Mumbai Food: How Parsi is Mr Daaruwala?

The difference between Rustom Sodawaterbottleopenerwala and Mr Daaruwala is more than a face profile Rustom the imaginary owner of AD Singhs chain of Bombay Irani cafeacutes prefers the side profile as is evident in a portrait that hangs in a yellow carved frame at the BKC outlets entrance Daaruwala the mascot of Ankit Anand and Prashant Chaudhris House of Daaruwala likes a frontal shot I realise from his line portrait in the well of the plates the restaurant uses But when it comes to cracking authentic Parsi bhonu Rustom races aheadAt House of Daaruwala a twoweekold Parsi cuisine restaurant in Lokhandwala the biscuit ni bannis jars holding khaaris cheek by jowl vintage lights and signage that speaks of the eccentricity of one of Mumbais oldest communities is more than reminiscent of Sodawater As are the dishes prefixed with iconic bawa namesMasoor ma goshThe bentwood chairs here synonymous with Irani cafeacutes are well not bentwood and so I hope that I find the authenticity I am seeking in the food if not the furniture Guns of Navroze Rs 300 a cocktail of Sambuca caramelised pineapple and tequila is strong and tropical One flew over Cusrow Baug Rs 300 pays homage to Colabas famous gated community housing with a drink that relies on paan elaichi vodka and apple juice If you like the saccharine sweet of maghai paan try it Bizarre but an experiment neverthelessThe menu is a riot of choices offering Italian pasta pizza Indian butter chicken Bombay dishes bombil fry and a handful of Parsi eats I ignore the generic dishes just as I do the grammatical inaccuracies in the ParsiGujarati phrases across the menu not lagan nu patio its lagan no patioMutton cutletsMost Parsi dishes are listed in the mains under Shireen Auntys Favourites But before that the small plates chilli cheese on brun toast Rs 295 mutton cutlets Rs 275 and patra ni macchi exorbitant at Rs 855 An interesting take on the chilli cheese toast the brun dish is crisp and cheesy but lacks the kick of marcha green chillies I like the mutton cutlets light airy and piquant although they are far from whats made in Parsi homes The chutney coating the fish which usually decides the fate of the patra ni macchi is well made but lacks tang The fish is fresh and thankfully a mini pomfret cut into two just the way we like it Why theyd serve this dish with a crucible of pudinacoriander chutney that usually goes well with kebabs I am not sure Id recommend instead a simple side of sliced onion and limeInstead of the predictable salli boti Rs 395 I order masoor ma gosh Rs 395 an everyday lunch eat The mutton chunks are soft but the lentil isnt marrying the meat My grandmother would have called this dorta masoor literally translating to running lentil because the dal and broth are not one soulVeg berry pulaoThe kolmi no patio Rs 425 a prawn masala relish best eaten with dhandaar rice and yellow daal or mopped up with rotli rice flour phulkas lacks the khaattimitthi soursweet kick it gets from the sarkogaur vinegar and jaggery but if you didnt have anything to compare it with it makes for a dish youd want to try Its cruel I know to pit their veg berry pulao Rs 315 with what my sisterinlaw makes or the one made famous by Boman uncle at Ballard Estates Britannia amp Co so I view it independent of a legacy The portion is small and the berries are sweet not zereshk the puckered ruby delights that the dish is supposed to employPatra ni macchiBut the big disappointment comes in a shallow white bowl that holds what they call saus nu fish what they should have called saas ni macchi A lagan staple made famous by late Parsi cuisine connoisseur and archaeologist Katy Dalal and firebrand wedding caterer Tanaaz Godiwala its a subtle fish gravy that usually uses chunky pieces of pomfret or rawas and goes well with yellow khichdi and saria tapioca pearl crisps Daaruwalas saas Rs 495 is runny and comes with an unexpected tadka of curry leaves and mustard seeds Did they leave out the maida and egg that give the saas its buttery texture and consistencyFive of the 10 tables at the eatery are occupied the night I visit a sign that this place might just do well despite a mockup menu Sodawater is doing splendidly despite what members of the community and I believe are signs of inconsistency and flashes of inauthenticity There is enough room for a genuine original Parsi restaurant to open doors and serve up more than stereotypes both finedine or a modest one that offers homestyle kidgosht turiapareedu and paprimakavab As for House of Daaruwala it does little else but reaffirm Lokhandwalas character as wannabeTime 9 am to 130 amAt 1 Green Fields Society Lokhandwala Complex Andheri WestCall 9136279905Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates