pani puri - Travels for Taste

The first of a chain of restaurants soon to open in London, Global Street Food Kitchen has opened its first outlet in the busy mall which houses ASDA in Hounslow East.

Not to be confused with the regular multi-cuisine restaurants which often manage to serve up sub-standard food with confusing menus and buffet style dining. Global Street Food Kitchen has a well researched A la Carte menu concept backed up by a philosophy of sourcing which an emphasis on provenance. For instance usage of only the very best herb fed, free range chicken from Pilmoor Farm, in Yorkshire, similarly only organic tomatoes to go with the pizza flour and cheese for the pizza which are imported from Italy.

No wonder then that the Butter chicken was delightful not just in taste but texture and managed to enhance the robust spices used in the marination. This dish is a firm favourite with me when it comes to North Indian food. It is a very popular Indian dish and most roadside ‘dhabas’ (little shanties that dot the national highways) serve this indulgent curry with buttery parathas – fuel for all those driving long distance on dusty roads in temperatures hitting 40 deg cel plus.

When I first walked into GSF with my friend the first thing we noticed was the cool college canteen style look which screams ‘shack’ or ‘tapri’ (meaning a small roadside stall in Marathi, usually built with scrap material lifted off construction sites like scaffoldings and wooden planks). The rustic feel is emphasised by the functional but dhaba style furniture and wooden effects.

I especially liked the open plan kitchen and bar area.

The wood fired oven adds a comforting warm glow to the huge open plan kitchen.

The massive warehouse style space which can house a large number of guests has a very welcoming vibe.

With so many tempting dishes on offer I really was at a loss at where to start sampling. I picked my top 2 fav’s – Pani Puri is my absolute favourite when it comes to Mumbai street food and I also can’t resist seafood especially Prawn Koliwada – blame it on my roots – a true blue Bombayite aka Mumbaikar and a Maharashtrian with a staple diet of fish curries – I go weak in the knees at the very sight of prawns.

One bite of these crispy spicy prawns and there’s no going back folks!

Clearly, consultant Chef Shailesh Deshmukh and Head Chef Sudhir Jadhav who have worked together to conceptualise the menu have found just the right mix for the various spices and techniques to perfect global street food classics. With Oriental, Indian, Mexican, British, Italian and American cuisines on the menu there is something to satiate every type of street food craving. All ingredients are sourced from high-quality suppliers and farms and the proof lies in the fresh flavoursome food which does justice to its respective cuisine.

Consultant Chef Shailesh Deshmukh brings with him a rich background of experience gained at establishments like The Dorchester, Marriott, Hyatt, Four Seasons and Jumeirah, that coupled with boundless energy and passion has resulted in the creation of dishes like this Bakarwadi chaat – presented so tastefully, to tempt even the most discerning palate. Bakarwadi is a classic snack from Pune in the state of Maharashtra India – best described as a spicy crunchy fried spring roll like savoury snack, made famous by ‘Chitale Bandhu’ – Pune’s premier purveyors of traditional Maharashtrian sweets and snacks. No trip to India is complete for me unless I queue up outside Chitale Bandhu to buy freshly made bakarwadi by the kilo 😉

To keep us hydrated we had a fabulous mocktail called Tamarind Chilli – love the way they describe it on the menu too, very entertaining! I also like the cocktail called Mr.Gatsby – potent but refreshing all at once.

We also sampled the crispy aubergine which are so morish we could have easily eaten a few more portions but there was so a tempting variety of dishes to sample we had to do justice to all of them 😉

A medley of flavoursome global street food

L-R: Mexican Quesadilla, side of sauteed spinach with shallots, onion rings, Wall Art – a world map with a difference at GSF, a juicy GSF classic beef burger served with hand-cut triple cooked chips.

I was very keen to try Misal Pav which hails from the state of Maharashtra in India, done well this dish is a absolute delight. A combination of a humble legume and sprouts curry spiced with sev and served with a soft ‘paav’ bread. At GSF they this spicy curry topped with fresh ‘farsan’ commonly known as the Bombay Mix, with a side of a delicious mystery sauce which is to be poured on the top.Finally the dish is topped off with finely chopped red onions and a generous squeeze of lime. No wonder this dish won the ‘Foodie Hub Award’ in London last June!

One of the reasons this dish is so delicious is the bread that is served with it is so fresh. Like all their other carefully selected ingredients and their emphasis on provenance, all the bread served at GSF are specially made for the restaurant by artisan baker Maison Blanc.

Though I would have loved to sample their dessert menu I simply couldn’t after devouring such a feast but then we had one last treat come our way – Masala Chai served with a fabulous Bun Maska. Now folks bun maska takes me back to my days in Pune where I frequented this place called – Cafe’ GoodLuck where my friends and I spent hours drinking one cup after another of hot sweet masala chai served as ‘cutting’ -half a cup with a soft bun doused in golden soft butter and sprinkle of sugar. Winter evenings in Pune after work were so good! The same delightful treat I also enjoyed as a college student at various Irani Cafes around Matunga, Dadar and South Bombay – perfect treat for an always broke college student perpetually in need of more ‘pocket money’.

For those with a sweet tooth do take note that GSF source all their ice cream and sorbet from the award winning ‘Snow Flake Luxury Gelato’ – yet another reason why their food is so good – the focus is clear – to create and serve authentic dishes.

I urge you not to miss out on this simple but fabulous treat at GSF, the buttery goodness encased in a fresh soft bun is almost like having a feathery light sponge with creme’ chantilly….

Global Street Food Kitchen offers a refreshing new take on serving street food – authentic flavours, emphasis on provenance and chefs trained at some of the best establishments in the world – all key ingredients to their delicious offerings. I for one cannot wait for their new branch in Central London, until then whenever the craving for street food hits I know where I will be going.

*With thanks to Humayun Hussain and Global Street Food Kitchen for the invite. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Ever since I immigarted to London ,it’s been a year by the way ,already (!), I get these craving sto go eat some certain type of food that is so commonly available in Bombay that one take sit for granted .

But once you live abroad and you know that you are a self confessed FOODIE , it becomes a real thrilling task to keep a track of all the places that offer “AUTHEHNTIC” Indian food !It’s easy to get confused by the number of options available but clearly many of the places do not live up to expectations of “AUTHENTIC” Indian taste or simply fail mierably on offering basic service or are just so grubby looking one wouldn’t want to sit after setting foot inside !

There are many area’s in London, namely East Ham,Croydon,Tooting,Wembley and ofcourse the FAMOUS South Hall, which are easily accesible by the tube which serve up some really authentic Indian food in the form of mouthwatering delicacies at awesome rates !

My most favourite for south indian snacks – I crave MEDU VADAS and Doa’s with a passion at times and I head staright to Tooting to SARAVANA BHAVAN !

The first time I visited a branch of SARAVANA BHAVAN was at East Ham after the Roayl Wedding . I did manage to catch a glimpse of the beautiful ,now Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton .She was waving to the cheering crowds whowent absolutely MAD when the car inw hich she was travelling passed us by , she ofcourse was then taken to the abbey to wed her Prince Charming ,my husband and me never made it anywhere near Buckingham Palace to watch the famous kiss on the balcony but yes we did manage to see it live on a MASSIVE screen set up at one of the branches of the HOUSE OF FRASER and all the people who had crammed themselves inside actually sat down on the floor and a very gracious member of the staff served us a yummy fruit flavoured bubbly as soon as the couple was married on screen, with millions viewing teary eyed, the world over!After watching the wedding we decided to escape the crowds of Central London and the thousands that were moving out from the streets after having waved to the Princess. So we rushed over to Victoria Station before the tubes became suffocatingly over crowded or worse !

On a whim I suggested we head to East Ham to dig into some really good south indian snacks.

I must confess it was LOVE at first BITE for me at SARAVANA BHAVAN, they are present in many locations worldwide and I frequent 2 of their branches in london , the one at EAST HAM and the one at Tooting. Noteworthy feature is that they have an impressive JAIN MENU , since my closest buddies here are a Jain couple, S even has her own Jain Food blog(!),it is always a challenge to find tasty JAIN food options in London. For the uninitiated JAINISM is a religion in India and one of the aspects is that followers are quite strict with NOT consuming onions and garlic in their food.In the past few months I have learnt so many recipes which I didn’t know existed all thanks to my JAIN buddies ,not to mention that S is an exceptional cook and stir up the most amazing recipes in a matter of minutes.My tummy is witness to many such preparations, she also her own versions for Bombay’s most popular street foods!

Anyway back to our discussion about south Indian snacks,The upma was so tasty at SARAVANA BHAVAN- EAST HAM , I was transported straight to Matunga where I often head to a place called ANAND BHUVAN to savour their yummy dosa’s vada’s idli’s and my favourite comfort food BISIBELE BHATH- a rice and dal dish all spiced up , dish which satisfies the mind as much as it does the tummy and is extreemly healthy and good on the pocket too.

ANAND BHAVAN is a traditional south indian UDIPI joint in Matunga East in Bombay. The food is exceptionally taste , the service is warm, the look and feel of the place is totally old world and charming to say the least ,something like walking into an old irani restaurant for “maska pao and cutting chai”.

I had ONE photograph, I had clicked using my Nokia E63 in 2010 of ANAND BHAVAN , here it is:

ANAND BHAVAN is THE BEST place to eat yummy south indian snacks according to me as there are a zillion outlest in close viccinity in Matunga thanks to the large south Indian community that resides there ,but nothing as quaint an experience and so good on the pcoket as ANAND BHAVAN .

MATUNGA , a suburn in BOMBAY,INDIA,also has a huge market selling every imaginable fruit and veegtable erquired for south indian cooking and regular cookingas well , shops selling traditional clothing, a temple,a dance school , a NALLI store and ofcourse shops selling freshly ground coffee powder , just one whiff is enough to take you staright to Chennai I suppose :).You there is a unique quality about this suburb that there are pockets that feel diecidely south indian , some extreemly Gujju dominated and some so very Maharastrain. It’s this amazing way of different cultures mixing and offering such a mindboggling variety of culinary experiences that makes Bomaby much of what it is today. A cosmpolitan city with a rocking attitude, a space for and BY everyone so to speak.It’s a city that liberates and ofcourse because it is an ISLAND city the best and most breathtaking sea side experience is yours for a taking.I could go on and on but I wish not to ramble, because there will always be a large part of BOMBAY in everything I write about .

Though at my in laws place there is a huge debate over which of these many south indian outlets really is THE BEST .My mother in law likes another small but great place bang opposite the station called SHARDA BHUVAN, she like the fact they are still so old world with no A/C and no fancy seating but that the charm of the place really and the food is amazing ,really , she often heads there eraly morning before she heads to the library at FORT to get some steaming hot idlis and chutney followed by the traditional Filter Coffee- aah !My hubby is a fan of HOTEL RAMA ASHRAYA and has a particulary yummy sweet prepartion that he heads there to gobble ona regular basis with one of his buddies.This one is a short walk from SHARDA BHAVAN and HOTEL ARYA BHAVAN, is set between flower shops and a coffee powder shop and faces the lane which has the local post office,which in turn is surrounded by about a dozen flower shops selling garlands big and small and an apt place to pick some for a visit to the temple or for a wedding.

Now my dad in law likes a totally different place,it’s called HOTEL ARYA BHAVAN,it has seating at a basement level ,is hot and humid and crammed but the food is tasty and the loaction is spot on!

South Indian Restaurants or UDIPI joints as they are more popularly know are so popular in Bombay and so easily accessible in Bombay that one gets really used to just popping in and eating an idli or a dosa and walking out happy, the whole thing about craving such ood in London is trying out several such places and coming up with THE BEST and a second best, I have picked mine already.Ofcourse SARAVANA BHAVAN is “THE” best in terms of the quality of food and the number of loactions, additional brownie points for the Jain Menu ofcourse, now there is another outlet called DOSA and CHUTNEY , they have 2 branches one at Tooting and another at Croydon in London, they also offer Non vegetarian options ,my favourite is Kottu Rice,it’s a spicy rice dish with meats,veggies and a Sri Lankan roti ! They serve generous protions, the prices are very good and the place is clean not to mention the sevice is swift as well , I normally wash down a spicy dish like Kottu Rice with a delicious Mango Lassi or followu up a dosa with a hot filter coffee :).The staff is friendly and I often reach there on a lazy weekday , eat some lunch and then do my grocery shopping !

I am right now walking these streets of Bombay especially MATUNGA, in my mind, right now and taking a million pictures, I promise myself that I shall do justice to this post by uploading pictures when I do go to Indian this year, I simply cannot wait now! I do plan to visit all my favourite haunts including BADE MIYA for kebab’s and hopefully catching a glimpse of SRK who is said to visit them at times ( a famous rumour in my college days), eat berry pulao at Brittannia, of course gulp down unlimited amounts of PANI PURI at Elco, Bandra and the list goes on and on and on!

Dreaming of food? Why not try some of my recipes?

Global Street Food Kitchen – bringing International favourites to London

South Indian Food – A family obsession !

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