A city made of Bollywood Dreams, expensive slums and even more expensive high rises, a great melee of people, colours and aromas. Step down on any street in this megapolis and you will be greeted by a multitude of aromas, walk a few steps in any direction and you are ought to pass by a food based establishment which could vary from a small roadside peanut vendor to a fancy fine dining plush restaurant. Mumbai has it all, can feed them all and has choices for all. And lets be honest Mumbaikars love their food. So lets get onto a journey of food as we travel with me on a gastronomical journey exploring the street-food that Mumbai has to offer.

I was driving from Kalbadevi to Metro the other day with my friend Ajay, when hunger pangs struck us. Just at the junction of Princess street going towards Metro cinema, opposite the Round Building, is a hole-in-the-wall chaat center. Rather in-conspicuous but has a huge fan following. We double parked our cars and got out to explore this small roadside vendor. His wares include, bhel puri, sev- puri, samosa but we tried the Samosa chaat. And what a treat it was. A large punjabi samosa crushed and topped with a corainder chutney, garlic chutney and tamrind chutney, garnished with kaccha-kairi or green mangoes, crushed puris and topped with a generous helping of sev. Absolutely delicious. We both pigged in and asked for one more helping. A must visit for the chaat aficionados , worry about the stomach later, right now dig in! Greed at its local best!

Kalbadevi is the harbinger of good street food in Mumbai, considering the number of Gujratis and Marwari businessmen in the area, no wonder every street had good food to offer. One such small eatery which is worth a mention, Bhagat Tarachand located at Sheikh Menon Street, Mumbadevi Area, now don't go expecting a plush restaurant which this is certainly not, just basic furniture but trust me the minute you get your hands on their phulkas and tadka daal, you will be transformed into food haven and the surroundings will soon become oblivious! Start with the papad churma wich is crushed papad in ghee and spices , absolutely fantastic followed by a basic lunch of phulkas, subzis of your choice, recommend the aloo or the paneer. Their phulka rotis are worth every drop of ghee, a hot phulka is taken and dipped into ghee and then crumpled to give it that bit of crunchiness and retain the pure ghee. Devine. I could make a meal of these. The Daal Tadka with a dash of burnt garlic gives it just the right flavour and not to mention the paneer masala or the aloo ghobi. Top it all up with some chilled chaas or buttermilk served in a bottle, just perfect to quench your thirst and settle the stomach. Simple yet very fulfilling. Just a warning don't go in your high heeled stilettos or your Ferragamo loafers!

A quick stopover whilst visiting my CA at New Marine Lines opposite the Nirmala Niketan College is the Ravi Dosa Center. Once again a basic street side vendor but serves the most delicious dosas at the best prices possible. Please ignore the way he spreads the butter on the tava, but his dosas are worth every calorie! Ask him to sprinkle some onions and red chilli powder on the saada dosa and a normal dosa becomes just a bit more tasty. Also don't miss trying the Mysore Dosa absolutely worth the wait. A saada dosa, filled with jullienes of onions, tomatoes, capsicum and tomato puree, all mashed up in the dosa and served with different chutneys and some sambaar. No wonder I land up visiting my CA so very often!

Now another favourite of the city is the basic sandwich. Plenty of sandwich stalls all over the city but one worth a mention here is the stall located opposite the Fab-India store at fountain. His regular sandwiches are great but what really gets my mouth watering are the veg. grilled sandwiches which are basically three layers of triangular breads interspersed with juicy slices of tomatoes, cucumber, green peppers , loads of fresh coriander chutney and then browned to near perfection. But this is not it. Some more green chutney on top along with a read garlic chutney and some local tomato ketchup. Wow what a medley of flavours and yet when you bite into a thick well grilled wedge, every flavour distinctly stands out. And if the fiery chutneys have made your mouth burn run along to Regal Cinema and tucked between the erstwhile Cottage Industries Emporium, the fancy car showrooms and cafes is the famous Gupta Juice Center which makes the BEST sugarcane juice in all of the city. Rs. 15 gets you a large steel glass of the freshest, sweetest , coldest sugarcane juice, no preservatives added. Clean machines and clean service and if you have a student card you get a discount! How thoughtful is that. Now go on drink up!

If you are in Bombay you have to try the Vada-Pavs, the Mumbai version of a burger sans the meat!!! Most nooks and corners will have a stall but there are a few which are very popular and famous. Try the one opposite Flora Fountain towards Churchgate station. Totally delicious. A hot crunchy wada with the softest filling inside, a spicy hot peanutty chutney and some green chutney make this a perfect snack to bite into as you are wandering the second hand book sellers in the area. And whilst you are here do dig into a plate of kanda-bhajis or onion bhajiyas. Truly devine. Fried to acheive a perfect crunch but not a drop of oil to taste, these fried snack are a must-have especially piping hot and chutneys to go with. Yes and do remember to flush the diet chart down the nearest drain!

Its 2 am. You have had enough to drink, the pockets are empty all but little change left. The five star coffee shops are way beyond your pockets reach so head out to Churchgate station. No, the station will be closed by then, but the egg-bhurji stall outside would be doing roaring business. All sorts of egg preparations to fulfill that alcohol filled growling stomach. The omelet or the bhurji is just the right thing at this time of the night. Spiced with green chillies, flavoured with onions and tomatoes and cooked in regular oil and sandwiched between local paav, this is just what the hungry stomach craves for. Truly satisfying!

So may it be any time of the day or the night, the street of Mumbai have something for every one. This time we have walked the streets of south Mumbai, but least be assured there is more..... go on salivate!

My favourite is The Gate, a 100% Vegetarian Restaurant and there is nothing Indian about it. Located just behind the Apollo Theatre and a stones throw from the Hammersmith tube station, The Gate is in a small church and run by the duo Adrian and Michael Daniel who have a strong Indo - Iranian cultural influence which reflects on the food they serve. The menu changes often but one of my favourite has been the Three Onion Tart which is a quiche made of leeks, caramalized onions, shallots all in a parmesan pastry. Their pastas melt in the mouth and salads are crisp and fresh and very innovative. The desserts are unavoidable like the Banoffee Pies and Creme Brulees! Extra points for presentation although the service could be a bit laid back but when you bite into that delicious gooey chocolate cake, trust me all is forgotten. Please book in advance!

When you think of Japanese Food, vegetarian is the last option on the mind, in-fact the Japanese are the least vegetarian in the world. But my friends in London have discovered a small and sweet Japanese restaurant (without the foo-foo of Nobu) on Finchley Road, closest tube being Finchely Road stop, serving some delicious vegetarian Japanese options. Starting with Edamame beans with rock salt and chili flakes , Large Avocado & Cucumber pickle rolls with fresh wasabi and Gari or thinly sliced young ginger marinated in sugar and vinegar or the Sweet Potato nigiri which truly taste Japanese in-spite of being vegetarian. Though I wasn't too happy with the Gyoza which are pan fried dumplings, the Tofu Steak which is pan fried with a Teriyaki sauce was delicious. But what I really fell in love with was the Nasu Dengaku which are large Aubergines, sliced from the middle, grilled and layred with a buttery Miso sauce, now all you need to do is scoop out and eat. Truly gastronomically appetizing!

London cant be complete without a stop at one of the many lebanese restaurants dotting the strongly arabic neighbourhood of Edgeware Road in Central London, you will be told about Maroush , Beirut Express but I like to steer away from the tried and tested and I happen to be invited to a birthday celebration to a quaint Lebanese restaurant called The Grand Bazar nested in James Street just off the touristy oxford street and a hop from the Bond Street Tube. As you enter you feel you are in Turkey or old Beirut, the ceilings covered with different coloured lamps throwing warm hues of light on the hungry diners.
The Veg Mezze platter had a sampling of hot and cold mezzes like Felafel, Hummous, Baba Ganoush, Labneh - hung yogurt with olive oil and garlic, Mouhamara a paste of spicy nuts and olive oil in pommegrante mollasses all to be dipped and had with crispy pita. A must have is the Zatar which is flat bread covered with a delicious dry green paste , spinach and cheese are also options. The middle eastern are also big meat eaters but they have a huge variety of the mezzes or appetizers which can be very filling and you may well skip the main course. The Fattoush is a lemony salad and Batata Harra is a must have and very similar to our dry aloo subzi. But what got me going was the Fatayer which is a baked samosa stuffed with spinach, pine nuts , feta cheese and a dash of lemon. Imagine the melted feta and spinach oozing out on your first bite, divine! Grilled Halloumi is different but interested as its a simple yet hard cheese grilled to perfection. Of course no meal for me is complete without a good dessert and the Mouhallabieh which is pistachio based milk pudding and the world famous Baklawa simply are a fantastic ending. Do hope the staff break into a traditional dance in the middle of everything, just gets the mood going!

If you are already missing Bombay and all things bollywood a must visit is Dishoom a Bombay ishtyle Irani Cafe near Covent Garden, with old bollywood posters and delicious Indian food. Its open for breakfast and is an all day cafe. Where else in London would you get Brun Maska to be dipped in steam cups of Masala Chai, Banana Lassi , Omelettes like you get outside churchgate station at nights and the egg naan roll is excellent too! Samosa, Bhel, Vada Pau, Pau Bhaji will take you back to the streets of Bombay without the added filth and dirt! Soups can be well skipped and keep place for the delicately flavoured Spicy Sweet Paneer Tikka , the dry Gunpowder Potatoes and the Black Daal of the house. Then to top is all is the chowpatty styled Gola Ice - shaved ice served with sweet flavoured syrups. Homesick .... but of course!!

So if you have had a hectic day of shopping at Selfridges and on Oxford Street, step into Christophers Place, a lively square right behind Selfridges dotted with interesting cafes, bars and restaurants (nearest tube Bond Street) and you will meet a lovely modern Turkish Restaurant called Sofras. They have an extensive Vegetarian menu including the Moussaka a layered bake, made with slices of aubergine and potatoes , tomato puree and cream topped with cheese and baked. The Ocra is simple and yet delicious but do not miss the stuffed pepper and aubergine which is as the name says peppers and aubergines stufed with rice. Sofras is smart, classy and expensive, but then you also shop at Oxford street!

A walk down to Canary Wharf is refreshing where the modern meets the traditional. Tall glass facade buildings meet old warehouses and redundant docks yet reminding you of the bustling trade that took place here years ago. My dear friends Minaxi and Richard Yearsly stay in a modern flat here and love this neighbourhood. Their favourite is Olivers Italian by the famous TV Chef Jamie Oliver. The yummiest way to begin Sunday. After a few glasses of chilled Italian Prosecco Rustico, the Autum Bruschetta were the best anywhere, crusty home-made brea topped with beetroot, pumpkins and a smokey scarmoza, very rustic and yet simply delicious. Minaxi loved the Crispy Polenta Chips served with Parmesan. Since I am a big mushroom lover, the Chestnut Mushroom were awesome. But what sent me on a one way ticket to heaven was the Wild Truffle Risotto, a sauce made of finely chopped truffle mushrooms in a butter & parmesan sauce lightly cooked with risotto rice.... I scraped my plate to the last grain.... and yet wanted more. The Raspberry Sorbet was just perfect to the end meal followed by Jamies special Tiramisu- thick,creamy, light just like a cappuccino in a bowl! Truly Jamie Oliver is the GOD of Ambrosia!

London has always been a favourite... but its a gastronomical adventure too. No one can remain hungry or unsatisfied. No one can leave London thin. No not even you.

As the year ends me and a group of my friends take off to Thailand and Bangkok being our focal point along with any one of Thailand's beach paradises. But the kid of vibrancy, pulse and warmth that Bangkok has no other city in the world possesses. Unfortunately this year end not only the dollar shot up to newer heights I also had a house full of guests from London and we could not make our annual year end Thailand trip. So i decided write about it and re-live my gastroxpereince through my memories.

Thailand is a largely meat eating country, with every nook , corner and empty available space occupied by kiosks selling various kinds of thai foods and rice being a staple part of any Thai meal. Very similar to the Mumbai road-side stalls, save one exception, the cleanliness. I was surprised how clean these stalls were. They open early by around 8 am in the morning serving breakfast to the early risers and shut-shop by midnight catering to the late comers and the party animals returning back. These are places I would not venture to, as I am unsure whether they would understand my vegetarian sentiments. Albeit, the fruit vendors lining up most streets sell the most amazing freshly cut and chilled fruits like pineapples, watermelon, honey dew melon, rose apples and grapes served on wooden skewers, a great way to begin the day. As you enter Bangkok's very efficient BTS or Monorail system, they all small and hygienic kiosks selling different food. The juice stalls sell freshly made juices like carrot, orange, lemon grass, in small plastic bottles which you can also take away, do not miss the refreshing coconut juice with bits of fresh pieces of malai or the coconut meat.

The most popular and common activities in Bangkok is Mall Hopping as you continue unloading your wallets at neck-break speed. A must visit is the MBK mall, been around for years. After a tiresome day of buying cheap chinese fakes, Thai leather foot wear and plenty of DVDs its time to hit the Food Court on the 5th floor. Smart kiosks selling all sorts of cuisines like Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Indian etc. We prefer to steer away from Indian food on foreign lands unless its on a no-choice basis. We found this neat litlle kiosk called TAMRIND selling 100% vegetarian Thai food. It was a dream come true. The Pad Thai was delicious with chunky tangy noodles topped with crunchy bean-sprouts accompanied by a refreshing Tom Sam-the famous Thai Papaya Salad with bits of fiery thai red chillies, the cashew nut & vegetables with multi grain rice was truly delicious. Tall glasses of Thai Iced Teas were perfect to quench out thirst. No Thai meal can be complete without the Khao Niaow Ma Muang or the Mango and Sticky Rice dessert very local and very traditional but a must have!

Another fantastic restaurant that I cannot miss mentioning is The Greyhound Cafe, with branches at The Emporium Mall & Central Chidlom. Trendy, modern and has a great english speaking staff. But the food was almost out of the world. Their Sandwich In A Bowl is a big fresh salad almost like a Caesars with large pieces of croutons served in a big bowl and a creamy dressing. Once again a delicious Pad Thai (you are in Thailand you will never get enough of pad thai!) the Grilled Veg Salad in a Thick Pesto sauce was also very interesting with a fresh basil pesto and toasted pine nuts, surprisingly the French Onion Soup was yummy, warm and thick with a dash of cream to make it more rich. The Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls were delicious with jullienes of salad and tofu warped in a rice paper, a light and healthy option to fried spring rolls. But do not miss the Spaghetti Thai style originally non-vegetarian but they will do a veggie option for you! Now this one was a surprise dish, italian spaghetti with a tangy spicy Thai style sauce sprinkled with chunky peanuts and loads of lemon grass, simply delicious, a great fusion meal. The Iced Teas are also a visual treat with large ice cubes made of the iced tea it self, very refreshing in the Bangkok heat, also try the Thai Iced Tea Granita. You must know that basically granitas are drinks poured over crushed ice and the peculiarity of the Thai Iced Tea is that its made of milk but not any milk but condensed milk *WARNING* a bit extra-sweet and not lemony fills you up too! The meal ends with some delicious desserts and the Bannoffee is to D-I-E for. My friend Pranav usually orders for the triple layer chocolate cake all for himself basically chunks of choclate cake with dollops of ice cream and whipped cream interspersed with chocolate sauce all served in a large glass. Sinfull.

Another highly recommended restaurant is the The Red Cafe, started by a very sweet and warm couple Retu and Sudeep, third generation Indian Thais, some of the warmest people I know and the best hosts ever. The Red Cafe serves the best Indo-Western fusion food i have ever eaten in the entire world including India. Located at 124 Sukhumvit Soi 53 in a colonial bungalow ask for an outside table to enjoy the muggy bangkok night amidst modern indian music and dim lighting. Red is one exception where I eat Indian food abroad. We started with a round of martinis and the Chocolate Martini is an absolute must-mention. The Dahi Kebabs melt the minute they touch your tongue, as my cousin Anuja says ‘no chewing required'. They used to do a Paneer Makhani Spaghetti which fused the italian spaghetti with the Indian Paneer Makhani, what a combination and I had to go to Bangkok to experience this! Even their regular Indian dishes like Methi Malai Mutter, Paneer Kurchan , Mirchi & Baigan ka Bharta were delicately spiced and not heavy on the stomach. I want to make a comparison here with Indian Restaurants abroad the kind that server mundane food like Aloo Gobhi and Mutter Paneer , dingy dim-light joints playing trashy classical music of the 1980s and decorated with crass indian carving pieces and brassware bought from Mumbai's chor-bazaar, Red was refreshingly different, modern and over all a fabulous eating experience. But to top it the desserts are out of the world, The Flambed Gulab Jamunas, where traditional gulab jamuns are flambed at the table in a rich cointreau sauce, the Chocolate Paan Mousse which looks like a regular chocolate mousse but fused with the flavours of the Indian paan and the Rasmalai with Pistachio Caramel all made it worth a visit. Once again the BEST INDIAN FOOD anywhere.

I can write loads on Bangkok and I am going to, but I think my editor did mention a limit so need to end this here and we will take off where we left off in this pulsating city called Bangkok. Till then Sa wat dee kraup!

It was August 2009 and I couldn't take my daughter Seher for a much deserved summer holiday that year. So I wanted to take her on a short break during her mid-term breaks. She was all of 9 years, a little princess and liked all things PINK. The only place I could think of was Disneyland. And Hong-Kong was the closest, cheapest and quickest option available to us. My friends visit Hong Kong frequently so had plenty of dos-don'ts and recommendations.

After the first few meals of pasta n pizza and other horrible mall food, Seher and I both craved for some good food. We didn't want factory made international food like mexican burritos of an American chain with chinese sub titles. The local restaurants were too risky to eat , not knowing what the staff would understand and serve us, as vegetarianism is an almost unknown concept in Chinese culture. We had all heard of horror stories of what people in China eat - from Money Brains , to fried locusts to anything that walked. And we were just not ready for that.

Lord Buddha came to our help! Sight seeing was a big part of our trips and these definitely do not include malls. So we took a day trip to the Po Lin Monastery. We were greeted by the Giant Buddha sitting a top a hill solemly staring at the world beyond, awesome. All the traveling and climbing had made us both hungry. We knew that the entry into the monastery included the food. But were afraid it would be meats and other inedible foods and we would have to settle for boiled rice and cabbage. Boy, were we in for a surprise! The buddhists are strict vegetarians (thank Buddha!!!) , no onions and garlic either ( perfect for my Jain brethren !) There were little fired dumplings made up of potatoes , very similar to the gujarati Ghughras , simple yet wholesome and delicious. There were some more boiled dumplings with cabbage and potatoes, once again very delicious. I wondered where they got their flavors considering there was no garlic, onion or ginger all key ingredients in Oriental Cooking. Steamed rice along with boiled vegetables in a thick sauce ended this simple meal. Both of us enjoyed the simplicity of the meal, savoring the oriental-ness never missing the pasta-pizza diet we were subjected to in the fast few days.

On one of my detailed internet searches, I came across LIGHT VEGETARIAN restaurant just a few blocks away from my hotel on 13 Jordan Road. Half expecting an Indian place, it turned out to be an out and out chinese eatery. Garish decor, chinese lanterns all over and just too much Light! No wonder it was called what it was called. Looking around , their patronage was 99% chinese locals, the balance 1% was Seher and me! Surprisingly I was expecting loads of Indians, noisy Indian families, crude Indian traders and maybe a spattering of stuck-up SoBo palanpuri gujjus. But no sight of them Indians in here! A huge menu welcomed us with almost 75 to 100 all-100% vegetarian dishes. Thank God I did'nt have to explain to the staff ‘NO MEEEET' ‘ NO FEEESH' ‘NO CHIKEEEEEN" in my fake chinese accent. What took me by surprise was that they had every imaginable meat on the menu - from shrimps to beef , fear not my veggie lover, it was all mock meat. Mock meat is basically soy meal, like soya chunks, then created to closely resemble the meat and flavored accordingly. We ordered a single starter to understand and try out what it would be like. Mock meat is not palatable for everyone. High in soya and visually looked like meat, we tried two un-pronounceable appetizers - mock salami & pork. it took a bit of getting used to , but the flavours and sauces made us forget that this was mere soy chunks. Seher was thrilled to try out some vegetarian salami and vegetarian beef. Simply Delicious... now I know what meat tastes like... without actually cutting up an animal. Our first hearty all-veg local meal. Great! Satisfying !! Fulfilling !!!

So Hong Kong was suddenly not as scary as I thought it would be, gastronomically at least. Except the day spent at Disneyland. No option for us veggies, just the regular fries, corn-on-the-cob and cheese pizza-thats all.

Another little restaurant that surprised me was a little Pizza joint (yes I do wanna discuss about this pizza place as an exception) Shakey's Pizza, highly recommended by my friend Prashant Maheshwari who is a regular visitor to Hong Kong. I wanted to kill him when I entered the factory-made restaurant, which reeked of factory-made food. Located in Tsim Sha Tsui area , disgruntled we studied the factory made menu, basically a wanna-be Pizza Hut style place, everything screaming ‘ we wanna be Pizza Hut! " The menu did have some veggie options and we stuck to the thin-crust Pesto Pizza. Both of us were pleasantly surprised at the freshly made Basil Pesto, delicately spread over a thin crusty base topped with just enough of bell-peppers. Delicious and nothing factory-made about this. Highly recommended.

Hong Kong was a good surprise veggie-gastronomically! I am not much of a Chinese cook. Mostly land goofing up and the food tastes bad almost always. I had picked up some great local soy sauce and a peanut sauce as well. Mixed some of it to make a thick creamy brown sauce with crushed peanuts to get some crunch, stir fried chunks of extra firm tofu in cilli oil till the sides turned brown. Kept both aside. Stir fried thinly sliced onions till just about translucent, added thinly sliced bell peppers till about just cooked, need to have them still crunchy. Over cooking would make the veggies limp. Mixed the tofu, onions, peppers and sauce, garnished with parsley . Served it hot and it was just delicious. Simple, quick and of course oriental. Serve with a hot clear noodle soup. An entire wholesome south-east asian meal ready in minutes! M Goi Saa!

But it was only when my girlfriends friend took us to the local Borough Market at Southwark Street did it open my eyes to an entire new and exciting food experience. Spread over a labyrinth on cobbled streets and alleys the Borough Market is located between the Thames river and the Borough High Street in the South East area of London , South of the River. Its a short and pleasant walk from the London Bridge station serviced by the Northern Line and the Jubilee Line or the Borough Underground station also on the Northern Line. A quaint but bustling farmers market open from Thursday to Saturday 8 am onwards and is emptied out by 4 pm so its wiser to be there by 8 am to catch the freshest produce and the catch of the day!

What surprised me was that almost all stalls had a few vegetarian options. Sampling and nibbling on tit-bits laid out was highly encouraged and verbal appreciation was highly well, appreciated! From the locally made pie-stall, I tried the freshly baked Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Quiche, soft wholesome spinach with the softest Ricotta all baked in a flaky pastry - divine! Plenty of farmers stalls selling freshly made apricot , blueberry , plum jams and relishes, pickled carrots , scallions and gherkins in large glass jars marinated in olive oil, bowls of all sizes of Olives some dipped in virgin olive oil or filled with cream cheese, coupled with cubes of Feta Cheese and you could try as many without feeling guilty of not buying! What a range of vinaigrettes & glazes - fruit flavored, differently aged, each one having a distinctive stringent yet pleasant flavor. An eye-opener this was!

There were a few international stalls as well, we tried some savory crepes filled with mushroom and cheese, Iraqi Food, Greek Gyro Sandwiches stuffed with fresh salad and Halloumi cheese and grilled to near perfection, bananas and strawberries dipped in thick Belgian Chocolate sauce sprinkled with nuts, an Ethiopian food stall, wait, let me just stop here. I had heard plenty about Ethiopian food and been to a few restaurants (which I am planning to cover another time!) but this was different, it was run by a local Ethiopian couple and had plenty of veg options. So we asked for some Toor Daal like lentils, a carrot and potato curry and a puy lentil curry, these was served with a thick Dosa like flatbread called the Injera, which you need to dip with the curries. Simply fabulous. This experience was a sure shot highlight. As we moved between stalls nibbling and dipping into various dips, relishes and sauces, there were also a few selling freshly made apple ciders, peach ciders to quench your thirst.

As we maneuvered our way to one side of the market mainly dominated by fresh fruit and vegetable sellers, so many vegetables that I had never seen, all shapes and sizes of gourds and pumpkins, a colorful variety of squashes and all sorts of green leaves in thick bunches ready to be picked and made into a healthy salad. Very pleasing to the eye and a good tickle to the nose. Our last stop was Neal's Yard - a 1000 sq feet cheese store stocked to the ceiling with a variety of roundels and blacks of cheeses. I was astounded, staring awe-struck at what was around me. The staff, all masters in cheese were only too eager to help and inform. On chatting the friendly staff, we found out that a lot of cheeses were made by the company and a few were sourced from other farms and factories. We picked out a few as suggested & according to our taste. Once again guilt free tasting! There were british cheeses like Appleby's Cheshire hard but creamy, the soft waterloo, pungent and strong Colston Bassett Stilton (blue), the Italian Cravero Parmigiano Reggiano, the french Brie De Meaux (dont ask me to pronounce these!), goats milk cheeses like Dorstone & Ragstone and ofcourse Sheeps Milk Greek Feta, British Bartlett. I had to get some for home.

By the end of the market I was carrying plastic bags full of cheeses, vinaigrettes, relishes and sauces. My friend Nita in London, taught me to make a cheese canape, using watercress crackers, spread with a dollop of guava jelly (picked from a Jamaican-Caribbean food stall) and soft cream cheese which I had picked form the local market and garnished with a bit of fresh parsley served chilled! Fantastic, quick and easy to prepare.

Next, I had picked up a bottle of Peach flavored Balsamic Glaze excellent for glazing roasts which I would never make. So, I drenched some dried black mushrooms till they swelled up. Drained the water and threw them into a pan with a good drizzle of olive oil. As the mushrooms cooked they let out water, I let the mushrooms cook in this broth till most of the water evaporated, halfway through i added a good splash of the Balsamic Glaze along with freshly crushed pepper, crushed garlic, salt to taste. In about 10 minutes I sprinkled some sliced pine nuts , garnished with some Parsley and served it hot. A lovely Mushroom - Balsamic salad, healthy and quick. As you chewed on the soft mushrooms letting out the strong flavors of the peach balsamic and juices of garlic I knew my purchases would be well put to use!

I know for a fact, with a visit to the Borough Market, it opened up a new option to eat and enjoy in the hustle-bustle of London. A must visit for me each time. Make it yours too!

Harsh Shodhan, 38, a born foodie and surrounded by food lovers, experienced his love for food at a young age influenced by his fathers penchant for fine food and his mothers culinary expertise. Having grown up seeing his mother run her successful catering company, Harsh always had a passion for creating as well as tasting new cuisines and foods. On his travels he experienced many vegetarian options worldwide encountering challenges but yet finding delicious non-indian Vegetarian options. It was only in 2009 he went from the backstage and into the war zone creating and cooking his own vegetarian meals! This is his journey of discovering vegetarian food worldwide. Enjoy.