"Ek Sanju Baba, White Biryani ke saath" --u00a0 this unusual-sounding order resonates through a choc-a-bloc seating area dotted with fez caps, Pathan suits, and burqa sporting white-collared junta that arrives to break bread. A heady mix of charcoal-infused meat flavours do somersaults with your senses. We are at Bhendi Bazaar's gastronomic paradise, Noor Mohammadi Hotel & Caterers.u00a0

The Chicken Sanju Baba, named after famous Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, uses only whole spices

Third-generation owner Abdul Khalid leads us through a dingy side entrance into his air-conditioned 200 sq ft office, while monitoring the action on a set of eight CCTV cameras, making us feel like extras in an '80s Bollywood whodunit. "My grandfather Abdul Karim started the business in 1923. Back then, we only sold the Nalli Nihari, our speciality. Before Partition, my father Abdul Hakim expanded it into an eating house," says Khalidbhai. When he took over the business in 1985, he completed the transformation, turning it from a bhatiyarkhana into a sit-down restaurant. Since then, they've been feeding celebrities and labourers with the same spoon, in a simple set-up and at drop-dead low prices.

How the actor landed on the menu
By now, his star attractions -- Nalli Nihari (Rs Rs 50/half plate) and Chicken Sanju Baba (Rs 45/half plate), accompanied by fresh Tandoori Rotis arrive. We dig in, one dish at a time. Rolling back the years, Khalidbhai talks about the Sanjay Dutt fixation. "In the mid-1980s, Duttsaab (Sunil Dutt) was the one to be called for inaugurations. So, when I invited Sanju to inaugurate a section of the restaurant in 1986, he was touched. Since then, he's a regular and a huge fan of the Nihari."

Once, the actor told Khalidbhai's younger brother, Rashid, of a chicken dish he had experimented with. Impressed, Rashid sounded off big brother who checked with Sanjay if the hotel could prepare the recipe. Not only did he agree, he also gifted the recipe, suggesting they name it after him. "Yeh unka badappan hai," Khalidbhai says, adding that only akkha (full) spices are used in this tender chicken preparation.

Painter MF Husain has graced the restaurant several times. On one visit in 2003, he sketched a rooster calling out Noor Mohammadi's famous Nalli Nihari How do you like the new new mid-day.com experience? Share your feedback and help us improve. Read Next Story Troubled Sheen sticks to the show› Trending Stories Latest Photos Latest Videos Latest Web Stories ADVERTISEMENT Mid-Day Fast ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT