If you are flying on one of the no-frills carriers, your best chance of having a hot meal aboard is by pre-booking a meal. Your other options usually would include expensive sandwiches and snacks. There are many Mumbai domestic terminal food kiosks to wet your appetite on the ground. I recently started flying out of Terminal 1 again, and the new Hot Meals on the Go food cart caught my eye.

The Hot Meals on The Go food cart is located airside in Mumbai Airport‘s terminal 1. My 6:30 AM flight was boarding using an aerobridge, so I’m not sure if there is a similar cart near the bus gates. One of the few food outlets open at 5:30 in the morning which I saw was this one. I had a chat with the person operating the cart, and he told me that the cart is doing business 24/7.

What is unique about this place is that it specifically caters to folks who want to pick up a hot meal for their flight. So no tables and chair here. The food was price quite economically, especially considering that I was airside. QSR outlets at the food court upstairs can pack up your order too but would still cost a pretty penny.

Curious and hungry, I walked up to the food cart and glanced at the Menu. They had four breakfast option. Later in the day, you can opt for any of their lunch/dinner options.  There was no one else ordering, but a few passengers did come around and scanned through the menu. I walked up to the counter, placed my order and paid using my Jet Airways American Express Platinum Credit Card. A minute later, I got my Poha & Vada meal pack. So even if you are in a hurry, it shouldn’t take you more than a couple of minutes to pick up a meal.

If the menu options at the cart don’t interest you, head over to the Food at the Gate kiosk. There, you can place an order for food from any of the QSR restaurants which are present in the food court.

Up in the air, I opened up the pack once the captain had turned off the seat belt sign. The plastic tray based packaging was still intact, despite the change in cabin pressure. When I removed the lid, the food was still hot. The food was fresh, low on the fat and not spicy at all. The portion size too was generous. All for INR 150. Not bad at all!

Bottomline

The Hot Meals on The Go food cart is a solid option if you want a pick up a hot meal when flying out of Mumbai Terminal 1. Where this meal option really shines is the price point. For INR 150 I’d rather have a hearty meal than munch on a pack of nuts, which would be my option if I had to not pay pricy on a budget carrier. I’m hoping Travel Food Services, who manage the concessions for Mumbai Airport, will also launch this concept at the Terminal 2 at some point of time. There is a battery of restaurants at Terminal 2, but this should be different

Have you tried the food from The Hot Meals on The Go food cart? What is your take on this concept?