Dadar’s 50-year-old culinary landmark, Prakash Shakahari Upahar Kendra, famous for its affordable Maharashtrian cuisine, has a wholesome addition to its menu — a Marathi thali (Rs 160). This writer reached the restaurant during lunch hours recently, to find the venue abuzz with customers across demographics. We waited for nearly 10 minutes before we secured a seat.
ADVERTISEMENT The menu card has only one kind of thali with limited portions. “We began serving this soon after the COVID-19 lockdown,” a server informed us. It has been a bestseller among regular customers since then, he added.
The thali was served to us within five minutes of placing the order. It included three chapatis, two bowls of sabji (aloo gobi and aluche fatfate bhaji), amti dal and rice and dessert. The portions were small, enough to serve one patron.
While we enjoyed the spice in aloo gobi, the aluche fatfate was a tad too sweet for our liking. The chapatis were paper-thin; one can also call for puris instead. For dessert, we were given an option to choose between kheer and pineapple sheera.
We opted for the latter, which was a delicious mix of sweet and sour. Next, we ordered half a glass of (Rs 45) piyush. The smooth and creamy consistency of the drink made for the ideal fuel before we set out for our work day.
Overall, patrons will find the thali healthy and reasonably priced. The charm lies in its rustic simplicity that reminds us of ‘ghar ka khaana’. Prakash Shakahari Upahar Kendra AT G.