Mumbai Food: Chembur restaurant brings in the flavours of Sindh

Mutton Sindhi dum biryani/ All pics Atul Kamble

Three months into the city, and we are still on a quest to find an eatery that serves authentic Mughlai food to satiate our biryani craving. And as we waited, we heard about a Sindhi restaurant that had opened shop in Chembur. No stranger to the cuisine, we asked our friend from the community, whose grandmother's cooking we have fond memories of, to tag along one Friday evening.

Bheja Fry

It's easy enough to locate Duma Dum Mast Kalandar, tha­n­ks to its brightly lit signage bang on the main road. Our ap­p­rehensions start building up as we walk in and find the place empty. On be­i­ng offered to be seated at th­eir bar on the first floor, we head up, and then retreat, craving the cosy, warm lighting in the restaurant as opposed to the dimly-lit bar, again, empty.

Sindhi chicken masala

As we listen to the Ca­rna­tic instrument­al playlist and decide wh­at to order, our he­l­pful waiter points to the bheja fry (Rs 350) and tarial macchi (Rs 350). We give in, even though we are not fans of the former. We wait and take a sip of the inter caste marriage cocktail (Rs 300) - a tangy yet sweet vodka concoction with lychee, guava, tabasco sauce and balsamic. There's some amount of spice packed in as well; while the chia seeds add to its texture.

Inter caste marriage

It takes them 12 minutes to get the spicy masala brain fry and the crunchy and delicately tangy fish fry to our table. It takes us 10 minutes to po­lish off both, with the pav pu­nctuating our meaty bites. Ir­­respective of what comes ne­xt, this will stay the place that ch­­­anged our mind (no pun inte­n­­ded) about bheja fry - it is cr­e­­amy, has a decent amount of he­at, and the brain bits aren't gr­ainy. Our companion is all pr­aise for the basar - onions sa­utéed white not brown - in the dish.

Koki roti.

Next, we cross our fingers and get the Sindhi mutton dum biryani (Rs 480). Slow cooked and layered with garam masala - turm­eric, cor­iander powder, saffron and a hint of amchoor - this is the family secret our companion spills as she dives into this version, nodding her head approvingly. And though neither of us are great cooks, we get what she means when we take our first bite - the meat melting off the bone, with a hint of spice and the faintest tinge of sweetness makes up for all the long wait to tuck into that perfect biryani.

The koki roti (Rs 50) - another st­­a­­ple - is a thick wh­eat flat-bread with onions and coriander, cu­min and pomegranate seeds - and the Sindhi chicken masala (Rs 280) come next. We are surprised when we bite into the roti - it's got all the flavo­u­rs of the parantha, but it much li­g­hter for having been toasted tw­ice. The curry is a tad too sw­eet for our tastebuds, but wi­th our companion throwing ap­proving glances our way, we take a few more bites. And the more we eat it, the more we like it. Tagging it an acquired taste, we browse through the dessert section, before we realise we aren't brave enough to take another bite thanks to their large portions and our greed. But since we both make it a point to come back or order in fairly soon, we leave the sweet ending for another day.

Time: 12 pm to 3.30 pm, 7 pm to 1 am
At: Duma Dum Mast Kalandar, Suman Nagar, Sion-Trombay Road, Chembur.
Call: 25287007

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get the latest updates