, Fishing, fishing in oman, food, food d forbwork, foodblog, foodblogmuscat, foodie, foodinmuscat, fresh seafood oman, fun, go to places in muscat, ideas, india, indiian meals, live to eat, local restaurants, lunch box, middle east, Muscat, oman, packed lunches, seafood restaurant, the manhattan fish market, uacooking, uae, working woman 2 Comments

Liebster Award – The Rewarding Kind of Love

What fun it is to be nominated for The Liebster Award. Food and Love when mixed together can create interesting conversation. Thanks Veena S for starting the conversation and for finding me and my blog.

What is The Liebster Award?

Other than giving you those exciting flutters in your tummy, The Liebster Award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

What are the rules?

1. Each nominated blogger must answer the 12 questions asked by the tagger or the person who nominates you.

2. Then choose 12 new blogs,tag them and ask them 12 unique questions.

3. Visit their page and tell them about it.

SIMPLE & FUN

So here are the answers to the 11 questions Veena S thoughtfully drafted for me.

1. In three words tell us about your interests and activities.

EAT. LOVE. DANCE

2. Why is blogging important to you?

Blogging for me is like etching your memories in stone. And the joy I experience when someone likes or comments on my etchings, brings those happy memories back to life. I blog to feel, I blog to relive and I blog to never forget.

3. What is your favourite music ?

Latin Music – Salsa, Bachata and Zouk

4.If you could turn back the clock, which is the time period you would favour? Why?

The year 2002 – The year when I had the perfect love, the perfect friends and the perfect life – It was perfect because ‘perfect’ was the only option and ‘happy’ was the only reality. Such was the naivety of growing up. Fun Fun Fun.

5.What motivates you?

Freedom and Independence. The fire to not let anyone trample my spirit. Speak up or act when I am wronged as well as when i am loved.

6. One favourite food you would like to tuck into, if you must eat in bed.

Potato Chips!!!!!

7. A friend in need is a friend indeed – share an experience

Down in the dumps. getting beaten by life. surrendering to the insurmountable… you would know the drill is if you have ever let the pain pull you down. then came a friend, so selfless, so loving, so giving. pulled me out of my submission and reintroduced me to that thing we keep calling LIFE!!!!

8. Which is the latest gadget / App /techno product you are using? How does it help you?

Kindle Paperwhite. Rekindling my affair with books and other printed wisdom.

9. What advice would do you have for new bloggers ?

Write about the things that make you happy dizzy. Write with passion and of course use the right tags 😉

10. Stand with your eyes closed in any one place of choice. Now open your eyes – tell us about the first thing you observed? Does it tell us a bit of your personality?

At my work desk. First thing I notice is my personal decor. Cocktail umbrellas and some fun quotes.

11. Finally, you pop one question for yourself. A free bird! Let’s see what comes to your mind.

So My question to myself is – Food or Love? Answer. When given a chance between a mean and an end always choose the means ….then you are empowered to create the end of your choice.

Here are my nominees (new bloggers with less than 200 followers but growing)

1. https://chictravelology.wordpress.com/

2. http://underneaththeglitter.com/

3. http://mindfullyaudrina.blogspot.com/

4. http://kalakelly.blogspot.com/

5. http://sangeetamadhav.blogspot.com/

(i know you have more than 200 but wanted you to be a part of this as well)
6. http://thebellatravelista.wordpress.com/
7. http://dorastable.com/

8. http://rekhabaala.wordpress.com/

And lastly here are my set of 11 questions to you.

1. Love or Marriage?

2. Good Food or Good Booze (alcohol)

3. Who is your biggest cheerleader and why?

4.’Dance it out’ or ‘Sit it out’?

5. When life gives you lemons what do you do with it?

6. Your favorite book?

7. The person you loved the most when you were a teen and the person you love the most now?

8. The last place you traveled to?

9. What are you addicted to?

10. Handshake or Hug?

11. The aroma or fragrance that you like the most?

August 24, 2014August 24, 2014 by Smitha Categories: Uncategorized Leave a comment

Lunch Box: Magic Ingredient Freshness

So this week it’s all about freshness which I achieved by traversing through the route of traditional indian cooking.

Smoked eggplant or baingan bartha

Fresh herb chutney with cilantro, mint, green chillies

Peal spot fish fried to perfection

yeah i couldn’t resist it…Had to have a strip of yummy in my tummy 😉

August 23, 2014August 24, 2014 by Smitha Categories: UncategorizedTags: cooking, easy recipe, food, food d forbwork, foodie, ideas, indiian meals, live to eat, lunch box, Muscat, oman, packed lunches, uae, working wiman 1 Comment

The Quickie Kind of Love

Quickies make us alllll happpy. WHY? Coz its quick and insanely satisfying. Mistake me not…for me talking about one quick fix that can make you smile, slurp, sip and sup. In India it goes by the name Gola, Chuski and in the West shaved ice popsicles.

Picture taken at Mumbai – Juhu Beach

From the beach side Ice Gola escapades in Mumbai to experimenting it in its many shapes and forms abroad, I have come a long way. Every time I take a drag from the ice i get filled with not just its sweetness but of the various memories that comes with it. The times I have shared a gola with my parents when I was a kid, as I couldn’t finish all of it to the times when I would selfishly keep it away from my hubby. So many memories of it with my friends, my sister-in-law and cousins…Gola I LOVE THEE.

Different types of golas found in India

Image courtesy of Shashank Mehrotra licensed under Creative Commons

Best Goal in Muscat

Khana Kazana, Right next door to Khimji Mart, Ruwi.

First Slurp Experience

I love the Kalakhatta flavor so do most of the gola fanatics I have met. It comes in a zillion flavors and what makes it click is a special Indian salt called the ‘Kala Namak’ or black salt, even though it is pinkinsh in color. Yeah we Indians like to always have that element of surprise to everything we do. It made with Indian blueberries called jammun. Get ready to be mesmerized. Will surely wonder how can something so simple looking, taste sooooooo darn good.

Word of Caution

Opt for the kalakhatta flavor only if you do not have place important to go to. Coz after u have it your tongue and lips will be colored beyond recognition in a naughty shade of purple.

August 21, 2014August 21, 2014 by Smitha Categories: UncategorizedTags: beach, fun, ice cream, india, indian snack, instafood, local restaurants, mudt see places in oman, must experience muscat, restaurants, restaurants in muscat, romantic restaurants in muscat, yum Leave a comment