Quick answer: Yes, guar gum is generally considered vegan because it is made from guar beans, which are a plant-based ingredient. It is commonly used as a thickener, binder and stabiliser in many foods. What is guar gum? Guar gum is a powder made from the seeds of the guar plant. In food, it is … Read more
Melbourne has some lovely beaches for a simple family outing. This post covers St Kilda, Frankston and Brighton, with practical vegetarian food and family travel notes. Places covered: St Kilda, Frankston and Brighton Good for: short beach visits, walks, photos and relaxed family time Vegetarian notes: cafe and casual food options are usually easier around … 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: Food notes are limited in … 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. This post focuses mainly on the vegetarian food memories from the trip. Quick summary Place: Benaras / Varanasi Food memories: kachori sabzi, jalebi, chai, baati chokha, chole chawal and thandai Good for: vegetarian street food … 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. The highlight of this post is Sarafa Bazaar, where jewellery shops close and the lane turns 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 … Read more
Queen Victoria Market, also called Queen Vic Market, was one of the first Melbourne places that made me feel the city’s food culture. It works both as a local produce market and as a casual place to walk around, browse, eat and pick up small gifts. Place: Queen Victoria Market Location: Melbourne CBD Good for: … Read more
Bikaner was full of spicy snacks, sweets, old markets, temple visits and classic Rajasthani food memories. This post keeps the original travel flow but makes it easier to read as a vegetarian food note. Quick summary Good for: vegetarian snacks, Bikaner food memories and Rajasthan travel notes. Food notes: Bikaneri bhujia, poori sabji, jalebi, kachori, … 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
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 took us from Bhuj to the White Rann, with stops around Bhirandiyara, Lakhpat, 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 route. Family note: the distances are long, so this … 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: This post is … Read more
This post covers Giani Tea Stall and Brijwasi Chaat from our Amritsar food notes. The Giani section has been updated with tea, samosa and paneer pakora from a more recent 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 … Read more
This post covers two old-city food stops from Amritsar: 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 … 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
This post is about the community kitchen, or langar, at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. It was one of the most memorable vegetarian food experiences from the 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 … Read more
This post now works as a simple one-day Amritsar food travel note. The main places covered are the Golden Temple, 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 … Read more
Udupi has a quiet, old-world feeling. This post is mainly about Shri Krishna Mutt, the temple complex, the prasadam meal and the calm atmosphere around Car Street. Quick summary Place: Udupi, Karnataka Main stop: Shri Krishna Mutt Food note: Temple prasadam meal with rice, vegetable curry, rasam and payasam Vegetarian note: Very vegetarian-friendly Vegan note: … 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. This post is mainly about the ghats, the Ganges, and the feeling of taking an early boat ride through the old city. Quick summary Place: Benaras / Varanasi ghats Type of visit: Morning boat ride and family travel … Read more