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TOP FOOD WALKS IN MUMBAI
They say
the best way to get to know a culture of a city is through its belly, via
its flavours, sights, tastes and eating habits. There’s perhaps no greater
way to do this than through a food walk – a trend that’s been catching up
in Mumbai. These food tours do everything, from bringing fellow-foodies
together, introducing them to old-timer cooks and digging out lesserknown
culinary hotspots of the city. Says Kalyan Karmakar, foodie and someone who
loves organising these walks, “The real experience is to walk down its
various streets, filled with cultural diversity and history in the search
for food and discover the stories behind the food. It allows you to eat at
the little eateries that constitute the identity of the city. The idea is
getting popular with lots of people, especially new settlers, looking to
discover the city this way. It brings about a great way for people to
interact, like a ‘pop-up club’ in a way. And the advantage of being in a
group is that you can sample a variety of foods. It also encourages smaller
establishments and eateries to meet more people,” he explains.
WHAT THE CULINARY TRAILS ARE ABOUT
The food walks are curated or built around various cuisines or themes.
You can have a kebab walk, an ice cream walk or one for a particular area,
like Bohri Mohalla or Maharashtrian fare at Dadar. It gives a peak into the
city of Mumbai, covering a variety of places to eat. The whole trip follows
a pre-designated food route and lasts for a few hours. The cost per person
varies as per the size and plan of the group. Adds Karmakar, “The event is
peppered with talks on the locality we are in, the food we are eating, the
culture surrounding us and the people around us. Usually, the group
interacts with the owners, staff and more importantly, the cooks at these
often unsung establishments. It also gives an opportunity to showcase the
city to foreigners.” The gang also buys ingredients like spices or pickles
or even authentic mortar and pestles.
DADAR, FOR MAHARASHTRIAN FARE
This walk covers the Dadar area of Mumbai that has a smattering of
little eateries, spice vendors and mithai shops that offer an array of the
local Maharashtrian food. Says Kalyan, “The idea was to give an insider
look into the community there; you eat Punehri Brahmin dishes like
thalipeet and bhakarwadi. Then, there are spice shops where people can pick
up local spices like the godd masala and some for missal, plus traditional
pickles.” Then the group heads to a co-operative store, run by a lady who
sources spices made by women in the Konkan area. She gives a talk on using
the spices, followed by a round of some cold kokam juice. “People then buy
some bajra mixes and methi paratha mixes. Some also bought stone mortar
pestles, as good ones are hard to get. Next stop is for missal and then
piyush, which is a sweet lassi. Everyone ends up at this Malvani
restaurant, for some sol kadi, bombil, and mutton fry. It’s run by a South
Indian, but no one knows this, as the taste is very authentic,” he smiles.
SOUTH INDIAN SOJOURN TO MATUNGA
This is a food-cum-bazaar walk in Matunga — the area that has three
different communities: Hindu Tamil Brahmins, Hindu Gujaratis from trading
communities, and the Jains. The cuisines and therefore the market, reflect
their food traditions. Deepa Krishnan, who takes people on the walk says,
“I grew up here and so the walk is about sharing some of these memories.
For example, I always associate Astika Samaj, where the walk begins, with
their wonderfully dark nei-payasam, made of ghee, jaggery and rice; it’s a
gooey delight.” There are other items to be discovered enroute. “Folks love
the fresh ground coffee powder, dosa batter, kai-murukku, muthuswaram,
chakkavaratti (jackfruit jam), and other South Indian specialties from
here. You also get chillies soaked in yoghurt for deep frying, thair
molaga, traditional jackfruit jam, etc. Alongside
South Indian fare, you can get delicious khandvi, dhokla, khakra, undhiyo,
farsan and the Gujju-Tamil combo — the dosa-khakhra,” she informs.
TASTE CHINESE FLAVOUR IN MAROL
Foodie Renita Mascarenhas, and pals recently did a Chinese trail at
Marol. “The area has great eat out spots,” says Renita, adding, “It’s not
fancy, but the food is great. We started with soup at one place, then
starters like lollipops and veg crispy at another and finally, did the main
course at the next. While the trail gave us enough time to walk around,
reboot our tastebuds and collect our thoughts, it was also interesting to
see how each place gives a different variation of a dish, like Mongolian
Chicken.”
PARSI FOOD: JAMVA CHALO JI IN SOBO
Today, traditional Parsi restaurants seem to be an endangered lot, like
the quickly disappearing Irani cafes. Says food blogger Perzen Patel, “Did
you know in the ‘90s there were about 300 Irani cafes in Mumbai and now, we
are left with just 25! It’s a drastic drop, so it’s relevant to have such a
food trail.” The food walk starts with South Mumbai’s VT area then goes to
Fountain. You first indulge in small bites at an Irani cafe with piping hot
chai, bun maska and mawa cake. Then, the akuri (scrambled
eggs with chillies and coriander) on toast. Next stop is for mutton
cutlets, salli boti and rotli (roti). A big highlight is the dhansak (dish
with lentils, meat and spices), patra ni machi (pomfret covered in green
chutney and steamed in a banana leaf) and the berry pulao. The meal ends
with caramel custard and a raspberry drink.
BENGALI FOOD WALK IN OSHIWARA
As a Bengali immigrant to Mumbai, Kalyan says he’s always been in
search for good Bengali food in the city. “This food walk traces the slow,
but steady evolution of Bengali food in Oshiwara, Andheri. We started with
‘adda’ — the concept where you first get together, chat and have starters
like chollar dal, luchi and cutlets. Then, it’s time for Kolkata biryani,
which is less rich,
with no dryfruit. Instead, it has potatoes and egg to make up for the lack
of meat,” he explains, adding, “We then moved on to bhetki paturi (steamed
bhetki mustard fish). Post this, was a seven-course traditional Bengali
meal and finally, the sweet.”
Seasonal specialities
One of the most popular food
walks happens post the daily fast during Ramzan, when the little bylanes
near Minara Masjid. Post the sunset prayer, the place is buzzing with
lights, sounds and bustling selling kebabs, bheja fry and tandoori chicken,
haleem (meat and spice dish), bara handi (a mix of 12 dishes) as well
piping hot, syrupy malpuas, cold firnis and other sweets.
MASALA TRAIL TOO!
Did you know there’s also a spice walk in the city? It takes people
down the little souks in areas like Crawford market and Lalbaug, Parel. You
learn about varieties of red chilies, types of mustard, as well as sichaun
pepper, among other spices.
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