In Search of the perfect 'Wada Pav'
Wada -Potato Cutlet
Pav - The Bun
The first bite into the 'wada pav' is the best. If the wada is cooked well, you'll go through a variety of sensations:- the cold pav, the chutney within, the crispy outer surface and finally the hot potato inside of the wada.
I personally believe that a wada pav MUST have a chutney and that the outer suface of the wada should be nice and crispy.
Amongst the various hand-carts and 'Wada-Walle' shops I've had wada pav's, the two places worth mentioning are listed below.
1. Joshi Wade Walle (aka Joshi Wada Pav)
This is a proper chain of shops all over the city. Theres one in nearly every locality; though they're more abundant towards Deccan.
The chutney inside the pav is a weak 'imli' (tamarind) chutney.
The Wada is pretty good. However, the chillies served alongside are not salty enough.
A major plus point about Joshi is the crushed peanut and chilli chutney (the powderish type) which comes along with the wada pav.
It really boosts its ranking.
I've been told that this variant is more Maharashtrian than the one described below and hence is more true to the orignal wada-pav's
However, wada-pav's are meant to be eaten hot. Joshi's wada-pav's rarely are.
But when they are, I'd give them a 7/10.
Cost: Rs 5/-
2. Garden Wada-Pav (aka J.J. Garden wada-pav / Shastri wada-pav)
The right crispness, the perfect salinity of the chillies, the steaming wada's and the most perfect chutney is what constitutes the most amazing wada-pav I've ever had.
The main shop is on Buffalo-Street and has tables outside the shop where people can stand and eat. The Wada's and the chutney are made here.
However, the main buisness is done by the hand-cart parked a hundred meters up on the main road.
It's right next to the J.J.Garden behind Hotel Aurora Towers on M.G. Road.
With a perpetual crowd around the cart, you cant miss it.
What i really appreciate about this guy is that if the wada's are cold and there's another batch coming up, he asks you to wait a while.
The best aspect of this wada-pav is the afore-mentioned chutney.
I have absolutely no idea of what's in it but it is by far the most amazing chutney i've had in a wada-pav.
I'm being a little biased, but I'm giving it a 10/10 (I've not had better so can you blame me?!)
Cost: Rs 5/-
Pav - The Bun
The first bite into the 'wada pav' is the best. If the wada is cooked well, you'll go through a variety of sensations:- the cold pav, the chutney within, the crispy outer surface and finally the hot potato inside of the wada.
I personally believe that a wada pav MUST have a chutney and that the outer suface of the wada should be nice and crispy.
Amongst the various hand-carts and 'Wada-Walle' shops I've had wada pav's, the two places worth mentioning are listed below.
1. Joshi Wade Walle (aka Joshi Wada Pav)
This is a proper chain of shops all over the city. Theres one in nearly every locality; though they're more abundant towards Deccan.
The chutney inside the pav is a weak 'imli' (tamarind) chutney.
The Wada is pretty good. However, the chillies served alongside are not salty enough.
A major plus point about Joshi is the crushed peanut and chilli chutney (the powderish type) which comes along with the wada pav.
It really boosts its ranking.
I've been told that this variant is more Maharashtrian than the one described below and hence is more true to the orignal wada-pav's
However, wada-pav's are meant to be eaten hot. Joshi's wada-pav's rarely are.
But when they are, I'd give them a 7/10.
Cost: Rs 5/-
2. Garden Wada-Pav (aka J.J. Garden wada-pav / Shastri wada-pav)
The right crispness, the perfect salinity of the chillies, the steaming wada's and the most perfect chutney is what constitutes the most amazing wada-pav I've ever had.
The main shop is on Buffalo-Street and has tables outside the shop where people can stand and eat. The Wada's and the chutney are made here.
However, the main buisness is done by the hand-cart parked a hundred meters up on the main road.
It's right next to the J.J.Garden behind Hotel Aurora Towers on M.G. Road.
With a perpetual crowd around the cart, you cant miss it.
What i really appreciate about this guy is that if the wada's are cold and there's another batch coming up, he asks you to wait a while.
The best aspect of this wada-pav is the afore-mentioned chutney.
I have absolutely no idea of what's in it but it is by far the most amazing chutney i've had in a wada-pav.
I'm being a little biased, but I'm giving it a 10/10 (I've not had better so can you blame me?!)
Cost: Rs 5/-
posted by Meenakshi Rehani at 9:15 PM
5 comments
