Jumjoji brings Parsi home-style food to the suburbs

Salli Murgi and pao

Growing up in Parsi Colony, aroma of dhansak on Sunday afternoons was customary. But Parsi cuisine remained a monopoly of South Mumbai with its Jimmy Boy, Britannia and the likes.
Now ONGC colony in Bandra (the lane opposite Lilavati Hospital) which is fast becoming an entertainment district of Bandra with its varied eateries and watering holes, has become a suburban home to Dhansaks, Patra Ni Macchis and more.
Jumjoji, a Parsi diner, greets you with a ‘How Parsi are you?’ quiz that adorns the wall on the patio, barely having made it through the quiz (our Bawaji friend, was hundred percent Parsi it seems), we are taken to our table.
The décor of the place is quite unlike the regular marble table tops, whirring ceiling fans or checkered marble floors that you’d see at Irani restaurants. The walls boast of Parsis who have made it big in their field while a thick strip of mosaic, reminiscent of Aunty Gul’s flat in my building, runs through the middle of the wooden floor of the restaurant. It would have been easy for the owners of the place to cash in on the Irani Café nostalgia by aping the décor of the cult eateries of south Mumbai but they commendably go out of the box by sticking to a black and white simplistic theme.
The wine list isn’t extensive and there is no beer on offer. We reluctantly order the Jacob’s Creek Shiraz Cabernet. The menu lists dishes by the names of the rightful owners of the recipes and us non-Parsi lot on the table gets excited at the thought of a home-style Parsi meal.
Of course, one was saddened to see no mention of the Eeda Chatni na Pattice — a colourful fried snack with half a boiled egg and chutney. But the aroma of Dhansak wafting from the kitchen leaves us no time to dwell on the lack of certain dishes.
We order ourselves Mutton Kebabs, Patra ni Macchi and Chicken Kebabs. The mutton kebabs are packed with flavour but the chicken kebabs are quite unlike the bland, fried kebabs we have been used to eating at RTI. But we won’t complain much.
The Patra Ni Macchi, where the chatni is the soul of the fish, does not disappoint on taste however, we felt that Rs450 was a mean price to pay for a single piece of fish. By the time our kebabs are done, the restaurant has run out of Freni’s Mutton Dhansak, so we settle in with a vegetable Dhansak and a chicken Dhansak.
We order Salli Murgi and Tawaa Ghosht simply out of greed, because the Dhansak portions are hearty and packed with flavour. I’d have preferred the brown rice with the chicken Dhansak to be sans veggies.
With soft pieces of pao, the Tawaa Ghosht tastes sumptuous but the Salli Murgi with whole apricots (a generous amount of them) is a clear winner and total paisa vasool.
The food at Jumjoji is not like the stuff you’d taste at Irani establishments but there’s a unique home-style feel to the food, albeit at a premium price. With the exception of Patra Ni Macchi, it is all worth it! I see myself making a trip to Jumjoji within a few days for Mutton kebabs and Mutton Dhansak or for Tawa mutton and pao.
Our Parsi friend, who gladly vouched for the Dhansak, wouldn’t allow us to commit the sacrilege of leaving a Parsi restaurant without a helping of Lagan Nu Custard. The custard at Jumjoji ODs on the cinnamon and hence ends up being too overpowering. Washing it down with the last of the wine, we walk out of the cosy restaurant and head straight home for a nap. After all, that’s what a good Dhansak should do to you, right?

Where: Jumjoji, Ankleshwar Building, ONGC Colony, Bandra (West) Tel:022 2651 6156
Valet parking: Yes
We recommend: Mutton Kebabs, Mutton Dhansak, Salli Murgi
Cost of a meal for two: Rs1500 (without the alcohol)