Bhonu for a hungry Bawi… Majja ni life :-)

Bhonu for a hungry Bawi... Majja ni life :-)

For those of you who aren't familiar with the word 'Bhonu', in Parsee lingo it means food or meal. We Bawas (Parsees) love our Sunday lunch. Leaving aside the lagan nu bhonu (food served at weddings), it’s probably the most important meal for us. Beer peevano, Dhanshak-kabab khavanu, legho perine mast ghotai javanu. (Translation: Drink beer – eat Dhanshak-kababs, wear a pajama and then tuck into bed for an afternoon siesta) That’s a typical Sunday afternoon for most Bawas. :-)

Let me make it clear to the readers before I begin this review, the person I’m reviewing today is family. Having said that, let me also add, I take my food reviews very seriously. If food is not up to the mark I will not hesitate to write about it. Reviewing food with dishonesty would be sacrilege!

I received a call from Chef Zubin Rupa yesterday telling me he was planning to send me lunch for Sunday afternoon. At first I refused but I agreed to review his ‘set lunch’ menu when he promised he would accept the bouquets and brickbats with open mindedness. He said that because he knows, as a food blogger and as a person who reviews restaurants, I understand that chefs can encounter a bad day. However, he also knows, I do mention (politely) their ‘bad day’ in my review/s when they (and resultantly, I) encounter such a day.

Chef Zubin’s ‘set lunch’ menu comprised of 2 very decent sized pieces of Chicken Farcha, Mutton Dhanshak, Kababs (3 pieces), Brown (Dhanshak) Rice, Kachumber (Salad), Lagan nu Custard and a glass of Baked Yogurt. I was told the Baked Yogurt was sent as a complimentary addition to all families who ordered the meal on Sunday.

The farchas were done to perfection! As an avid home cook / food reviewer / recipe blogger, I cannot bear to eat overcooked-stringy chicken. What I loved about the farcha/s was that the chicken was not pre-boiled and then fried. That would have been ‘Murdered Chicken Farcha’. In my world, unforgivable! These babies were marinated and fried, directly. Because the farchas were fried directly, it made a world of difference in taste and texture. The marination was spot-on and the farchas were juicy and succulent!

The Mutton Dhanshak, Brown (Dhanshak) Rice and Mutton Mince kababs were very well made. I’m a Bawi, I know a good Dhanshak when I have it and this was very good. It had a decent quantity of mutton pieces and the dal was delicious. Though, I would have preferred a sprinkling of freshly chopped coriander leaves on it. I did mention this to Chef Zubin. He told me he had incorporated the coriander in the dal (yes - he had – I concur) but hadn’t sprinkled chopped coriander leaves on the dal as the leaves would turn dark and ugly by the time the meal was delivered. His explanation made sense.

The kababs were an absolute delight! The only point I can find fault in is that three of those delicious babies just weren’t enough for greedy ol’ me. Just kiddin’! The meal was for one person and for one person three kababs were perfect in quantity.

The Lagan nu Custard, too, was very good in taste and texture. What I did miss though was that it wasn’t browned on top. If I had to mark the custard I’d give it a 9/10 for the simple reason that the top layer should have been a beautiful brown. What separates good food from great food is the small stuff wherein a chef attains perfection.

The kachumber (salad) was crisp as it was packed in an aluminum container instead of being dumped in a plastic food-grade bag. I liked the fact that it was decently packed and wasn't soggy. 

The (complimentary) Baked Yogurt, served in a cute cutting-chai glass, was a delicious, smooth, creamy blend of sweet with a hint of tang. I absolutely loved the sprinkling of roasted almonds slivers on the Baked Yogurt. I could have gobbled half a dozen of those glasses. Ok-ok, I admit, for certain things, I can be (very) greedy. ;-)

All in all, Chef Zubin Rupa, it was a great Sunday Bhonu (meal). I’m told the meal was priced @375 per meal, per person. At that rate and with the quantity sent, this meal was well worth it! Each dish was perfectly presented in their respective containers. Absolutely nothing shabby about the way it was delivered. My heartfelt advise, be very consistent with the quality and the quantity and you are sure to go places. Keep up the good work, Zubin!

Contact details for Chef Zubin Rupa (Pune-Maharashtra):
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/ChefZubin?fref=ts
Cell nos: 08898563798 or 09892817997.