Mumbai food guide: The big fly-off-the-shelves eateries roundup - Part 2

Patil Canteen For Fish FryA first timer would make the mistake of walking past Patil Canteen Ask around and regulars will point to the narrow entry to the eatery launched in 1949 Sagar Patil its third generation owner sits at the counterIts still my parents who cook the food We are from Alibag so its authentic Maharastrian food and cooked just like it is back home The sukka masala is homemade too he tells us The canteen begins service at 9 am and breakfast options include misal pav cutlets vatana pattice ragda and sheera The lunch bell goes off at 1230 pm and service continues till 3 pm But most of our nonveg items are over in two hours mdash especially the fish fry says PatilSagar Patil third generation owner of Patil Canteen serves a fish fry thali PicBipin Kokate Were there at noon and his parents Ratna and Ramakant along with uncle Lahu are prepping for lunch We shallow fry the surmai in turmeric and garam masala It gains a crispy crust and a soft inside We serve this with dal rice and chapati for R180 says Patil Meat dishes depend on market ratesCustomer Vishal More a JJ School of Arts student from Nashik says I live alone in Panvel and cant cook The kaleji thal is delicious and so is the fish fry The food here is Khandeshi northwestern region of Maharashtra and makes me feel like I am back homeWhere Next to St Xaviers College Dhobi TalaoCall 9920874555Be there by 1230pmYazdani Bakery For Apple PieWhen we walk into Yazdani at 6 pm and ask Tirandaz Zend at the counter for an apple pie we are told it is over Only available between 3 pm to 5 pm Come tomorrow Zend says crisply The next day the restless owner prods the photographer to finish his job fastPankaj Pandhi bites into the Apple pie at Yazdani Bakery PicDatta KumbharIf my father comes in he wont let you stand here Hurry He is serious Fresh out of the oven a pastry hides the warm caramelised apple pieces We get chatty with a customer 62yearold Pankaj Pandhi I live in Las Vegas and am visiting the city after eight long yearsThis is always my first stop in Mumbai I used to come here as a 10yearold The taste has not changed one bit says Pandhi Where Cawasji Patel Road Kala GhodaCall 22870739Be there by 3pmSuzette For CroissantsThere are only 20 pieces of the buttery flaky bread up for grabs daily at each of theoutlets Frenchorigin proprietor Pierre Labail says Making croissants is a tedious process that takes four hoursPierre Labail of Suzette PicsSatej ShindeHis partners and chefs Jeremie Sabbagh and Antonia Achache studied breadmaking and pastries at the Bakery School of Paris Our aim was to serve sandwiches and baguettes that are not available in India The croissants are made in white flour and the butter is imported from France We open at 8 am and they are over by 10 Some who know this give us advance ordersChicken CroissantsThen there are days when people walk in and buy 10 to 12 pieces On weekends we make around 30 to 35 says Labail adding that they serve chocolate and plain croissants each costing R110 In a corner we spot 31yearold Nicola Antaki an architect I am from the south west region of France so I know how a croissant should be mdash crispy outside soft and light inside It should not be too dry I come here once a week for a coffee and croissantWhere Pali Naka Nariman Point and PowaiCall 8080809554Be there by 8 amHindustan Hotel For KhichdaHeres a Ramzan special item available through the year The khichda is a traditional Muslim dish made with lentils mutton and masalas and with the fried onions sprinkled on topOwner Mohammed Mangalpady at Hindustan Hotel PicSameer MarkandeEvery household has a different style of cooking it depending on the choice of meat mdash mutton or beef Best enjoyed when hot it is laden with ginger and garlic It is slowcooked to get a thick pastelike consistency Mohammed Mangalpady who runs Hindustan Hotel on Mohammed Ali Road says While our kebabs are available all through the day the khichda gets over by noon We start serving it at 10 amWhere Shop No 152 IMM Road Mohammed Ali Road Masjid BunderCall 23476241Be there by 10amKothari Sweets For Grilled Vada PavSix months ago Jekin Aman decided it was time his mithai store became more than just that And what better than the ubiquitous vada pav to start with You get regular vada pav at every nook in the city But I wanted to give it a twist says the 30yearold He introduced the grilled version of Mumbais favourite snackPicSwarali PurohitThese days the shop sells about 12000 pieces daily and the best time to drop by is between 1 pm and 3 pm We make the batata vadas stuff it between the jumbo pav add tomatoes capsicum and chaat masala and then grill it says the Mulund resident What gives this snack its hatke taste are the three chutneys coriander garlic and datesMy grandfather set up shop 65 years ago He is the one who handed down the recipes and I feel its the chutneys that make the vada pav so tasty Aman also recommends the special thandai which they prepare on Holi We make 1500 litres and people say its better than anything they have tasted before he smilesWhere Zaver Road near Mulund station WCall 25600932Bbe there by 3pmPac Parsi Amelioration Committee For GhariWe make it a point to reach PAC by 1 pm Any later than 4 pm and youll be greeted by near empty shelves is what we have learnt through experience Noon is the best time to come because thats when all our items are prepared says Persis Khambatta who has worked here for more than 10 yearsGhari at Parsi Amelioration Committee PAC Grant Road PicsSayyed Sameer AbediPAC is famous for its mound of sweet and savoury Parsi snacks like the ghari made of puri batter milk mawa ghee and sugar made into flat roundels and chapat pancake prepared using a batter of eggs milk semolina and flour Its available in dates and coconut flavoursIts difficult to choose a highest selling item because all our items get sold in no time she says while making way for a tray of freshly baked chicken puffs All the items on the menu are prepared in an adjoining kitchen which is run by a 16member team When we quiz Khambatta about the unusual name she says The eatery belongs to the Parsi trust The profits earned are divided into salaries for the staff and the rest is used to help the needy in the communityWhere Shastri Hall Shop No 3 Ground Floor opposite Adenwala Bungalow across Bhatia HospitalCall 23865868Be there by 12pmEat Well For Chicken Sandwiches And BiryaniOne of Mumbais first cold storage shops 41yearold Eat Well is popular among locals for homemade products including its cakes Its 50yearold owner Parag Phadnis also sells chicken sandwiches and chicken biryani both made inhouseParag Phadnis makes chicken sandwiches and chicken biryani at Eat Well PicSatej ShindeVivek Amonkar a 41yearold customer says Im sure they put some secret ingredient in the biryani It tastes better than any other I have eaten Sometimes people visit his shop to meet the owners even when they dont wish to buy anythingWhere Vaibhav building oppostite Gokul Nursing Home MG Road Mulund WestCall 25681627Be there by 11amBelgaum Ghee Depot For Chicken PattiesIf you are walking from Grant Road station West towards Nana Chowk Belgaum Ghee Depot will fall to your right Its at the corner squeezed between a medical store and a hardware shop The strategic location ensures it receives not just a Parsi clientele but anybody looking for a quick biteThe shops quirky name comes from their original business which was selling ghee brought from Belgaum PicSameer Sayyed AbdediThe chicken patties R25 remains its biggest draw and the Parsi chicken farcha R55 and juicy tandoori chicken R55 come a close second Everything we sell here is homemade says owner Farokh WorkingboxwallaMy maternal grandfather set up the shop in 1943 it remained a ghee business until 24 years ago I was in school then mdash when we started serving snacks he says about the eaterys quirky nameWhere N Bharucha Marg Nana Chowk Grant RoadCall 23820837Be there by 1 PMPanshikar For The Rajgira Puri And BhajiWe happen to visit Panshikar on Mahashivratri when the Girgaum eatery sees brisk business You should have come tomorrow because we wont be able to devote much time to you says the manager apologetically while offering us a prized seat in the 50seater eatery No table is vacant for more than a minute as patrons ranging from young Maharashtrian couples to policemen drop in for a quick snack Our place is known for fasting itemsVaishali Khare has been visiting Panshikar for its rajgira puris and misal for 30 years PicsSayyed Sameer AbediThe farali puri and bhaji and misal sell fast says owner Jeetendra Panshikar 48 whose grandfather Shripad Panshikar established the place in 1921 The farali poori is prepared with the dough of rajgira singhara flour and salt rolled in a small circle and deep fried in oilAt Panshikars they serve it with potato bhaji or suran yam during fasting periods While the eatery started off selling mithai and masala milk the menu now includes snack items right from Jain samosa to farali pattice Vaishali Khare 69 a former Girgaum resident who now lives in Walkeshwar is one of Panshikars loyal patrons I grew up in this neighnbourhoood so I would visit it at least twice a week I like the food so much that Ive got my friends here all the way fromPune to try it she smiles as she bites into a sabudana wadaWhere Mohan Building JSS Road GirgaumCall 23855723Be there by 10 am