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FINGER LICKIN’ YUM Chaats are an eternal favourite

Managed by Maurya Hospitality Management, this centre is its hundred and second unit in the country. MHM intends to expand overseas as well through franchisees in Singapore, South Africa, Canada, New Jersey and Dubai.

MHM, the brain child of H. D. Maurya, also known as Chottu Bhaiya, its managing director, has managed to redefine chaat from street food to being a must have dish even in five-star hotels.

Chottu Bhaiya’s philosophy on chaat is simple. If they do not succeed in getting a customer to licktheir fingers in delight, the whole effort of preparing chaatis not worth the trouble.

Chaat is an integral part of the Lucknowi ‘tehzeeb’ of eating out, he says. It is not merely the story of street-to-star-hotel, but also of dedication, hard work and a clear idea to meet and exceed customer satisfaction, he notes. Describing chaat as generational cuisine, Bhaiya says the secret of success lies in the manner in which these items are prepared. All the chefs at the centre are from Lucknow.

So what is on offer at the chaat centre? For starters, one could try out the basket chaat, where one can have the basket and eat it too. The basket is made of potato fried neatly in the form of a small basket. If this does not whet ones appetite, then there is the aloo tikki, dahi bhalla, nawabi batasha, pani puri, pudina vada, pudeena tikki, sounth papadi, chatni samosa, chole tikki, vegetarian paratha, and nawabi thali, to name a few.

Your visit to the chaat centre will be incomplete without taking a shot at the famous Benares paan. There is the full thaali for the connoisseurs as well. Interestingly, Chottu Bhaiya started his chaat unit in the city in 2002 at Attavar. However, the location failed to draw in the crowds.

This time around, he is not only betting on the cool ambience of the food court to bring in the chaat lovers, but also sending them home licking their lips.

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