Chants Fried And Filled

Any review of Paratha Mantra should come with a statutory warning: order moderately, else you will end up as stuffed as the Paneer Corn Capsicum Paratha served at this vegetarian eatery in Mumbai’s old business district. The restaurant does serve standard Punjabi fare, but as the name indicates, most of its menu is devoted to parathas. There are Papad Parathas and Rajma Stuff Parathas, Schezuan Parathas and Pasta Parathas. Not to forget the Chocolate Paratha.

To start off, we ordered a Jumbo Chaas (Rs 200)—a large bottle of lightly spiced buttermilk—and a plate of Mix Churi (Rs 125). The chatpata combination of papads, tomatoes and spices was crunchy and addictive. One of the genial proprietors pitched in with suggestions for what parathas to order and within ten minutes the table was covered with large platters of plump parathas, tangy pickle and raita.

The plain Cheese Paratha (Rs 115) and the Butter Lachha Paratha (Rs 65) were hits with the children, but the Pizza Paratha (Rs 155) received mixed reviews. The Olive Cheese Paratha (Rs 155) was unusual, while the substantial Alu Methi Paratha (Rs 120) found favour with the traditionalists. The Chilly Cheese Garlic Paratha (Rs 155) was a tad too garlicky on its own, but went well with the sublime Dal Makhni (Rs 85) that was definitely the dish of the day.

In a remarkably short time we were trundling out, satiated, with an enormous doggybag. Clearly, Paratha Mantra is not a place for leisurely, atmospheric lunches, but a good option for a quick and satisfying meal.