We visited a few famous Ganapati pandals in Mumbai, including Mumbaicha Raja, Lalbaugcha Raja and Tejukayacha Raja, and these photos bring back that festival day. Quick summary Good for: Mumbai festival memories, Ganeshotsav photos and family travel notes. Places noted: Mumbaicha Raja, Lalbaugcha Raja and Tejukayacha Raja. Family note: the visit involved long queues and … Read more
This final Amritsar note is less about one meal and more about the rest of the trip — temples, local sightseeing, Wagah Border and shopping in the old markets. Quick summary Place: Amritsar temples, Wagah Border and market areas Best for: Family sightseeing, local markets and travel memories Vegetarian notes: We found plenty of vegetarian … Read more
We moved from Malpe Beach to Mangalore, stopping at temples, local markets and simple vegetarian places along the way. There were also a few ice cream and coastal food stops that I still remember from the trip. Quick summary Good for: coastal travel notes, temple visits, vegetarian breakfast ideas and Mangalore food memories. Places noted: … Read more
Benaras, also called Varanasi or Kashi, was one of those places where food, faith and street life all blended together. Many of our strongest food memories from the trip were vegetarian. Quick summary Place: Benaras / Varanasi Food memories: kachori sabzi, jalebi, chai, baati chokha, chole chawal and thandai Good for: vegetarian street food and … Read more
This part of our Udupi and Mangalore trip was mostly about simple local food, temple-town meals and beach stops. One of the strongest memories for me was eating at Mitra Samaj near the Udupi temple area. Quick summary Place: Udupi and nearby coastal stops Main food stop: Mitra Samaj Food memories: idli, vada, dosa, filter … Read more
This trip covered Jagannath Puri, Konark Sun Temple, local Odisha food, sweets and the quiet roads around Puri and Nimapada. Quick summary Good for: temple travel notes, Odisha food memories and a Puri-Konark day route. Food notes: dahi pakhala, khaja, chhena jhili and chhena poda. Travel notes: Jagannath Puri, Konark Sun Temple, local crafts, rice … Read more
Indore felt like a city built around food conversations. Sarafa Bazaar was the highlight for us, with jewellery shops closing and the lane turning into a busy vegetarian street food market. Quick summary Good for: vegetarian street food, sweets, snacks and night market memories. Food notes: kopra patties, dahi bade, shikanji, dal bafla, bhutte ki … Read more
Bikaner was full of spicy snacks, sweets, old markets, temple visits and classic Rajasthani food memories. Much of what we tried was vegetarian, so food naturally became a big part of the trip. Quick summary Good for: vegetarian snacks, Bikaner food memories and Rajasthan travel notes. Food notes: Bikaneri bhujia, poori sabji, jalebi, kachori, mirchi … Read more
This part of the Jaisalmer trip covered Gadisar Lake, Tillon Ki Prol, Nathmal Ji Ki Haveli, Patwon Ki Haveli, breakfast, lunch, dinner near the railway station and local sweets. Quick summary Good for: lake views, old havelis, family travel notes and simple Jaisalmer food stops. Food notes: kachori, samosa, kulhad tea, thali, dhaba-style dinner, besan … Read more
This part of the Jaisalmer trip covered the living fort, old lanes, temples, shops, local crafts, lunch near the fort, evening tea, and a dhaba-style dinner. Quick summary Good for: Jaisalmer fort memories, family travel notes, old lanes and local food stops. Food notes: Rajasthani thali, jalebi, tea, saffron milk, sutarfeni, jowar roti, ker sangri … Read more
This Hyderabad and Secunderabad trip took us through Charminar, the old city and several memorable food stops, with both vegetarian dishes and traditional Hyderabad specialities along the way. This trip covered Charminar, old city markets, Irani chai, Karachi Bakery, Chutneys, Hussain Sagar and food memories from Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Quick summary Good for: Hyderabad food … Read more
On this part of our Kutch trip, we moved through Bhuj and Mandvi, visited Vijay Vilas Palace, stopped for a Gujarati meal, and later saw Swaminarayan Temple, Prag Mahal and Aina Mahal. Quick summary Good for: Bhuj and Mandvi travel notes, palaces, temples and a vegetarian lunch stop. Food note: Gujarati thali-style meal with chaas, … Read more
This part of our Kutch trip combined a few separate routes: Bhuj to the White Rann and Bhirandiyara, a longer drive towards Lakhpat, and separate craft stops around Bhujodi, Ajrakhpur and Hiralaxmi Craft Village. Quick summary Good for: Kutch travel memories, craft village notes and a Bhuj-based road trip. Food note: Bhirandiyara mawa on the … Read more
We moved through a few classic food stops around Lawrence Road and nearby areas — a dhaba meal, fruit cream, kulfi falooda, aam papad, paneer bhurji and sweets. Quick summary Place: Lawrence Road and nearby Amritsar food stops Best for: Sweets, kulfi falooda, fruit cream, aam papad and paneer snacks Vegetarian notes: Everything covered here … Read more
Our Amritsar food stops included Giani Tea Stall and Brijwasi Chaat. At Giani, we had tea, samosa and fresh paneer pakora during a casual family visit. Giani Tea Stall At Giani Tea Stall, we tried tea, samosa and paneer pakora. I liked the freshness of the paneer and the tea. The seating arrangement could be … Read more
Food was a memorable part of this Lucknow trip, from traditional Awadhi dishes to the sweets, snacks and vegetarian options we found while exploring the city. On this part of our Lucknow trip, we spent time around Hazratganj and Aminabad, stopping for sweets, snacks and kulfi falooda, with plenty of market wandering in between. Quick … Read more
While walking around old Amritsar, we stopped at Pahalwan Kulche Wala for chole with tandoori kulche and Jalebiyaan Wala in Katra Ahluwalia for jalebi and gulab jamun. Pahalwan Kulche Wala At Pahalwan, we had chole with tandoori kulche. I liked the simple flavours and the crispiness of the kulcha. The seating arrangement can be difficult … Read more
Lucknow gave us a mix of food memories, from traditional Awadhi dishes to lassi, chole bhature, tea and other snacks we tried while exploring the old city. On this part of our Lucknow trip, we wandered through the old city and stopped for lassi, chole bhature, paan, tea at Sharma Tea Corner and a few … Read more
Kesar Da Dhaba was one of the main sit-down vegetarian meal stops from this Amritsar food route. During the newer visit, we tried a vegetarian thali with palak paneer. What we tried We had a vegetarian thali at Kesar Da Dhaba, including palak paneer. From this visit, all the dishes worked well together as a … Read more
The langar at the Golden Temple was one of the most memorable vegetarian food experiences from our Amritsar trip—not because it was fancy, but because of the scale, simplicity and devotion behind it. Quick notes from this visit Place: Golden Temple Langar, Amritsar Food: simple vegetarian meal served to visitors What stood out: volunteers, scale … Read more
For a one-day Amritsar outing, we combined the Golden Temple with Giani Tea Stall, Pahalwan Kulche Wala, Kesar Da Dhaba, Jalebiyaan Wala in Katra Ahluwalia and a little old-city shopping. Quick one-day route Start: Golden Temple / Harmandir Sahib Tea and snacks: Giani Tea Stall Breakfast / lunch option: Pahalwan Kulche Wala for chole with … Read more
Udupi has a quiet, old-world feeling. We spent time around Shri Krishna Mutt and Car Street, with the temple complex and the simple prasadam meal becoming the main memories from this visit. Quick summary Place: Udupi, Karnataka Main stop: Shri Krishna Mutt Food note: Temple prasadam meal with rice, vegetable curry, rasam and payasam Vegetarian … Read more
After the morning boat ride, we walked into the narrow lanes near the ghats and Kashi Vishwanath area for breakfast. I remember this part of Benaras for the small vegetarian food stops, tea stalls, sweets, paan shops and the constant movement of the old city. Quick summary Place: Benaras / Varanasi old city lanes Food … Read more
Benaras, also known as Kashi or Varanasi, is one of those places where the morning feels different. Our early boat ride gave us a quiet view of the ghats, the Ganges and the old city waking up. Quick summary Place: Benaras / Varanasi ghats Type of visit: Morning boat ride and family travel diary Food … Read more