For those of you visiting this series for the first time, Tubby is a new plate I bought exclusively for lunch at office. You can read about why I decided to have my own personal plate in office and the two exciting seasons she had been through recently below:
For now, I would like to thank all my blog visitors for the overwhelming replies and comments I've been getting on Tubby's posts. Strangely, these two posts seem to get much more traffic than my other recent blog posts. I guess at the end of the day, we all love food! :D
So I'll quickly answer some of the frequently-asked-questions I've been receiving on WhatsApp and FB before I begin this season.
Question: Kima, do you order out every single day?
Answer: As I have mentioned in my earlier Tubby posts, I work at an amazing company located at a prominent Corporate Centre in Pune. There are two large common cafeterias, but they both serve only vegetarian food. Don't get me wrong, there are times when I love pure veg, but I just cannot have it every day. I need my meat sometimes, you know. Hence the reason why I order my lunch from outside when I'm at work.
Question: Your Tubby food posts are so detailed, right down to the cost of each item. Do you keep a track of what you eat every day?
Answer: Nooo, lolz. The reason why you see that is simple. I take a photo of my food every day, and my phone saves that file according to the date taken. And I order food through Zomato app, which keeps a track of all my invoices. And so when I select which pic to upload, I just look at the date, cross reference that with Zomato, and thadaaa, I just copy-paste the detail. Easy peasy.
Question: So do you upload similar pics now and then?
Answer: I love exploring new restaurants and dishes. Yes there may be times when I order the same stuff I have ordered before, but for my Tubby blog post series, I try to make sure that every single episode is unique and something you're seeing for the first time. Hence you will not see similar dishes across all seasons.
Question: Is this series of post only with this plate?
Answer: Yes. I take a lot of pictures of the food I eat, and if I decide to write about them in the future, they will be in a different series of post under a different name. For this "Adventures of Tubby" series, the only photos you'll find here are the ones with this plate, who by the way, is Tubby.
And so, with that I give you season 3 of the adventures of Tubby. This season, I started using more of Swiggy rather than Zomato (will write a blog post later on why Swiggy is winning over Zomato loyal patrons like me). Hope you enjoy this post.
Season 3: Episode 1
Marrakesh, Kalyani Nagar, Pune.
Hyderabadi Kheema: ₹225
2 Butter Naans: ₹70
Butter Tandoor Roti: ₹20
Half Tandoori Chicken: ₹185
Malai Phirnee: Complimentary
There is something very unique about the Kheema that Marrakesh makes. It has a different taste from the kheemas that other restaurants serve, and I really like that. I wish I know what their secret ingredients are. The Kheema went so well with Butter Naans and Roomali Rotis, though they didn't have the latter that day. By the way, their Shawarmas are to die for as well.
Season 3: Episode 2
Grab A Bowl, Koregaon Park, Pune.
Pork Kerala Style Spicy Roast (Add On - Rice): ₹305
Walnut Brownie with Chocolate Sauce: Complimentary.
Another favorite restaurant of mine. And the best part is, their menu seems to be expanding every week. I usually order Pork items from this place. This time I had their Pork Kerala Style Spicy Roast and it was wonderful. The only disappointment was that it was a bit dry, but the taste of the pork kinda makes up for that I guess. I had it with my fermented soybean (bekang) and bamboo shoot pickles - a match made in Heaven.
Season 3: Episode 3
Cafe Hormuz, Viman Nagar, Pune.
Sali Par Eedu (Half): ₹50
Tomato Papeta Par Eedu (Half): ₹60
Chicken Keema Cutlet: ₹85
4 Plain Paratha: ₹60.00
This place is my favorite Parsi joint in Pune. You would have seen some of the dishes I had ordered from this restaurant in the previous two seasons. This time I decided to try out two new dishes - Sali Par Eedu and Tomato Papeta Par Eedu. Turns out, Sali Par Eedu is fried potato straws, with eggs fried on top, while Tomato Papeta Par Eedu is a mix of tomato and potato with eggs fried on top. In both the dishes, the egg is fried sunny side up. Both are apparently very popular Parsi traditional breakfast, and they are sooo delicious. As you can see from the above pic, I went all hara-kiri on this dish with my spicy Bhut jolokia Raja Mirchi pickle.
Season 3: Episode 4
Madras Coffee House, Amanora Town Centre, Hadapsar, Pune.
Chettinad Paratha and Veg Kurma meal: ₹100
Medu Vada: ₹70
Rasam Vada: ₹80
Papad: ₹20
I really really love this place. One of the very few authentic Tamil style South Indian restaurants in Pune. As I have mentioned a couple of times before, I do not like Udupi South Indian flavor, which are in abundance in Maharashtra. This time I ordered Rasam Vada. I've had plain medu vada, sambar vada, chutney vada and dhai vada before, but never rasam vada, and it was super amazing. The Chettinad Parathas too went really well with the Kurma. And their two chutneys are too good. Mind blasting. :)
Season 3: Episode 5
Pind Punjab, Kharadi, Pune.
Chicken Overload Combo: ₹150
Dal Tadka Combo with Roti: ₹120
Gol Gappe: ₹69
Desi Ghee Gulab Jamun: Complimentary
I definitely over-ordered this time. I don't know what I was thinking while placing my order, because I selected not just one but two combo meals, and on top of that, ordered puchkas too! I think I was super hungry while placing the order, lolz. I did waste a lot of the Chicken Overload Combo and Dal Tadka Combo that day, but I did manage to finish the paani puri because thank God I had it first. See how awesome it was -
Season 3: Episode 6
The Greedy Man Pizzeria, Kalyani Nagar, Pune.
12 inches Pepperoni & Pork Chorizo Pizza: ₹550
What I love about this place: MEAT. They always add a hell lot of meat on their pizzas. What I hate about this place: All pizzas are 12 inches. They don't come in smaller sizes, so for somebody like me who eats alone (the sad and lonely bachelor syndrome), I gotta be extremely hungry to finish one pizza by myself. I usually go and eat at the restaurant itself (situated next to our office) because the pizzas taste best when they come out straight from the oven, but for the sake of introducing it to Tubby and taking a photo for my blog, this was the one and only time I ordered from office.
Season 3: Episode 7
Burger Singh, Viman Nagar, Pune.
Achari Mutton Burger: ₹230.00
Mutton Malabar Express Burger: ₹230
I really like the name of this joint. Apparently it is quite popular in Delhi it seems, according to my colleagues from Delhi. They have a BOGO offer. Buy One, Get One free. And so I went for the Achari Mutton Burger and Mutton Malabar Express Burger. Both were dillu, and different, because of the Desi flavors. Another reason why I really love this place is because they pack a lot of extra stuff, like tomato sauce, mustard sauce, green mint sauce, and even mouth fresheners, toothpicks and hand sanitizer sachets!
Season 3: Episode 8
Cafe Arabia, Phoenix Market City, Viman Nagar, Pune.
Mix Mezze Platter: ₹325
Baklava: Complimentary.
I decided to go for their Mix Mezze Platter. It consists of Fattoush, two Falafel bullets, two pieces of Grilled Chicken, Chicken Shawarma Strips, Hummus, Garlic Toum, Harissa, Pickled Veggies, Grilled Zaatar Pita and Salads. A perfect Arabian lunch. A Fattoush is a Levantine (Eastern Mediterranean region) bread salad made from toasted or fried pieces of flat bread combined with mixed greens, radishes and tomatoes. A Toum is a dip made from garlic, salt, olive oil and lemon juice, while Harissa is another dip/paste made from chilis and other spicy herbs. The Grilled Zaatar Pita was a bit soggy by the time my food arrived, but it wasn't a party pooper.
Season 3: Episode 9
Pind Punjab and street food from a nearby Mosque
Pind Punjab Egg Masala: ₹200
Rumali Roti: ₹50
Plain Naan: ₹30
Butter Roti: ₹30
Desi Ghee Gulab Jamun: Complimentary.
Nearby Mosque Beef Sheekh Kebab: ₹120
Half Mutton Gulati Kebab: ₹60
So yeah, on Fridays, my Muslim colleagues would go to a nearby Mosque for their Namaz and I would ask them to get me some of the food items being sold there. The beef sheekh kebab that they get for me is really good, one plate consists of two pieces and costs ₹40 per plate. I ordered Roomali rotis from Pind Punjab to eat with the kebabs, and a simple gravy dish just in case it was too dry.
Season 3: Episode 10
Bread Story, Fortaleza II, Kalyani Nagar, Pune.
Wheat Chicken Club Sandwich: ₹80
Chicken Focaccia: ₹70
Banana Marble Muffin: ₹50
Irish Coffee Pastry: ₹70
Rum Ball: ₹40
A refreshing change to the usual heavy lunches, this was the day I decided to start dieting. Two simple healthy sandwiches and a few sweets. Unfortunately my diet plan didn't last very long, lolz. I was back to eating roast pork and cheese pizzas the very next day :D
And so, season 3 comes to an end. I hope you enjoyed this season. Season 4 will be out soon, so keep watching this space for more mouthwatering updates. Cheers everyone, and have a great weekend.
