Real Heroes Don't Die.....They just Reload.

This post being the final post as part of the Blues appreciation month is dedicated to two such heroes, absolute rock stars in their own right, who have had such an immense fan following that they can walk away from all their fame on their terms; and walk away they did, yet they are back once again, back to the tremendous delight of many a soul like myself. Ladies and Gentlemen I'm talking about the one, the only.....Warren Mendonsa and JEETU BHAI.

Whaaaattt ???? All this buildup for some dude named Jeetu? That's not right, maybe I have him confused with someone else. Well actually I don't. I am indeed talking about THE Jeetu Bhai, owner of one of Powai's greatest and most sasta restaurants ever. If you people still haven't heard, Daffodil or DAFF as we fondly call it is back, same location, almost same prices and most importantly SAME TASTY FOOD. Jeetu Bhai has returned after an absence of almost 3-4 years much to the delight of every powai dweller. I remember when Daff shut down first, it was almost as if the crown of Hiranandani had lost its diamond stud, I mean this place was THE hangout for kids and grownups alike. Lip smacking food, dirt cheap prices and the perfect combination of Quality and Quantity, daffodil was one of the better restaurants in Powai. In its first stint, I was sadly a vegetarian but daff was soo good that even my parents would approve of their Paneer Makhni and Chinese food, specially the chinese food. 4 years later a very wise man named Raahil Chopra tweets about the return of Jeetu Bhai and how awesome his butter chicken is, so I simply had to try it out. As fate would have it, I just had an empty apartment for the weekend and good food had to be ordered, and order it I did. Chicken Tandoori, Butter Chicken, Garlic Naan, Butter Naan, etc etc. Now let me describe to you simply how good this butter chicken was by means of a very simple poem,

If the world is indeed gonna end in 2012, we'd all be panic stricken,
And if I had to chose my last ever meal on planet earth, it would be Jeetu Bhai's Butter Chicken.
For no butter chicken is as good, tasty, cheap and awesome as the one at Daffodil,
The gravy is so tasty that you'll lick every last remaining bit from the dabba, the cover or even the bill.

Yeah that should pretty much some it up. Remember I told you about our good friend Pawan at Juicy Stuff who entertains us while we eat his awesome Butter Chicken, well as sorry as I am to tell you, I don't think I'd ever be going to Juicy Stuff anytime soon, Daffodil is the only place to eat if you're in Hira. Sorry Pawan, sincerely. For just 160 bucks, you get the sexiest butter chicken ever from Daff, the chicken pieces are perfect, the gravy is just too damm good, and like I might have mentioned before, there is no shame in admitting that you lick the dabba of butter chicken clean with that piece of naan, you make sure you don't miss even a teeny tiny spot. If you're eating alone, then order only the butter chicken with naan or roti, if you're in a group and you want to try something new go for it, but still order the butter chicken because its that bloody good. Their Chicken Tandoori is delicious with 6 proper pieces for about 195 bucks. The menu isn't over priced at all, its the ideal place to eat from when you are not willing to spend more than 150-200 bucks per meal. Their chinese is also very very decent, not as good as 5 Spice, but come on very few places serve chinese as good as that. Daffodil's chinese is the more indianized version dare I say, the chindi chinese, but it does the job both quantity wise and quality wise. I cannot begin to thank Raahil and Jeetu Bhai for the many happy meals I've had from Daff over the last couple of weeks itself, and I'm sure I will continue to do so in the coming months (hopefully years). Jeetu Bhai and Daff 2.0 are back, and lets hope this time they are back for good. The only complaint one can have about Daff is the fact that you don't have a place to sit and eat the food, since the old market road is very small as it is, so you can only take away or have them deliver at home. But that's hardly a setback, I'm sure if its just the 2-3 of you'll, you can manage, if you're group is more than that, just take a parcel and call my man Pranav Kalluri or BBM him, he stays bang opposite daff and he will always let you come over to his house to eat, provided you give the guy his fair share. One of the greatest comebacks this in Powai, and fitting tribute to my beloved butter chicken.

Okay now coming back to the actual Blues part, the last blues artist and all, I thought about Bob Dylan but come to think of it, he's got way to many albums and soo many songs, I'm pretty sure at some point he has covered every possible genre that there is in music. So I went with the rather unknown quantity of Warren Mendonsa and his rather successful solo project, BLACKSTRATBLUES. One man show this, and some show it is. Warren Mendonsa is one of the better guitarists of India and with blackstratblues he gives us 16 of the most delightful songs, the perfect fusion of the bass guitar and other unconventional mixers like pedals, amphs, cabinets etc. This is one such ensemble that has no vocals, just blissful blues symphony. Only 2 albums to speak of, both very low key, made for the sole purpose of making music and not the commercial aspect of it. Artists like Warren Mendonsa are very rare to find nowadays, this man lives and breathes the guitar, he often performs at festivals and concerts/events, most notably the Mahindra Blues Fest. After a successful career as both a solo artist and a band member with Zero, Warren now lives in Auckland, New Zealand. He still makes regular trips to India, and although no official word is out on a possible third album, you wouldn't put it past him. Like I said, he's one such rocker who will only quit on his terms and I can assure you he is far from done. I'd pay good money to hear Blackstratblues live, and I strongly urge you'll to download both his albums, Nights In Shining Karma and The New Album (yes those are the actual names). They are only 8 songs each, and each song is different in its own way, the harmony, the melody, the sheer class of Warren Mendonsa is for everyone to see, and there's no way any music fan can NOT  like the Blackstratblues. The Nights in Shining Karma especially is a real work of art with some memorable tunes like "Soar The Sky", "Incense", "A Weekend With You" and my personal favorite "Bombay Rain". A definite download this, and I can't think of any better artist to wind up Blues Appreciation Month.

Long live Warren Mendonsa and Long live Jeetu Bhai. The world owes you'll too much, and I hope this is a fitting tribute on behalf of every Powai resident. And now that the Blues is wrapped up, lets get back to the good ol' days of Classic Rock. If it ain't CLASSIC, it ain't ROCK. Cheers!!! 

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The Italian Job

Sorry I was away for a good two weeks, I was rather busy with my managerial duties in Football Manager 2012 with Napoli which got me thinking, how is it that I have gone a whopping 50 odd blog posts without talking about arguably one of the most loved cuisines in the world - Italian; more importantly PIZZA. Bombay is a pretty much a flawless city but if there's one thing that we lack, its probably a good pizza place. The American's have this concept nailed down you see, every street literally has a decent pizza place, where you can come, chill, order a few slices, drink some beer, and pack some lasagna home. Well I for one thought that day was far off in India, but as it turns out, PizzaRoma is just the place I was waiting for. The best part about PizzaRoma is that it's in POWAI. Yes my sweet and beloved Powai now has a genuine Italian Pizza place, finally a place that recognizes the need of the thin crust pizza. As good as Domino's and Pizza Hut are, everyone is sick and tired of the same old BBQ Chicken and Mexican Red Wave, I for one needed some change and PizzaRoma is just what the doctor ordered. I'm gonna make an old fashioned pro's and con's list like Ted Mosby here (yes I still persist with HIMYM and I still don't know why??).

Pros:

• They serve slices of pizzas and they have only two sizes Regular (10'') and Large (13"). This pretty much covers every demograph and so there is never really a case of ordering too much or too little. 
• Like I said, delightful thin crust pizzas, so that we can all indulge in our pizza cravings without having to worry about our waist lines.
• Great selection of toppings - some of them include Bacon, Sausage, Ham, Artichokes and even Pepperoni Salami. 
• When they say Authentic Italian food, they actually mean it. The spellings of Napoli, Verona, Diavola etc are all correct and we don't have any comical typos like we do at the chinese places with their Tripplle Sezvaan Fride Rice.
• They accept Sodexo coupons, and anyone who is friends with Raghukul Mathur would know how much of a boon that is. 

Cons: 

• Possibly their greatest con is the fact that this place is incredibly expensive. Even their cheapest Regular pizza will set you back by 500 rupees and although the quality and quantity are there, its still not feasible to spend close to a grand every time you eat a meal from PizzaRoma. 
• For a fancy pizza place, they have got absolutely no combos or offers to entice the customer. Their menu is a simple sheet of paper, with ridiculously overpriced items. No One-pe-One free deals, no discounts for bulk orders, no pizza and pasta combos. They will definitely have to change this if they want to seriously compete with the likes of Dominos and Pizza Hut. 

Final Verdict: 

Overall I'd say PizzaRoma is definitely worth the extra cash you spend, sure for about 600 bucks you get a nice meal for 2 in most pizza outlets, but I think their variety in toppings and the cheer craftsmanship of their pizza's deserve some recognition, I'd definitely choose PizzaRoma over any other pizza place in Powai for the simple principle of "Quality over Quantity". Of course you can't eat here every other weekend, because it will be detrimental to your pocket. You must try the "VERONA" or the "Pizzaroma Special". They are easily one of their best pizzas.  

Since I already brought up one of the most ridiculous TV shows on air currently (HIMYM), its only fair I talk about one of the better shows around - House. Everybody knows that season 8 is going to be the last season of Dr. House's awesomeness and I for one think its good that the show is ending on a high, save some grace rather than drag itself pointlessly on for years until it gets cancelled by the network. We'll all miss Dr. House and his sheer charisma more than anything else, but Hugh Laurie can hold his head high. Not only was he the highest paid TV actor - a whopping $ 700,000 per episode, but he's easily one of the most talented british actors to have ever graced the magical world of TV. For about 3-4 seasons, I was under the assumption that Hugh Laurie was actually American, that's how perfect his american accent was in House, but then I was told he was indeed a Englishman. His life trajectory is quite fascinating and I think if anyone of you have seen the episode of "Inside An Actor's Studio: Hugh Laurie" you'd know what I am talking about. A largely talented man this guy, who despite his age is only getting better. Blackadder was his starting point and from then on Hugh Laurie hasn't looked back. The adorable King George in Blackadder season 3 was one of Hugh Laurie's wittiest and funniest roles. Hugh Laurie was also one half of probably one of the most famous sketch-comedy pairings, and along with Stephen Fry he gave us "A Bit Of Fry and Laurie". Till this date Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie are the best of friends, and if you guys are interested in some light sketch comedy, something along the lines of Blackadder then you should definitely check out this show. 

House was Laurie's grandest and most monumental success'. The character of Gregory House was so challenging that Hugh Laurie has been rumored to have suffered from chronic depression on more than one count. Despite a glittering career in TV and Movies like Stuart Little, 101 Dalmatians, Flight of the Pheonix etc, Hugh Laurie still suffers from constant bouts of depression due to his troubled childhood. He had a strained relationship with his mother and having had to suffer the loss of his father (whom he considered the sweetest man on earth) at a very young age due to illness, till today Hugh Laurie remains an enigma with only his closest friends and family; Stephen Fry, Robert Sean Leonard and Emma Thompson really knowing the REAL Hugh Laurie. As you House fanatics would know, Hugh Laurie is not only a gifted actor, but he also plays the piano, was part of a band and quite recently also began his foray into the Music industry with his first studio album. Yes all this build up and praise about Hugh Laurie was for this album only. Released in 2011 - Let Them Talk is a classic Jazz and Blues album, I say classic because even after just one hearing you will fall in love with this man's voice. The british accent is ever so evident in this album, and the genre is an absolute peach. A perfect artist to continue my Blues appreciation this March, Hugh Laurie's album set the music charts on fire hitting the top ten across Europe after months of its release. 

The entire album is pure melody and some of the songs are really expressive and show some insight about Hugh Laurie's life. There's obviously a lot of reference to Britain and the Hugh Laurie's brief stint in the army and World War and all, but what the hell, this is one beautiful bloody album. A definite download this, I for one cannot wait for more music from Hugh Laurie now that he's hanging up his boots as Dr Gregory House. A true british pioneer in the Media, Arts and Theatre field, and surely a knighthood isn't far away for the great Hugh Laurie. Some of the songs you simply cannot miss are "The Battle of Jericho", "They're Red Hot", "Swanee River", "Let Them Talk", "Baby Please Don't Change". 

Wow, that was a rather long post, one more blues artist for this month and then I shall switch back to classic rock. Till then let the melodious sounds of Hugh Laurie's piano enthrall us all. Peace out.  

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Damm Right I've Still Got The Blues....

As promised more Blues appreciation this March, today I have to, simply HAVE to talk about BB King. No I'm not talking about every person who owns a Blackberry within the age group of 17-25, I'm talking about the real King of Blues, the absolute legend and one of the greatest guitarists of all time - Riley B King known fondly as BB King. Where do I even begin with this guy, I mean 86 years young, BB King is the Pink Floyd of Blues music. Given the nickname BB because in his cavalier days he was called the "Blues Boy" because he was the first guy to actually perform solo with his guitar and that eventually was the building block for an entire genre in music. Every blues artist who has rocked them blues in the 70' owes a great deal to BB King and there's no doubt they would have all been influenced by him.

Most people still don't know what Blues really are? They might actually like it without even knowing that such a genre does exist, LOL simpletons. A perfect example of Blues music is at every Poker table or a Casino based movie, you know that awesome music playing in the background - the one with the piano, guitar and the super seductive helping of jazz; well that ladies and gentlemen is the BLUES. Lil' kids nowadays raving on about Adele and her awesome tally in the grammy's, I'll have you know that Mr Riley King has only 15 Grammy's to his name, an induction in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, a special homecoming festival named after him in tribute to his music in his hometown of Mississippi, a Grammy Hall of Fame award and countless other honors. This guy is a true Legend in every sense of the word. Some mind boggling stats here, BB King is now 86 years old and he has officially retired. Yes officially, he just completed a farewell tour and all in 2009, and in these 86 years he has sung a staggering 43 studio albums, that's like an album every TWO years. So there's really no way you can actually get hold of his entire discography because a large chunk of it was much before our parents were even born. Still like I said before, Blues is one such genre where you don't need to care how many songs you have, hell they all are equally good, they all sound just as soothing and trust me if I had a rupee for every time I've played the same BB King song over and over again, I'd be a very wealthy man.

Nevertheless not a lot of people know that BB King idolized the late great Frank Sinatra himself; (who shares his birthday with a certain Rajnikant) and BB King has carried on Mr Sinatra's legacy in the Jazz/Blues field. An absolute no brainer this, I strongly urge every music lover to get hold of a copy of BB King's Definitive Greatest Hits. Its arguably the best 35 songs you will ever hear when it comes to Blues music. Try listening to "The Thrill is Gone" only once, I dare you. This is without a doubt BB King's greatest ever song, yes this is the same song that has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. I'd hate to actually pick favorites among these 35 because they are all timeless classics, two and a half hours of musical majesty this from BB King. But if I were to pick a top five per say I'd go with "The Thrill Is Gone", "There Must be a Better World Somewhere", "My Guitar Sings The Blues", "Darlin' You Know I Love You" and "Why I Sing The Blues". There are very few artists who are blessed enough to make musical symphony and Riley B King (Blues Boy) is definitely one of them.

Alright I have tried really really hard to find some sort of link between the Artist and the restaurant that I write about, but alas that day has finally come when I find myself trumped. I mean I could say I was listening to some BB King when I was eating the delicious Shawarma but I'd be lying. Alright enough of the mind games, its Shawarma, there are very few good places serving this utterly delicious Lebanese delicacy. One such place is Kareem's. Rather famous chain they are all across India I'm told but I had the fortune of eating at their Powai outlet recently and I must admit I was pleasantly surprised with their food. Look lets be realistic here, at some point we've all walked by a restaurant craving some of their food, but we have simply walked on by because they are too pricey. Come on, we've all done it. Hell I still do it. But that being said its smarter to have Shawarma cravings because its dirt cheap, hell even at Kareem's its only about 140 bucks and its not the worlds greatest Shawarma or anything, but its good, I'd definitely eat it every once in a while. Now obviously the beauty of the Shawarma apart from the fact that it is cheap is that it comes as a nice wrap so its rather easy to eat, and from personal experience do not make the mistake of ordering only one with the hope that everyone can share it as a starter. 2 Shawarma's is a proper meal, with some of Kareem's nice pudina chatni and a Thumbs up, you've got yourself a good meal in a little under 300 bucks. I wouldn't recommend the rest of the Kareem's menu because it is indeed a tad over priced. Like make no mistake I don't mind eating at the occasional 500 per head place every once in a while, but for that kind of money I would atleast expect better food and more importantly more quantity. But then again, I often make the mistake of going on these random dinner plans with my good friend Kalluri, adorable as he is, he's quite the man mountain and no amount of food is ever enough for this BWOUY. Quality wise their Butter Chicken is nice, their Tandoori dishes are good but like I said ridiculously small portions. Go to Kareem's for the Shawarma, I'm told they deliver also so you won't have to listen to the god awful music they play in their restaurant.

That's all for now folks, the next update will wind up some rather unorthodox Blues artists but in case anyone is really interested in an actual Blues Encyclopedia then be sure to tune into the Blues Show every Sunday from 10pm to 1 am on Radio One 94.3 FM. In case you haven't heard they are a full on International station now and trust me the Sunday night Blues show is one that you don't wanna miss. Adios Amigos!!  

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Feelin’ the BLUES with the Gang of Gardullah’s

I know that the Mahindra Blues Festival is over and for the third year running I have not been able to attend due to some rather unforeseen circumstances, nevertheless I can still listen to some vintage blues music on my pod at my own will, and just to prove that point, for the next couple of weeks I shall be throwing some light on some of my all-time favourites in blues music. Oh and yes I’m gonna do this entire Blues tribute in poetry; well at least the first post!

T’was a lazy Wednesday afternoon and the Gardullah’s had nothing to do,

So Swami G made an awesome lunch plan to eat at Out of the Blue,

Now I don’t mean to sound cocky, but I’m kind of the most affable person in the group,

Despite the few number of followers I have, its kinda hard to keep me out of the loop.

Now the most important member of this gang is Madam Gardullah herself,

She’s got 3 personalities, 2 awesome cats and ONE nice book shelf,

She’s crazy this Gardullah with her unpredictability and poor capacity,

And despite the amount I used to torment her, she’s one of the safer drivers in this city.

Even the balding Hakeem Chacha decided to join us, in this totally spontaneous plan,

He’s got a mad sense of humour this guy, but he’s also a very wise man,

You guys should check out Raconteur Walks, it’s about the city that’s loved by one and all,

I seriously won’t be surprised if this guy someday becomes India’s Director of Football.

How can I forget my Chicken Fry, my favourite Marathi Manoos,

The Vincent Chase of this gang, who is a lot of things but NOT kanjoos,

No one can throw a better party than our very own Mr. Adhikari,

He’s always the guy to help you out in a sticky situation with his kickass Marathi.

So after a lot of delays we finally go there for our lunch,

For obvious reasons we were a very very hungry bunch,

Straight to the salad bar this Gardullah took us,

One nibble of the Prawn Biryani and she parked herself like a BEST bus.

The soup was average, but the salads were devine,

The shredded chicken so delightful, we finished it in no time,

I don’t know what sauces and veggies this Gardullah put in our salad but it was awesome,

All this was just the aperitifs; the main course was yet to come.

Since we were four of us we each wanted to try something different,

There were choices between Pasta, Sizzlers and Barbeques (all money well spent)

The chicken was probably a tad bit undercooked,

But what the hell for 295 + tax; I’d eat stuff made out of my old history text book.

The stand out thing about their lunch buffet has to be the dessert,

Hakeem Chacha couldn’t get enough of the Strawberry Cheese cake, he even dropped some on his shirt,

Gardullah kept going “Ummm” after every bite,

I ate soo much chocolate cakes and brownies that my jeans started to feel tight.

Excellent place this for a nice long meal with close friends, family and gardullah’s

The gang’s next target is to go eat some food at Bori Mulla’s

A double thumbs up for Out of the Blue – Great music, ambience and good food,

Now let’s talk about Buddy Guy – a mad blues artist and one cool dude.

There’s not one person in this world who would NOT like the blues,

Its easily the most soothing kind of music, a nice cognac perhaps to get you lose,

Buddy Guy is one of the few guitarists who didn’t smoke himself to death,

Unlike crazy miss Houston, who shot pretty much everything from Coke to Crystal Meth.

These blues artists have simply too many albums,

After a certain point they all sound the same, like one beautiful blues anthem,

I’d suggest Buddy’s Baddest as a perfect album for a newbie,

Hell I’d also tell you which of them are Friendly Chap’s best songs as a freebie.

“Mustang Sally” and “Midnight Train” are easily the stand out songs,

“Rememberin’ Stevie” has got some nice solos, but it’s a tad too long,

“Miss Ida B” proves that this Buddy Guy was no “Innocent Man”,

But his best song undoubtedly is “Damm Right, I’ve Got The Blues”

Okay after almost 45 minutes of rhyming and makes stuff up, I have reached the conclusion that it is simply impossible to write only poems about blues. The rest of the Blues updates will definitely be in a non-poetic form, or NOT. Till then let’s hope that Swami G doesn’t get OUT OF THE BLUES!!! Three Cheers to some awesome music, and watch out for the Gang of Gardullah’s – coming soon at a bar/lounge near you.

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