Mumbai eatery's giant burger is a tribute to Dubai's Burj Khalifa

We leave work on Thursday evening and travel from Bandra to Kandivali with a definite sense of purpose. There's a new eatery that's opened up in the suburb, called Chitchat Chai. It's an all-vegetarian joint that has a menu filled with quirky items like French fries pizza and Maggie sizzler. There's even something called a tea fondue, where four cups of chai are accompanied with a choice of sides including papdi and khakra. But there is only one dish in particular that our train commute and subsequent auto ride is aimed at - the Burj Khalifa burger.

We arrive to find a cute little place with an outdoor seating area and eight tables inside, two of which lie vacant in the far corner. So, we park ourselves at one of them and call for the burger and a virgin mojito (which makes it the most sanskari order we have ever placed considering that the food is vegetarian and the mojito is without alcohol). Then, we wait as the speakers start playing Bollywood music that's as cheesy as some of the dishes being served at the other tables. In fact, at one point, they even play Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast, though we are sure that the irony is unintentional.

Burj Khalifa burger

By and by, the burger ('300) arrives. To start with, it makes for an intimidating sight for a lone diner. The dish is 16 inches tall and slathered in cheese sauce. Four layers of fillings are held together by two satay sticks and the entire burger rests on a bed of French fries, with a small samosa crowning it off. But the biggest question playing on our mind is, how in the world is one supposed to eat something so monstrously tall? And that bemusement is clearly written on our face, because the restaurant manager comes up to us with a knowing smile asking if he can help.

The interiors of Chitchat Chai

He tells us to start from the top down. So, we pick out the samosa first and bite into it, before moving on to two aloo tikkis just below. But as we do so, the upright burger loses its centre of gravity and slumps to one side, in the manner of a pine tree that has just had its base sawed off. Now, it would be prudent to let it just lie there like that, since it would make tackling the dish much easier. But that, we feel, will take half the fun away, and so we pick the burger back up and ask for another satay stick to hold it firm.

The subsequent layers consist of three veggie patties, cheese balls, more French fries, jalapeños, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese slices, with a drizzle of barbecue sauce. Put together, the flavours mingle comfortably together like people at a party who all know and get along well with each other. But by the time we are halfway through it, we feel as if we are about to burst. This is fair enough, because we had earlier noticed a family of four taking their own sweet time over a single Burj Khalifa burger. So, considering that Kandivali is not Riverdale and we are not Jughead Jones, we ask for the rest to be packed, leaving Chitchat Chai with a sense of satisfaction about having had more than our money's worth.

Timings: 11 am to 11 pm
At: Jay Vishambhari Society, MG Road, Kandivali West
Call: 7506961596

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