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| Morning breaks at Khau Street lane. |
Yesterday I did something I could be understandably proud of. During my vacation I have been scouting around for places to pick up breakfast. This I do after I drop off Dwayne at school at around 7.45.
The problem with takeaways is the amount of plastic that comes with it. I tried to reduce it as best as I could. What gave fillip to this crusade was the lovely 3-tier stainless steel Magnus tiffin set Queenie procured from Bhagyatadar, Porvorim. Earlier we had invested in a jute tiffin bag from Mapusa market.
As is my wont there is nothing better than savouring piping hot idlis with rasam and chutney on a rainy morning. On my rambles I landed up at Miramar. I spied a nifty joint offering a variety of breakfasts.
Khau Street is conveniently located opposite Krishi Bhavan. The name immediately caught my eye. Being a votary of street food in Delhi and Mumbai, this was invitation enough. As I mentioned to Steven, I liked the hybridity in the coinage of the name. I noticed that I could not find it on Google Maps. There were other joints listed but they were not open this early. Steven said that they abjured publicity for now. 'We like to take it slow,' was his take.
Having learnt from experience, this time I wanted to dodge the plastic. I had taken a flat stainless steel container for the 2 plates of idlis. (Here they generously serve 3 per plate.) In one of the vessels of the tiffin Steven put his delectable sambhar. In the other the chutney. I had taken my small flask and asked for 4 cups of lovely coffee.
Smiling Steven and his elder sister Rashmi are always ready to lend a ear to the community who flock there for solace. The food is fresh, clean, hygienic and tasty - and they are ready to serve at 7.30 a.m.
Elated with my booty in my boot I drove home to share it with Queenie. Queenie has her idlis Mumbai-style. She will place the idlis in a bowl and pour the sambhar and chutney over it, allowing it to soak in the mix. I prefer not to mix my drinks pouring the sambhar chutney in separate vatis to retain their flavour. We enjoyed the experience. We felt even more pleased that we had, in our small way, contributed to the environment by abjuring plastic bags.
Yes, it does take a steely will to land up at a restaurant with your tiffin and bag, but it's worth it. The food retains its flavour. Otherwise you have to empty the sambhar and chutney from the plastic bag to your plate at home - and feel guilty while doing it.
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