#blahvsfood goes to Mustard, Mumbai

I had heard very mixed things about Mustard and I wasn’t sold on the idea of a place that made both French and Bengali food. I had read an awful review on BPB but I also had heard great things about Pritha Sen who created the menu. So I decided to go and try it out for myself and I came back with a huge smile and a full belly. 

I had just one French savoury dish, the classic French Onion soup cooked in Buffalo stock, as good as any you will ever have in this country, full of warmth and comfort. 

But it was the Bengali food that stole my heart. It wasn’t the food of West Bengal that we get in a place like Oh Calcutta but a broader Bengali cuisine with a strong Bangladeshi influence in some of the dishes. There was a degree of refinement to the cooking that was stunning. What really surprised me though is how they were able to create these freewheeling, inspired riffs on Bengali food while still making every dish feel familiar and comforting even if you were eating a very different version of the original.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Rajan Mhatre cooking there. I have known Rajan for about a decade from the time he used to work at Saltwater and I am so happy to see him do well and run his own kitchen. Clearly his time with the mad genius Gresham Fernandes has taught him a lot. To cook Bengali food of such a high standard is no easy task 

I had: 

Beetroot canapés with goat cheese cream

• French onion soup

Mini Luchi Aloor Dom

Pork Til Tel Kathi

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• The pork til-tel kathi was bloody brilliant. Inspired by the Khasi tribe, the pork cubes are coated in black sesame paste and smoked and roasted on a charcoal fire with pineapple chunks. The meat was fat and juicy and smokey and charred and all kinds of beautiful. To see Khasi pork cooked in a Muslim style is genius. It’s a dish I will keep going back to.

Kathi Kebab with dal puri

• The dal puris that really helped the Kathi Kebab it stand out from a traditional Kathi roll

• A bhetki Paturi, redolent with mustard and served in a banana leaf

Kosha mangsho

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  A perfect classic kosha mangsho served with pea kachori instead of luchis. This was such a good choice. The thick layer of cooked and crushed peas on the inside of the kachori really popped and elevated the dish. It was served with sag that was made with spinach, eggplant, wadi crumble and mustard as well as a fragrant dhakai dal made from masoor. All finished off with a sweet tomato chutney

Financier aux pistaches et framboises

Dessert was French again, a Financier aux pistaches et framboises. The spongy almond cake was nice and moist, the raspberry added a nice tartness and the dish felt almost as joyful as a great Tres leches.

For a drink I had a really inventive Mustard Sour with whole grain mustard that worked spectacularly.

All in all, a spectacular meal and a place I'll keep going back to.