New Menu at Bombay Canteen

I’ve said for a while that Hussain Shehzad is the best Indian chef of his generation. A visit to Bombay Canteen last month to try the food he has introduced since he took over at Bombay Canteen only reinforced that belief. 

Slow cooked pork belly thukpa 

He has taken forward the restaurant’s philosophy of taking regional cuisine and seasonal ingredients to create dishes that are fun and jammed with flavour, helping the restaurant rediscover its mojo in the post lockdown world. 

There were two big winners for me. The slow cooked pork belly thukpa was a stunning dish, a reminder to all lovers of noodles and broth that India has dishes that can bring you as much satisfaction as the best Ramen. The pork belly was every bit as succulent and soft and just as I expected from Hussain, especially since I consider him one of the four best chefs in the country when it comes to pork. The handmade noodles had a wonderfully thick, chewy but soft texture. The bacon broth needs to be bottled and sold to those who seek comfort and solace. The egg yolk was molten, gooey perfection and took the broth to a whole other level. And the furikake crackling gave it the perfect crunch.

The other dish I loved was a podi beef tartare, with a tamarind dressing and smoked egg yolk that felt like the creation of a third generation Tamil speaking madman in Pondicherry, identifiably French but undeniably South Indian. It was accompanied by a crispy Dosa wafer, sort of like a South Indian version of a prawn cracker which was just so inventive, using texture and deep frying to give us a completely different take on something so familiar. 

Raj Kachori 

I also loved Husain’s take on the bacon and choriz kulcha. The stuffed kulcha has been done to death but this one came with an egg yolk ketchup that lifted it far above the ordinary.

We also had a ghee roast Sheekh kebab that balanced the coarse grounded meat texture of a good Sheekh kebab with something that felt silken and more refined, and yes I know that sounds like a contradiction but once you eat it, you will know what I mean. 

The other dishes we ate (all good) were:

• Charred winter carrots with pickled onions, goat milk cheese and toasted pistachios
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• Bone marrow pepper fry with minced beef pepper fry and curry leaf
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• Paya soup momos, a paya filled take on the famous crystal dumplings in Din Tai Fung
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• - A Raj Kachori of toor dal, amchor chutney, ragda, picked dahi and crispies