Vrindavan: Food and More

Like I promised in my previous post about Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Temple, Vrindavan I am now sharing my experience about the local food and shopping.

Talking about the food first, besides the more popular Brijwasi sweets, which is like the Haldirams of Mathura, U.P. and Shree Rathnam which was earlier known as Sagar Ratna(famous south Indian food chain) in some places, the local food market offers a vast variety.

One can literally find Dhokla (snack originated from the Indian state of Gujarat) in every nook and corner and I mean it. From big shops to individual vendors selling it on their carts, the Gujarati snack is readily available. 

There are small lanes that lead to Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Temple and they are full of eateries selling, pav bhaji (Maharashtrian fast food dish), dhokla, chaat (savoury snacks), tikki (fried potato cutlets) and sweet lassi (yoghurt-based drink). The combination of tikki covered in sweet and sour tamarind chutney (sauce), spicy mint chutney, topped with chole (chickpeas) and lassi tops it all. 

now don't you just feel like having one of these plates?

 

 chaat and pav bhaji

 

tikkis getting fried

Since all these shops are always running on a full swing, the food you will get to eat will always be fresh. The dhokla at these shops is generally warm because it keeps selling and keeps coming in so there is absolutely no time to cool it. Though I prefer my dhokla a little cold I must confess I absolutely loved the lukewarm dhokla at this eating joint named Radhe Shyam Agrawal Pede Wale. 

menu part-1

menu part-2

This little boy handling money and food tokens behind the counter of the shop intrigued me. I asked him if he goes to school and he answered with a “YES”. I was glad. 

 kid behind the cash counter

I chose to have lassi from this small corner shop which had a board that read Brij ki Special Kesar Gulab Lassi. I am sure I made the man at the shop conscious by clicking him more than once :p. But let me tell you Sir, you make amazing lassi. I swear the lassi was so smooth in texture and so light with just the perfect level of sweetness. The pure fresh cream on top of lassi beat the phrase “the cherry on the cake”. I was so full after all the binging on the chaat that I asked my sister to get just one glass which the two of us could share. However, the moment we formed a white moustache with our first sip we knew we would need another glass and so we did get one *BIG SMILE*.

 

the man who made the lassi

my glass of lassi

There are too many sweet shops and these sweets in particular caught my eye.

Malpuas (Indian Dessert) + Rabri (Indian Dessert) = HEAVENLY COMBINATION

 

the mouthwatering malpuas

the tempting rabri...hungry?

Now coming to the local shopping scene, the small lanes of Vrindavan are occupied with shops selling the garlands, idols of Lord Krishna, his outfits, accessories and even bedding. 

check out the colourful garlands

idols of lord krishna and colourful headgears for him

 

fancy bedding for Lord Krishna

I myself bought two dresses for the little Laddu Gopal (name given to Lord Krishna during his childhood days) sitting in the cute little temple at my place.

outfits for my laddu gopal with matching headgears,neckpieces and bracelets

Then there are shops selling kurtas and t-shirts with prints of Lord Krishna on them and with quotes like “I lost my heart in Vrindavan”. The price of these t-shirts is the same across all shops and is fixed at Rs. 150. So there is no scope to bargain (and if you have ever bargained at one of these shops and got the t-shirt for a cheaper price, do let me know. I will probably work on my bargaining skills then).

my new t-shirt (front)

(back)

Quite a lot of space on the roads of these narrow lanes is taken by small vendors selling flutes, peacock feathers and fans made of these feathers. 

The local market in these lanes keeps buzzing. There is always a lot of hustle bustle, a whiff of pure desi ghee (clarified butter) in the air and cows poking you gently and saying hello (Watch and Walk).

P.S.: The credit for this post goes to my mom who pushed me to blog about this experience while I was busy binging on the chaat and lassi.  Thank You Mother, for lending me your phone to take pictures and being my constant source of inspiration *kisses*.