When it comes to eating out and eating something that's close to my heart, I often look for cheap miya joints that can serve me good old dishes like Kheema pao at Goodluck or Nalli Nihari at Noor Mohammedi, Dilli Pulao in Bohari Mohalla or Kebabs at Nawab's. Apart from Goodluck, the rest of these belly satiating plates of food are not located in the shimmery streets of Bandra or on the high streets of Lower Parel. Nawab's is one place that is located in the most notorious area of eastern suburbs - Kurla. It's scenery is made up of car & bike scraps & spares shop, industrial steel shops and everything that does not fit in the pretty parts of Mumbai. It's dominated by lower middle class Sunni Muslims which in turn translates to restaurants with fast-moving mughlai cuisine that's available at every nook and corner. Vada pav is hard to find for kilometres to the east and the west of the main LBS Marg which extends right up-to Mulund. This Kurla section of the LBS Marg is the most underrated when it comes to Mumbai food culture. Take walk through this street and you will be surprised to see just shades of steel grey or rusted brown all around and it is the food that adds colors to this otherwise junkyard landscape. Just like the JJ area or Bhendi Bazaar, Kurla eateries too cater to the lower middle class who look at value for money meals (particularly Chicken & Beef, since Mutton is a novelty nowadays). Similarly, this is the street that I look up to when I want to go back to my un-gourmet days. Starting from 'Hotel Naaz' at the Vidyavihar end and extending up-to "Lucknowee Zaika" at the Kurla Station end, This section has almost 8-10 eateries which run packed on any given day of the week.

Naaz has been a favorite of the close-by vicinity people since many years and has now grown into a two outlet brand with a bigger and better one now opened in Sakinaka. The portions here are generous, decently flavoured and provide a reasonable quick-fix meal. Coming down that road and running into the heart of Kurla West is where the hustle and bustle begins. The chaos of people crossing streets like a casual walk in the park, lunatic wheelie popping bikers cutting lanes and haath-gadi loaded scrap dealers is what dominates this area. Then comes the belt where I find the three best eateries that Kurla has to offer.

1. Nawaab Kebab

This rustic, unfinished piece of a structure is my personal favourite for the cheapest meal around. A Paratha and Two Kebabs for around 70 bucks is a stellar dinner for the mason class. Sit on the worn out benches, no menu, no formalities, no fuss. Straight away someone will come drop a plate with two kebabs and a paratha, green chutney and a bunch of mint twigs. The place itself is not the cleanest and classiest, but then i never came for that. I came to dine like a pauper. Just like a thali service, the server keep taking rounds asking the customer if they want more kebabs or parathas. The kebabs are made from 'Bade ka gosht' - which used to translates to Beef and now Water Buffalo Meat. The Parathas are half tava and half deep fried affair, coming out crisp and bubbly in texture from outside and yet soft like a roti from inside.

They also have a takeaway counter right at the main street which is forever busy with orders. If you don't judge a book by it's cover, then this is your place for a dirt cheap dinner.