The Great India Trip- A Parsi Treat @ Jimmy Boy (Mumbai)

As many of you may have known, I was out of town from 15th Dec to the 2nd of Jan, as I was spending my holidays in India. Well, this time it wasn't the traditional Kerala visit, but was more towards the Northern side of India. Therefore, we visited Mumbai, Bhilai and Hyderabad, and as with every trip to India, my tummy was treated to all sorts of tasty delights! Therefore, this post will be about one of my experiences with the food I got a chance to eat in India.  

When we arrived at Mumbai, we were told about the great Parsi population, and their culture, religion and most importantly, the Parsi food. With Parsi restaurant chains all over this buzzing city, and with recommendations from friends and family, we had to try out Parsi food, and in particular "Jimmy Boy" which was recommended by my aunt in Mumbai.

For those who do not know about who Parsis are; Parsis are a group of followers in India that follow the teachings Iranian prophet Zoroaster. The origin of Parsis are in the concentrated areas in and around Iran and with the majority of Parsis residing in Mumbai, a whole new culture was brought into this city. Although Parsis tend to be more private amongst themselves in their beliefs and faith, Parsi culture such as Parsi food is common in cities like Mumbai. 

Jimmy Boy is one of the many restaurants located in the touristy area of Colaba, South Mumbai, in the heart of the Colaba Causeway

Tarelli Fish (Pomfret)

The Tarelli Fish ($13*) is the name for a pomfret fish. This pomfret fish was not served the way you would expect in Western restaurants, but wonderfully wrapped in a banana leaf. This banana leaf serves a double purpose. One, to keep the fish wonderfully moist whilst the entire cooking process, and secondly, to add extra flavour to the fish. The rub, as you may see in the above photo is indeed a light and simple coriander rub. However, these simple ingredients didn't reflect badly on the flavour. In fact, the fish was extremely flavoursome, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The fish was incredibly moist, and the moment I unravelled this parcel, the most wonderful smell tingled my nose. The simple yet delicious coriander rub was wonderfully light, refreshing and gave a subtle citrus-y kick, an ever classic flavour that goes perfectly with any fish. After this dish I thought about how such simple ingredients can produce such wonders. This dish was definitely one to try and perhaps one of the best fish I have eaten till date.

Rating- 4.8/5 

Jardaloo Salli Boti

   
The Jardaloo Salli Boti ($6.80*) is a truly classic Parsi dish, blending both traditional Indian and Parsi flavours. It is basically a delicious mutton (or lamb; mutton in this case) curry with the mutton being served as small boneless chunks topped off with crispy shoestring potatoes known as the 'salli'. 

The curry itself holds a mouthwatering Indian-Parsi blend of spices and aromatics. The Parsi ingredients such as apricots, which is the jardaloo, the red wine vinegar and sugar blends wonderfully with the classic Indian spices of chilli powder, garam masala etc. This curry was brilliant as these rather strange combinations, which Indians wouldn't use in a traditional curry such as red wine vinegar and sugar seemed to work extremely well with the Indian spices. The apricots gave the curry a dry, sweet chewiness that was balanced with the acidity of the red wine, and the spices gave the curry a kick! However, I was not pleased with the mutton itself as it was rather dry and sometimes chewy. However, a classic blend of Parsi ingreidents with Indian spices, topped off by the crispy potatoes brought about an orchestra of textures in my taste buds, making this dish a one I would come back for.

Rating- 4/5 

Mutton Dhansak

  Yes, we were certainly not done with the Salli Boti! The Mutton Dhansak ($7.20*) is yet another Parsi classic dish and as simple as it may look, the amount of flavour in a dhansak is amazing. The rice as you would notice, is brown in colour, because the rice has been caramelized with wonderful aromatic spices after it was cooked. I quite enjoyed the rice has it has the roasty and robust flavours brought out due to its caramelization. As I mentioned earlier, Parsis enjoy using sugar, which is quite evident in the Salli Boti, and also in this dish. The mutton curry is basically stewed lentils and meat, flavoured in Indian spices caramelized in jaggery, or brown sugar, balancing out the flavours and giving the curry a tangy and mild taste. However, I was not too pleased with the curry as the seasoning was certainly too less, it definitely needed more salt, and the spices just couldn't be tasted and the dish lacked its kick, which could have been wonderfully brought out if executed well. 

Rating- 3.5/5  

*DISCLAIMER: Prices of the dishes denoted in the asterisk are in Indian Rupees and converted into SGD based on an approximation in the current exchange rate. The conversion rate is likely to change in the future, therefore these prices will also fluctuate.

So this brings me to the end of this post, and I hope I gave you guys a valuable insight into Parsi cuisine, and the methods and ingredients they use. Jimmy Boy was a great experience and an eye opener to both myself and my family into Parsi cuisine, and the whole story behind how Parsi's came to Mumbai and other parts of India, and how Parsi cuisine was influenced by Indian spices and herbs and the other way round as well. It's amazing when Parsi ingredients such as dried fruits, nuts and fenugreek blends with Indian spices to create unique dishes. Parsi cuisine is a truly unique and wonderful cuisine and I would highly recommend you to try it.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post after a long time, and I hope you guys still continue to support me and follow my blog. I will try to post as often as I can in my hectic schedule filled with exams and deadlines. Also, Gong Xi Fa Cai to all, and have a prosperous CNY! 

Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen- A Preview

As you all must have heard, Gordon Ramsay is opening a chain of his restaurant, Bread Street Kitchen here at The Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. With all the excitement and anticipation, I decided that I would give you a preview as to what the restaurant would be, and all the action happening around this restaurant opening. 

For those of you who do not know who Gordon Ramsay is, Gordon Ramsay is a Scottish born chef, who is a famous restaurateur. He has a total of 14 Michelin Stars under his belt and has his own shows such as Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, The F Word etc. Gordon Ramsay is known worldwide for his fiery and quick approach to cooking. If you watch his shows, you would notice the excessive swearing and short-temper he presents. Apart from this, he is an excellent chef, owning world-class restaurants internationally such as Maze, Savoy Grill, The Boxwood Cafe etc. 

Bread Street Kitchen

Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen made its way into the culinary world on the 26th October, 2011. This restaurant was located near St Paul's Cathedral in central London. The restaurant cost approximately $4.7 million. Its London outlet is the original outlet, with its second outlet recently opened up in Hong Kong in September 2014, therefore making Hong Kong the first Asian country to welcome Bread Street Kitchen. The name 'Bread Street Kitchen' came from the address of the original restaurant, 10 Bread Street. 

Gordon Ramsay's newest Bread Street Kitchen outlet at Hong Kong

Bread Street Kitchen's original menu consists of a Breakfast menu, a regular A la Carte menu, a canape menu and a wine, desserts and drinks menu. As you can tell, the menus give customers a wide variety. His A La Carte menu consists of traditional British cafe food with options ranging from a Snow Crab California Roll to a Roasted Sea Trout. Similarly, his breakfast menus showcase traditional British classics such as Eggs' Benedict and even a simple Toast and Jam. The breakfast menu also consists of fresh fruit juices to 'kick start your day'. And of course, how could we forget the tea? The British certainly do love their tea, and at Bread Street Kitchen, teas ranging from peppermint to green tea, is showcased on the breakfast menu.

Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen certainly provides its customers with the classic British with its own twist of modern international flavours, mainly Ramsay's deep knowledge into French cuisine. 

The Seabass Carpaccio is one of Ramsay's many dishes at Bread Street Kitchen that combine modern flavours

As you may be able to make out from the picture, the decor and interior of the place is absolutely brilliant! The restaurant is nicely lit, and opens up to a beautiful bar, a trademark of fine dining restaurants. The decor and ambience at Bread Street Kitchen is another elements that helps in a wonderful customer experience.

Bread Street Kitchen Singapore

Bread Street Kitchen Singapore is said to open at The Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands in April/May 2015. Clearly starting up here in Singapore is not going to be easy in the beginning, due to the great competition in fine dining restaurants at The Shoppes, with celebrity chefs such as Wolfgang Puck, Daniel Bould, Mario Batali etc. Due to the huge number of fine dining restaurants, The Shoppes is a mall high in demand for fine dining restaurants, which is why Ramsay chose to open Bread Street Kitchen there. 

This is not the first time Ramsay has been to Singapore; he visited in 2013 and participated in the Hawker Heroes Challenge and in fact won the award for the best Chilli Crab, a tantalizing local delight. Ramsay was impressed with the quality and standard of food presented by local hawkers, and was in awe of the entire atmosphere here, which was probably why he was inspired to start his own restaurant here.

Chef Gordon Ramsay at the Hawker Heroes Challenge in SIngapore (2013)

Ramsay had in fact stated that Bread Street Kitchen Singapore is going to be different from the original outlet in London, as Ramsay is said to add a "Singapore-Style Blend". This blend hopes to attract more locals to his restaurant. Gordon Ramsay also mentioned in a statement that although food may not be cheap (nor too expensive), it would good value for money.

Apart from that, Ramsay recently hired a local intern to work at his restaurant, by the name of Koh Han Jie, after an intense cook-off between several interns at Marina Bay Sands. The contestants had to cook a three dishes, with egg being the hero of the dish. Due to Gordon Ramsay being a perfectionist, these eggs needed to be perfectly cooked soft-boiled. These dishes were then judged by Ramsay and the CEO of Marina Bay Sands, George Tanasijevich and eventually selected Koh for this highly reputed position. Ramsay said that this challenge was purely to bring out local talents, to kick-start Bread Street Kitchen Singapore. Koh mentions that he is exciting to start his internship with Gordon Ramsay and to work in a "fast-paced" restaurant. 

Ramsay himself is an experienced mentor, which is seen through his series such as 'Hell's Kitchen' and 'MasterChef', and has been mentors of chefs that have evolved through the years and have reached a culinary standard matching up to Ramsay's.

Bread Street Kitchen's new Intern Koh Han Jie (Centre), along with Chef Ramsay, and the CEO of MBS, George Tanasijevich
 

 With prices still being worked out, Bread Street Kitchen is on its way to make its second foreign appearance. Whether this restaurant would be a hit amongst locals, only time would tell. Hopefully I get the chance to try out this place myself once it opens next year; probably my most in-demand future review. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this post, as I vowed to do something different. Please leave a comment, and continue to follow my blog. Have a wonderful Christmas season!

Disclaimer:

I haven't been to Bread Street Kitchen and therefore all information presented in this post is information extracted from various sources and not from my own personal experiences.