Eating in India

We have been trying to expand where and what we are eating. I have found some Indian dishes I have really liked and others that I would rather not have again. I have been trying new things though. This may surprise some of you but when there are not many options, trying new things is a must! There are a few places on campus that we frequent often and then we have explored outside of campus for dinner.

Tifany's on campus

Tifany's - This is kind of like a cafeteria on campus. A lot of students eat here and they have a big menu. Even though they have many sections of the menu, they often only have certain things. The other day when I was there I ordered three things and they didn't have any of them so I ended up ordering Dosa because she said they had it and I can actually pronounce it. I don't actually like dosa but it is what I ate. Masala Dosa in the photo below is a common dish. Dosa is like a crepe texture but bigger and Masala is on the inside. Masala is a potato onion mixture that is bright yellow and spicy. There are three sauces served with dosa for dipping. The sauces vary day to day depending on what they have.

Masala Dosa

Ordering food at Tifany's

Cafe Coffee Day - This is a chain restaurant that is just down the road from Tifany's. This has a variety of different drinks, sandwiches and desserts. We recently discovered this place as an alternative to Tifany's. The one major upgrade is that Cafe Coffee Day has air conditioning and a nice atmosphere so a relaxing lunch. There motto is 'a lot can happen over coffee'. We went there on tuesday and ended up staying there for almost three hours!

The counter at Cafe Coffee Day

'A lot can happen over coffee'

The first time I went I got a Tex-Vex Sandwich which from the description seemed okay but it was very spicy and not my favorite. Since then I have been getting Veg Samosa which is triangle shaped and full of potatoes and veggies. It is still spicy but better than the sandwich.

Tex-Vex on the shelf

Tex-Vex in reality

My favorite part is they have chocolate shots. I am not the biggest chocolate fan but this little bit of chocolate can make every lunch better. It has oreo like crumbs at the bottom then a light chocolate mouse middle with a chocolate covering on top. It the perfect size and combination.

Belgium Choco Shot

Comfy chairs to eat in 

It is difficult to upload photos and organize them in the blog so I will just tell you about each of the pictures and places in the order the photos uploaded.

We found a grocery store called Spencers. The top floor is like home goods and the bottom level is the grocery store

Spencers store

The fruit area

They have lots of nuts and rice.

Fuji Apples - just not the same as home

 There is a food court called Ascendas that is a ten minute walk from our hotel. To get into the food court we have to leave a copy of our ID and wear a name tag. There is aMcDonalds, KFC, subway, and a variety of other places. Yesterday I got a McVeggie and Fries from McDonalds. It was an interesting burger. It looked like a chicken patty from home but when I bit in I realized it was not the same. This was green on the inside haha It was good though!

McVeggie at McDonalds

Every morning we eat breakfast at the hotel. It is the same basics everyday but there is some variety.

Breakfast area at Ginger Hotel.

 The Ginger has a restaurant at night so when we are lazy we eat downstairs.

Ginger Restaurant

 I have learned that when I order an omelet to order a plain omelet or else they will load it with spicy peppers and onions.

Omelet at ginger restaurant

 When we went to the the mall last week we ate in the food court there. I chose to go to a place calle Nalas. I got Bulls Eye Aapaum. It is my favorite thing that I have had here! It was like a fried egg in a crepe like bowl.

Bulls Eye Aapaum

On the way home to the ginger hotel we pass the Juice Stand. It has an actual name but everyone calls it juice stand. They have a wide variety of juices and there is some food too

I got veggie nuggets once. They of course were spicy but a good snack!

Veggie Nuggets

The inside of veggie nuggets

 We went to Zaras Tapas Bar last week which was our frist real restaurant that we went to. We were all very excited about it. It was ladies night so Caroline and I got a free drink! I had spinach balls and french fries. They came with a sauce that I dont know what it was but it was good!

For breakfast I have been making peanut butter toast and when they have eggs to order I make an omelet toast open sandwich. These are my favorite meals!

And sometimes when only things I am not a fan of are available I make my own changes and add peanut butter! 

This is just a glimpse of what I have been eating. There are definitely things from home that I miss and I already have a list of foods that I want when I get home. But I am glad that I am able to try new things here in India!