It’s a bit of Tibet that Mr Wang serves to his customers from his street stall come rain or shine. His bowl of thukpa is perhaps the best we have had. It soothes the soul! If not for the shiny momo stand decorated with colourful bunding and printouts screaming “Thukpa, momos, soup available here”, we would have missed out on Xanadu, a street food stall. Helmed by an affable chap named Wang, Xanadu is easily the best find of the day we spent at 27th Main, HSR Layout. Wang handed us a handwritten, laminated menu that presents you with interesting Nepalese and Tibetan options ranging from your good old momos to thukpas and kothays. There’s also something called ‘sway chow‘, which Wang tells is steamed momos dipped in soup. As tempting as it sounded, our heart {and tummy} was set on ordering a bowl of chicken thukpa. And so we did.
The momo stand acts as a reception for Xanadu and behind it are some stools for you to sit down, with an open-air kitchen flanking it. Top marks on how the open-air kitchen is set up with everything neatly arranged to make even the snobbiest of organisational freaks, weep in joy. The wait isn’t too long, especially when there’s no crowd, with our thukpa getting ready in a matter of five minutes. Chunks of chicken, slightly fried cauliflowers, onions, carrots, and tomatoes make the hot bowl quite filling. And for INR 120, it’s easily a meal for a steal. Wang lets you customise it as per your choice as well so if you want more spring onions or a little extra spice, consider it done.
Finish off you meal with momos if you are still hungry. You can pick from chicken cheese and vegetarian cheese in both fried and steamed variants if you want to go beyond regular momos. Or mix things up by ordering a round of momos heavily dipped in sauces such as garlic, ginger garlic, Schezwan, sweet n sour, and lemon, apparently, a hot seller. A Chindian menu favourite like Paneer Manchurian and Chilli Chicken is there too, if you are looking for something closer home. Do try the noodles that can be easily shared by two people.
Price: INR 50 upwards