Pav & Pao

Xacuti Pao

Xacuti is among the most spice-dense things on the Konkan coast: a dozen whole spices and grated coconut dry-roasted dark, ground near-black, cooked over chicken and folded hot into a Goan pão.

Samosa Pav

The whole dish is one gesture: a hot samosa set into a split pav and pressed until the shell cracks. A deliberate clash of two breads, flaky fried shell inside a pillowy yeast roll.

Misal Pav

A bowl of misal with red oil at the rim, a dry drift of farsan on top, the pav set beside it. Heat with depth, late crunch, sharp acid, each kept apart until the hand brings them together.

Keema Pav

Mumbai’s plainest Irani-café mince: spiced lamb or goat scooped with buttered pav. Café Military says it added the dish in the 1950s to win back customers, not from any old Persian recipe.

Bun Maska

The cheapest line on an Irani-café menu and one of Mumbai's most loved: a soft bun split and spread with a real, visible layer of butter. Nothing to hide behind, so each part has to be right.

Bhurji Pav

Bhurji pav is the egg sandwich of the Mumbai pavement: scrambled eggs cooked deliberately dry so the soft pav stays intact, with the griddle scrambling the egg and toasting the roll at once.