Manasi & Ronak Mastakar are transported back to the Pre-Partition era through the food served at this restaurant
Tucked away in a quite corner of Andheri, Mulk by Chef Ishijyot Surri offers food based on his extensive research of dishes from the North West Frontier prepared during the pre-Partition era. The restaurant, with a specially-crafted menu by Chef Ishijyot, reflects the richness of the culture by reviving long lost recipes.
The chef not only serves traditional Sarso Ka Saag and Butter Chicken, but also has on offer, some mouth-watering delicacies with a twist. Take for example their signature dish, Kulfi Chicken. Like the name suggests, the dish comprises of succulent chicken kebabs served on a kulfi stick with a sweet white sauce. My brother and I had a difference of opinion on this one as he found the it a little too sweet, but then he doesn’t like his food sweet. I, on the other hand, feel this is perfect for those who indeed like a little sweetness in their food. This dish also breaks the norm that says a restaurant’s signature dish can’t be sweet. Chef Ishijyot has done a fab job with the Kulfi chicken as it stands out on an otherwise masala-esque menu…
We began our Frontier food journey with the Rumali Khakra — crispy romali roti served with tomato, onion, chat masala mixture and cheese. This dish provides a much-needed relief from the regular masala papads and peanuts. Next on our plate was the Murgh Darbari Kebab (minced chicken and cheese stuffed in tender chicken slow cooked in a tandoor). This was followed by the equally satisfying and appealing Bhatti Da Murg (juicy chicken marinated in spiced yogurt and cooked in a bhatti) – this one, in simple terms can also be called a tandoori chicken, but smaller pieces.
Moving on to the main course, we opted for Murgh Tariwala, which is a home style chicken gravy and Masaledar Jhinga (which is prawns cooked in traditional Indian spices). As per Chef Ishijyot’s suggestion, we had Murg Tariwala with Jeera Rice (drenched in ghee) and we weren’t disappointed with the combination; Missi Roti and Chur Chur naan are a must-try too. Though both the dishes were quite tasty, our only complaint, if any, would be about the quantity.
The Murgh Tariwala had plenty of gravy to be sufficient for three people, but not enough chicken for all. Also, the chicken, wasn’t one with the gravy, it tasted like boiled chicken and we felt the chicken needs to simmer for a while longer in the gravy. Coming to the prawns, a tasty one no doubt, but again there weren’t many prawns, definitely not sufficient for a family of four.
Apart from mouth-watering dishes, Mulk also has a separate concoction menu which boasts of drinks like Aam Rum Panna, Bantewala Soda, Lemonee Melonee and Tulsi ki Chuski to name a few. The Bantewala Soda transported me back to childhood days when we used to indulge in Kala Khatta gola in summers at my native place—because the soda tastes just like that…Though we were stuffed by now, we were tempted enough to try try desserts, opting for the chef’s speciality Rasmalai Biscuit and Angori Gulab Jamun with Rabdi—there are no words to describe these heavenly dishes, only that if you want dessert that isn’t too sweet then go for Rasmalai Biscuit, as the latter might be too sweet for some.
We were also impressed with the fact that the restaurant serves non-spicy food by default. So, if you are someone who likes the food to be spicy, you need to say that out loud while placing the order.
Where: Mulk, Crescent Royale, Veera Desai Road, Off Link Road, Behind Crescent Tower, Andheri West, Mumbai
