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| Gooooll Gappppaaa!!!! |
Pani puri or say pani ke pataashe or phuchka keh loo or Gup chup or palodi or Gol Gappa hi sahi..say anything but it all boils down to the lip licking
delicious puri filled with a mixture of spicy water, tamarind, chillies, chaat
masala, onion and sprouts!!!!
In search for the BEST Pani Puri in amchi Mumbai is something what we have been wandering everywhere
like the vagabonds in need of a house….and when we say ‘BEST’ it simply has to
be ‘THE BEST’ approved by our ever demanding and tickling taste buds which with
time and experience have been really trained well to identify ‘THE ONE AND ONLY
ONE’ from ‘THE LOTTT…’!!!!
So yes we tried various different places in South Mumbai,
Suburbs, Western line, Central line, Harbour line n all many places we could
visit (of course as humans we are, we would have missed some good places..;)).
Based on what we had, what we liked and randomly asking people there were three
places which we think are the places to visit before you die and grab a
plate(or may be many more) of Pani Puri and let it sooth your taste buds…
Ok, so the places:
1 Pani Puri at Grant Road, near Westside: A very
small stall behind Westside showroom..if someone doesn’t know about it, it’s
just not possible to go and realize where have you come..!!
For us, a matter of chance that we landed
at Westside and were supper hungry by the end of it..so decided to have a go at
it….
A place where even a Mukesh Ambani loves coming
to, has to offer something unique….A combination of a crisp, hollowed-out bite-sized puri filled with ragda,
potatoes and Moong and dipped into tamarind water mixed with chilies and chaat masala…Dripping wet and overflowing with the spicy water, you pop it
into your mouth and crunch into it all at one go and wait for the explosion of
tastes that follows…!!!!
Swallow. Repeat. Standing right there on the street side….
The Own made Puri, the Tangy and sweet water and a plate of
sukha puri after the main Pani Puri jus makes it stand out!!!
Cost: Rs. 25 per plate
Location: (Click on map for a larger image)
Seriously people worth a go!!
Pani Puri at Ghatkopar: (Inputs and experiences from my co-author Ms. Hogger)
I'm a very fussy person wen it comes to Pani-puri.. I want a peculiar taste, such that not many people have come close to it..
But one pani-puri wala whose pani-puri, i can almost claim, that i've grown up eating is the one located in Vallabh baug lane in Ghatkopar, popularly known as Khaugali..
He is a whole-n-sole pani puri wala .. Only puri, pani (meetha n pudine wala) and moong-boondi.. no ragda (yeah, not even ragda) no pattice, no sev puri.. no side dishes..none.. but still the pani-puri still manages to tempt my taste buds enuf that my family and I are willing to drive down 15 kms almost every alternate weekend just for a plateful of this mouth-watering roadside dish..!
Well my vocabulary isnt that good that i can use all kinds of adjectives to describe this lil snack.. but i can certainly share a few instances:
Wen i was in my Class 10, a week before my board exams i was really frustrated.. And my parents chose to pep me up.. by actually driving me down to have this pani puri!! And it really worked for me!
Wen i introduced a friend's girlfriend to this pani puri, she didnt really like it.. n i seriously joked to my frnd "yeh kaisi bandi hai yaar,, break up kar le!' (and to some extent, i muz have meant it also!!)
I din't know if he was the best pani puri wala or not(until our voyage that is).. but certainly till date i havent figured out a better pani-puri wala than him.. I dunno wat this outlet is called.. nvr really bothered! The dish is simply awesome, not at all expensive (Rs. 15) and never in so many years have i fallen unwell coz of it! So for me, it serves all the purposes of good and hygenic (!!!) food at cheaper rates.. And at times, i even get it parcelled to take it home (to which my friend once exclaimed "Dont! it will get all soggy by the time u get home!!".. well if anyone of u has a similar concern, well he packs all the ingredients seperately.. :p)
This one is definitely worth a try.. Located towards the MG Road end of Vallabhbaug lane in Ghatkopar east, the pani puri wala is surrounded by other amazing food options from sandwiches to dosas to frankies to pav bhaji to golas n juices n wat not.. all which we shall talk of very soon.. But yes, this one is sumthin u shudnt miss..
So, writing this article gave us one more reason to go and hog on this pani puri once again! And it was just as wonderful as always.. No other words to describe it..
We and specially me prolly vented out too many emotions with this pani-puri! And rightly so, cz its like one of the things most associated with me..definitely worth to deserve a place in this article.. Wouldnt want you to miss out on this one! :)
And the third place as liked and known by most Mumbaikars, is the Elco pani puri situated at Bandra..one of the oldest and most liked pani puri..definitely deserves a place in the top 3!!!
Price: Rs 50 per plate
Location: Do we need to say!!
