Punjab Sweet House, Pali Naka, Bandra (W). Without a shadow of doubt. I am willing to bet good money on this. The guy here makes the most awesome Pani Puri I have ever had. And this is a fact that no one yet has debated.
I'd like to think that I have had a lot of Pani Puri in my life. Across the country - Bombay, Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Jaipur (the worst), Chennai, Bangalore, I've been to famous chaat guys a la elco arcade, and chaat guys that are well-kept local secrets, in some godforsaken gully or market, nothing has come even close to the guy at Punjab Sweet House.
He is one of the few guys who doesnt count how many puris you have had. The standard plate is 6 Puris for 20 Rs. [This may be expensive by some standards, but one has to account for the fact that the shop is located at Pali Naka. Also they claim to use only mineral water and icelings (branded ice made from purified water) in all their chutneys/pani. So one can't really begrudge them the 20 rs.] But our man at PSH keeps handing out the puris and you gratefully kep gobbling it up, hoping that he doesnt realise. After about 8 - 9, he asks "Saab, aur chahiye?" And by then you're just so happy all you want to do is hug this man. Of Course i dont know whether he does this for everyone who goes there.
The icing on the cake is the dishful of Pani he gives you. As I mentioned earlier, they use Iceling to keep the Pani cold. Not only does this give the Pani Puri a different taste, but its also the most refreshing thing ever. The cherry on the icing is the sukha puri. This guy starts making the sukha puri even before you have finished swallowing the last puri. The sukha puri has everything. Aloo, boondi, sev, chaat masala, the perfect end to a perfect Pani Puri.
I know this was a pretty pointless post, but I thought that Punjab Sweet House deserved some appreciation, considering how many times I have eaten there. The best part is when he recognises you even though you have been in another city studying for 2 years, or been working somewhere else, and still forgets to count the number of puris he has given you. :)
For anyone who hasn't yet been there, I strongly recommend that you head over to Punjab Sweet House at Pali Naka and have some Pani Puri.
P.S. - They do not share any profits with me.
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2 comments:
You should've posted this a lil earlier. I just got back from Mumbai(Pali Hill at that!). May be next time :)
Although, I must tell ya, I don't like the 'hygenic' pani-puris so much. I believe the street vendor near my place is the best ever- gives everything you mentioned in the post, for a mere 10 bucks, and it's not even 'hygenic'- just the way I love it :)
the next time u go there, try it out. surprisingly, the "hygienic" bit doesn't affect the taste. And if you have had better pani puri than that, you had better tell me abt it.
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