ottawa foodies

As you can see from the photo, my second Papri Chaat experience was quite different from my first. Unlike the first time, this one had potato, onion, and cilantro on it and the portion seemed larger but with less salty yogurt. Unfortunately, the balance of seasonings was thrown off and the magic didn't happen for me.

Also, I was there with a friend for whom this is one of her all-time favourite foods. She ordered first and the guy taking our orders kind of rolled his eyes and said, "It will take about ten minutes." Then when I asked for the same thing he almost threw his hands into the air. It took less than ten minutes to make both of them but the employees really seem to hate doing it. So get this while it's still on the menu. 🤣

Another street food option, Papri Chaat ($7-something) totally blew my mind with its deliciousness! It's pretty exciting to me to know that there are still many pleasurable foods I haven't tasted.

This dish embodies simple complexity. They break up some fried pastry crackers on a plate, top it with a handful of chick peas, and then drizzle with a number of sauces, more fried pastry, and a final sprinkling of seasoned salt. The result is a craveworthy culinary cacophony of crispy, crunchy, creamy, salty, spicy, sour, and sweet!

I had this dish for lunch and was dreaming of it already later the same day.

From the "Street Food" section of the menu, Samosa Chana Chaat ($8.95) is a hearty platter featuring two large potato samosas that are squashed to break them open. A ladleful of chick peas (chana) is placed on top, then the whole thing is garnished with 4 drizzles: green mint sauce, white yoghurt sauce, red (tamarind?) sauce, and a squirt of chili sauce.

Given the choice of mild, medium, or spicy, I went with spicy. While the spicy heat wasn't super high, there was a sourness that built up over time and emphasized the spice. Awesome dish for those who like 110% flavour!