Top 10 meals of 2015: At #7, 6 and 5

Numero sept - Royal China

In a food environment choked to the gill slits with Chinese food places ranging from the humble station side regdi and momo stalls to the uber China House and Hakkasan, there are few places that can lay claim to authenticity and peerless dim sum satisfaction.

Roast pork puffs. Absolutely amazing!

Duck spring rolls

Royal China is well-neigh the Indigo of the dim sum houses in apro des. 

Crispy prawn cheung fun

Their claim to fame is their surreal dim sum skin and they peddle out consistently bomb Hargao, prawn and chive dumplings, crystal dumplings, and the insanely good roast pork puffs and duck spring rolls. 

Crystal dumplings

Prawn and chive dumplings 

veg puffs

Across two of the finest meals in the last year, some of these babies have had me bleating like a goat that's being tickled pink.

And if this is not enough, guarantee a great meal by adding in the unctuous joy aka the turnip cakes.

With dim sum like that, who needs main courses and dessert?!

#6 - Bipin Snacks

A bit of a misfit in the genre of food places listed thus far, Bipin Snacks proves that good marathi snack food can shock me and make me swoon when it is done well. To note, Bipin Snacks is not a charity case mention. It just turns out high quality food and wins a spot on merit.

Batata wada pohe. Never seen that as a single dish

Sabudana khichadi + khamang kakdi

Upma

Wada paav

Also, think of an overcast morning in Pune and my Dad, for once, agreeing to go to a food place with me. So the trio (Ma, too, you know) set off on foot across the Ferguson Coll campus, across Canal rd. and to this small hole-in-the-wall outside a city hospital. The sabudana khichadi + khamang kakdi, batata wada and the pohe are some of the best I've had in the city, and the prices are almost stuck in the 90s.

What's not to love?

#5 - Cafe Zoe

You see something very pretty and assume that the Good Lord could not have been unkind to rest of humanity by layering solid substance on top of good looks. That assumption leads to an assumption of lack of substance. As it goes with Zoe, I have been unkind and more than somewhat uncharitable in making exactly that assumption.

Endowed with space, and designed by a team with actual good taste and an ability to execute, Zoe is just so easy on the eye, whether we talk bout the space and decor or the many PYTs that flit in and out the doors.

I'm no lamb lover, but their long braised lamb with fresh made pappardelle is an incredible melange of all the right flavors and textures. 

8 hr braised lamb and fresh made pappardelle

They do fish well too for their rawas in a citrus based sauce, the pan fried perch and their specials red snapper are cooked to perfection and paired with some of the most delicious balanced sauces you'd be unfortunate enough to eat. 

Red snapper with mash, citrus sauce, wilted spinach and rosemary 

Rawas in a citrus base cream sauce and wilted spinach

Pan fried perch with mustard sauce

'Why unfortunate' you ask? Because, then, most other places' Conti style fish + mash + sauce routine wouldn't cut it for you.

And, ya, they scream out some of the best fries in town. They're that bloody good.

Bloody addictive home fries

It's a great place. GO!

Best meals of 2015: The Fatty Bao at #8

The Fatty Bao has been an uncommon launch this year. It doesn't try to fit a specific 'this is hot right now' category, and possibly that's why it works. TFB doesn't try to replicate the biggest hits from the current stars' kitchens choosing, instead, to tread its own path while carefully catering to traditional and adventurous palates, alike.

With Chef Manu Chandra at the helm, TFB has created a rather interesting menu. Let's get this straight, I won't ever visit TFB for their dimsum or sushi. That's strictly military medium. 

Where TFB scores is with their interesting small plates.

Wakame and crabmeat salad

Salmon carpaccio 

The char siu pork baos are bloody finger-lickin' good and need to be on any swine lover's to-do list, 

Char siu pork baos

and only a fool vegetarian should dare miss the eggplant baos because she doesn't like 'baingan'. These are surprisingly good and always on point. Don't take my word for it. Try em. 

Egg plant bao-wows

And the duck baos. Those too!

Shenjianbaos...duck baos

Brie is not a std cheese available in apro des. It's pricey because it is...French? So a French cheese pakoda about sums it right. It's good. 

Brie tempura

The braised pork belly with miso jam (R-rated PB&J) is meant for those with a death wish or for those that have recently passed their lipids lab test with flying colors. It is one of the most delicious piggy artery cloggers you'd find in the city. 

And if you're the kind that's too cheap to spend 3000 quid eating a 150 gm portion of black cod miso at Wasabi then I have it on good authority that the TFB BCM is pretty darned close at less than 50% of the price. I have eaten it twice, and though it's very good, it's not quit the manna it is promised to be. Keep your optimism on a low flame, enthusiasm high, and order it. Life's too short not to.

On the sweet front, if you're a sweet-tooth-less person like me that loves all things citrus then just get one dish. The green tea chiffon cake with yuzu sorbet. It's fresh and sparkling. Like a splash of some terrific eau de cologne after a shave and massage. Ya, get it.

All in all, TFB is a place worth loving and cherishing.