When I was in college, my classmates often told me about the “cheapest food in Egmore” near Alsa Mall. Biting into a sandwich from this stall was a rite of passage for them. “What’s college life if you haven’t eat the Alsa Mall sandwich?” I remember one of my friends telling me.
One year later, I find myself tasting the famed chicken cheese sandwich as I chat with Bhaksar, the cook at Balaji Sandwich Shop. “It is summer now, very few people come during this season. We are free most of the time,” he says as he cuts through a slice of bread. Amongst the brigade of identical blue stalls lining the entrance of Alsa Mall, Balaji Sandwich Shop stands distinct.
“It was the first sandwich shop in this line,” says the owner of the stall, Veera Mani. As far as Veera Mani’s memory goes, his uncle started the shop 25 years ago. After trying his hand at other businesses, Veera Mani was summoned by his uncle to serve at the shop in the evenings. Soon his rapport with customers began to grow and eventually he took over the shop.
Over the years, the shop has been a reliable option for students from colleges nearby, visitors to the Government Museum, Egmore, shoppers from Alsa Mall and Fountain Plaza, and staff from Government offices. “Montieth Road and sandwiches are synonymous,” says Veera Mani.
The space is divided into two. While one section is for non-vegetarian sandwiches, the other doles out vegetarian sandwiches. The fillings range from boiled eggs, minced chicken, paneer — almost always paired with coriander-mint chutney and cheese or mayonnaise.
Bhaskar has been the sole cook for the last five years. He makes 20 varieties of vegetarian sandwiches, and around 15 non-vegetarian varieties. “Ever since I took over the shop, I began to experiment with fillings,” says Veera Mani.
The prices of the sandwiches range from ₹25 to ₹70. Footfall is not accounted for, but the bread spending is. “We count our finances according to the packets of bread used. On the best of days, we use up to 50 packets of bread,” estimates Bhashkar.
While devouring my second sandwich for the afternoon, I vaguely remember seeing a stall of this very shop during the cultural fest in my college. “We used to have stalls at colleges like SRM and Ethiraj until recently. We stopped when the stalls were being given on a rental basis instead of claiming a margin of the profit,” shares Veera Mani.
Veera Mani has just returned from delivering 50 sandwiches at a private party. “I’m mostly gone on such jobs every day,” he says leading to how he does not wish to collaborate with online delivery options.
Bhaskar while packing my last sandwich of the day smiles as he says, “I don’t know my own phone number, how do I expect to operate these apps?”
This fortnightly column explores the different street foods of Chennai
