The GGA Project -- Day #349 "Why I Should Really Get Out More at Lunch"

When I do manage to get out for lunch during work, I never really think to go to a place where I'd actually have to sit down and order.  This is mostly because I'm super uptight about time (it's the German in me....it has to be, cuz it's certainly not the Mexican in me), and the thought of needing to have all that happen (the getting sat, the ordering, the food's arrival, the eating, the paying of the check), in the course of an hour, sounds way more stressful than potentially enjoyable.


Eh, but I got over it today, since I've been wanting for a very long time to make it to this particular vegetarian restaurant.


Today's New Activity: Zomg, Chaat Bhavan


As much as I've recently tried to step away from reading reviews of places online, there are still a bunch of places in the back of my mind that I've read about in the past and wanted to try.  Chaat Bhavan, with its great track record on Yelp, was one of them.


We tried the only southern Indian dish on the menu, a thick stew with lentil/steamed rice patties called Idly Sambar:

Then there was the main attraction: a thali made of two veggies-of-the-day (paneer mattar (peas and cheese) and aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower)), two type of dal (lentil soup), raita (yogurt) and kheer (rice pudding), served with rice, paratha (flat bread) and papad (a sort of seasoned cracker).  Wow.  Super YUMMO!!

The thali also came with a traditional appetizer dish called Bhel Puri, which I'd always wanted to try and got around to today.  Oh my, what an awesome explosion of flavor!  And look how beautiful it is:

I'd met a friend, and these two inexpensive dishes were plenty to share.  And the service was super fast, though the large dining room was packed.


I'm a huge fan of the no-frills, authentic, fast and cheap Indian/Pakistani restaurants that abound in Fremont.  That I was one of maybe 4 non-Indian patrons in the place was a good sign to me, too.  I also just LOVE the experience of looking at a menu and knowing that I don't have to filter anything because it's 100% vegetarian!  The hardest part was narrowing it down.


I seriously already can't wait to go back...