Thakur Bhajiwala

Thakur Bhajiwala is situated on Telco Road in Juhu. If you walk down this way in the evening, you can't miss the smell of the frying oil and the spices. We have a big iron kadai that stays hot for most of the day. I started this stall with my father many years ago, and now I run it with a couple of boys from my village. We make various types of bhajias and hot snacks. It is not a sit-down restaurant; it is more of a place where you grab a plate and stand on the sidewalk. Juhu is always busy with people going to the beach or coming home from their jobs, so we get a lot of foot traffic. The rain is our biggest enemy because the oil spits when water hits it, and the customers have nowhere to hide under our small awning. We use a lot of onions and potatoes every day, so someone is always in the back peeling and chopping. We don't have a menu printed out; we just tell people what is fresh and hot at the moment. Sometimes we run out of green chutney before the evening is over, and people get a bit annoyed with us. But we make a fresh batch as fast as we can. It is hot work standing over the fire all day, especially in the Mumbai humidity. We just keep frying and serving as long as there is a line of hungry people waiting for their turn.