Back in school, the night before our annual picnic would be the longest for me; packing, unpacking, making sure all essentials were in place — packets of Uncle Chips, cream roll, sandwiches, chole bhature packed in tiffin boxes and packets of sliced Britannia cake. A similar feeling was evoked when Rajat Mendhi, advertising professional turned chef, invited me for a preview of his new pop-up Bombay Picnics. On a breezy Sunday evening, a bunch of friends and strangers gathered at the backyard of a clothing store in Bandra to revive the picnic spirit.
Summer living
The table was set under the shade of a jackfruit tree where we sat drinking sangria, chatting and playing Taboo. The menu was nostalgia from Mendhi’s childhood, of what picnics stand for him. “My mom would always start with giving me handful of dry fruits to munch on as we ran around playing under the sun,” he tells us while serving us his rendition of dry fruit — dates stuffed with smoked mutton keema served on a bed of stewed tomatoes, a beautiful medley of spicy, sweet and sour. For the vegetarians the keema is replaced with Maharashtrian thecha-like chilli pesto.
Mendhi’s love for cooking developed at the age of 12-13 when he baked a cake following Tarla Dalal’s recipe, “It felt like magic,” says the chef. The love for cooking continued and the passion took him to Le Cordon Bleu London where he studied culinary art before coming back to India. In September 2018, after quitting his job and travelling for a while, Mendhi launched The Tight Slap — a pop-up food stall where he explored his love for eggs and cooking breakfast. Bombay Picnics is the expansion of that idea where Mendhi plans to share his love for food, open spaces and lots of conversations. Back at our table, wafers — the undisputed part of any picnic basket — are served with a cheesy sun-dried tomato dip and roasted pineapple salad. Rectangular chutney sandwiches, layered with mint chilli butter, orange marmalade and toasted peanuts remind me of what my mother would quickly rustle up for our impromptu picnic plans. The orange and grapefruit salad with miso peanut butter and sesame dressing adds a pop of colour as well as freshness to our brunch; an ode to the humble orange which Mendhi’s mother would hand over to him, “It was the most convenient picnic food, came in its own packaging and was good for hydration,” he says.
The poha muffins with podi egg/tofu salad are pure comfort food but what takes us straight back to the days of good old picnics is the puri aloo — puff pastry topped with potatoes cooked in mustard oil with a garnish of wasabi peanuts. Biscuit — Parle G crumbled over vanilla ice-cream, rounds off the picnic brunch perfectly well, but not before we wrap it up in a typical Enid Blyton style with tea/coffee and cake — strawberry and choco chip with basil cream.
Dream space
Mendhi’s venue for his next pop-up on April 14 shifts to an open terrace in Khar. The idea is to have people step out of the house and spend time in open yet cosy spaces like parks and terraces. What’s your ideal picnic spot in Mumbai? I ask him, “the courtyard inside the Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Byculla, it’s on top of my wishlist,” he says. Just the idea of spending time at that beautiful, historical part of Mumbai makes me want to immediately sign-up for this yet-to-be announced picnic.
Follow @theincurablecook on Instagram to stay updated with the upcoming Bombay Picnics pop-ups.
