Mooli's Kathi Rolls, Calcutta Still Rules Supreme

I am so not a follower of fashion, otherwise like every other blogger in London and beyond I would have made it to Mooli’s a long time ago.

Not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing that I am not a follower of trends. It does allow me to see how a place performs over an extended period of time, and then I can decide whether I should eat there or not. As we all know that any place in the beginning has teething problems and they take time to iron out, but on the other hand if a place is charging you money and it is not perfect then they sholdn’t be charging you anything. Alas they always do.

Anyhows, as I was recently in Calcutta, who are the kings of the kathi roll, to which mooli sell a form of, except in Calcutta they use fried paratha instead of roti or chapattis. I am kinda missing the food, or the spice of it, but unfortunately Indian food in England is not that good. But I did become slightly addicted to kathi rolls on my few days in Calcutta. I must have tried at least half a dozen street stalls in my quest to find the perfect one. To which I did. It was slightly greasy, but the filling was amazing. So spicy and tangy. 

With this in mind we were looking for something light to chow on. It could have been Yslla Yalla and its Lebanese filled wraps or maybe give Mooli’s a try. Why not indeed.

The shop is small and cosy in a trendy sort of way. One of the owners was playing speed chess on the street with passers by. If they won, they won a mooli roll. The guy who was playing when we were there was eating a baguette from a chain coffee store.

Mooli’s has 5 fillings in their rolls. The fillings compared to India are different. Well it is not so much that they are different, they are suited to the local clientele that is all. In India they normally have either a chicken or veg filling. Both kinds are spicy, as the local population like them that way. Mooli’s filling whilst very yummy, but were not that spicy, even though we were warned they were. Maybe it is eating raw chilli’s with my meals over the last 10 weeks that has numbed my taste buds. Could be.

We opted for the Punjabi goat with cumin potatoes and salsa, and the Goan pork with pomegranate salsa which came with a ton of lettuce filling. Both were very nice to eat, although the goat was a little bit more tastier than the pork. Maybe that is due to me only really eating mutton in India. (Mutton in India is goat, not old sheep)

The pork mooli had too much salad filling and not enough pork inside, but other than that they were ok for a lazy Soho light lunchtime snack.

I’m not sure if I would return there any time soon to munch on some more, but if I am in the area and hungry and have a fiver to spare. You never know.

Look, I got through that whole blog without bitching about the incredible mark up on a simple rolled chapatti. Phew.