Like every other Delhi-ite who has moved to Mumbai, one of the first questions I asked the city was this – “Where do I get good Butter-Chicken?!” Good-Butter-Chicken ofcourse is the generic term every North Indian uses as a substitute for ‘delectable North Indian cuisine that will make you miss your Punjabi mom back home (even if she is actually Marwari)’. So when Copper Chimney, a restaurant known for getting traditional North Indian flavors right does a Food Highway NH1 festival, I knew I was going to eat there. And my expectations were very, very high.
I made my way to their Worli outlet for dinner. Taking up the ground floor of a corner building on the Worli Sea Face road, the outlet is surprisingly spacious and its warm hues are inviting on a rainy evening. The earthy interiors, open show kitchen, and large tables make it the perfect place for a family dinner.
True to its name, the NH1 festival menu offers a curated selection of dishes you would expect to be eating at pit-stops enroute Delhi to Amritsar. What I especially love about the menu is that it isn’t painfully elaborate, and yet expertly offers enough to suit all palates. From Langarwali Daal to Tangdi Kebab Masala, the festival has managed to get the NH1 dhaba essence right.
The restaurant manager suggested I try their signature mixed vegetable soup Ab-E-Hayat while waiting for the first course, and I’m glad I let him make this decision for me. Mildly flavored, the soup has tender coconut chunks along with steamed vegetables, and a dash of coconut water that adds lightness to the broth. A platter of their signature kebabs and cocktail Chilli Cheese Naans made for perfect starters. The deliciously soft but crisp-on-the-edges cocktail naans are a tastier replacement for conventional papads before every Indian meal.
For the main course, Achari Mirchonwalley Jhinge immediately struck me as a hero dish and it delivered. The dish has a thick red chili & pickled masala gravy, with flavors beautifully infused into the prawn flesh. The Thelewaley Chole Paneer & Aloo Naan from the vegetarian selection is a dry dish with satin smooth paneer cubes and chickpeas. The dish is delicately flavored with ground spices and best enjoyed with a dash of lemon and some onions.
The Anardana Pudina Parantha is highly recommended from the breads selection. It is a layered parantha dusted lightly with a tangy mixture of mint and roasted pomegranate powder, and goes well with any Indian main. Murthal’s Aloo Pyaaz Mirch Parantha also sits temptingly on the menu and is best enjoyed with some white butter.
Copper Chimney’s drinks menu is an absolute delight. With options like Achari Whiskey, Jaggery Tamarind Martini, Spiced Roohafza, you would find yourself consumed happily in the menu trying to select just one. I decided that a Shikanji would work well with what I was eating today, and I wasn’t disappointed. With the perfect balance of mint, fresh lime, chaat masala, and soda, the Shikanji offered an instant burst of freshness without letting any flavor overpower the other. If you are in the mood to seal the meal with traditional Punjabi lassi, you can also opt for their saffron blended Kesari Lassi.
On till 15th August, Copper Chimney’s NH1 food festival delivers on its promise of serving food true to Delhi-Amritsar highway and is a must try.
