Vashi: A hit with teens

The sizzling of the dosa batter and the dollops of butter sumptuously spread on it makes one want to grab the dish right away. Vashi station, which boasts of a variety of food stalls right outside the station, seems to be the latest youth haunt.

The vada pav stalls, pav bhaji joints and dosa plazas see a huge college crowd daily congregating here. "Our vada pavs are really popular among the youngsters who are our main target," says Manishankar Dutt, who has been running his vada pav stall - Pops, for the last five years. Dosa Plaza is another popular joint that offers around 104 different varieties of dosas.

"We meet up at the station to celebrate birthday parties. The stalls offering soups and Chinese dishes are delicious," says Shammi Shivakumar, a third year student from DY Patil College. Besides the food, the place is also their best bet to kill time with friends.

"I hog on the Chinese food while commuting to and fro my college in Nerul," says Aarti Singh, a first year student from DY Patil College. The stall owner Gopi thinks it’s the lack of good Chinese eating joints in the vicinity that draws the crowd.

For Anamika, another college student, hygiene factor is what makes Vashi station rock. She likes to nibble at Dale’s Heaven located within the station. "I go shopping to Centre One with my friends but Vashi station is our adda, laughs Rohit Prabhakar, a second year student from Tilak College, Vashi.

Despite malls like Centre One and other coffee houses that have sprung up in Vashi, the eating outlets at Vashi station have not met with any tremendous business fluctuation on the flipside.