It's been part of my Sunday morning ritual for years now. Breakfast has almost always been a plate of piping-hot medu wada ("Sambhar-chutney, alag" would be the lone request to the staffer) and steaming filter kaapi at Vishwabharati, Mulund's Udipi landmark that has patrons heading here from far-off Bhiwandi and Kalyan. Fuelled by this really happy meal — pun intended and aimed towards the golden arched competitors — I then set out on my weekly chores.

The crisp wadas that I have eaten at this nearly seven decade-old eatery are one of the best in the entire city; foodie friends from SoBo, Matunga (yes!) and the western suburbs, swear by it. Such is their quality check that I have never been served a soggy version irrespective of the hour of the day when I have stepped inside — from my days as a school-going student where we'd head here as a family after Sunday mass, till now. And, in the rare case when the wada batter is over, or if the fried batch is not a fresh one, I am informed that it's better to opt for another item on the menu by the staffer or at times, by the floor manager in person.