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#LucknowRains: Time for chai-pakora and bun!
Overcast sky, mild drizzle, chai-pakori and company of near and dear is a real bliss for all during monsoons
Overcast sky, mild drizzle, chai-pakori and company of near and dear is a real bliss for all during monsoons. After a long dry spell, as it started to rain in Lucknow since Wednesday, the change of weather has started drawing people back to street food.
The tea-snack stalls, noodles-momo points, tandoori items and other joints serving a variety of snacking items are back in business. The eat-street near Lucknow Riverfront, famous snack joints and small-time but extremely popular tea stalls dotting the state capital are witnessing good turn-out of customer.
“Now, that we had a rainy spell, visitors are thronging our snacking corner at Lucknow Zoo for garma-garam tea-coffee with piping hot snacks as this is what we all want in such weather. When it rain heavily then walk-in during that phase does slow down but sales get better on an average,” tells Mohd Wasim who runs the stall.
Sunny Singh, principal franchisee owner of Tea Time chain in UP and Uttarakhand tells, “There is a jump of “30-35% in sale of tea and snacks like samosa, pakodi and cutlets. The demand for packaged items does slowdown in this period and items that are served hot are now moving faster from the shelves. At our 40 joints in Lucknow, we are getting bigger groups as compared to solo and couple walk-ins.”
The Tandoori Chai stall at Lucknow Riverfront too is drawing good customers. “Seeing the good weather, we all friends living in Gomti Nagar extension decided to have stroll and enjoy some snacks. For Instagram reel and stories, it’s a perfect spot in such season. Backdrop of Gomti, lush-green expanse, perfect lights and tandoori tea makes it for a perfect shot. And, the icing on the cake is the rains…paisawasool,” tells Nav Shri, a class XI student.
Keeping in pace with the season, Bhasker Mishra has introduced Mumbai’s special delicacy at his Sassy Canteen that he runs with wife Himani Sharma. “Adding flavours to monsoon, we have added Bombay Street Menu which includes vada pao, dabeli, missal pav, sandwich, keema pav and chai.”
Popular tea-coffee spots in the city like Sharma Chai, Keval Tea, Rovers Café, Bajpai Tea — all in Hazraganj — are also witnessing good turnout but small-time joints too are getting good sales. “Rather than going to Lalbagh for Sharma Chai, I prefer to go to Lohia Park tea spot if it rains. They make amazing pyaz-ki-pakori, piping hot samosa, and customised tea. Also, I can easily park my vehicle and enjoy a range of street food during monsoon,” tells Vishwas Yadav, a businessman.
Not just chai-samosa-bun makkhan, there is now a long list added to the regular street-food choices — different flavours of Maggie, momos, tandoori chaap, palak-and-papdi chaat and straight-from-angethi corn to name a few.
