MAYA | Mexican | Shanghai

As I think about this place, I still yearn to eat the food here. In my more recent trips, I had decided that after traveling to Shanghai over nearly two years, it was time to start exploring some of the places that my colleagues were raving about. Ron kept raving about their guacomole & I decided it was time to test it out. So, one fine afternoon, I decided I was going to head to Maya, printed the directions from their web site: http://www.cosmogroup.cn/maya/and tried to tell the hotel concierge that this place existed and that he was to give the taxi guys directions!!

He wasn't quite sure it existed & skeptically directed my cabbie in the general direction. Sure enough, it is a minor bit tricky to find, as it is actually off the street inside an apartment complex - watch for the numbers and look for an entry gate to an apartment complex where there is a teeny sign proclaiming Maya is inside the complex. Once you find it, rest easy & get ready for an explosion of taste in your palate. Well, be also ready to shell out some RMB, as they are a tad bit pricey - this is, after all, the french quarter!



I decided I was going to munch on some nachos & salsa (stingy quantity), a garlic & jalapeno quesadilla & a unique chile relleno (with pumpkin & goat's cheese and a walnut & pomegranate reduction - whatever that is!). I have to say the food was plain blissful!! simple as that!! The garlic and jalapeno combination was certainly something to write about!! Made it worth the trip absolutely.



The Chile Relleno was the right combination, with promise of spice that isn't delivered and sweetness that is simply delicious!! Its a fusion like something I had never tasted before. I wiped the plate clean, resolving to come back, which I did with Ron. The next time when Ron & I came over, we tried the guacamole, which was reasonably OK (I think Charan & I make a better guac), some tacos - after having had tacos at several places, I have decided tacos aren't for the vegetarian palate. Somehow, when the person across from you is oohing & aahing, you just done get the sense that you are done justice!! We did end up ordering two plates of the garlic jalapeno quesadilla. It took considerable effort to leave.

A caution: The second time we were over, we found it a tad hard to find taxis to get back (given it was a bit late & there was some rain/ intense cold in the city). So, you may want to ask your host to call a cab for you instead. Another restaurants in the same area that is well acclaimed is the Mesa Manifesto.

Bangalore food street

[caption id="attachment_149" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Food Street, Bangalore"][/caption]

I visited the "food street" in my childhood when I stayed with my Aunt & Uncle in Basavangudi near Lal Bagh in Bangalore. They were foodies too, like almost all bangalorians and had taken me there in a one late night jaunt. The street was famous for opening shop at 11 PM & going on till the early hours of the AM. Some things have changed or my memory doesn't serve me right - now, you can find a good variety of things there, fresh, made to order & relatively very less expensive.

With my new found freedom, in the form of Vishwa's bike and google maps on the iphone, Charan & I decided to

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="298" caption="VB Bakery location"][/caption]

venture to this almost mythical place that I have been raving about. Charan learned from friends that the "food street" does exist in Bangalore and is in V V Puram. We searched on google & found out about VB Bakery and its fame for freshly baked goods. VB Bakery is right at one end of food street - folks in Basavangudi will point you there with a smile, knowing you are new & wishing the bliss of eating here. We parked our bike in front of VB Bakery. By the way, the google maps service was incredible & guided us well - despite many roundabouts being a bit confusing.

[caption id="attachment_148" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Simla Mirchi Bajji"][/caption]

We arrived at the place by about 6:45 PM. The place was just beginning to stir - there was a gentle crowd in front of the shops. We walked up & down the now very small stretch (my memory was of a mile of shops lining both sides of the road serving hot freshly cooked food). We decided we were going to start with the simla mirchi (green peppers) bajjis at the other end of the road. The entire pepper is battered & fried just right - the man cuts it in to quarters - garnishes it with onions, carrots & some lime - taste suggests bliss!!

[caption id="attachment_150" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Akki Roti"][/caption]

I then wanted to try an akki roti - the process of making the roti & frying it was far more fascinating than the end product itself. The chutneys were spicy enough to churn my stomach, but not stop the mouth from consuming them - the highlight of this dish were the two chutneys on the side.

We decided to try something north indian - the paratha stall was being manned by two kids, one of who was beginning to expertly make fulka chappathis. We weren't sure if we should trust kids with our gastronomical pleasures and decided to move on. We moved away from the standard chat stalls, gobi manchurian stall etc. We went to another man who was serving kachoris and got ourself one. Again, the chutneys & the mirchis (peppers) stuffed with spices were just fantastic.

[caption id="attachment_152" align="alignleft" width="224" caption="paper roast "][/caption]

I then decided it was time to succumb to some dosas - I didn't want a masala dosa & hence, ordered a paper roast. Again, watching the man pour the warmed ghee straight from the packet on to the dosa makes you wonder how fat you are going to get. Charan dissuaded me from adding extra butter. So, the paper roast was done to perfection - however, it turned out that wasn't my favorite after all. I hadn't thought about the consumption process & how unweildy the dosas were going to get. I'd suggest doing the traditional masala dosas in the streets of bangalore.

It's now time to taste the sweets - jilebi wala, here we come. Unfortunately, we couldn't find one who had rabdi as well - however, there was another store that sold rabdi - so, we did the jilebi & rabdi bit. We then, got a masala pepsi in a store at the other end which claimed it sold "Butter Gulkand". I must tell you, having had these "masala pepsi" drinks before, I am not a big fan of these!! however, this one was absolutely fantastic!! we quickly gulped that down!! got a parcel of the gulkand, which comes with a small fruit salad as well - the gulkand turned out to be very very very good, with real rose petals & what definitely tasted like honey!!

We walked back, picked up some "dum root halwa", which is unbelievably heavenly and some khara biscuits in conclusion of our extravaganza and biked back home really quickly. Total damage to packet was Rs. 205!! (approx USD 5). This is cheap, even by Bangalore standards - we will absolutely return to Food Street - despite how small it has become!!

Element fresh - Shanghai

Element fresh (http://www.elementfresh.com) is an expat friendly place in multiple locations in the major centres of Shanghai (Super Brand Mall, Jinqiao, Xujiahui, Nanjing Road etc) which features a set of continental cuisine and also some "asian sets" for the weary traveler. The food quality is great with very friendly service in English and Chines. Their fresh juices and smoothies are fantastic.

They do have a few vegetarian options - my favorite are the "egg plant sandwich" featured below as well as their vietnamese shrimp noodles (without the shrimp & replaced with tofu) with extra crispy fried onions and peanuts - ask for their spicy chinese sauce on the side as well. The eggplant sandwich has melted cheese, which tastes excellent in the fresh tasting bread - only downside is that they don't offer fries (element fresh, right?)



The pumpkin soup there is vegetarian - you can ask for that in the asian set as well; their side salads are sumptuous and not just filled with the random lettuce leaves (I ask for their blue ginger vinaigrette as the dressing). Their pasta is reasonably tasty - nothing to write home about.

All in all, Element fresh is an excellent western comfort food alternative with some veggie options.

Slice Deli - Shanghai

Slice Deli is an upscale expat focused place, one of the two locations of which is near the Biyun road Carrefour store and right next to the expat school playground in Pudong Shanghai. Location & menus are at: http://www.slice-deli.com/locations_en.htm

The sterile ambience is sort of inviting - the food is reasonably tasty and of shanghai price - meaning, this will likely be equivalent to what you'd pay in a nice restaurant in the states or the UK -

While vegetarian fare is limited, the options presented are indeed decent - the 12" pizzas are sumptuous (recommend not trying the pumpkin pizza, despite how exotic as it sounds).



The vegetarian panini sandwich featured below, tastes exactly like it looks - excellent. So, all in all, it works out - they have a little store that sells stuff there as well that you can take back with you.

Shanghai Jade Buddha Temple - Vegetarian Restaurant

The Jade Buddha temple is quite popular and is on the Puxi side and most hotels should be able to help you get there. Once you get there, if you walk around inside, it is easy to find the vegetarian restaurant.

We tried several things there (things were much cheaper here at the temple). The place appears a bit dingy and being comfortable with using chop sticks is a definite plus. In trying things, we loved the veggie dumplings soup style - most people at the temple don't speak English and chances are you have to look for this picture in a menu with pictures & point. Rest assured that it is well worth the finding & pointing - one advantage you have in the Buddha temple is that everything there is vegetarian & so, even if you point at something that looks a bit silly, chances are you may not like the taste, but your vegetarian vows are still intact!

Again, if I haven't said it enough, the "veggie dumplings soup style" is served piping hot - so, watch out for the tongue burn, but tastes best and I haven't found a comparable veggie dumpling elsewhere in Shanghai so far. Enjoy & let us know what you think.

 

 

 

 

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