Right in the middle of a shopping arcade in Rajendra Place stands a dummy train structure in bright red and golden. Not a person passes by without giving the unique structure a close second look. Inside, the 250 feet long train — Imly — takes diners on a mouth-watering culinary ride across the street food hotspots of India offering options ranging from Maharashtra’s Missal Pav to Uttar Pradesh’s Tokri Chaat.
Explaining the idea behind the project, owner Varun Puri tells Metrolife that it was the nostalgia for street food that led to the conceptualisation of Imly. “Also the fact that there are fond memories of us growing up eating regional delicacies from famous hotspots of country. I felt a strong need to put all these favourite street foods from across the country under one roof,” he says.
We started our street food experience with a Mango Shikanji, a fresh power packed juice made of cucumber, celery and broccoli, and with Chinese Bhel.
Served in a banta bottle, the shikanji was extremely refreshing while the bhel, which was a Chinese take on the regular bhelpuri, had fried chowmein (instead of bhel) tossed in schezwan sauce. A delightful start!
Next up was Idli – The Imly Way, which tasted much like the crispy honey chilli potato, but was served with a creative twist. While it had bell peppers and onions, the main ingredient was a deep-fried idli, which tasted nothing like the south Indian steam rice cake.
We were still relishing the idli dish, when Kalmi Vada and Kanji Vada from the Rajasthan and Gujrat Terminal section of the menu were served. Kalmi Vada, with a green chutney as an accompaniment, had the right amount of crispiness and flavours. The flavours of the Kanji Vada, which was brought to our table in terracotta cups, were distinct, yet mild.
Imly, which was ideated to take the tradition of street food forward, but in a healthy way, is not only about finger-licking food at pocket friendly prices. The interiors of Imly, which derive its inspiration from a train, have been given equal thought. The vegetarian outlet has replica overhead luggage storing space and fitted television screens which play footage of scenery visible from inside a moving train, giving diners the experience of actually sitting inside one. That’s not all — the place has 28 chefs on board.
“We have experts been flown from native cities; like the dosa expert is from Madras, the Rajasthani Maharaj has come from Ratangarh, and the vada pav vendor opposite Kirti college (Mumbai) gave us trained vada pav maker and so on,” shares Puri.
Tempted to try out more, we opted for Mushroom aur Malai ki Tikki from under the Awadhi ka Junction section and Bombay Sev Puri from the Bombay and Pune Junction. The crunchy tikkis just melted in our mouths leaving a lingering taste of the rich filling made using finely-chopped mushrooms and cheese. The sev puris which were served in a ferris wheel replica instantly transported us to Maharashtra’s capital.
But how could we give Delhi’s favourite street food — the golgapa — a miss. Listed under the Delhi Terminal segment, it was served in a miniature cannon with tiny shot glasses filled with the stuffing. Interestingly plated, the golgappas were the perfect way to culminate the street food ride.
With so much more to try, we decided to come back to Imly – which is a must-visit for all those who would like to enjoy the local street food at extremely reasonable price of Rs 300 for a meal for two.