Rustom’s is a quaint little ‘bawa’ place by Kainaz Contractor who has opened it in collaboration with Rahul Dua of Café Lota fame.
Delhi has such a mélange of desi flavours , traditional and fusion, that when I heard that there was a place for authentic Parsi food, my tastebuds were tough to keep in control. So I headed over to Rustom’s this week. :)
Rustom’s is a quaint little ‘bawa’ place by Kainaz Contractor who has opened it in collaboration with Rahul Dua of Café Lota fame. It promises to bring authentic Parsi cuisine to the capital. Also, the USP is that the masalas used are home ground by none other than her aunt based in Nagpur.
The Location
Definitely, not its plus point as it is located on the oh-so–congested, trafficky Adhchini road.It took me over 18 minutes to cover a stretch of less than a kilometer. And, parking can be a pain, though they have two reserved parkings outside the place.However, it is a busy area, so parking can be problematic.
94A/B, Adhchini Main Road,
Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi
The Hours
12.30pm to 3:00 pm
7.30pm to 11:00 pm
Mondays closed
The Ambiance
As soon as I opened the door (and I loved their logo design with the Parsi couple in a Mumbai cab), I was transported to some old world Parsi home.
Greeted by pretty Kainaz herself in traditional parsi attire, I was directed to the first floor through a polished wooden flight of stairs with old photographs on the wall. It’s a small place, with a seating of 18 only, and takes no reservations, something I was told over the phone.I was glad I reached by 8:15pm, seeing the long queue on the way out.
Lace curtains, wooden chairs, antique cabinets in the little room with creamy yellow walls with a pendulum clock and geometric tiles, and ‘ Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’ playing in the background,it was right out of the sets of an Amol Palekar movie for me!
The Service
The staff is very helpful, knowledgeable, polite and quick.
The Food
Ginger Fizz – avoidable! It is a mountain dew type, neon-colored drink lacking ginger and fizz and should be off the menu as it does not match up to the standards of the place at all.
Kheema pattice – For the starter, I ordered a portion of Kheema pattice. Two humongous golden brown crumbed potato cutlets with an egg wash, stuffed perfectly with a generous amount of lamb. It was delicious but I felt the stuffing in bits was cold and as soon as I pointed that out, the waiter was ready to change the dish – 2 brownie points there :) The patties are huge so can be comfortably shared.
For the mains, we ordered the ubiquitous Mutton Dhan Sak, Chicken Vindaloo, Steamed Rice, Parsi Rotli,& an Okra side dish… and my table was overflowing with food.
Mutton Dhan Sak( Rs. 495)- This is a traditional Parsi dish and a must try. Boneless mutton pieces are cooked in a smooth gravy of lentils(chana, arhar, masoor and sabut masoor) and vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, brinjal, pumpkin and fenugreek stewed in 15 spices, ginger, garlic, chillies, coriander and mint. It is served with caramelized brown rice with a typical sweet savoury flavour and a vinegared Kachumber salad. The curry was smooth, rich and delicious and the keema koftas on top of the rice were mouthmelting and out of the world. And again, it was a shareable portion.
Chicken Vindaloo(Rs. 395) This is boneless chicken in a sambhar( pronounced sum – bhaar) masala which is a Parsi one, not to be confused with the South Indian sambar masala. This Parsi masala is made with garlic, chilli and spices in oil and sugarcane vinegar. It is a fiery- looking, oily red curry and tastes delectable. But, the oil definitely needed decanting before eating! This can be eaten with the Parsi Rotli ( Rs. 70) which is a tiny soft parantha, or steamed rice.
Bheeda Par Eedu (Rs200): I also ordered a side of Bheeda Par Eedu, which was crispy, fried okra with a couple of steamed eggs on top.It oozed out creamy egg yolk on the crispy vegetable, and the masala fried onions in it were yum. I’ve never thought that bhindi and eggs could go with each other but the soft mushy egg complements its crispness.
Parsi Dairy Sitaphal Kulfi (Rs125): The kulfi from Bombay was creamy but I felt the flavors should have been more overt.I had to actually hunt for the custard apple in it,but this is not in house so can’t complain.
However the Lagan nu Custard(Rs225) was quite delicious, a bread milk and egg baked pudding,,with raisins and chironjee ( nuts) which is a typical dessert, an essential part of Parsi festivities.
I really enjoyed the warm, cosy, and homely meal and will definitely drop in again – not only for the food but also for the authentic experience. However, always by 8.15 pm so that I don’t have to wait :)
The Pricing
A meal for three cost Rs. 2660 with a drink, a starter, two mains, rice , roti and a side, and two desserts, so it was definitely a value for money.