So how much would you pay for a plate of pani puri??
My neighbourhood bhaiyaji charges Rs.5 for 6 puris + the yummy masala puri.
Moving a bit upmarket towards Powai, my colleague introduced me to a shop selling chat saying 'bada stud pani puri hota hai yahan ka'...the foodie that i am, oblivious to everything i gobbled an entire plate on not much of an empty stomach and it costed me Rs.12 ...if i had known before would have tried to relish it even more :-| ...
For the more health conscious or rather for the faint hearted you even have Mineral water based pani puri served at Hiranandani Galleria at powai at a whooping Rs.20 a plate if am not mistaken..
i even had pani puri at a fast food joint where i was given all the ingredients on a plate and i was supposed to make the pani puri myself... so much for wanting to eat out!!
Eating at all these joints(except the mineral water PP.. still waiting for someone to treat me to it :P ) there is something that i realised. The experience of having pani puri is not decided only by the tangy paani or the crispy puri or the soft ragda, but also by a bond (if i may call it that) with the pani puri wala.
The friendly smile, the 'kaisan ho bhaiya' , 'bade din hogaye' makes the pani puri much more tastier ...
Just like your barber who knows how you want you hair to be cut, or the bartender who knows your fav drink, this is the guy who knows how you like your pani puri - medium aur ragda jyaada ;)
should go and have one tomorrow :D
PS- in smaller towns you get 5 puris for 3 bucks (thats the least recorded through my contacts, if anyone knows cheaper places do leave it on the comments)
