Picture this: a tight shot of a crispy fried chicken drops dramatically on a spongy piece of bun sending up a cloud of flour dust and batter crumbs. Where are we? A popular multinational fast food chain's outlet, you'd think. But no, we are in a pokey little eatery in a khau galli in Kurla West. The word "halal" is emblazoned on the signboard along with a piece of kitschy artwork for the logo. It's very much like badass Shahrukh Khan's lallu identical twin from the 1998 hit Duplicate — not as cool and without the frills, but still endearing.

The larger idea behind these joints, which the city is currently teeming with, is to make the iconic snacks — like fire wings, chicken popcorn and the Zinger burger — available to all economic classes with each item ranging from R50 to R100. But every owner has their own logic. Salim Kader of Chunkies, for example, has his own logic — "Half rate, double taste." And Nilesh Gaware, co-owner of well-known chain Bombay Burgers and Navi Mumbai-based Chick Blast's owner Shankar Garvanda align themselves with Kader's logic. But Mohammed Charulia, who helms the family-run two-month-old Kurla eatery, Urban Jalsa, thinks the market is "bane banaya" and wants to keep up with the fast-food-eating generation.