With the monsoon comes the desire to sit by the window, book in hand, with a steady supply of hot chai and fried goodies. Or at least, that’s the way social media sets up the rains: a picture perfect assemblage of food and drink to keep warm, as the showers lash the city. And now, a bunch of restaurants in the city have created menus for rainy days, with variety of teas paired with snacks.
Chef Atul Kochhar of the Not Really Indian restaurant in Bandra Kurla Complex has concocted a special menu: Hi Chai. It is on offer for three months and pairs teas with monsoon snacks. Kochhar says, “The monsoon in Mumbai is unique. I don’t think there’s any other city in the world like it. When it rains, the smell of the earth rises, and because of the humidity, everything is heightened.” His memories of the season and his experiences in the city during the rains have influenced the menu. Kochhar says, “I wanted to recreate the feeling of running to the chaiwallah and having a cup of tea with samosas.”
The snacks are picks from the cuisine of the Indian diaspora. There are dishes from around the world, including Putu Mayang, Indonesian-style rice hoppers soaked in coconut milk and palm sugar, and the Malay roti helicopter, which is served with homemade kaya and vanilla ice cream.
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Tea sommelier Anamika Singh has curated the teas and has sourced them from Anandini Himalaya Tea. “The teas are from Manjhee Valley Estate. I have carefully blended them keeping in mind the audience, the taste, the mood and the weather,” she says.
The teas range from the strong, the Saat Ras Masala Blend with exotic spices, to the subtle, the flower-infused Indian Bouquet, a nuanced black tea.
Other evocatively named blends include the Emerald Spice, green tea infused with a mix of clove, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon and a splash of marigold flowers; the Firdaus, green tea infused with saffron and cockscomb; and the Pinewood Smoked Tea, strong black tea infused with pinewood.
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Bhajiyas and beer
If you are in the mood for beer and bhajiyas this monsoon season, then head off to Bonobo in Bandra.
The venue is offering a range of fillings: from the usual potato, onion and spinach to the innovative sabudana, mozzarella sticks, broccoli and cream cheese.
Non-vegetarians can sample the masala chicken, sabudana fish, Dutch bacon and firecracker prawns. The bhajiyas are served with a condiment tray featuring chutneys like gunpowder, garlic aioli, dates, tamarind, green chilli and peanut thecha. Beverages include Old Monk spiked chai, coffee and hot chocolate.
Hi Chai, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., at NRI, BKC. Meal for two: Rs. 1,500.
Special menu, from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., at Bonobo, Bandra. Meal for two: Rs. 1,200.
The author is a freelance writer
I wanted to recreate the feeling of running to the chaiwallah and having a cup of tea with samosas
Atul Kochhar,Chef, NRI