The fresh, homemade-style wraps made by a seasoned chef at a modest stall have our heart
Sagar Kamble at his stall
FOOD: FLAVORFUL
AMBIANCE: DULL
SERVICE: SLOW
COST: REASONABLE
VERDICT: 1/4
Homemade streetfood is an oxymoron. Some things do taste best at roadside stalls alone. But in the loony times we live in, where ‘is this healthy?’ is a perennial query, a tidy stall that stocks ingredients in lock-and-lock containers, has you assured. At Sion’s Happy Bites, everything is made at home. From the chutneys to the sauces, the marinade and the semi-roasted wheat chapatis — all handmade by Sagar Kamble, a chef who has experience at prominent hospitality brands.
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Chicken tikka roll
Kamble hits the right notes with the texture and flavours of these wraps. A new flavour of marinade, he later tells us, is introduced every month. For August, it’s Jaipuri. Inspired by the spices in laal maas, the marinade in the chicken wrap (Rs 130) carries the fire from the red chilli but toned down, and a garam masala that isn’t too overpowering. The vegetarian version with paneer (Rs 70) is good too.
The menu carries a long list of options including potato, mushroom and baby corn, but the day we visited, only chicken and paneer were available. A known flavour of chicken shezwan roll (Rs 120) and tikka roll (Rs 110) had the homemade sauce play the star. The reshmi roll (Rs 120) was too sweet but that’s how the flavour is, so maybe we picked the wrong type. Kolhapuri (Rs 120), the flavour of July, didn’t win us over.
Chicken schezwan roll
Now, the disclaimer. The place, off the Eastern Express Highway, is only a table outside a stall that sells packed foods, cold drinks and cigarettes. While you wait for your food to be cooked on skewers, Kamble is happy to strike up a conversation and show kids accompanying you a magic trick or two. Don’t be put off by the size of the stall, because some of the best and long-standing establishments in the city were once, hole-in-the-wall.
Paneer platter
At Happy Bites, 109 A, Bhaktidham Mandir Road, Samarth Nagar, Chunabhatti, Sion.
Time 7.30 pm to 10 pm
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