Get set for a taste of real Mumbai

Mumbai is known to be a haven for food-lovers and Mumbaikars are culinary enthusiasts. Food is infact, a way of life. The vibrancy of this city’s culture is reflected in its lip-smacking, hot and spicy street food. With people from all parts of India living in Mumbai, the city offers a plethora of tastes and flavours to choose from. Round-the-corner joints and hole-in-the wall eateries at times offer more authentic flavours and are extremely affordable. Thus, while restaurants and fine- dining experiences are enjoyed by many, street food like pani puri, bhel puri, sandwiches, ragda-pattice, pav bhaji, vada pav, dosas, which are a unique characteristic to this city, are equally preferred by the people.

Vada pav is the most popular street food. It is mashed potato fried in gramflour (besan) batter, placed between a bun with green chutney and dried garlic powder. It has a variant called bhajiya pav, which is a bunch of batter fried, thin slices of onion and potato put inside the bun. These are served with mild, fried green chillies. The CTO vada pavwala situated across the Bombay High Court near the Central Telegraph Office is famous. Among college students, the vada pav outside Mithibai college is a big hit.

Equally popular is the Mumbai pav bhaji. An array of mashed vegetables and potatoes in a tomato based gravy and masala served with buttered pav. At Marine Lines, Lenin pav bhaji has been around for years doing brisk business. Here, pav bhaji is served with garlic chutney and finely chopped onions. Sardar pav bhaji stall at Tardeo is another landmark.

Mumbai is synonymous with pani puri. The tangy taste of the water tickles the palate and has the customer craving for more. Elco arcade in Bandra (W) is worth a mention.
Dahi puri, sev puri with sweet and tangy chutneys, tikkis and cold and salty lassi as well as sugarcane juice are also available here. Akash Chat Bhandar at Andheri (W) station is another popular joint for food-lovers.

For those seeking a heavy, filling snack when on the move, sandwiches and frankies are the answer. Sandwiches may not be a novelty, but in Mumbai you have endless varieties and that too on the road! Vegetable sandwiches, cheese sandwiches, grilled or toasted. Lucky sandwich in Vile Parle is worth a visit. Frankies are maida rolls, which come with a filling of potatoes, vegetables, cheese, chicken or egg. Tasty and sumptuous, these are value-for-money and available all over the city. Mani Dosa at Santa Cruz is a mecca for dosa lovers. Pure ghee dosas with interesting fillings and a tangy sambhar await you.

No trip to Mumbai can be complete without a visit to Khau Galli at Kalbadevi. Food lovers can find everything here. Dosas, hot kachoris, chaats, bhelpuri, samosas. These are prepared upon placing an order and are served with spicy chutneys, at affordable prices.

And if the non-vegetarians are feeling left out, they’ve no cause to despair. In keeping with its love for pavs, omelette-pav is yet another road-side snack offered in Mumbai.
At Churchgate station, one can relish a vast array of piping-hot omelettes, served with pav or bread. At Sion Koliwada, often referred to as mini Punjab, one can savour delicious Koliwada fish, prawn fry and tandoori chicken. Equally legendary is Bade Miyan, behind Taj. Rolls, kebabs, baida roti. The list of non-vegetarian delicacies is endless.

For those Mumbaikars who are bored of the regular stuff in their city and want street food in a great ambience, chef Anil Khurana is recreating a unique experience of Delhi street food at Glasshouse, Hyatt Regency, Mumbai as part of Dus Din Dilli De from February 3 to 13.

Chef Khurana says, “Delhi, where spices express emotions and colours, always has a condiment to spice up your life, making it very similar to Mumbai, which is a melting pot of all cultures.” Guests can experience Delhi with delicacies like “Paranthe Wali Gali Ke Paranthe”, “Chandni Chowk ke Chole Bhature”, “Dariya Ganj ke Barranh Kabab”.