A long time ago, the unit that now houses Mumbai Street Food was a Mongolian barbecue place. I remember it: dark, awkwardly long, full of people mixing flavours as if there was no tomorrow. The size of the unit hasn’t changed but what’s served and the ambience has. You can still make your own dinner but now, the format is more straight-forward.
Fish pakora in foreground, Christopher and two types of puri in the background.
Mumbai Street Food is the casual side of the Indian food duo completed by Mumbai Diner’s Club. Where Mumbai Diner’s Club goes for fine dining, the street food end of the spectrum is a considerably more relaxed affair. The long dining room is brightly lit, carved tables close. We sat with a good view of the prep-area.
There’s a lot to chose from: this is Indian food tapas-style. We decided to focus on the street food section of hte menu, staying away from curries and wraps (although both sounded interesting). We went for four dishes each – the suggestion is three to four and we’re hungry. We ended up ordering three puris which is interesting because it shows the range of that dish but unfortunate because we didn’t need that many crispy dishes.
Give me the deets, Cee!
The pana puri were one of my favourite dishes. These are delicate crispy shells filled with potato, chutney and yogurt. Drizzle on a tangy tamarind sauce and heaven!
Bhel puri is a salad of puffed rice, chickpea vermicelli, crushed puris, potato. It’s crunchy fun but I’m not that big of fan of chickpea vermicelli. So now I know.
Clockwise from the top left: pav bahji, spinach and peas, muglai paratha, behl puri.
Spinach and peas was a hit with Christopher. He also liked the pav bhaji, a soothing vegetable concoction served with fried bread which is a popular street food in Mumbai.
The fish pakoras were a hit with me: perfectly fried fish in a crispy, spicy batter. Really enjoyed that. I also very much enjoyed the muglai paratha, bread stuffed with egg and bits of keema (which sounds so much better than mince). Insanely filling but great if you like omelette.
Methi aloo (potato and fenugreek greens) and chana puri (chickpea and chickpea vermicelli salad, different from the chickpea and fried puffed bread we expected) were soothing and good for a cold night. We only really needed three dishes each, after all.
Pan puri. Say it with me: pan puri, pan puri, pan puri. Crunchy, sweet and sour. Love!
There’s more to pick from
As I mentioned, we stuck to the Speciality Street section of the menu, bypassing Curry Close, a selection of side-sized classic curries. We also passed Grill Grove, where you’ll find seekh kebabs and chicken tikka, among other delights, Thali Terrace nd Kathi Roll Court. I was curious about the Kathi Roll – flatbread wrapped around a spicy filling with veg, lamb or chicken.
Mumbai Street Food
43 Assembly Street
Edinburgh EH6 7BQ
Telephone: 0131 553 5026
dine@mumbaistreetfood.co.uk
Instagram: mumbaistreetfooduk
Caroline as invited to dine by Mumbai Street Food.
