Swati Snacks
Rated: Good
based on 7 reviews
248 Karai Estate, Tardeo Road, Opposite Bhatia Hospital, Tardeo, Mumbai
66808405, 66808406
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« Reviews on Swati Snacks
Apr 13, 2008
Homestyle food in a utilitarian ambience
I've eaten here some 5-6 years ago, but a place that I keep hearing only good about, surely deserves another visit. A month ago, we tried eating here after getting some work done in Worli. 2 .15 pm and 45 minutes waiting! Our growling stomachs did not agree to that kind of wait and we drove off to the nearby Sardar Pav Bhaji.
Today, we decided during our morning walk, that we wanted to visit Swati Snacks for lunch! Ironical that we think of where to add up the calories while we are burning some...Considering that it is a good hour's drive from our place, going all the way for lunch was a gamble, we decided to take anyway.
We reached there some 10 minutes before 1pm, and needless to say, I rushed to queue up our name while my husband waited to deal with the valet. Imagine our glee when we were told '10 minutes waiting'~ I nearly exclaimed "Only that much??" to the guy with the 'waiting list'.
The next ten minutes were spent studying the other waiting people under the awning and the people who were alighting from running cars to make sure they are better placed on the waiting list :)
We were ushered inside in 15 minutes..and we spent some time studying the one page laminated menu, split into specialties, snacks, beverages and desserts. To cool off we ordered a glass of kacha kairy pano and a salted lassi. The former made from cooked raw mangoes lacked the tangy edge and had plenty of saffron strands. While I do like the fragrance of saffron, the raw mango drink was totally dominated by the saffron taste, which was overpowering any mango taste! (Drinks around Rs.50 each)
A plate of dahi batata puri downed and we were ready to order the main course. My partner had the thalipeeth with a thick besan curry. The thalipeeth was sizzling hot and the besan curry really yummy with tomatoes, onions and garlic. I do suspect it had a lot of ghee that gave it a great taste.
My order was the satpadi roti with gatte ki sabzi...another thick multigrain traditional bread cooked with lots of oil and the Rajasthani curry with tiny besan dumplings. While the roti was in many layers and high on flavour, the gatta curry was ok, not extraordinary in any way. (Main dishes Rs.100 each)
Since they serve just one piece of bread in any main course, you can order an extra thalipeeth or roti at Rs.60.
Almost every table was ordering the panki (delicate rice crepes cooked between banana leaves on a hot skillet), and we decided to order the minty version served with a green chutney and some pickled green chillies. This was indeed the best dish for me after the besan curry that came with the thalipeeth. The panki was melt-in-the-mouth delicious and very light too. They serve a plain and a dill version of this too. (Rs.60)
Not finding any great choices for dessert, we went with the Gujarati Puran Poli (Rs.85), which took a good 10 minutes to make an appearance on the table, delicate, fluffy, coated with melted ghee and the filling oozing out. It was the best puran poli i'd had in a long time, as I am not much in love with the thinner maharashtrian version, that has a maida cover. Just one odd thing about this, i have never heard or seen puran poli being served with raita, especially when you call it a dessert. Anyway, may be one of their ideas which their patrons seem to enjoy.
Service was quick and efficient. Most dishes took atleast ten minutes, but considering that each item we ordered was piping hot, I understand they make everything FRESH, once they get an order, which is a HUGE positive for me. The ambience is nothing to write about. It's quite clean and utilitarian. not much space wasted around the place, no flowers and nothing fancy! But when the food is good, the ambience is secondary.
All in all, the meal came to 600 Rs. excluding the tip.
If you are one of those who has never made it to eating here because of the waiting, try reaching earlier than 1pm and you may just about get in without too much of a hassle.
Worth a visit for some of the authentic dishes they serve! Do try Mint Panki and the Thalipeeth!
