Around Mumbai with APB - Golas Galore!

Summer is here and our gola cravings are increasing with the temperature. For weeks, everywhere we've been going we have been looking for golas. We were very entertained to hear about carts peddling "Mumbai ka lajawaab, Jaana Maana Gola all over Dehra Dun" from Rushina after her return as she rushed off to get a Gola fix as soon as she landed! WHo can blame her, this summer delight that brings out the child in us all. The rainbow of syrup bottles lined in a row call to us, and we leave our etiquette at home to slurping enthusiastically at out gola as loudly as we can, sneaking peaks at our tongues to see if it they have changed colour. 

With Mumbai being Hot and Humid through the year, golas can be enjoyed round the year except for the couple of months of the monsoon season. But that shouldn’t stop you from getting to your gola. Many restaurants serve hygeinically prepared Golas or get yourself an ice crusher at home and get Golaing with Rushinas Resipes for squashes and syrups!

According to us at A Perfect Bite the foundation of a good gola (by which we mean safe and delicious) is the water used for the ice and syrups. Many Golawallas use Bisleris or Mineral water for their ice these days. Also look out for harmful food colouring in the syrups, these are easily identified by the color of the syrup. In the case of street stalls look for Golas sellers that are BMC. And if you are not sure or can’t find one, restaurants and food courts are the safest choice.

The gola has come a long way from the humble ice lolly with simple local flavours like lemon, orange, kalakhatta and kacchi keri (raw mango) to the more recent creations like pineapple, lychee, butterscotch, and the richer varieties like cream gola, condensed milk gola and chocolate gola. For the more adventurous there is always the option of making adult golas at home (too bad they’re not available anywhere else) with alcohol like rum, vodka, whisky, gin depending on the syrup it goes well with. This will make both the child and the grown up in you more than happy.

GYAAN and Links

----------------------------

Read Rushina's Bombay Spice column on Icy Pleasures a Mumbai treat on Poetry of food. And Rushinas Resipes for squashes and syrups!

This is an edited version of Around Town with Arina on Golas from last year. We are reviving our Around Town posts,  as Around Town with APB. In these we follow a specific ingredient, dish or cuisine around Mumbai and sometimes even India ever so often.

Today follow our trail “around town” for some of the best golas in the city from V.T. to Andheri.Since everyone has their own favourites we won’t suggest flavours, but remember the key to enjoying golas is to experiment and try a new flavour and colours for your tongue every time.

Get your Gola Fix at  - Chowpatty Beach or Juhu Chowpatty,
Or streetstalls such as

The one at Bora Bazaar, behind V.T. Station, opposite Hari Om bhelwala, The one
outside Hindu Gymkhana, Marine Drive, Try Park Malai Gola, Near Patkar Nursing Home, Shivaji Park, or the Jai Jawan Stall, opp. National College, Linking Road, Bandra

For restaurants that serve clean hygienic golas head to Soam, Babulnath, Gogola, Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel, Maxx Gola, PVR food court, Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel, Gogola, near Gazebo Mall, Linking road Bandra, Gogola, Lokhandwala, Andheri west.