Destination #8: Apna Chaat House Express

I heard that there was a place serving Indian street food from a small cart near the Superstore by my house, so I decided to go today and check them out especially since Indian food is one of my favourite cuisines. 😋

When I got there I quickly realized that Apna Chaat House Express is a small fast food restaurant and actually not a food truck, however they do have a small food cart at the front of the store where you line up to have your pani-puri (fried dough balls filled with spicy water) order prepared and served to you one puri at a time. I learned that this is a very popular and the oldest known street food sold from food trucks/carts all over India but in different variations depending on the region. On the menu this is referred to as Golgappa, which are fried puris filled with potatoes and chickpeas along with your choice of sweet, sweet and spicy, mint, or mango spiced flavoured water. This menu item is what they are clearly known for as the posters in the store were all related to these and while I was there, customers were coming in and lining up just for these “water balls” so I knew I had to try them. They would stand at the cart, eat, and leave without ordering anything else or having a seat. I tried two of the sweet and spicy ones and they were AMAZING! Huge bursts of flavour in my mouth! They were however very big and filled to the top with spicy water which made them difficult to eat. 😯

While I was there I also tried their Dahi Batata Puri which is an order of six golgappas stuffed with potatoes and topped with tamarind and a yogurt-based sauce, as well as chanachur (an Indian snack mix which consists of spicy dried ingredients such as fried lentils and chickpeas). I didn’t mind these but much preferred the puris filled with the spicy water.

I also tried their grilled chicken tikka sandwich served with their spicy fries. The sandwich was filled with melted cheese, sliced grilled chicken, and spicy green peppers. This was my favourite out of the menu items I tried.

I will definitely be back, even if it is just for a stop at the Golgappa cart😊.