Mangesh Vada Pav - He has the balls (Potato Balls)

Two thoughts instantly pops up in anyone's mind, when they hear the word MUMBAI. One for the over crowded trains and the other for its staple food Vada Pav.

I am sorry to call Vada Pav as the staple food of Mumbai, but I can't help it. There is no place in the city where you can't find this awesome snack. I shouldn't be calling it a snack either. Many a times people eat it for Lunch. To top it, you always have atleast 2-3 stalls around each other. And what shocks me is that you always have people around these stalls, with they demanding more and the vendor fulfilling their demands with hands dipped in Basen the entire day.

I would actually love to know whats the net worth of the Vada Pav Industry :). I am sure the figures will be shocking.

I have had Vada Pau's at a lot of places in Mumbai. Of course I can't cover all but you have to trust my coverage, its a lot of Vada Pav indeed.

Vada Pav usually tastes the same, wherever they are made. But my personal favorite is Mangesh Vada Pav. Its a small stall located very close to the station at Borivali West, diagonally opposite to Raj Mahal hotel.

Mangesh Vada Pav has the right mix of the ingredients, and it especially tastes awesome with the chutney (green sauce) he serves. I personally find it mild in taste, but for some it may turn out to be too spicy.

Its very unusual to find no one around on the stall, so you might have to wait for sometime before you bite into the crispy snack. Make sure you always get the hottest ones.

The tag line of Lay Chips actually applies to Mangesh. I bet 'No one can eat just one'

Ratings:

1. Food: Excellent
2. Ambiance: There is no Ambiance. Its a stall, usually called Bakda in Mumbai
3. Service: Good
4. Value for Money: Total Paisa Vasul
5. Recommended: Must Visit
6. Pocket Quotient: Rs 24 for 2 people

Satkar -- The Malvani Food Delite

Spicy food is not what my tongue relishes the most and, never had I imagined that I would get hooked onto it, until my VP Marketing introduced me to the world of Malvani Cuisine at Satkar in Goregaon (E), Mumbai.

Background of Malvani Cuisine:

Malvani cuisine is the standard cuisine of the Konkan region of Maharashtra, Goa and northern parts of West Karnataka. Although Malvani cuisine is predominantly non-vegetarian, there are many vegetarian delicacies.

Malvan being a coastal area in Konkan, it has its own distinct way of cooking food. Malvani cuisine uses coconut liberally in various forms such as grated, dry grated, fried, coconut paste and coconut milk.

Many masalas have dried red chilies and other spices like coriander seeds, peppercorns, cumin, cardamom, ginger, garlic, etc. Some dishes also use kokum, dried kokam (amsul), tamarind, and raw mango (kairi).

Satkar - The authentic malvani restaurant

Even though Satkar is located just outside Goregaon Station, you won't be able to find easily coz of it's unusual location and one would have to rely on the locals for guidance. First timer would think about quiting the idea of eating at this place after passing through the dirty chawls and by lanes to reach the place, but one thing is assuared that if you eat at this place for once, you would forget the filth that you just passed through.

Located on first floor, with a big artifical crab placed at the entrance, this place is unusually crowded on all days except Thursday (coz that's the day when locals do not eat non-veg). You might have to wait for around 20-30 mins before you find a place to sit during the lunch hours. Since Satkar servers limited variety of food, the service is very quick. 5-8 mins is the normal lead time in which food is served to you.

Satkar is famous for it's sea food, and you would find majority of the people ordering for fish,crab and prawns. A thali (chicken/fish/mutton/prawns/crab) would cost around Rs 100/- to Rs 180/- , but is quite sufficient for a single person since it includes a gravy, dry fried chicken/fish/mutton/prawns/crab, rice, soul curry and a option to choose between a bhakri or chapati with unlimited servings of coconut chutney and onions.

The option of eating chicken/fish/mutton/prawns/crab masala or dry is also available.
Chicken which is served here is Desi / Gauti chiken and hence the pieces are small and less fleshy but excellent in taste and protein.

Satkar also serves vegetarian food, but I haven't tried it nor would recommend it.

The taste of the food is very consistent and the testimony of the fact is that each time I have eaten at this place, I have to rush off to the nearest sweet shop i.e. Veg World to have some gulab jamuns. Never was there a time when the food was marginally less spicy then before :)

However this place is a must visit for anyone who likes spicy food and for people who have never experience Malvani food. I bet you would be wanting to visit this again an again as long as you are in Mumbai.

Ratings:

1. Food: Excellent
2. Ambience: Average
3. Service: Good
4. Value for Money: Yes
5. Recommended: Must Visit
6. Pocket Quotient: Rs 350 to Rs 500 for 2 people