Beautiful presentation, mesmerising aroma and sumptuous indulgence of the taste buds are often associated with good food. On the other hand, sounds like loud clinking of metals, breaking of glasses or acting up electrical appliances make us envision a typical kitchen. Not to mention the irritable reprimands that follow. 😛 Quite a thoughtful stroke of creativity then to create a dish that borrows its name from an appetising sound; a sizzler. Isn’t it? 🙂

Sizzler is an aesthetic delight with a veg patty served with French fries and assorted vegetables on a bed of cabbage. This whole assembly is arranged on a hot stone or metal plate kept on a wooden base. The sauce poured over it makes a sizzling sound which imparts its name to this dish. In non-veg preparations the veg patty is replaced with grilled or shallow fried chicken, fish or meat. There are few exclusive sizzler joints in India like Kobe and Yoko which serve a variety of sizzlers. Personally, I’m a die-hard fan! 🙂

As a child, sizzlers always attracted me. I loved the smoky flavour that filled the room grandly announcing their arrival. Their unmistakable sound commanded attention and made everyone’s heads turn for a view. I had no idea where they originated from, for me everything exotic was bracketed into Continental cuisine. Much to my dismay, my Indian-food-loving parents had no appetite for it. They flatly refused to order God-knows-what even as my crocodile tears wet the table. Yes, they called it that! 🙁

I was blessed in more ways than one when I tied the knot with A. I’ve heard that girls try to find a shadow of their fathers in their husbands, may be I did too. In my case however, A came with a set of custom-made changes which I suspect were intercepted by God without my express knowledge. I wanted someone who enjoyed food and treated it more than a mere way to satiate hunger. On our honeymoon itself I witnessed A’s foodie side and silently thanked my parents for this ideal choice. 🙂

It has been 15 years since A settled in Mumbai. He has spent quite some time exploring it with his friends, travelling to different parts of the city at odd hours. As a newly married couple we spent most of our weekends soaking in the sights and gorging on yummy food at his favourite joints. Sardar pav bhaji, Dosa at Ram Ashray, the big thali at Samrat and Kailash lassi near Dadar station, I fell in love with Mumbai and its food! 🙂

I wanted to dine at an authentic sizzler joint on my birthday. A Jr was a toddler then, a well-behaved sweetheart and a bundle of energy. Birthdays, anyone’s, always excited him and he constantly reminded A that he must treat me. 😉 We took our zealous boy to the CSMVS first where he thoroughly enjoyed the animals section. I got loads of pictures as collectibles too.

We spent our evening feeling the cool breeze on our faces on Marine Drive. That’s one experience that never gets old, I tell you. We ate at the Kobe joint at Girgaum which sadly didn’t live up to my expectations. I optimistically sampled sizzlers at several other lesser known places since then and am now truly madly in love with. Blame the chef not the dish if it disappoints you, right? 😉

The best part about sizzlers are the awesome sauces that give them flavour and taste. There are Chinese, Italian, Barbecue and many other types to choose from. Paneer tikka sizzler (in pic) is my personal favourite. I go easy on the patty and French fries and always polish off the delicious burnt cabbage. Perfect way to diet while eating well! 😉

Do you like sizzlers too? Which ones are your favourite? Tell me about it.

This post is written for #BlogchatterA2Z and #AtoZChallenge for April 2019