Pack-a-Pav is a popular eatery in Mumbai with six outlets. Siblings Kapil and Varun Punjabi opened its franchise at Lane No 6, Koregaon Park, Pune, early this year. The joint specialises in homemade mutton, chicken and vegetable stuffing packed in pav.
Says Varun, “Pack-a-Pav was started by our second cousin Rohan Mangalorkar. It was his brainchild and it picked up really well in Mumbai. For the past two years, we were more of a pop-up joint and had put up our stall at various festivals and events. In March, we opened this eatery.”
Varun says that Rohan, while travelling around the world, had realised the need of a local bread place that people could swear by. “In Maharashtra, our local favourite bread has been pav so the idea was to serve multiple recipes within a pav but not the traditional ones. So, you won’t find a Kheema Pav. In fact, they all have funky stuffing, more of a mix and match,” shares Varun, adding, “Most of the stuffings have a base of Indian spices but we do not restrict ourselves to that.”
The menu includes Paneer and Cheese Pav, Mushroom Shammi Pav, Mutton Shammi Pav, Tandoori Sriracha Chicken Pav, Bhuna Paneer, Herb Chicken Seekh and others. We tried the Tandoori Sriracha Chicken Pav. Filled with chicken, fried onions, hung curd dip and served with fries, it was yummy and filling. We loved every bite of the pav.
Varun says that the stuffings are all made with homemade recipes. “Whatever goes in our pav is made in our kitchen. We do not use mayonnaise or packed sauces. The recipes have come from Rohan’s family,” he shares.
The menu is divided between pav and platter. Adding further about the platter, he says, “While the pav was picking up really well in Mumbai, there was a section of customers who did not eat bread. So, we converted our pavs into platters. The kebabs are not frozen, no mayo used and they are marinated and cooked fresh, so they have high nutritional value. It’s a tasty and healthy meal.”
The menu has 11 standard recipes but Varun says that every two months they have a special menu and 10 dishes are added. “Depending on the season or festival, we add new recipes. We had a Ramzan and monsoon special. Next, we will have Diwali and Christmas specials. We also plan to do a Parsi food festival,” he informs.
The ambience has a food truck feel to it and of course, the cosy vibe makes it all so appealing . It looks like the kitchen has been made of a container with two windows popping out. Varun says that the look of all the outlets is the same. “The idea was to put up a food truck but there are some legal issues so we did not go ahead with that,” he adds.
