Gujju’s Chaat House

Gujarati food is one of the true pleasures of Indian cuisine. Once you get past the standard fare of ‘butter chicken’, ‘chicken tikka’ and ‘rogan josh’ which gets served without fail in Indian restaurants abroad, it’s time to explore regional cuisine, like Bengali, which I reviewed here two years ago. Gujju’s Cafe and Chaat House in Melbourne is the perfect introduction to Gujarati cuisine.

Spicy Papdi Chaat

Chaat is a catch-all phrase for any number of dishes thrown together from salty, snack-like ingredients. And while Mumbai and Delhi are iconic cities for street food chaat, it’s their Gujarati-style chaat that leaves the punters raving. Gujarati food is usually vegetarian, spicy, and includes elements of sweet mixed in with usually savoury dishes – a challenge for some tastebuds accustomed to having the sweet and savoury served separately.

Dahi Papdi Chaat

Chaat at Gujju’s comes in 43 different varieties, but on a recent visit we chose our favourites to sample the menu. Papdi chaat; small pappad (also called pappadum) slathered with chopped vegetables, crushed dry noodles, semi-sweet yogurt, mint, tamarind and coriander chutneys. A spicier version comes without the yogurt.

Dhabeli

Dhabelli is a kind of hamburger with sauces and mashed vegetables in side, and served along with a fiery chilli sauce.

Dahi Bhalley

Dahi Bhalley is a large spongey fried lentil ball covered in semi-sweet, semi-savoury yogurt and topped with chopped vegetables. It’s a common snack across India, and a popular breaking-of-fast dish during Ramadan in Pakistan.

Sev Puri

Sev Puri features fried lentil flour shells stuffed vegetables and topped with crushed dry noodles and chutneys. Although we didn’t order it, another standout chaat dish is pani puri, known in Pakistan as golgappe, and sees the same lentil flour shells filled with tamarind- and mint-infused water to create mouthful bursting with flavour. (Eat them quickly before they start leaking!)

Bhel Puri and Mango Lassi

And bhel puri, a bowlful of popped rice (like Rice Bubbles), crushed dry noodles, chopped tomato, onion and coriander, then tossed through with tamarind, mint, coriander and chilli sauces is not much to look at, but is brimming with spicy tastiness!

Gujarati Thali at Gujju’s

It is possible to make a whole meal out of chaat, but if you’re looking for something more substantial, look no further than the Gujarati thali. This large silver platter is placed before you then filled with the specials of the day – usually a bit of chaat, small bowls of sweet and sour lentil soups (kadi and dhal), two or three vegetarian curries, spicy pickle, Gujarati salad and a few rotis or theplas (Gujarati buttery bread) to mop it all up with. The attentive waiters stop by with pots of each dish to keep you topped up until you can eat no more – it’s an Indian version of Yum Cha! Thali is accompanied by the dessert of the day (like sweet semolina pudding) and a stainless steel glass of chhaach – salty lassi. It’s all you can eat for $17, and it’s simply divine.

Gujju’s Cafe and Chaat House

It’s no frills at Gujju’s, and occasionally the Bollywood song on the TV drowns out the noise of the next table’s rather noisy conversation. But if you’re tired of the same old Indian food every time you eat out, and are looking to expand your horizons; if you’re vegetarian and looking for a new place to be a favourite; or if you’re a homesick Gujarati in Melbourne, then look no further than Gujju’s Cafe and Chaat House in Malvern East – you won’t be disappointed!

Details

Food: 9/10

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Cost: Each chaat plate is $8 – $11, and the thali is $17 per head.

1/141 Waverley Rd, Malvern East, another location at 1/13 Watton St, Werribee

(03) 9571 1188

www.gujjus.com.au

Dinner: Monday – Sunday 5:30pm – 10:30pm

Lunch: Saturday and Sunday 12:30pm – 3:30pm