Jan 16th,2017
New kid on the Block…buster !!!
Got to love a restaurant that makes my job easier … by being all about innovative punning and Bollywood inspired style at that 😀
Mumbai Darbar, the restaurant in Mangalore that is run by the owners of the
well known Royal Darbar, has a novel way of describing their menu, with
names that are based on all things Bollywood. The ambience is filmy and right from the lift to the entrance, Reel life props greet you in Real life. There is also a motorbike parked there, that most likely flew up and Landed on the Landing while performing an adventurous stunt 😀
There are signs admonishing Lilly not to be silly because Khaney mein obviously hoga chilli and also profound questions like – Itna sannata kyun hai bhai are answered by equally earnest answers that say – Khana super hai, chup chaap kha rahey hain !!!
Of course while people like me can satisfy their hunger merely by reading
these nuggets, hungrier folk would do well to give in to their cravings and enter the colorful interiors and pay heed to the menu that exhorts one to
Order Order Order !!!
Khana Peena no Sharmana is the redundant advice that the first page gives to
foodies like us who have no intention of being constrained by shyness of any manner 😀
Serving Mughlai food with some signature Bombay style street food items
thrown in, this place aims to make dishes like Bheja fry, Nalli nihari, Paya
etc, available to the local palate. Seafood made in local as well as
made to order style, is available with advance notice … and no prizes for guessing
what I requested for, days before dining there 😀
I was invited by my good friend Siraj to experience the hospitality shown
to us by the warm and gracious Najib Bava, who runs the place.
We began with a subtle and flavorful mutton Shorba that was a welcome start in the surprisingly pleasant January weather.
An array of kababs landed at our table consisting of the Murgh dilkush, Murgh pahadi and Murgh Birbali … labelled Murgh-e-azam of course !!!
All the kababs were top notch both in texture and flavor, though I refrained from taking more than a tiny bite of each since I was keen on saving space for the seafood. The fact that they do not artificially color their food or use taste enhancing additives, made the experience even more comfortable for me.
The vegetarians had the Paneer zafrani with soft and creamy cottage cheese flavored with saffron.
While there were many apt captions on the dishes, I was quite tickled by the Murg tawa masala titled Ek tawa ka jhonka … as I imagined the waiter singing the song as he gently Breezed by, serving it at the tables 😛
The chicken dum kabab that should have been named the ‘drama’ kabab, came in a sealed matka that ensconced the meat as well as the coal that smoked it and was opened theatrically to reveal succulent pieces of chicken smothered in cheese.
Being a brain lover (probably because I have it in short supply), I keenly awaited the Bheja tava fry. Of course it was a no Brainer that they would caption it – Goli maar bheje mein. This was delicious and one of my favorites at the table, it’s rather violent label notwithstanding 😛
Mutton sheekh kabab followed, ‘Cheek’ily called the Aakri Sheekh … I Kid you not 😛
A flavorful and tender rendition of minced lamb cooked on a skewer, this actually was the Last in the meat category.
It was now time for the seafood that I was waiting for and Mangalore obviously has the freshest of fish that comes right off the docks and to the diner.
A superb whole grilled Red snapper lasooni, an outstanding Tandoori pomfret and Zafrani prawns on a skewer, were our catch for the day. If I had to nit pick, I would say that the prawns could have been a bit more succulent because grilling them probably deprived them of some juiciness.
Wait, there was mutton biryani too but of course I could not manage more than a few grains of rice. This was a modification of the Bombay style that was altered to be lighter on the masala and more like their local subtle variant.
Desserts were nicely done and with just the right amount of sugar and had the Phirni, the Caramel custard and a Chocolate mousse that apparently was created from a Portuguese recipe and which they took months to perfect, for perfect it was !!!
The end of the menu endearingly acknowledges all the people who have been a part of the ‘production’ of the restaurant and announces it in ‘Movie Credits’ style.
The restaurant performs at lunch and dinner … at the Matinee and the Evening shows … but of course !!!
Jan 16th,2017
For more pictures see My Facebook – Mumbai Darbar-Mangalore
