r/MumbaiFoodTalk

Restaurants named after their address are usually judged by how well they bring the local geography onto the plate. 66 Chuim is an exception. It brings global flavours to a narrow village next to Khar Danda Koliwada, without really incorporating any of the local Koli flavours. But with the exorbitant rents in Bandra, I can understand why a restaurant owner would rather serve food that can command premium pricing.

Talking about the food first and pricing later, we went for dinner to celebrate a special occasion and ordered quite a few things.

We started with their famous liver parfait. Liver pâté, when it is not made fresh or is overcooked, has a tendency to oxidise and turn grey, which can be quite off putting for connoisseurs. This one was pink and fresh. Everything on the plate complemented each other really well. The earthiness and buttery texture of the pâté worked beautifully with the mulled wine gel and pickled mulberries. The pickled onions and ginger spring onion chutney were there to add spice or tartness, depending on what you preferred. The pickled onions reminded me of Mini Punjab’s sirke wale pyaaz.

Next, we ordered their famous Steak Frites Churchgate. The steak was medium rare and came with an entrecôte sauce, which I had to Google to discover was a French style green herb and butter emulsion (emulsion bolo, Monisha, chutney nahi.) It came with some classic French fries.

The steak was succulent and juicy, and the sauce complemented it well. But what were those McCain fries doing on a ₹950 dish? An amazing steak dish, one of the best I have had in Mumbai, can easily be ruined by substandard fries. These were over fried and salty. I think the Churchgate in the name stood for the price of the dish.

The server pushed us to try their pork sandwich, which was served in a banh mi style. The meat was good, the sauce was good, the bread was good and the sandwich was good. Nothing outstanding like the first two dishes. Any bougie café in Bandra can make this with its eyes closed, and without a pushy waiting staff member making us order it instead of a pie.

But we finally ordered the chicken and bacon pie, because portion sizes here are not Indian. They are more Bandra levels, to be precise. The pies are supposed to be their USP, and several people from the industry had recommended them to us. It was quite good, definitely better than the sandwich. The crust was fresh, the meat was nice, and I would definitely order it again if I was nearby. It is an expensive version of American Express pies, but totally worth it.

We ended the meal with madeleines and orange blossom cream. The madeleines were okay, but that cream was a banger. If Sahil Makhija, Headbanger Eats, ever starts a cream war, this would top the list.

The ambience is nice, clean and comfortable. The food arrives through a dumbwaiter type lift, which is a nice little gimmick. But if you go on an off day, the waiting staff have nothing to do except stare at you and avoid those awkward stares and smiles.

My major issue is that the prices do not justify the service, the ambience or the gimmicks. I am sure the ingredients are of the best quality, but there are better restaurants priced lower than this.

All in all, 66 Chuim has a lot of potential to become the best competitor to Bandra Born. The liver parfait and steak are worth going back for, especially with offers and discounts.

Parsis and Jogeshwari are like the perfect miscast pairing of Uday Chopra and Priyanka Chopra in Pyaar Impossible. But with Parsis, anything is possible.

Jogeshwari has two Parsi baugs, Malcolm Baug and Behram Baug. Malcolm Baug was developed by N. M. Wadia Charities in 1922 while Behram Baug, on the other hand, is now more commonly associated with its Muslim neighbourhood than with a breezy Parsi colony of popular imagination.

I do have a few Parsi friends in both the baugs, so it is strange that an area with two Parsi colonies has no proper Parsi restaurant or food outlet. Dinshaw’s Xpress is there, and they do serve Parsi food, but I have never really thought of it as a proper Parsi restaurant.

So when Parsi Table opened in Oshiwara a couple of months ago, I was excited. After shifting to Oshiwara from South Mumbai, I was missing the occasional Parsi food. The hospitality, not so much. (iykyk)

It is a small outlet with just a couple of tables, and the entire family runs the restaurant. I like how Mumbai is slowly adapting to owners being present in their own restaurants. Anyway, coming to the food. We ordered the quintessential mutton cutlets, the unique saas ni macchi, and ended lunch with the most marketed Parsi thing after Freddie Mercury, lagan nu custard.

The mutton cutlets were nice and traditional, with the familiar egg coating. The minced meat was tasty too, and not overly masaledar. It gave me the perfect Parsi canteen cutlet vibes. My article on PAC.

Saas ni macchi is a very unique preparation, and a much more underrated cousin of patra ni macchi. I had it for the first time at a close friend’s wedding, where the food was curated by the well known Parsi chef Tanaaz Godiwala, and I was blown away by it. I had never eaten a fish dish in India prepared in quite the same way. The gravy has this unusual texture from the flour, along with the tartness of vinegar. We opted for pomfret. The fish was quite fresh, but the saas gravy lacked the saas. It was a bit doughy and missing the flavours that make the dish unique. It was decent, but nothing compared to what I had that evening at the wedding.

For dessert, the lagan nu custard was nice. It did not have that generic, store bought quality, though I would not say it was the best I have had.

The real standout for me was the price and, surprisingly, the hospitality. I say surprisingly because most Parsi food experiences come with an old Parsi uncle staring at you and quietly monitoring every move you make. Here, instead, we had a warm and welcoming family running the place, which made the whole experience feel much more personal. They have also got the price point right, especially compared to places that price Parsi food at a premium and market it as something exotic.

I am glad I can now have mutton cutlets, and bheja cutlets on request, in this part of town. Parsi Table gives me that feeling of going somewhere for comfort rather than just taste, which is probably why I will become a repeat customer.

Next time, I want to try their berry pulao.