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It’s a quintessentially Bombay thing — that is, you can eat it elsewhere but it just won’t taste the same. It has all the cliché symbolism you want, see? A seemingly random mixture of puffed rice, onions, green chillies, coriander, boiled potatoes, a sweet and sour chutney, a hot chutney and a garlicky chutney, sev and when in season, tiny bits of unripe mango, but when it all comes together, boy does it work. The paper cone in which it is served should best be a company balance sheet — this, together with the deepfried puri and the tiny bits of kairi gives you the feeling that this is Mumbai.

Of course, you choose your roadside bhel wallahs according to your location and your childhood memories. So I think fondly of Malabar Hill and have no problem with the man who comes to my current building far far awar every Sunday evening. Some swear by Ram and Shyam in Santa Cruz, others by Juhu Beach or Chowpatty or Girgaum or Colaba or anywhere at all.

If the roadside is not for you, try Swati Snacks. No balance sheet paper cone, but in return you get high quality ingredients and guaranteed cleanliness. Soam is another option and Kailash Parbat is a reasonable bet. If you want to do it make it at home, although sadly, Shetty’s of Tardeo no longer exists to give you a neatly packed set of plastic dabbas with all the chutneys carefully separated, but ready packs like Raghuvanshi are available. But don’t be squeamish. Sometimes you have to live a little and hit the road.