Bombay's street foods come in more shapes than one. In a hurry, buy a vada pao on your way out of the station. On the beach, stick to the pao bhaji or the icy gola. But when you need comfort food, something hot and buttery and filling, its the grilled sandwich.
Since all it takes is some bread and vegetables and a hand held grill, you will see grilled sandwich stalls at every corner. But I take you to the best there is : the sandwich wallah in Santacruz. This is college street, next to Mithibai and NM Colleges, the place where countless students come for succor.
Can't make it here and want to create your own Bombay Grill? Here's the lowdown on everyone's favorite sandwich. First, you need Wibs White Sandwich Bread. It can't be any other brand, they never ever use anything else. Unless you count that Britannia loaf, a concession to those health freaks looking for brown bread. But you want healthy, you should look elsewhere - this bread just got doused with a liberal layer of Amul butter.
The fillings are always the same. A generous dose of cilantro chutney, then layers of boiled potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and capsicum. Sprinkle of spicy, tangy chaat masala. Cheese is optional and carries an extra charge.
A small shack will then put everything in a small handheld toaster. This big swanky one has two actual grills to make you a perfect sandwich. A few minutes to get it browned, then your sandwich gets plonked on one of those paper plates up there. Finish it with a splash of ketchup on the side and a small pile of thin, greasy potato chips for the real Bombay experience.
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