I finally made it out to the Bombay Club @ The Burlington Mall, for chaat, last weekend. We went at about noon last Saturday, while on another errand on Rt. 128. The parking lot there is huge, not at all like Harvard Square, I still had to cruise around awhile to find a spot. The Bombay Club is in the food court inside the mall on the second level. They serve chaat from 6PM Friday to 6PM Sunday, according to a sign. There were four choices: Chaat $3.75 , Bhel Poori $3.25 , Panni Poori $3.25 and Samosa Chaat $3.75. We liked the Chaat the best, followed by the Samosa Chaat (which was served hot). I enjoyed the Panni Poori, mostly due to eating it in the incongruous location of the Burlington Mall food court, rather than on the streets of Calcutta. Unfortunately the Poori's were not fresh, in fact I saw them taken out of a plastic bag, the pepper water was nice and tangy though. The Bhel Poori was a little soggy and therefore not so wonderful. All in all I think I make it better at home. We might go back sometime, if were are in the neighborhood at the right time. A trip to the mall is quite an endeavor for us, we tend to stay in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville, other people may find this location better and be more inclined to frequent the place. They also had a sign saying they served: Dosa, Massala Dosa, and Rava Dosa on Saturday and Sunday,I did not notice pricing. I saw one being served and it looked a little on the thick and dense side to me. As I have said here before; Udipi Bhavan (Ashland) is the place to go for good dosa. Mark K. Mondol [email removed] NB Chaat: A mixture of yogurt, potato , poori, tamarind sauce , onions and spices. Bhel Poori: A mixture of poori, bhel (like crispy rice), onion, spices, lemon juice (?) Panni Poori: Small pooris, the size of golf balls, which you fill with the supplied pepper water through a small hole you punch in the poori, then pop the whole thing in your mouth, trying not to spill or look foolish. Interesting, refreshing, and possibly poisonous when done on a humid 40 C day in Calcutta. Samosa Chaat: In this case a couple of samosa coverd in a chick pea curry mixture with yogurt and tamarind sauce. The above are my loose definitions, the variety in chaat can be tremendous. Your mileage may vary.
Boston, MA