Relax with some 'chaat'

Sweet n spicy

Every locality has few places where people come in for a quick bite. SLN Chaats, tucked away on 8th cross, Wilson Garden is one such place.

Started by K R Krishnamurthy, this 10-year-old chaat shop has moved on from a small cart to a full-fledged shop selling a variety of namkeens and chaats to the people in the area.

There is not much space to sit. A few plastic stools are kept for those who like enjoying their bhel in a relaxed manner.

But in spite of the lack of a fancy place, SLN has managed to create a space in the hearts of chaat lovers of the area.  Krishnamurthy, who sits in the shop everyday, is as popular with the customers as is his chaat.

The place serves a variety of flavours like bhel puri, sev puri, nippat masala, kodbale masala, groundnut masala, pineapple masala among many others.
Everything in the shop has a fixed rate of Rs 12 except for the special sev puri, which costs Rs 18.

And what is so special in this? It has an addition of mango pieces and dal. The most popular item remains masala puri and pani puri which are sold in a separate areas.
“I come here almost every other day and especially like the bhel puri served in this place,” says Deepal S Balam, a regular customer.

The USP of the place is the freshness of the items served in the shop and the good quality fruits and vegetables, which are used to make the chaat.

A ‘plate’ of bhel puri will be served to you in a rolled banana leaf and is a little sweet and spicy with pieces of tomato, onion and carrot making it crunchy.  The pineapple bhel is another must try. It has small pineapple pieces and vegetables in it to add zing to the regular bhel.

The masala puri is also quite popular on the menu. Served with a large splash of masala over green peas and crushed sev, it is a welcome change in the cold weather.
The place also serves lip-smacking samosa chaat. Hot and spicy, this is a treat for the tastebuds.

In addition to the regular chaats, the place also sells a few namkeens like Avalakii Masala, spiced peanuts, chikki and chakli for people to take home. The place opens only at 5 pm as most people finish work around that time.

Weekends are especially busy and it is hard to find a space inside the shop and most people are seen eating outside on the platform.

The chaat store does not have a board outside but it is purely the taste of the food served inside that brings
people here.