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“It’s a total street food concept,” Bikram said on a phone interview. “It’s from all corners of India, but predominantly Bombay (former name for Mumbai), where most Indian food trends are born.”

Bikram once cooked at the opulent Taj Mahal Palace hotel (which came under siege by terrorists in 2008 — he was in Vancouver by then), and Jogi worked for what was considered the best restaurant in Mumbai 20 years ago.

Apna Chaat opened seven years ago, its wild success eclipsing their other restaurants.

“It’s a constant rush,” he says. “Five hundred to 600 people come through every day.”

Photo by Mia Stainsby / PNG

Many head to the golgappa takeout counter on one side of the restaurant, where they can stand and pop golpoppas as if they were in India, or take them home. Local Indo-Canadians are mad for golpoppas, but since the dish is a rarity in these parts, it requires some explaining.

They’re crisp hollow fried wheat poppers, kind of like Ping-Pong balls. You crack open the top, spoon in a chickpea and potato mix, and then some tamarind or chili water and then gulp in one fell swoop. They sell 3,000 to 4,000 a day.

“It’s very time consuming to make,” says Singh. “Some don’t puff. You’ll find them all over the place in Bombay.”

Apna Chaat is super casual. The chefs’ father is on duty taking orders and comes around to chat if there’s a break in the order line. A first-timer might panic, making sense of the unfamiliar menu. No curries here! Order some golgappa (also called pani puri) which come six or 24 to an order. You wonder how a such a labour intensive snack originated.