Adventures In Kulchaland

Oye Kake
13, Cawasji Patel Street, Next to Yazdani Bakery, Fort, Mumbai
Tel: 022-22871882
Meal for two: Rs 500

Pop art featuring truck drivers; phul­kari tabletops; multi-colou­red parandis and matkas; cheery bustle and clanking cutlery. The minute you step in, you know you are in lassi-and-kulcha-land. Oye Kake, a small, unpretentious restaurant tucked away amidst paper marts, is a welcome addition to the city’s foodscape. It specialises in vegetarian Amritsari food.

After peering at the menus—enormous plastic, like they should be—we sta­rted our lunch with kid­-fri­endly cheese pak­odas (Rs 139), tangy Amritsari masala papad (Rs 55) and sublim­ely creamy meethi lassi (Rs 65). The children enjoyed their warm cheese kulcha (Rs 109) and melt-in-the-mouth butter naan­—but found the cheese parathas too heavy.

We had read that the restaurant uses Amritsari water to make kulchas and parathas. The pyaaz kulcha (Rs 99) was crisp on the outside and wonderfully soft inside. Our tandoori paratha (Rs 129), stuffed with potato and onion, was also enjoyable. The kulchas are served with chhole, while the tandoori parathas are served with thick dahi and flavourful maa ki daal—making each a satisfying meal. So we were overstuffed by the time we got to the generic Paneer Peshawari (Rs 169).

The rest, though, are certainly worth returning for. Next time we are planning to get adventurous and sample the peda lassi and meva kulcha and maybe even the papdi paneer served in little glasses. And repeat the warm and soft gulab jamuns (Rs 50) and chilled rabdi (Rs 65). If the Sunday lunch crowd was any indication, many Mumbaikars are equally thrilled about this colourful dhaba in the middle of Mumbai.