Give me Mo!

I hail from Mumbai, a place that thrives on street food of all kinds - from chaat to pani puri, to Chinese Haaka noodles to pav bhaji to kulfi to the ever popular roadside chutney sandwich.
I can never forget the numerous times we have strolled out at midnight in Mumbai, just to satisfy some kulfi cravings.

Compared to Mumbai, Bangalore doesn't even qualify to contend or even come marginally close when it comes to street food; despite sticking the name 'Bombay' to all their street stall names.

But the one that broke this myth, rather- this reality, is this particular Momo stall in Koramangala. This stall deserves to be blogged about because this is the best place to have Momos in the entire city.

I am not a big 'Momo' eater and usually opt for a sandwich or a roll. But one day, I just decided to give it a go, on impulse. My already big eyes just grew two-fold in size as I bit into the first piece of this paper-thin, piping hot, soft, steamed Momo with cabbage, carrot and onion stuffing that melted immediately in my mouth and even before I could open my mouth to say 'Wowwww', I was hissing because of the sudden taste of the spicy, red chutney that he generously 'dolloped' on my plate.

When I complimented the guy who was selling the Momos, he said that in all of Bangalore, you will never find such thin Momos as they are so difficult to make as they break. And I realized it was true. Most of the Momos I have had in the past have a thick outer wrapping and have very less stuffing. So you end up eating a lof of 'maida'. Its the other way around at 'Darjeeling Stall', as he calls it.

 This stall and a big crowd, both magically appear at 6.00 pm sharp, everyday at Koramangala 4th block, 80 feet road, near Sony World Signal, opposite Hot Chips, and if you're not the first one to order Momos, then you have to wait, which feels like decades, especially if you have to stand and watch them gobble up Momos!

A lot of youngsters, single guys are spotted here, devouring steaming hot Momos, and then getting some more packed for a second helping at home. The Momos are extremely filling and usually I am full with half a plate of veg Momos. But times when I feel 'piggy', I opt for the full plate, after which, I skip dinner.

A full plate of veg Momos cost Rs 40 and the chicken Momos cost Rs. 50.
Address:  Koramangala 4th block, 80 feet road, near Sony World Signal, opposite Hot Chips.
Average Rating:
Food: 5 star

Slushed

I was attending my best friend's wedding in Kolkata and I was tempted to eat some of the street food as Kolkata is a food place. Her cousins took me to a place called Vardhaan' near Park Street where there is a wide variety of food ranging from aloo tikki (potato pattie) to 'jhaal' (garnished puffed rice) to kulfi (Indian ice- cream).  I completely freaked out and was amused at the same time, because we don't get the same street food in Bombay. What we also had was 'khus' sherbat. I did not know what 'khus' means in English, so I just asked Google Uncle, "what is khus called in English?" and it said "Poppy Seeds". Now the thing is, 'khus' isn't a very cool thing and the reason why I liked this drink was because I did not know what it was made of. When I was told it was this 'not- so- cool- thing', it was too late to change my mind! lolz...besides, I was pleased with the style of presentation- in an earthen glass! We do care about the earth around here. I actually asked for 10 of these glasses and the owner happily obliged :)

Packakkk!

If you're in Kolkata, this is one of the must- do's! You have to have 'puchka' on the streets- else you need to re-visit! The puri's are huge and its delicious with the tangy and spicy mint water and potato filling with the sweet and sour chutney.