These street food eateries are offering a taste of modern India
These funky, authentic Indian eateries have taken over a laneway in Sydney’s CBD, and the owners think the location is the solution to having mobile phone-free dinners.
NSW
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With locals scattered on wooden stools, endless cups of chai, and freshly fried pakoras — it’s easy to confuse Temperance Lane in the CBD for a bustling Indian street thanks to the Flyover Fritterie and Chai Bar.
The tiny Indian street food eatery created by computer science engineer Gunjan Aylawadi mimics how locals in India drink chai (a milky spiced tea) and eat pakoras (fritters).
“I had lived outside of India for the last 10 years and I had seen so much Indian food but nothing that resembled what we actually ate in India,” Ms Aylawadi told The Saturday Telegraph.
“I felt like I really needed someone to come up with the food modern India was eating and no one was doing it. It was all just naan or curry or really extreme fusion food. There was no middle ground.”
Flyover serves an assortment of fritters in paper cones alongside chai and other popular street food like pao burgers and khichri — but Ms Aylawadi said it’s not just the food that counts, where and how it is served also matters.
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“Context is really important with food. We couldn’t have possibly done this in a shopping centre. People would come and get the food and it would be the end of it. We’ve had so many amazing conversations in the alleyway,” she said.
“We really wanted to capture the essence of India where strangers meet over food. You can always share food with friends, but this allows you to share food to strangers.
“We see it all the time here, strangers will order their chai and talk about how they do their own chai at home. It’s the space that facilitates it. In a food court everyone is on the phone. No one talks to each other.”
It’s a trend that’s popping up in Indian eateries all over Sydney including the popular Chatkazz in Bella Vista and Harris Park.
The street food restaurant took things a step further by adding a “paan stand” — a refreshment stand you’ll normally find at the corner of every street in north India.
Owner Dharmesh Rangparia got the idea because in India, every meal is followed by a refreshment of paan — a beetle leaf with sweet mouth fresheners inside it.
“We had a paan shop in India and my dad ran it for 30 years. After dinner you always go for paan in India. The main thing was sourcing the beetle leaves in Sydney which we managed,” he said.
“Everyone loves having the paan stand next to the restaurant. We had been to London a few times and they have the same thing and we thought we would try it here as well.
“The stand serves paan and cold drinks. In India “cold drinks” doesn't just mean Coke, Sprite or Fanta. We have lots of other drinks like lemon ginger soda, lemon masala soda and they all are taken after meals for digestion,”