Big Man Goes Big

Category: Eating Out

Photos by Lonumedhu & Hamu

This week, we review the Big Man & Co. They started as a food delivery service some years ago and I’ve had my share of Big Man burgers. They recently opened an outlet. Take a stroll down the souvenir shop side of Chaandhanee Magu and you’ll find it adjacent to the Western Union. I’ve been there once before and the place is hard to miss; their warm lights bring a good amount of radiance to the otherwise fluorescent lit Chaandhanee Magu.

That first time, I had a sandwich, or a ‘Manwich’ in Big Man lingo. I was already warned about the huge portion sizes so I knew I had to share it with a friend.

Big Man’s menu is in the ‘make your own stuff’ style and we chose chicken as our protein and their Red Indian sauce. We could have gone a notch further on the chilli, there’s one called OMG, but we are more medium heat kind of people.

As I recall the food arrived quickly. I also remember really digging the bread; it had a biscuit like feel to it, not crispy like a biscuit but a really nice cross between biscuit and bread. As for the filling, the chicken was nicely cooked; no big chewy chunks but rather bite-sized pieces. The sauce was creamy, maybe even cheesy, and the heat was in the medium range, just like we hoped.

I remember walking out of the place thinking the whole thing was really value for money. Apart from the fries that came with my sandwich, which were a bit too soggy for my liking, I really enjoyed everything else, even the Bombay tea I couldn’t finish off because I was too full.

Last night I headed to the Big Man again and unlike my previous visit I was conscious of the fact that I was going to review the place. This time my friend and I decide to sit inside downstairs. The last time, we sat in the open-air section upstairs and watched people move down the Chaandhanee Magu while we gobbled down our food.

The place has smooth and bare concrete floors and walls, accented by black and wood furniture and fixtures. I liked the oversized clock upstairs and the greenery, although plastic, does its job of delivering a pop of colour. I think I’ll describe the look as contemporary. Also, they serve water in metal cups. That was nostalgic for me, reminding me of the days when I had a rainwater tank at home.

My friend and I decide to go for a pizza and we choose the Double Cheese option, which lets us choose two proteins and two toppings. We choose chicken and chicken sausage as our proteins and tomatoes and bell peppers as our toppings. For the sauce we choose the Red Hot number and we were told that Duper Stone was the only Pizza type available at the time.

Our pizza arrived in around 20 minutes, I think that’s reasonable and I also have to mention that our waiter was really friendly and helpful in explaining our options.

The pizza arrived on a black metal tray that had rope hoops on opposite sides. I take a bite and the first thing I notice is the crispy thin crust. I know some people who like their pizza crusts doughy and thick, but I like them thin like this. There’s a satisfying amount of cheese in there and I particularly liked the meat to veggie ratio. As for the sauce, it had a really nice smoky flavour that I hadn’t expected. The pizza had eight slices, my friend gobbled down four and I was full after three.

The bill arrived quickly too and it amounted MVR 128. I think that’s a pretty good deal.

And one more thing before I put a lid on this review, I’ve had their sandwiches home delivered a couple of times. One time, I ordered it with their non-spicy sauce and have been sticking to it ever since. The sauce is really creamy and cheesy, and I do really recommend it over the hotter ones.

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