Dilli door nahin! These Mumbai joints serve Karol Bagh-style aloo chaat

One of the greatest unresolved debates in the longstanding Delhi vs Mumbai issue has been food Mumbaikars never seem to understand why Delhi imports cannot find satisfaction in paanipuri or whatrsquos the big deal about Delhirsquos rajma chawal But you canrsquot argue with a full mouth and a satisfied tummy takes the fight away from you The good news is that Mumbai does have a few answers to capital food cravings Go ahead gorgeChaat platterUrban Street Cafe near Khar West Station The one grouse that every Delhiite secretly nurtures against Mumbai street food is how paani puri comes nowhere close to the golgappa And that few places serve the golgappa even Fortunately at this 26seater the golgappa recipe has been brought down by Dillie Heart which also has outlets in Malad and Andheri and the puris are made of suji and not attaThe paani is cold and spicy and the stuffing is of boiled potato and a type of kabuli chana that owner Abhishek Gupta who wanted the space to showcase street food from around the world informs us is sourced from Delhi Deepak Parmar the man of the hour who whips up aaloo chaat aaloo tikki chaat palak chaat also hails from the capital and got trained under an ldquoustadrdquo who caters to clients across the countryThe ingredient that makes all the difference we are told is a yellow chilli powder also sourced from up north The tikki is fried and flattened so the crust is crisp and potatoes are stuffed with chana dal And instead of ragda it is served with green and tamarind chutney Go with a large gang though Therersquos also dahi bhalla chaat that is a rare findRs 5070 per plateKadi ChawalPapa Pancho Shop No 12 Gasper enclave Pali Naka Bandra Westeven more difficult than finding Rajma and Chole in Mumbai is to find a decent kadi Thatrsquos because Mumbaikars canrsquot even fathom the concept of a kadi Curd and besan curdled on the gas for a long time and itrsquos not even sweet What kind of a kadi is that Well itrsquos the kind that Delhiites lovePanchorsquos kadi is tangy and full of besan pakodas and will fulfill that kadi craving for sure Itrsquos once again served with lots of pyaaz and thatrsquos a must This joint also serves decent rajma chhole and aloo parantha so fill up on those as wellRs 285 per plateChholePunjab Sweet House Bandra WestItrsquos a sign of how good the chhole is that though we are sure that we are on the verge of dying from overeating unless we keep the bowl physically away it seems impossible to not reach out for more At this 39yearold eatery run by the Gulatis it was started by Harbinder Singh Gulati the kaabuli chana takes a good four hours to makeWhile the cook rattles off the recipe to us the one thing we realise we canrsquot immediately replicate is the chhole masala that is sourced regularly from Khari Baoli in Chandni Chowk It is what adds the authentic flavour and colour The texture is near perfect with the chana melting in your mouth and the masala paste filling in the gapsRs 200 per plateChhole BhatureChawlas Sion KoliwadaA roadside dhaba right at the start of a supremely congested lane in the neighbourhood the only thing Chawlarsquos is missing is a highway to add to its north Indian romanceGurjit Singh right owner of Chawlarsquos gives the chhole a stir PicsSuresh KarkeraYou donrsquot mind the dense smoke emanating from its tandoors because this rickety setup is famous for doling out arguably the best chhole bhatures in island city With an open kitchen at the front this dhaba has room for about four tables inside mdash most of their stuff is takeaway As we run into some customers waiting in anticipation for their packed orders of chhole bhature they tell us about how Chawlarsquos has been their goto for their chhole bhature cravingsldquoAre You guys from Delhirdquo we ask ldquoOf courserdquo As we continue hailing the chhole bhature some more chef and owner Gurjit Singh hands over a plate The bhatures are soft and piping hot straight off the tawa and the chhole is nothing like what you get at an Udipi restaurant mdash its dark brown hue the right amount of spice and the rich yet not overpowering flavour has all the answers for capital food cravingsldquoYou might not believe this I use an Rs 1800 kilo masala to make thisrdquo says Singh who has been running the place for 15 years now So what goes into this masala we ask incredulously ldquoIrsquom not telling you that enjoy your mealrdquo laughs off the Sardarji from AmritsarRs 40 per plateDal MakhniHardeep PunjabOne of the few Punjabi pockets in Mumbai Sion Koliwada is peppered with North Indian food haunts While dal makhni serving restaurants in Mumbai are a dime a dozen therersquos always that nagging feeling of how despite being tasty and flavourful somehow it always falls short of ticking all the boxesNot at Hardeep Punjab though Take a spoonful of the dal makhni here and yoursquoll be transported to a bylane in the capital perhaps mdash the lilting Punjabi folk tunes in the background help too Hardeep Punjab is 35 years old but its swanky makeover is recent So what makes their dal makhni a standout Says Sarbjit Singh manager ldquoIn Mumbai restaurants usually to make the dal makhni they boil the dal and then treat it with the masalas mdash the same way you cook any other dal preparationBut thatrsquos not how itrsquos supposed to be done Here we soak the grains overnight and then cook it in the tandoor for an hour at least Only after that we treat it with Punjabi tadka for another thirty minutesrdquo Served in a brass kadhai the dal makhni is alluringly topped with a piping of butter and comes with an assortment of pickles that ldquoyou wonrsquot get anywhere else in Mumbai because that too is an inhouse productrdquoRs 200 per plateSamosaGuru Kripa Sion every city has its own samosa signature and Mumbai of course is no exception However the ones you get here at this very signature Maharashtrian snack place strangely reminds you of the stalls that flank the lanes of the capitalInfused with the right amount of spices these samosas stand apart from the usual city offerings Made with masala potatoes and crushed peas they are more crispy on the outside The size too would remind you of a capital samosa bite as will the meethi and green chatni thatrsquos served on the sideRs 37 per plateKulcheOye Kake Hornimanrsquos CircleThe Amritsari Chhole Kulche here is served with the typical Amritsari chatni made with onions pudina chatni and tamarind except perhaps the pricing everything else about this kulcha would be Delhi in a biteIt has the right amount of softness and thickness and the aloo doesnrsquot weigh it down either Therersquos a secret behind perfecting this kulcha consistency The water used for the flour is brought in from Amritsar ldquoevery week we get 1520 cans of water 20litre capacity each from AmritsarThe water keeps the kulche the right amount of fluffyrdquo says Dinesh Vishnoi manager adding that the chef too has been brought in from AmritsarRs 129 per plateRajma ChawalGuru Da Dhaba Opp Food Inn Lokhandwala MarketFrom the moment this writer shifted to Mumbai 11 years ago Guru Da Dhaba was the only place that she could hope for some ghar ka khana especially ghar jaisa rajma If you are a Delhiite you will know the worth of a wellcooked rajma chawal served with pickle and lots and lots of pyaaz not kandaGuru is basically a grumpy elderly Sikh man Indrajit Singh Anand who has now run this establishment for 22 years The recipe is the one that all sardar households make in their kitchens The taste is just like ghar ka khana mdash the gravy is thick with less garlic and the rajma is not hard but meltinyourmouthThe place is always packed with the wannabe outofwork and lookingforwork actors all from Delhi who inhabit the famed lanes of Lokhandwala coming here for their fix after a hard day of auditions So if you get here too late the rajma may all be gone For Rs 150 itrsquos also quite a stealRs 150 per plateButter ChickenSion Lunch Home Sion CircleFar from the Sion Koliwada labyrinth located right at the Sion Circle this place is a major draw for its malwani specialities especially the prawns koliwada Not the place yoursquod expect to fulfill any kind of Delhi food cravingsThe reason why their butter chicken is a surprise on a plate Slightly shredded in texture the chicken is served in a silky smooth gravy which is of course buttery mdash a complete Delhi dhabastyle indulgence And the fact that it does not lean towards the sweeter side even though itrsquos called ldquobutter chickenrdquo is a refreshing change of palate in MumbaiAt Rs 220 for a plate the quantity is certainly not meant for a solo meal But then if yoursquod want to rue the rarity of good butter chicken in Mumbai while helping yourself to handsome portions of the same this is the place to do itRs 220 per plate