Mumbai Masala: Mad for parathas

Mad for parathas

On a recent visit to Thane last Sunday, this diarist bumped into a place that serves as many as 80 varieties of parathas! Apart from the usual aloo, gobi, pyaaz, mooli and methi varieties, Hari Om Paratha House offers masala papad, sattu ka paratha, nutella with strawberry paratha, mushroom mayo garlic paratha, etc. The place has only four tables on the non-AC ground floor and few more on the air-conditioned mezzanine level. It’s located at Swastik Plaza, Pokharan Road No 2 next to Dominos Pizza.

The parathas are served real hot. Along with the garam parathas, you get unlimited pure butter, super spicy thecha, boondi raita and pickle of the day. You can wash the parathas down with super cool chhaas. Also on offer are chhole bature, schezwan kichdi, dal dhokli stuffed puri bhaji with aloo, etc. Thali options are also available. The prices are down to earth and you get full value for money.

Talking of parathas, there is this young boy doing business on the pavement below DN Nagar Metro Station. Apart from regular parathas, he serves parathas made in olive oil. ‘Only Parathas’ outlets across the city offer the stuff with chhole. All branches of Bhagat Tarachand and Nanumal Bhojraj serve some of the better parathas in town. Even a single paratha with a glass of buttermilk is a meal in itself.

BEST mgmt’s great initiative

Kudos to the BEST management for deciding to fine passengers who play mobile phones loudly in buses. It is sheer torture when the guy sitting next to you plays songs loudly, totally unmindful of the nuisance he is creating. And what is worse, he gives the dirtiest look if you ask him to lower the volume. Most conductors also do not bother if you complain. So it remains to be seen how BEST going to collect the fines. In any case, it is a good initiative which deserves the support of all citizens. Wish there was a similar law for the railways too. Often commuters play loud music or watch a play on their mobiles with the volume in full. But then don’t we all as a class love noise? Go to any restaurant and you will find the decibel level very high. The other day the waiter in a posh hotel had to publicly pull up a group that was positively raucous. Despite the “No Honking” campaign, drivers routinely blow their horns. It’s a miracle that shopkeepers doing business at Bhendi Bazar junction and other spots have not gone deaf yet. The problem of decibel violations by mosques has forced citizens to move the high court. The areas around hospitals and educational institutions are supposed to be silent zones. And that must be the biggest joke.

Aaditya Thackeray: An articulate and well informed leader

Aaditya Thackeray is easily one of the more articulate and well informed politician of the state. His performance at town halls and other fora has impressed all and one. Whether it is Aarey or any other issue, he speaks with supreme confidence and that too without referring to any notes. He has all the facts and figures at his fingertips. A student of Bombay Scottish school and St Xavier’s College, he is a charmer all the way.

In fact, he does not even look like other politicians. He mostly wears jeans and blue shirts even while on tours to the interiors of Maharashtra. He loves poetry and music. As a minister in the erstwhile MVA government, he impressed the babus of Mantralaya by his capacity to study and understand issues. Said an IAS official: “We used to brief him only once and with just one sitting he would grasp the issue very fast. We have rarely seen a politician like that.” Next month Aaditya will be celebrating his 33rd birthday and, typical of him, it will be a low-key affair.

IPL mania grips the country

IPL has gripped the entire country. However, while people go to any lengths to get hold of tickets, there are others who are different. Two guys, who were walking near the Wankhede stadium, found a packet in which there were two hospitality tickets. “So, you guys must have made it to the stadium,” asked one of his friends. No, came the reply, we sold the tickets for Rs12,000, and went to a posh hotel to watch the match on TV.

Tailpiece

It won’t be surprising if King’s Circle is renamed as Food Circle soon. Yet another vegetarian restaurant called Ayyappan Idli will soon be opening its doors on Bhaudaji Road, which already has the good old Cafe Madras and the newly-opened Radhakrishna Hotel.

(Compiled by S Balakrishnan)