City Food – Burger Trolleys, Connaught Place
The street junk.
[Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi]
This is for all those of us who find happiness in cheap and delicious junk food. The Delhi Walla is not talking of the golden arches but of the humble burger trolleys that are seen across Connaught Place, the Colonial-era shopping district in central Delhi.
Run by street vendors, these mobile snack-parlours sell not only burgers but also patties, sandwiches, kulchas and cream-rolls.
A trolley is manned by its owner alone, though sometimes he might have an adolescent ‘helper’.
The all-vegetarian menu is painted in red on the trolley itself. Some carts also display religious chants such as Jai Mata Di (Long live the holy mother).
The trolley food is very easy on the pocket. The most expensive is an item called paneer patties. At Rs 15, it is a crisp, flaky pastry filled with spiced cottage cheese. The burger is a steal at Rs 10. It is as addictive as the aloo tikki burger at the McDonald’s, except that the tikki here is topped with sliced tomatoes, onion rings and shredded cabbage.
The snacks are prepared early morning in the industrial bakeries of Karol Bagh and Paharganj, and are distributed by salesmen on bikes. A coal-fired stove, built in each trolley, is used for re-heating the food. The snacks are served on paper plates or newspaper cuttings. The Tip Top ketchup is given on request. This is indeed the best trash for Delhi’s bellies.
I’m really lovin’ it
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mast 🙂