Mumbai Food: Come home to Persia

Japanese outpost Izumi in Bandra has company in the form of Covid baby Cafe Mommy Joon The Persian restaurant whose name means motherrsquos love in Persian is a venture by Priya Dutt and her friend head chef Seema Sadequian ldquoThe space was my father Sunil Duttrsquos office later it became my office during my political tenurerdquo Dutt tells us as we soak in the cloudy sky blue walls of the cafeacute which have been designed by architect Sameep PadoraSeema and PriyaThe ceiling beautifully breaks open to the sky in patches elevating our mood Wooden panels on the walls have niches of soothing yellow light that are an instant draw for our camera The restaurant revolves around a giant library panel all the contents have been sourced from Sunil Duttrsquos private collection We spot Bollywood titles and Mohammed Alirsquos biography on the wooden shelves The deacutecor with its Persian knickknacks of ceramic plates turquoise blue intricate table tops carpets and a huge samovar at the tea bar teleports us to Iran The cafeacute has organically gained momentum as is typical of a Bandra opening where word of mouth often does the trickKabob KoobidehAs we chat an attendant serves us black tea steeped in a gas samovar The tea comes with saffronflavoured sugar sticks that we dunk in the slim Persian tea cups The kadak chai with the sweetness of sugar and fragrant saffron is refreshing ldquoSaffronrdquo Sadequian who joins us for a chat reveals ldquoApart from adding colour and fragrance to the tea makes the drinker happy That is the main role of this royal ingredientrdquoAl fresco section PicsShadab KhanBandra girl Sadequianrsquos family hails from Yazd in Iran Iranis in Mumbai are primarily restaurateurs and her family owns the popular Lucky Restaurant ldquoWe slowcook all our food on a low flame It may sound tedious but when made with love it is worth every effortrdquo she says adding that food is never cooked in portions and there is always enough for unexpected guests It is a meatforward cuisine and basic ingredients include salt pepper turmeric and herbs like dried rosemary mint and dill leavesAshereshteh soups feature spinach chickpeas and noodlesWith Persian percussion music wafting in the background we buckle up to be fed Saffronwashed rice comes in the company of succulent kabob koobideh R650 and boiled tomatoes which we sprinkle with salt on Sadequianrsquos instructions The skewered mutton kebabs have been cooked on a flame as thin as a needle for six hours The result is juicy dense flavours of seekh The side elements that come with Zereshk Polow and Chicken Leg Rs 600 stand out including a tangy walnut and zeresk chutney and chillies stuffed with dried herbs like rosemary and dry mintStews and soups form a robust part of Persian dining tables The one we try Ashereshteh Rs 280 comes in a creamy and textured lentil spinach and kashk whey broth with noodles beans and herbs We break a piece of barbari bread Rs 80 and let the warmth nurse us The berry pulao Rs 600 is a generous celebration of berries and onions and saffron rice This dish is served with a rice and egg cake We love the ghormeh sabzi Rs 600 a tangy and thick red bean stew of braised lamb and cooked in parsley fenugreek and a special limu omani Persian lime to add zing For dessert we relish two fat scoops of homemade kesar pista ice cream or Akbar Mashti Rs 300 On it sit two rolls of honeyed baklava ldquoThe ice cream reminds me of my grannyrdquo we confide to Sadequian and she agrees ldquoAll our grannies loved this nutty and kesari combination It was the choice pick for ice cream before chocolate took overrdquoWith the entire menu inspired from family recipes Sadequian pulls it off with warmth Dutt reveals that last year while planning the menu they had invited chefs from Iran to elevate the selection ldquoTurned out we loved Seemarsquos food morerdquoAt Plot 458 Sunrise Building 24th Road near St Theresa Church Linking Road Bandra WestTime 12 noon to 11 pm all daysCall 8928638522 9820281080