The Sea beckons from the hilltop-Utan

Imagine a place from where you can see the Arabian Ocean's vast expanse - left,right and centre.A place located on a hilltop with Coconut trees lined along the gravelled path,swayed to and fro by the strong wind that the Sea brings.Utan is a small fishing village located near Bhayander and I went there Friday night with three of my office colleagues.

The unique thing about Utan is that,there is no beach.The road runs along with the Sea,with 100's of fishing boats(Large,Small,Elaborately Designed,Plain)...waiting to get to the deep waters - so that the Koli fishermen can bring the evening's catch for their families.Wild Hen's,playful dogs and mischievous kids all run amok on the narrow broken down roads,and once a while they look up to the strangers entering their town.

Utan Resort is a exotic getaway build on a hilltop(about 75 Mt's high) overlooking the vast expanse of the Arabian sea.The owner as I was made to understand is a dentist from Mumbai - and I must say that the man has done a great job.The resort is tastefully done - wether in terms of the ambiance,Furniture or the quality of food. There are three kind of cottages - Double Bed Cottages,Double Bed Cottages with Balcony or Bungalows.The Bungalows I heard are used for shooting Bollywood movies.The basic charges for the Double Bed Cottages is 3000 INR and that's worth it,because the rooms are clean,the outside ambiance lush and green.Moreover Utan Resort definitely has a fantastic cook in the Kitchen.We tried the Prawn Koliwada and Pomphfret Curry along with Yellow dal and Rice - and it was fresh and extremely delicious.The most important thing is that the staff is extremely friendly and courteous.I had to check my e-mails and they told their back office girl to stop her work and allow me to surf.Now that's what I call - "Pleasing the Customer by making him King".

The Terrainspotter strongly suggests Utan to those who are looking for Quality - not Quantity.It's definitely for those with a great taste for aesthetics - wether man made or natural.

The Details to get you there:

Location : Utan Village,Bhayander(West),District Thane

Place to stay : u-tan Sea Resort

Things to do : Nothing:-)

Contact Number : 9821759882(Mr Morris)

Photo Courtesy : Mr Elton D'souza

Gastronomy Divine!

In Mumbai,there lies a place called VT.In VT,there's an area called Fort and in and around Fort are Gastronomic delights.Delights - that - give - your - stomach - the - taste of Malwani,Gomantak,Parsi and even classic Chinese and Indian Veg cuisine!It's been six months and I thought it's time to list out some of the best places to eat at Fort,Mumbai.

Hotel Fountain Plaza(Malwani Cuisine) - Malvani cuisine is the standard cuisine of the Konkan region of Maharashtra,Goa and northern parts of West Karnataka. Although Malvani cuisine is predominantly non-vegetarian, there are many vegetarian delicacies also.When in Fountain Plaza,try their Chicken Biryani,Standard Fish Thali(Rs 50) and of course Porota and Sukka Mutton/Chicken.You can go for normal rice or red rice(the fat rice with a slightly red colour).

Pradeep Gomantak : This place really is unique.It looks like a staff canteen,there's hardly any place to sit and the restaurant owner looks at you with glaring eyes.Add to that a long queue of people waiting for their turn,the initial feel would be a sickening one.But rest assured,once you have the Pomphret Thali here(for an unbelievably cheap Rs 70) you will be coming out singing praises of this Gomantak food joint.Gomantak Cuisine is the cuisine of Goa specifically!

Ideal Restaurant : From Malwani to Gomantak to Parsi now...ahhh...in Gastronomic explosiveness,Parsi food has no other equal.Also the right style is to take starter,then food and end with dessert.So start with "Bombili Fry"(Bombay Duck fried in Rawa),move on to the Achari Chicken with Chapatti and then dive later into the Lagan Custard.Although Ideal is far costlier than the other two mentioned above.A meal for two hungry people can come for about 350-400 here!

Aaaram Veg Restaurant : Once in a while,after a hard nights party and too many Non Veg meals later,you long for simple Veg food and Aaaram gives you that.Bang opposite to VT station,Aaaram is filled to the brim with people between 1-2 PM.Try out the plain but tasty Puri Bhaji,Veg Pulao and the Batata Vada.Prices not to mention are super cheap.By the way,beware of the angry and defiant waiters,who dont like you calling them...hehe...they come to you.Aaaram has been there at VT for Donkeys years and it runs on word of mouth only.So please leave your ego aside when you go in!

Shaan Chinese Corner : Run by a Musalman,ironically this restaurant makes some mouthwatering Chinese Dishes instead of Mughlai.Bang opposite to the Bata Showroom in Fort,try out their Schezwan Fried Rice with Chicken Hot Garlic.It's quite a treat to the tongue!

Well,now you know what I have been doing in Mumbai between 1 -2 PM all this while!The other two guys in the picture are my fellow office Gluttons:-)

P.S : Fountain Plaza,Pradeep Gomantak and Ideal Corner are all behind Times Of India Building!