Enjoy North Indian cuisine with Persian and Middle Eastern interpretations at this Santacruz eatery

Pashtooni murgh seekh

With the monsoon at our doorstep, the city is a hot box. On a sticky evening last week, it posed a serious threat. A sudden downpour thunders into Mumbai's first pre-monsoon showers. This nip in the weather has activated our appetite. We're in time for an early seating at Osttaad, a Persian, Middle Eastern, and North Indian fine-dine that once held space in Lower Parel during the pandemic and relaunched in Santacruz two weeks ago.

Lamb kagarcha gosht

Spread across a spacious al fresco and indoor section, the 150-seater has modern fine-dine décor with a playful opulence of jhoomar and jalis balanced with muted tones. We get a scrumptious head start with the raw banana and pulled jackfruit shashlik (Rs 425) which is spiced with Turkish chilli pepper called Urfa. They are served on skewers with a side of tangy Afghani chutney prepared from raw tomatoes and mint chutney. The texture is of a fine galouti where the meat eaters take greedy bites too.

A bowl of Samarkand chicken with Afghan taftan. Pics/Satej Shinde

Lal chapur stuffed paneer tikka takes a Peshawari twist adding a filling of pine nuts and mint green pesto (Rs 475). We raise a toast to welcome the monsoon gods with two drinks from the special cocktails priced at (Rs 675). Both arrive at the table in overhyped fanfare of smoked gastronomy, which we wish bars would drop. Tashkent twilight is whiskey spiked with cinnamon and spices. The after taste is that of an apple pie; the star ingredient - whiskey - is a no-show. Disappointed, we turn to the red wine sangria with Iranian berries. The cherrywood smoke has burnt the flavours and we manage only a few forced sips. We decide to focus only on the food for the rest of the evening. Murgh pashtooni seekh (Rs 395) is the standout dish of how a great kitchen programme can lend to classic dishes. Soft minced chicken falls like an defeated army under our knife, and a spice of ajwain and house mix lends a robust taste without being spicy or overpowering.

Raw banana and jackfruit skewer

For the mains, we choose fermented Afghan taftan (Rs 295). The bread is a piece of craft. An original recipe from Afghanistan, the dough is pressed to form indents by hand. We pair it with damboli (Rs 495), a sautéed vegetable dish, cooked with ginger and spices that tastes like a well-done tawa sabzi. The murgh Samarkand (R495) slow-cooked, succulent boneless chicken is cured in star anise and yellow chilli. Each gravy dish with chicken doesn't have to be a butter chicken clone, and this one leads by example. It is confidently mild, fragrant and light on the stomach. The kagarcha gosht (R625) is braised lamb in dum with saffron and ghee. The smoked finish lends it a charcoal sweetness. The meat dishes deserve a second helping. The 24-hour cooked black dal, Ostaad e' Adasi (Rs 525) has a palatable spice but lacks salt to help unfurl the flavours.

Sangria with Iranian berries

We end our meal with honeyed sheermal (Rs 255); its nutty cloak is too scrawny for our liking. We compare it to the sheermal of Purani Dilli, where we observed a cook add overly generous layers of pista dust and almonds slivers. In this version, we found the centre a bit too doughy. Overall, the authentic fare is intelligently crafted and shines across the board, making up for the lacklustre bar menu.

The interiors are ornate with vintage themed décor and tavern-inspired wallpapers as well as decorative ceramics

Osttaad
AT Savoy Chambers, ground floor, Linking Road, next to Porsche Showroom, Hasmukh Nagar, Santacruz West
TIME 12 pm to 1.30 am
CALL 9833741741