By Jaideep Sarin

Chandigarh

Mumbai’s famous ‘vada-pav’ – a spicy, fried potato ball in a buttered square bun – may hardly have anything to do with the butter-chicken loving Punjabi tummies but a franchise of the Mumbaiya street food is surely satisfying the big, fat Punjabi belly.

“Punjabi tadka  toh  roz  khaate  ho, Ab  Mumbaiya  Chatka  Khao’ – the tagline for ‘Goli’, the brand that has brought the all-vegetarian vadapav to Chandigarh and its neighbourhood, says it all.

And the city’s food lovers have lapped up the vada pav flavour with all their warmth. Chandigarh has two outlets of the brand while the suburbs of Panchkula, Mohali and Zirakpur have one each. Three more, in Chandigarh, Mohali and Manimajra, will open shortly.

In just a few months after the Chandigarh outlet in Sector 19 opening, it is becoming quite popular.

“We sell up to 500 vada-pavs from this outlet alone. People are loving the snack here. The variety available too attracts them,” Arvind, a staffer at the outlet, said.

The rush of people continues all day long even though the outlet, which operates from a small corner booth, has no space or arrangement for seating people or even tables for people to stand and eat.

“As long as the food is good, one does not mind having it standing in the open or sitting inside the car. The vadapav here is already a hit,” Vishal Khanna, a student at a private university, said.

‘Goli’, which claims to be India’s No.1 vadapav brand with over 350 stores across 19 states and 67 cities, is offering nearly 15 different types of vadapav flavours here.

“The popular ones in this region are the maharaja vadapav, classic vadapav, mix veg vadapao and the aloo tikki vadapav,” a sales executive at the outlet pointed out.

For those wanting their dish to be spiced up, the masala vadapav is the favourite one.

“One good thing is that these vadapavs are priced like any street food. These range are quite affordable. If you want to have more than one, it still does not pinch you,” Anjali, a housewife.

Besides the vadapavs, the outlet offers snacks like cheese ungli (cheese fingers), sabudanavada and vadalapet (roll).

While the vadapav is prepared here from ingredients purchased locally, the masalas and other things come from Mumbai.

With specialty and fine-dining restaurants opening in and around Chandigarh in good numbers in recent times, street food too is not losing out, with ample scope for business.

FAQs:

Place: ‘Goli’ vadapav outlet

Location: Opposite Sector 19 Church, Chandigarh

Timing: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.