Toast sev puri at Gupta Chaat Corner.
Certain kinds of food are particularly comforting during the rains: fried, fatty, hot, soupy, meaty, crunchy. The following is a list of snacks, mini-meals and main courses I plan to eat this monsoon. It covers time-tested classics like kachori and Sindhi curry, as well as crazy concoctions such as Mexican bhel and toast sev puri.
Chilli Cheese Fries and Pizza Fries at The J
Shop No.3, Ground Floor, Vaswani Mansion, opposite H. R. College, Churchgate. Tel: 98200 27118.
The J has revised parts of its menu, but there was never any chance of the bestselling chilli cheese fries being altered or dropped. A paper cone is filled with French fries and topped with cheddar-jalapeno sauce. Also on offer are the recently-launched pizza fries, where the chips are tossed with melted mozzarella and pizza marinara sauce. Fried, fatty, and crunchy? Yes, yes and yes. Chili cheese fries, Rs80; pizza fries, Rs100.
Chorizo Pao at Grub Shup
Opposite Mahim Station, near Cafe Coffee Day, Mahim. Tel: 022 2446 4306.
Owner Meldan D’Cunha, who also runs Soul Fry in Bandra and The Local in Fort, knows his Goan food. At Grub Shup, crusty pao soaks up the fat from spicy choriz that’s been sautéed with onions to make for a hearty yet affordable snack that won’t burn a hole in your stomach or your wallet. Rs90.
Cornflake-Crusted Basa at The Serpis’ Wild Side Cafe
Opposite St Andrew’s Church, Chimbai Road, off Hill Road, Bandra (West). Tel: 98704 83976.
The Serpis’s version of fish and chips is particularly excellent because the crust is made of cornflakes. If basa’s biggest virtue is its butteriness, then this crunchy coating makes this dish a textural delight. We plan to order this when we’re craving pakodas (and happen to be in Bandra). It’s just as hot and crunchy but without the sogginess. Rs250.
Duck Sausage at Imbiss
Shop No.5, Ben O Lil Haven Co-operative Housing Society, Waroda Cross Road, off Hill Road, Bandra (West). Tel: 022 2641 4985. Also at Ground Floor, Pipewala Building, opposite Camy Wafers, next To Kailash Parbat, 4th Pasta Lane, Colaba. Tel: 022 2202 0455.
Forget duck confit, Peking duck, and duck spring rolls. If you or a friend want to try duck for the first time, this is the introductory dish I’d suggest. The coarsely minced duck meat is soft, crumbly and rich with flavour, but not at all gamey. Rs180 at the Bandra outlet, Rs225 at the Colaba branch.
Garlic Kheer at Jantar Mantar
Plot No.G5, A. B. Nair Road, near Juhu Church, Juhu. Tel: 86553 44771.
This dish may never be Instagram-worthy but just one spoonful is enough for the rich flavour of roasted garlic to fill your head. Take it along as dessert to a friend’s iftaar party, or eat it warm and use it to lift your mood when you’ve got the sniffles. Rs120.
Idli Burger at Shree Sunders
Bhandarkar Road, diagonally opposite Ram Ashraya, behind Kabutarkhana, Matunga (East). Tel: 022 2416 9215.
If you get drenched during a shopping trip to LBS market, walk into Shree Sunders and order the idli burger – it will beat getting a pudla, a steamed idli, or a vegetable sandwich, because it happens to be a combination of all three. A golden-fried idli is sliced through into two halves, which are then smeared with green chutney and layered with slices of tomato, cucumber, onion, cheese and tomato omelet (besan pudla) to make an “idli burger”. I discovered this snack while conducting research for the Mumbai Boss Taste Trail through Matunga, and as far weird foods go, this is surprisingly fun to eat. Rs75.
Indonesian Chicken Wrap at Wraps and Rolls
Skyzone, High Street Phoenix, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel. Tel: 022 6528 6555. For other loations see here.
Every time I order this wrap, the staff warn me that it’s fairly fiery. Filled with cylinders of roasted chicken mince, sambal (a South-East Asian chilli-based sauce), and sliced onions and capsicum, it’s certain to crank up your internal thermostat. Just make sure they don’t undercook the flatbread. Rs85.
Kachori and Lassi at Punjabi Moti Halwai Karachiwala
Savla Chambers, 40 Cawasji Patel Street, Fort. Tel: 022 2204 5678.
This one makes my list especially because this is quite likely the last year in which we will be able to walk to Punjabi Moti in the rains and stop for a freshly fried kachori and a glass of creamy sweet (or salted) lassi. Single kachori, Rs15; glass of lassi, Rs22.
Loca Cuscurro at Loca Loca
8, Vora Building, 3rd Road, Khar. Tel: 022 2648 6233.
The staff at Loca Loca will tell you this dish is “Mexican bhel”, and that’s a pretty spot-on if pithy description. Crumbled nachos and sev puri are tossed with chopped bell peppers, jalapenos and onions; the mixture, which is served in a paper cone, is then sprinkled with lime juice, and topped with a touch of chaat masala. One round of this bar snack is good enough for two people lounging over a slow drink. Rs125.
Nachos Del Sol at Zen Café
KSL House, Raghuvanshi Mills, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel. Tel: 022 2498 4825.
Cold nachos aren’t the first thing that comes to most people’s mind when they think of monsoon-friendly fare. At Zen Café however, there’s a special pleasure in eating them by yourself in the cool quiet of the restaurant, with your nose in a book, and the sound of the rain outside. The nachos, fittingly arranged like rays of a sun, come topped with beans, piquant pico de gallo, and grated cheese. Rs210.
Sindhi Curry with Rice at Royal Sindh
Shop No.2, Ground Floor, opposite Jewel Shopping Centre, J. P. Road, Versova, Andheri (West). Tel: 022 6535 6625.
When it’s wet and mucky outside, hot and sour, tom yum and good ol’ tomato soup have nothing on a bowlful of this besan-based stew made with potatoes, carrots and drumsticks flavoured with tamarind and fenugreek seeds. Royal Sindh’s owners use their family recipe, and the result is a kadhi that tastes just like someone’s grandma made it. Rs140.
Toast Sev Puri at Gupta Chaat Corner
Near Chheda Dry Fruit Stores, Bhanu Jyoti Building, Lakhamsi Napoo Road, Matunga (East). Tel: 98333 25573.
This is how I enjoy the taste of sev puri during the monsoon without having to worry about getting ill. Gupta prepares sev puri, with all the fixings, on a slice of bread, covers it with another slice, and then toasts it. He cuts the toast into six bite-sized rectangles and tops it with more sev. It’s so popular that he claims to sell over a 100 of these every day. Rs40; Rs10 extra for cheese.
Roshni Bajaj Sanghvi is a Mumbai-based food journalist, a contributing editor at Vogue magazine, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York City, and the restaurant reviewer for the Hindustan Times newspaper in Mumbai.