Before sunrise

The wrinkles on chacha's face are like writings on the sands of time. He is working his spindly limbs vigorously, kneading and patting the dough while an adolescent peers over a cauldron of bubbling oil waiting with a ladle longer than his arm. He, and many others like him, burning the midnight oil, toiling away under dim incandescent bulbs on streets across the country, are simply here to feed. Eid is their grand daawat, and everyone is invited.

This Ramazan, we decided to take the limelight off iftaar and shed it on sehri (the first and equally important meal of the day). We stopped our feet from dragging us to Mohammed Ali Road - possibly Mumbai's most popular food hub during this time of the year - and took a turn at the Nagpada Junction into the bustling lanes of Madanpura, ending our night-crawl in Kurla, another culinary cosmos, in our quest to explore the lesser-known.

We came away with notes from an ages-old falooda cart, a bakery that's giving their sweet treats a youthful twist, cut-price kebabs from a roof-less haunt and gravies that are sure to stir your soul. Take your pick from our best finds.

From The Tawa

Kebab corner

A couple of aluminium tins and a few utensils is all that makes up this shop. Run by two men, perched up on low-lying stools, this nameless stall doles out crispy and spicy kebabs at an unbelievable Rs 2. Made with minced meat, flour, chopped coriander and onion and tempered and ground masalas, these kebabs are a great snack, enjoyed predominantly with pavs and mint chutney.

Pics/Bipin Kokate

At: In front on AB Shaikh Ahmed Bakery, Shop 158 B, Maulana Azad Road, Near Badi Masjid, Madanpura.

Sehri sandwich

Made with a stuffing of mashed potato, buff kheema and spices, all ensconced within warm buns, the naan chap (Rs 20) is like a desi sandwich and a great quick fix both for sehri as well as a regular hungry foodie. This snack is available at Ajmeri Kebab Pav Corner, a pushcart adjacent to Sakhi Cold Drink, along with other bites like chicken roll and seekh kebab.

At: Ajmeri Kebab Pav Corner, opposite Tucker English Medium School, Madanpura
Time: 5 pm to 2 am

Meat on a plate

Sahara Hotel (not the five-star) is packed with customers even at 3 am. During Ramazan, the restaurant serves specials like bheja fry (Rs 210), gurda tawa (Rs 210), chaap tawa (Rs 255), kaleji tawa (Rs 210) and mutton tawa (Rs 250). "People prefer these items for sehri. Since they won't be eating again for another 12 hours, they like to eat something special," co-owner Mohammed Patel, himself rushing home for sehri, tells us. "We get close to 2,000 customers between 1 am and 3 am during the month," he adds.