VIGI’m in seventh heaven! This ain’t a mere no-frills, cheap and cheerful restaurant. Vig is an icon. And this ain’t merely Mumbai’s suburb, as Chembur bristles with history and tells post partition food stories. And guiding me to eat my way through Chembur are not just foodies but my #foodieblinddates, who are well-informed, passionate and generous with their time. “Chembur is where the Sindhi refugees settled post partition,” explains Anupam Gulati, the seasoned Chemburite and brilliant executive chef of Hotel Four Seasons. His two decades of experience shines through as he meticulously rates each dish from the point of view of flavour and freshness of ingredient. And he knows Chembur like the back of his hand. Also joining us was Rachi Gupta, who is a trained chef from Aurangabad and Ducasse, Paris, an entrepreneur of healthy desserts business and an expert on Chembur restaurants.
DÉCOR
Plonked on the cacophonic main street, Vig has an open façade. Whirring fans, open tandoor and a piled-up pulao dish simmering on a basic charcoal stove greet you.
FOOD
The memorable superhits. Tear a piece of the puffed and golden crisp poori, dip into the moist, tasty cholley and pop into your mouth. Its name: Sindhi Poori Cholley. Kissed with crunch on the outside, the shallow fried, soft, yielding pattice has a heart of well-seasoned chana dal and spices topped with cholley. Flavourful, moist, long-grained rice of the veg pulao dance to the “Ho Jamalo” with tasty cholley. Creamy, thick luscious lassi laced with the right amount of sweetness.
MINUS POINTS
In summer, it can get warm here. Uncomfy, crammed seating, too. I’m a dal pakwan fan (having eaten the finest in my Sindhi gourmet friend’s homes) and I’m disappointed with the low on flavour dal and not the crispest pakwan. Greasy samosa filling. Soggy stuffed kulcha.
MY POINT
I always leave Vig happy. Very happy. It’s ramshackle, it’s packed, it can get warm even under whirring fans, but it delivers high-octane, low-priced pure vegetarian Sindhi superhits (with a few flops thrown in). But for sure (especially on way to the golf club or Pune) like Arnold Schwarzenegger, “I will return”.
Shop No. 17, Dr CG Road, Chembur CampTime: 6.30 am - 10 pmContact: 9820542200Average meal for two: Rs.700Rating: Food: 4Service: 3.5 Décor: 2JHAMA
Mumbai’s best gulab jamun at Jhama
Raj Kapoor, we’re told, was a Jhama gulab jamun fan and used to take gulab jamuns to Russia in the 60s.
Mumbai’s best, tender yet melting soft, moist, perfectly sweetened globes of joy. A close runner-up, Sev Barfi Singhar Jhi Mithai. Gooey mawa, chopped nuts, a whisper of rose essence and (here’s the magic) unsalted sev. Also, over 200 different types of sweets, chaat, namkeens, dry fruits and more here.
Dr CG Road, Chembur ColonyTime: 9 am - 10 pmContact: 022 25531762Rating: Food: 4Service: 2.75 Décor: 2.5SAINATH KULCHA
At Sainath Kulcha with executive chef Anupam Gulati and Rachi Gupta
Hole in the wall. Clay tandoors, a few chairs and a long wait. But wait you must, wait while they stuff (with aloo or gobi or paneer) and pat their kulchas before popping them into the tandoor. Yeasty warm fragrance wafts into the gali. The dollop of butter melts in slow motion on the kulcha, chole gravy and chopped pyaaz piled on top. Can everyone hear my mouth water?
Dr CG Road, Chembur ColonyContact: 022 25208197Time: 9 am - 5 pmAverage meal for two: Rs.400Rating: Food: 3.75Service: 2 Décor: 1
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