Bombaysthan,Faloodas and The Birthday Cake

 Embracing yet another candle on my birthday cake with a smile. Luckily, the boys are home for the summer and to me that is indeed the most secure feeling with the entire family around.

When the clock struck twelve itself, I had my boys hugging and smothering me with kisses and laying next to me asking me how I would like the day to proceed. Pleaded with them that I needed my night's rest and sleep to be sane the next day and function less robotically...they did leave me to get my beauty sleep, rest and repair and proceeded with their activities for the night-music, movies, chatting with their friends....Oh!!! my biological alarm rings louder than usual ...almost to the tune of "Happy Birthday to you." I was already up and about my chores. The phone's been buzzing and now that whatsapp has bulldozed its way into our smartphones...it was messages galore!!! Kind messages, angry and chiding messages as many couldn't scribble and wish me on my FB wall (my settings have been tuned such a way for my personal reasons)

Nevertheless! I tried to be equally patient and hopefully replied to each and every one who messaged. In the midst of family and the birthday love and baking my own cake...my beautiful lil sista wanted to meet me whenever I could take a break from my family. She's a friend I met online and somebody who remains very close to my heart. My calculation is when I was 17, she was conceived! Ta Da! That's my Deep who blogs at https://www.facebook.com/DeeDiDelights?fref=ts.

There's a kind of bond that we have developed over time which is best described as refined, mature and mutual love, respect and admiration. She has been the biggest bonus to me...I don't know whether she is like a baby sister to me or do I have some motherly instincts over her...nature has its ways of confusing human feelings! Whatever said and done...that is one helluva decent and finely brought up human being. Sharing things with her whenever the both of us have our space and time away from our family and chores has helped me recover from losses and catapulted me to a space that I enjoy most these days. Our fondness for baking has been instrumental in sealing our bond and we have some common pet peeves and lots of gratifying things in common.

 Thus made some time to meet her as she was in and around taking her mom out shopping in the vicinity and that's how we met at Bombaysthan at GN Chetty road, T-Nagar. A moderately big space that can roughly accommodate thirty customers both up and down (There is a flight of steps leading to the upstairs as well) I don't know much about the place but for the fact that the name replaced Haji Ali quite recently after some controversy!
It is a road I drive through quite often.

They've got loads of stuff on their menu. She went in for this Rose Falooda.

 I chose the fruit falooda. Oh my! it was brimming with fresh fruits and if ever I feel like having a falooda again, I know where to get one! She loved hers and I loved mine...I just couldn't finish mine though perhaps because I had a late lunch and as it had started to drizzle, the weather demanded that plate of French Fries. So you could picture the various textures we had dancing and playing around in our mouths.

Faloodas aren't new to me. They used to be our go to beverage when I used to haunt the theatres where I did my college (Sree Kumar/Sree Visakh, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala) They were our favourite getaways back then. As a grown up I went to watch a film with the husband a year back, we literally walked out of the theatre as we just couldn't take in the fans and the air-conditioning running at full blast and I had a wailing child kicking at my seat! Those parents had no sense at all! I didn't want to be rude by staring at them but the kicking got me...I just couldn't concentrate on the film and with a glare walked out. Why couldn't they just take the child outside the premises and comfort it or rock the toddler to sleep!!! or throw some falooda over its face or theirs and cool themselves off!!!

So that ends the story with the faloodas and those theatres!!!

 The ambiance here at Bombaysthan is good, more for the focussed customers who want to have a nice beverage or a sandwich. Service was quick. There is space for atleast three vehicles to park in front of the shop but to be on the safer side we parked ours in a lane nearby.

Do check out the following link to give you an overview of what a Falooda comprises:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falooda

The total bill set us back by Rs.200 per head. It was quite decent considering the lightning visit and time we could spare over the weekend for each other away from our families.

Our fries were yumm...like any other fries!!! Nothing outstanding! The place was streaming in with youngsters and we did wait a while before we got a clean table to ourselves.

 That was Deep's surprise cake for me...hmmm now I understand why she was so insistent that I spare atleast ten minutes of my birthday for her...Oh I always have time for my friends-the loyal ones! We spent a lot of time together. Meeting her and chatting with her is like an energy booster!

The cake was brought home, cut and literally wiped clean...my boys enjoyed it! I did too! Lovely texture, gorgeous colour and such a kind gesture on her part.

 My pictures may not do justice to the cake but she's such a professional at her work. Her page is as beautiful as she is! She's got an eye for photography as well.

 I had it with my tea...although I would prefer naked cakes always...this frosting just got my kids hooked and they were going all Ga Ga over the cake! So those of you who are reading this and feel like ordering a red velvet cake/any cake with all those fillings and frostings for a loved one...you know where to get the cake (of course this is based out of her home in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India)

Hmmm...did I ever tell ya that she was a pilot? My first real pilot gal friend!!!! Have seen some of the horizons/skies that she has captured as pics and I was in awe...

Lovely time spent with my sista and on her recommendation our family dinner was also at the place of her choice.

"In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips!"

 Everybody truly has time...it is no excuse to come in our way for anything...but "making time" is what we have to consciously work on. Thank you Deep for making that time for me. Absolutely no regrets at all escaping from the boyz to have some girlie time with you!!!