The Omelette Odyssey

A long weekend can really take a toll especially when most of your friends are away biking (refer Thumping Wheels Thrilling Life, http://manishparmarnlu.blogspot.com). As I was alone on last Saturday, I decided to visit one of the most famous eateries of Jodhpur. It wasn’t Kalinga or the restaurants of Park Plaza but the world famous Omelette Shop of Jodhpur.
I have been in Jodhpur for the past two years and have visited most of the places to eat in the city. There was this one place that I had always heard of but never visited it. The Omelette Shop of Jodhpur has become famous mainly due to the travel magazine Lonely Planet. Tourists who come to Jodhpur make it a point to visit this place. If Looks can be deceptive then Omelette Shop is one prime example. It is a small stall located behind the clock tower in the old part of the city. Having taken an auto to nai sarak I decided to walk up to the omelette shop. I was welcomed by the owner Ghanshyam Gawlani. He asked me to take a seat and told me “The cheese masala cheese omelette is the best dish here, the foreigners and the locals like it alike.” I immediately took his suggestion and ordered one. As the omelette was being cooked I was talking to him and asking him about their stall. He said “People from all over the world come to eat our omelettes. It is a kind of a brand that we have created.” He then pointed to various newspaper cuttings which he has framed and kept in his shop. I picked up the most recent article which was published in a Delhi newspaper. The author had described the masala cheese omelette in such a way that I couldn’t wait for my order any longer. As soon as I was done with the article, the omelette was ready. On my plate were two small sandwiches of the omelette. I thought “this is it” and I took the first bite. The bread just turned sweet and was swallowed immediately. What was left was the omelette with its cheesy filling. The omelette was so well cooked that it just spreads on your tongue with the cheese and the thousand island sauce (the filling) The omelette is so soft that it almost feels as if it is a part of the cheese, but at the same time you do get a fantastic taste of the white and yolk. I swallowed the first bite and said to myself “Ohh dear, what have you been missing!!!” It took me quite a while to finish the omelette as I decided to relish it as much as I can. Just the thought makes my mouth water as I can nearly feel the cheese and the omelette melting in my mouth. As I finished and paid the bill I was joined by tourists from Australia, Japan and the USA. I could now see what Mr.Ghanshyam meant when he said that “they had created a brand.” The tourists told me that they hear about this place when they come to Jodhpur and almost immediately make it a part of their itinerary. Some of them were amazed how a small place like this can serve you some fantastic food. Mr Ghanshyam then told me that this venture was started by his father Mr.Ramkishan. He said “He is away now, gone for some shopping.” I immediately told him that I was ready to wait to meet him. When he came I told how I felt when I tasted his famous masala cheese omelette and congratulated him on the success of his shop. He was happy and added that even you tube has videos of his shop. I thanked him again and left promising that I would return again and again.
If you are in Jodhpur then this is a must visit place. The rates are very reasonable and he also offers a wide variety of omelettes. I couldn’t taste the other omelettes on offer but I hope to enjoy them one by one in my remaining three years in Jodhpur. Even as I write I can literally feel the taste of the masala cheese omelette…..the cheese and thousand island sauce with the egg melting and melting and melting……….