16 December,2023 01:16 AM IST | Mumbai | Shriram Iyengar
Mutton nihari. Pics/Anurag Ahire
Cooking, they say, is an experience savoured best when you serve others. Dining on the other hand, requires a touch of selfishness. So, this writer's visit to chef Amninder Sandhu's kitchen in Bawri at BKC on a crisp December night felt like a self-indulgent experience. The restaurant, which opens next week, will mark a return to the city she calls her âkarmabhoomi'.
While the Mumbai space is comparatively smaller than the Goan outlet, it is older. "We purchased it before [Goa], but had to wait for the opportune moment," co-founder Sahil Sambhi reveals. The 4,500 sq foot space centres around a large circular bar - designed to imitate the stepwells in Gujarat - with tabled and cabana seating across. Large glass windows extend to the ceiling behind the cabanas, and would allow ample daylight. But since we were in time for dinner, we chose a table close to the bar and wait for our first course.
The menu is diverse. From familiar signature dishes of gutti aloo, kakori kebab, raan biryani, there are also newer variants that touch upon Sandhu's travels. Ingredients like the Manipuri black rice dosa, litti smoked baingan to the kovalam lobster from down south are proof. The touch of Mumbai, the chef adds, comes through in the bombil fry, pickled fish and onions, bhajias on the side, and of course, malai kulfi sandwich. "For me, the malai kulfi is a nostalgic reminder of the city," she tells us.
This emphasis on Indian diversity also reflects in the décor. In addition to the stepwell, Sambhi reveals that a portion of the ceiling was hand-stitched by jute weavers from Rajasthan. There are also Jaipur carpets adorning sections of the bar.
We start with a delicious kohlrabi salad (Rs 485) of thinly sliced beet carpaccio with pomelo, cucumber and Kashmiri pistachio and a very Lakhnawi kakori kebab with silbatta chutney (Rs 755). The only thing that outdoes it is the gucchi stuffed with mushroom butter, with nachni and walnut soil (Rs 1,250) - inspired from the valleys of Kashmir. Served on a wooden stump, it looks like a mushroom found in the wild, and has a touch of delicious theatricality.
The menu is designed with a focus on slow wood-and-charcoal cooking. She chuckles, "It is difficult for me to imagine running a restaurant any other way. The complexities that open fire cooking lends to a dish cannot be replicated by other means."
We cannot disagree when a main course of mutton chops smoked in rose (Rs 1,160), chicken Chintamani (Rs 575) and wild mango curry with a South Indian noolputtu (Rs 665) arrive. The wild mango curry is a delight, and is slow cooked over three to four hours. It goes perfectly with the noolputtu, while the chicken Chintamani is a take on the hangover delights from South India's famed chicken 65. The highlight is the soft, lightly tempered mutton nihari (Rs 899), a slow cooked shank of lamb that breaks down easily on your palate.
We pair these with a cocktail menu curated by Tim-Etherington Judge. The pahadi picante (Rs 899) is stimulating with its chilli and Khasi coriander balancing out the reposado tequila. We follow this up with a fluffy stuff (R755) with its gin-infused fruit tisane, Campari and mosambi juice for the main course. The cocktails, we notice, are also designed around four rare Indian flavours - Naga passion fruit, Khasi coriander, mosambi and tenga from Assam. If the tasting sounds meat-based, that fault lies in the writer. The co-founder points out that there is an equal emphasis on the vegetarian courses on the menu. "We hope to change the perception of Indian food being equated to only North Indian cuisine," he notes.
As we wrap up our hefty dinner with a delicious Bawri jamun garnished with a light frothy rabdi (Rs 440), the chef tells us, "We might add more dishes to the menu. It is a constant evolution." Sadly, it might be too much for us to take in one night. Perhaps another visit awaits in the future.
Bawri
Opening December 20
At Ground floor, Shop number 5, INS Tower, G Block, BKC.
Time 12 pm to 3.30 pm; 7 pm to 1.30 am
Call 9205100992
