Mumbai Celebrates Jamshed-e-Navroze
Spring Festival's Navroze Specials
20 Mar, 2015 by Roxanne BamboatParsis and Iranis across the city will celebrate the spring festival of Jamshed-e-Navroze on the 21st of this month. The festival is celebrated by laying out a table full of treats, along with seven items beginning with the letter S. The community celebrates by visiting the temple, wearing new clothes, meeting loved ones and, most importantly, enjoying good food! Most folks cook at home as they are picky about their food, but in case you have no place to go or no Parsi/Irani friends to invite you home to enjoy some Navroze Nosh, this might help you.
Café at The NCPA – Restaurateur Farrokh Khambatta always has a Navroze special, and this year he is mixing it up. Along with popular dishes such as sali chicken, bharuchi akuri and farcha chicken, he’s got other fun dishes such as a leg of ham with peach and prune stuffing, patra nu paneer, spinach crêpes with champaign cream and even a kahlúa-infused crème caramel among others. The special menu is at Café at The NCPA, which is only a dinner buffet on the 21st of March.
Taj Wellington Mews – You can stop by Weli Deli at the Taj Wellington Mews for a set Parsi special Navroze meal. This is a set meal full of papeta per eedu, sali chicken and patra ni machhi, along with sweet curd and parsi sev. If you are too lazy to sit through lunch or dinner, you could instead call early, place your order for the set meal and then collect it and eat it comfortably at home as well. The Navroze menu is available only on the 21st of March for both lunch and dinner.
Bawi Bride – One of the youngest Parsi food caterers, Perzen Patel (otherwise known as the Bawi Bride) is putting up an elaborate menu for Navroze and you can order home and enjoy your feast. Instead of the regular staple dishes, she is mixing it up and creating some new and interesting ones. Expect a badam malai chicken pulao and even patra ma prawns in this new menu. Call 9819285720 for enquiries; the menu is available from the 19th to the 21st of March.
By The Way – This little restaurant at Gamdevi really is by the way, and along with their small Continental and Indian menu, they have an extensive list dedicated to Parsi food. To celebrate Navroze, they have a set menu with dishes such as patra ni machhi/saas ni machhi, sali chicken, mutton pulao dal and lagan nu custard but, interestingly enough, all the dishes from their regular menu are also available. Thus, if you do not want a traditional meal but would like to opt for something different or lighter even, you can choose from cutlets, pattice, akuri on toast, sali kheema, kid gosht or even tamota per eedu.
Sodabottleopenerwala – This particular restaurant is a lovely mix of Bombay street food and Parsi fare. Since the regular menu features Parsi favourites, they have decided to celebrate Navroze differently. While everyone else might do sali chicken and caramel custard, the team here have created a special Navroze menu served in a thali, with dishes such as chutney eeda na pattice, mutton pulao, falooda and much more.
Katy’s Kitchen – Legendary Parsi caterer Katy Dalal’s legacy is still alive with her son Kurush Dalal and daughter-in-law Rhea Dalal handling the kitchen. Katy’s Kitchen has been around for ages, and Kurush is a very well-respected caterer that the community loves. While many restaurants like to mix things up and try new dishes, Katy’s Kitchen sticks to good old-fashioned traditional Parsi fare that their loyal customers love. Expect a menu with treats such as bheja na cutlets, patra ni machhi, mutton pulao dal and other dishes that will ensure you have a beautiful Navroze meal. Call on 9820136511 for the 21st of March to book your meal.
Villa Vandre –While this restaurant is not doing anything special for Navroze in particular, it currently has a special Parsi Food menu that is available right up till the 3rd of April. So in their own way, and possibly quite unknowingly, Villa Vandre is celebrating Navroze. Then again, maybe they are not because Navroze is on a Monday this year and they are shut on Mondays and will not make an exception. You could visit on Sunday or Tuesday to celebrate instead, with dishes on the menu that include kheema per eedu, chicken farcha, lagan nu stew and dhandar patia. They also have typical Parsi chai (or choi, as they say) and the typical raspberry soda and ice-cream soda!