Eating Out in Pune
Mouthwatering Memories
TAWA GOSH GREEN MASALA at Cafe Good Luck
Mouthwatering Memories
TAWA GOSH GREEN MASALA at Cafe Good Luck
By
VIKRAM KARVE
On Sunday afternoon we had a hearty meal at Cafe Good Luck comprising such lip-smacking dishes like Tawa Gosh Green Masala, Jungli Chicken, Tawa Kheema, Roomali Roti, Mutton Biryani, Caramel Custard, Fruit Funny, et al - a truly delicious and satiating meal.
To celebrate, here is a mouthwatering memory of a foodie adventure I relished a few years ago at Cafe Good Luck in Pune
If you are famished, do not have too much dough in your pocket, and happen to be somewhere near Deccan Gymkhana in Pune, where would you go to satiate your ravenous pangs of hunger?
Good Luck - No two ways about it!
You will head for Cafe Good Luck.
That's what I did one chilly winter afternoon.
And since I was feeling a bit adventurous I did not order my staple Chicken Biryani, or mutton cutlet curry, or even the Tawa Kheema, but decided to try out the exotic sounding Tawa Gosh Green Masala [the Gosh is not the Oh Gosh! type of Gosh but refers to meat or mutton and maybe better spelt Ghosht or Gosht but certainly not Ghost]. Maybe Gosh is okay – for you will say Oh Gosh How Delicious! the moment you take the first bite of the lip smacking gravy.
But then the metier of Cafe Good Luck is food, not spelling – Good Luck is not one of those “literary” coffee houses where you can while away time chatting or doing nothing – Good Luck is a place for serious passionate eating.
I like to see my food being made in front of me it enhances the totality of my gastronomic experience.
That is why I like Dhabas, and street food joints like Bade Miya [Bade Mian], Pav Bhaji, Bhel and Indian Fast Food Stalls, and when invited for a meal by some kind-hearted foodie I try to reach early and peek into the host's kitchen.
Some high-falutin restaurants too, like the Frontier Food specialty restaurant on the ground floor of Maurya in Delhi we used to visit long back, have huge transparent glass partitions where eager patrons can visually relish and savor their food being cooked in the kitchens before it is served to them on the table.
That is why I like Dhabas, and street food joints like Bade Miya [Bade Mian], Pav Bhaji, Bhel and Indian Fast Food Stalls, and when invited for a meal by some kind-hearted foodie I try to reach early and peek into the host's kitchen.
Some high-falutin restaurants too, like the Frontier Food specialty restaurant on the ground floor of Maurya in Delhi we used to visit long back, have huge transparent glass partitions where eager patrons can visually relish and savor their food being cooked in the kitchens before it is served to them on the table.
In Cafe Good Luck the Tawa is tucked away deep within the family area inside and I watch in anticipation as the generous mutton pieces, precooked [marinated and boiled], are blended into the freshly sauted green gravy right in front of me on the huge flat Tawa.
I go to my table.
There is an empty plate and a quarter-plate of sliced onions and lemon wedges.
I season the onions with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon.
I am going to squeeze some lemon into the gravy too, and later into a glass of water which I will drink on the conclusion of meal to lighten the rich spicy aftertaste.
I am going to squeeze some lemon into the gravy too, and later into a glass of water which I will drink on the conclusion of meal to lighten the rich spicy aftertaste.
The sizzling Tawa Gosh Green Masala arrives with two piping hot chapattis.
I dip an exploratory finger and lick the gravy is yummy and my mouth waters in anticipation.
I fill my plate, squeeze a bit of lemon, and "bash on regardless".
The mutton pieces are large, well-cooked and succulent and there is even a marrow bone piece.
I dip an exploratory finger and lick the gravy is yummy and my mouth waters in anticipation.
I fill my plate, squeeze a bit of lemon, and "bash on regardless".
The mutton pieces are large, well-cooked and succulent and there is even a marrow bone piece.
The gravy is lip-smackingly delicious.
From time to time I encounter whole pieces of sabud masala and spices like green cardamom, peppercorn, cloves, garlic, green chilies and strips of crunchy ginger, which add a kick and zest to the taste.
I am glad I was a bit adventurous and deviated from my staple biryani, kheema pav, mutton cutlet curry fare, and enjoyed the tawa gosh green masala.
I am sure going to try out some new dishes, maybe the exotic sounding Jungli Mutton or Chicken, or maybe the Chicken Shahjahan, the next time I visit my good old favorite Cafe Good Luck.
Happy Eating
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2010
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2010
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
VIKRAM KARVE educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU, The Lawrence School Lovedale, and Bishop's School Pune, is an Electronics and Communications Engineer by profession, a Human Resource Manager and Trainer by occupation, a Teacher by vocation, a Creative Writer by inclination and a Foodie by passion. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. His delicious foodie blogs have been compiled in a book "Appetite for a Stroll". Vikram lives in Pune with his family and pet Doberman girl Sherry, with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog - http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/
Academic Journal Vikram Karve – http://karvediat.blogspot.com/
Professional Profile of Vikram Karve - http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com
Foodie Book: Appetite for a Stroll
VIKRAM KARVE educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU, The Lawrence School Lovedale, and Bishop's School Pune, is an Electronics and Communications Engineer by profession, a Human Resource Manager and Trainer by occupation, a Teacher by vocation, a Creative Writer by inclination and a Foodie by passion. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. His delicious foodie blogs have been compiled in a book "Appetite for a Stroll". Vikram lives in Pune with his family and pet Doberman girl Sherry, with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog - http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/
Academic Journal Vikram Karve – http://karvediat.blogspot.com/
Professional Profile of Vikram Karve - http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com
Foodie Book: Appetite for a Stroll
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
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