There’s no one who hasn’t eaten at a khau gully. Carts lined up, aromas of hot dosas, spicy Chindian food, juices, vada or samosa pav, chaat, dabeli and more - eating on the street is an experience unlike any other. But, you’ve probably stopped going to a khau gully now because you’re worried about hygiene, or perhaps you can afford restaurants that you probably couldn’t in college.
We found a restaurant on Taboot Street in Camp, right beside the OYO Townhouse that has everyone’s street food favourites under a roof. Walk in and the restaurant has multiple different stalls - Nawab Seekh Corner, Degchi’s, Khansama Rehman, Udipi House, Haji Juices & Bites, Rajkot Gola, Wong’s Kitchen and more.
The restaurant is lined with stalls and has seating at the centre - like a food court. But, Edison bulbs hang on a string above. There’s also a mezzanine floor, which is the air-conditioned section and has a more formal (read: cushioned) seating; and a balcony too, where you can sit and look down at the happenings in the space.
You’re going to be spoilt for choice here, especially if you’re a non-vegetarian. And, this restaurant is where you can go and eat your fill at reasonable rates. We dug into chicken and mutton kebabs with a paratha from Nawab Seekh Corner. Believe us, you definitely wouldn't have tried seekh kebabs this tender that were apty spiced too. Next, we got a non-veg kebab platter from Khansama Rehman - a platter of a mix of chicken and mutton kebabs - which included chapli kebab, seekh kebab, galouti kebab, boro kebab, murgh hasni tikka, chicken tikka, banjara tikka, murgh makhmali, and chicken parche. Each kebab has two to three pieces each that you can dig into. They were all cooked to perfection, but our favourites from the platter remain the mildly spicy chapli kebabs, the galouti kebab that’s aptly moist and the lemony chicken parche. The platter easily suffices a group of four.
The kung pao chicken from Wang’s Kitchen was a spicy bite, with cashews for crunch and a break from the saucier elements in the dish. It honestly would pair perfectly as a bar bite with a cold beer, but there’s no alcohol at Khau Gully. We also dug into a chicken Bohri thaal from Degchi's, which came with lagan nu chicken, rice, gajar halwa, walnut halwa, kebabs and more. The chicken gravy (made with cashew and melon seeds) is beautifully cooked (with chicken that fell off the bone!) and something we'd go back for. While the gajar ka halwa had the standard homely taste anyone would love, the winner was the walnut halwa - reminiscent of the chocolate walnut fudge from Cooper's in Lonavala. From Udupi House, we tried the neer dosa - tender, with delicious chutneys - which made for a lovely, light snack.
For desserts, we had a plate of malai gola from Rajkot Gola, which came with a lot of juijubes, a lovely kala khatta syrup and was very refreshing. And, the Haji special falooda from Haji Juice & Bites which is a creamy concoction with sabja, vermicelli, ice cream and syrups and is a filling dessert.
The Great Indian Khau Galli is ideal for anyone who's looking to eat several things or perhaps, wants a little of everything. The average meal for two here will set you back INR 900. We think it's a great spot to go with your group of friends or for a Sunday family outing, where everyone can order what they like.