The health conscious trend seems to have caught on in Bandra. A walk down by the sea-side is steadily becoming less of leisure (or eating pleasure) and more of a fitness routine.
With all the talk of what’s good and what you should, let’s take a look at its effect on the fast food and chat stalls that were once thriving on bingeing customers. Bandra’s most famous pani puri walla Ranjeet says, “The crowds have reduced, although not drastically owing to the large number of visitors from other parts of the city who still feast on the infamous chat. Locals prefer to indulge in it less often and when they do, they prefer to visit the chat stalls at the big shops as it’s perceived to be more hygienic.”
The attendant at Jai sandwich and rolls on Bandstand said, “People frequent the place just the same as our menu doesn’t serve up junk food but a quick bite that’s good enough to keep the hunger away.”
The real shift in the average person’s outlook towards a quick bite can be seen on Carter road with the juice bar concept gaining much popularity according to the owner of Razzberry. “We have on offer a selection of freshly juiced fruits and vegetables as well as certain rolls and sandwiches. Consumers these days focus on the freshness factor in everything and our juices/milkshakes are freshly prepared once a customer places an order.”
Another interesting spectacle is the little Omni vans parked at the Otter’s Club end of the promenade advertising healthy home-made food like dosas, steamed idlis etc. replacing the quintessential deep fried vada pavs; even ice slurpies these days are made from mineral water to prove a point!
The healthy options:
Leena Mogre the Director of Leena Mogre’s Fitness, gives us the low down on just why Indian fast food is bad for you and healthy options you can choose instead. She says, “Pani puri and sev puri are the main culprits in the empty calorie race. These snacks are loaded with fat (the bad kind!) thanks to the deep fried puri, the fried boondi and the fried sev.” The next on the list is the humble vada pav (groan)… Even though it’s been your friend many a late night at work, Leena says that the white bread combined with carbohydrates will just add calories and fat. She says, “People need 15% of fat in their diets. When they indulge in these foods they are increasing the bad fat level enormously. And sadly, these foods don’t provide much nutrition.”
However, there are some healthy options: Leena suggests trying pani puri by replacing the boondi with ragda and moong dal. Sukkha bhel, thepla (without the oil) and idlis are also a good option suggests Leena.
Places you should still go to:
Maharashtra Vada Pav centre: Easily one of the most popular Bandra vada pav joints. This guy stuffs the vada with loads of green, making it at least look like it’s healthy. Great chutney, good vada and excellent carbohydrate fix. Cost: Rs. 7 and Rs.8 for samosa pav. Where: Opp Jai Hind, Pali Naka
Punjab Sweet House: Dahi Kachori. We might have stumbled upon this little gem a little too late in life but we are making up for lost time. Great combination of cold dahi and crisp, sweet kachori. Cost: Rs.45 but worth it.
Where: Adjacent to Five Spice
Elco: From a street side stall to a two level eatery. It’s easy to see why Elco does so well, their pani puri is a must.
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