Vada Pav .. Ashok Vada Pav - The Mumbai Burger

The 'national' food of Mumbai is the Vada Pav and it would be very cruel if the food blog related to Mumbai does not start with it. Hence the Vada Pav or the Mumbai Burger arrives.

The mention of Vada Pav cannot be complete without the name of Ashok Vada Pav which serves one of the best vada pavs in the city. Voted the best of the lot for so many years, one of the scrumptious delicacy day in day out. I was and am still blessed to be in the vicinity of this savoury delight. This eatery is located near Prabhadevi, off Cadel road near Kirti College.

The vada pav is the best item on the list and it is an explosion of all tastes trapped under the pav or the bun. The intricately cut pav is splattered with two chutneys one spicy and other sweet. The spicy green chutney is the usual one with lots of green chillies, coriander & mint. The brown tamarind variety is the sweet one but this unlike other vada pav is a bit sticky which is the only downside for me personally. There is also a third dry red chilli powder in bits here and there which adds nice flavour to the entire delicacy. Then comes the vada which is mashed potatoes with spicy concoction fried in gram flour. However the main ingredient is the 'chura' or the small crumbs which remain wayside in the kadhai after the vada is deep fried. They are added to the mix to give that extra edge.

You can actually get the chura pav too which is the same except the vada. Trust me, its a heaven in itself. There is an interesting story behind it or atleast what the people say it is. Owing to large demand of vadas and 'frequent getting over as soon as they come out of kadhai' syndrome, people were even game for the chura pav as it gave them the same satisfaction. Yeah its true !!!

There is also Samosa and Bhajji pav but the vada pav stands out. But if you are at the counter at Ashok's anything coming out of the kadhai is divine.

If you are a true Mumbaikar then a visit here is a must and with the rains arriving now is the time people. I would suggest one Vada pav and one Chura pav should do the trick.

How to reach here:

Ashok Wada Pav Stall, Off Cadel Road, Kirti College Lane,  Prabhadevi , Mumbai