Mumbai's taste buds

Whether it's a holiday or work related travel, food always stays at the top of the agenda. Being a foodie I love to try out different cuisines and I research quite a bit before I venture off on a trip.Googling on local food specialties helps tremendously. Sometimes the excitement does get washed down when the taste buds do not seem to agree with the "local speciality" as being tasty. In one grooming class I attended they taught us a term to express such distaste for food politely. Call the item you have tasted as " interesting" so as to not sound rude. So there you go, next time you have a guest at home, especially an international guest and they were to say to the dish you've served or ordered. "Oh, very interesting" you know what they're tying to tell you.

So coming back to the usefulness of googling about local food stuff before your trip. Well for the uninitiated it's a get a headstart on what to expect from the dish they have ordered and what it would be made off. As I write this, I am recounting my experience in Germany where a poor vegetarian friend who has grown up in Hyderabad was craving for spicy food & on chancing a Pepperoni Pizza instantly ordered and devoured one without the slightest of knowledge that Pepperoni does not mean Red Pepper Pizza but Beef & Pork.Poor soul refused to eat out after that incident.


So here in this blog. I'm putting down a few must-eat food items when in Mumbai and adding a little bit of my own description. The average Bambaiya or Mumbaiya louvessss these and relishes them ever so often. Hope you'll do enjoy them as well. I'll add a link of the recipe and a photo as well.

Bon Appétit!



1. Vada Pav : Most people like to call this one the burger of Mumbai. It's one of the cheapest food items available at almost every corner. It's a ball of mashed potatos,green chilies,ginger & garlic paste and deep fried in Besan Flour. You could eat it as a Vada, which is the potato ball or with Pav, which is a bread.
To add more taste to it...you can have it with a spicy or a sweet chutney (sauce).




Here are some places where you must have a vada pav:
1. Outside NMIMS college try the maska vada pav...it's addictive
2. Incase your at Dadar you can try the one right outside the station





2. Chaats-Bhel/Sev/Dahi/Dahi Batat puri- These are great snack items and personally I can eat them at anytime of the day but yes mostly they're eaten in the evenings. They normally taste spicy and sweet and the taste can be altered according to your liking.

Take a look at the recipe to know more about this appetizer http://www.tarladalal.com/Bhel-Puri-2795r


Where to eat it?
1. Gurukripa, Sion
2.Juhu Beach
3.At the food stalls outside Vile Parle Station
4.Jhama sweet shop Chembur Camp
5.Vittal's opp. C.S.T. station











3. Pav Bhaji: This food item cannot be categorised as a meal or a snack.It's essentially bread served with a vegetables.It's normally pretty high on the calorific value, because there seems to be a general consensus that the more butter there is in this dish the tastier it will be.








4. Gola: Beating Mumbai's humidity and heat is best done by slurping on a Gola. Gola is an ice candy made of crushed ice and flavored syrup, not very different from an American Snow cone.One of the popular flavors is Kala Khatta





Where to eat it?
1. Juhu Beach/ Chowpatty
2. Gogola at Phoenix Mall