Food Review: A Meal for Rs 20

This is an amazing enterprise that feeds drivers, watchmen, courier boys and anybody who needs a quick snack at a sharp price writes Vickram Sethi.

If you were to hear a rickshaw horn in your locality where a rickshaw is not supposed to be you would be wondering what the noise is all about. It is a signal for all to know the idliwala is here like an ice cream truck in old America that had a jingle our idliwala too has peculiar a rickshaw horn that he blows to a point where it can get annoying.

This is an amazing enterprise that feeds drivers, watchmen, courier boys and anybody who needs a quick snack at a sharp price. You can get 2 idli’s, and one meduwada for Rs. 20. You have an option of taking 3 idli’s or 3 meduwada’s or 2 meduwada and one idli served in a paper plate with two kinds of chutneys and a little bit of sambhar.

The most popular combination or bestseller is 2 meduwada’s and one idli.

There is a red chili coconut chutney that is spicy and whitish chutney that is bland. If you don’t ask you are not served the sambhar.

This is Sunil the idliwala.

On his head are his wares — a large container of idli’s and meduwada’s and 3 small containers of chutneys held together by a rubber band. (Notice the paper plates).

In Sunil’s left hand is the horn calling out to his customer I asked him his name and his reply was that he is a hindu and his name is Sunil, I found this rather strange. There is a large kitchen factory in an area called two tanks (popular known as do tanki). This is in bhendi bazar.

Sunil has returned from his gaon near Ayodhya and almost all his friends and relatives   work in this kitchen selling idli’s and meduwada’s. The boys set out in the morning combing the streets of south Mumbai blowing this horn and feeding people.

I now understand that other such kitchens have sprouted all over Mumbai city, providing customer inexpensive food. 

I opted for 2 idli’s and one meduwada’ s at Rs.20.

It was terrific value for money, the idli’s were soft & warm, the meduwada crisp from outside and soft inside. The chutneys were fresh and spicy.

All through the service, Sunil did not remove his mask kept up a conversation.  Wanted my phone number so that whenever he is this side of town, he could call me. There are other young men who go around Fort, Fountain, Nariman Point and  outside the High Court selling idli’s and meduwada.

The areas are divided, and they wind – up by 4 ‘o clock in the evening. On a good day Sunil sells 3 containers of idli’s and Meduwada’s. He refused to tell me how many packs he sold in a day.

This enterprise needs applauding and if you hear a rickshaw horn in your locality know that a young Sunil is selling idli’s and meduwada’s.

Try it once.