“T here is no paneer!” My husband is incredulous. But it is good disbelief. No offence to cottage cheese lovers (I used to lead the pack once), but there is something defeating about asking for a vegetarian menu and finding there is nothing but the aforementioned and usually a rather indifferent ‘mixed vegetables’ on offer.
So Batlivala & Khanabhoy gets full marks from veggies for that. While we went expecting just token vegetarian options, we were pleased as punch at the choice. The restaurant also earns brownie points (for now), for the element of anticipation for first timers. Parsi cuisine is not all that prevalent unless you are a regular visitor to Mumbai or have Parsi friends, and this is an adventure.
The green menu card arrives and along with it a friendly staff who is happy to discuss with you the various dishes. It is a smart menu. There is not reams of it to confuse and confound. There are some basic preparations that appear in various avatars. For example, there is Lagan Sara Ishtoo Pattice Burger, Lagaan Saara Ishtoo Pattice and the Lagan Sara Ishtoo. One is a snack, one a starter and the third a gravy dish with root vegetables. Something wholesome and comforting about the philosophy of not going overboard and keeping to sensible food.
We ordered vegetable pattice that were pleasingly plump and crisp. And followed that with a potato curry and rotlis and a dhansaak. the Parsi dish everyone knows of. The dhansaak, that is prepared with ‘secret spices’ is very much in the tradition of our sambar and rasam where every home has its own recipe and method of preparing it. Dhansaak here has a combination of dals and vegetables and is served with brown rice topped with deliciously crunchy fried onions and a simple onion/vinegar salad.
Chef Hushmoin Patel arrived just in time to share his story with us. He is Parsi and like the rest of his clan, he says, comes from a food loving home. He has brought to the restaurant his personal experiences of cooking with aunts, mom, dad, siblings and friends who gathered and cooked and ate together with a lot of commitment, a lot of merriment and lot of joy. “I have tried to introduce some of my comfort food to the menu,” he says, and we believe him. “The recipes are authentic. Just like what you would find in a Parsi household. We may have just refined it a bit for restaurant purposes, but the heart is all there,” he promises.
There is a bunch of dishes that come pre-fixed with ‘Lagan’ meaning wedding and that somehow adds to the warm, fuzzy feeling. Chef Patel speaks with love about the atechli murgi that is slow braised chicken served with fried potatoes, sali jardaloo murgi, also served with fried potatoes, chicken with apricots, and yes, topped with fried potatoes, besides keema fry and eggs cooked in dizzying variety. Low cal is not a word much liked here and if you are just out of a by-pass or an angio you may want to strike it off your list of watering holes. But as for the rest, Batliwala and Khanabhoy is just the place to go when you are hungry and looking for some TLC in the form of hearty fare cooked with love.
We decline desserts which I have had before and are delicious. And I assure Chef Patel that in the event of me ever turning non-vegetarian, I will go for Mamaji’s Prawn Kebab and the Kokum and Coconut Fish Curry. But if I don’t, Chef Patel assures me, they make a mean vegetable curry with kokum and coconut as well. “Don’t forget to try out the brinjal curry in coconut next time,” he calls after us.
Two visits to Batlivala and Khanabhoy and both times I left the restaurant smiling. The only thing I sorely missed this time was the lagan nu chutney. I had polished off a bowl single handedly on my first visit. Made of carrots, dry fruits and many other wondrous things others have loved it well evidently as the restaurant had clean run out of it.
Batlivala... is an all day dining and serves up interesting snacks that include buns and maska, cutlets of various kinds and tea and fun flavoured sodas.
Address: 4th Floor, 122 Appusamy Layout, Red Fields
Timings: Noon to 11 p.m.
Contact: 0422-4213459/7339525445
