Umraan

2000 hours, Jan 5, Thursday, Bandra Pali Hill

The Prelude:

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Umraan, launched on Oct 5, 2016, is positioned as an Indian melange kitchen with a leaning towards the North Indian food. It is the brainchild of Rahul Malik, the ex-owner of Subway franchise since last fourteen years, who then sold it off to pursue his dream of setting up his own brand. A QSR model, it serves some unique fusion food, the likes of which have never been seen before.

The Personality:

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I get to talk to the Co-Founder cum Head chef of the place, Albana Khatri. Albana is an IIHM Chennai alumni, with a host of marquee brands behind her – The Park group, the Taj Group, Svenska, and the Norwegian Cruise Liner. Having earned her stripes exclusively in Italian cuisine and sans any professional training in the Indian one, she has happened to be the Head chef of this place by pure chance. The story goes that on just the very day before the trials, the appointed Indian chef decided to move on ad hoc, leaving the reins solely in her hands. Fortuitous in hindsight, there is little doubt now if she would prefer to trade places with anyone else.

The Precursor:

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“It all stemmed from our observation of the International QSRs doing phenomenal business abroad, and with a wonderment why we couldn’t have the same phenomenon here. So the journey before the launch was a whole two years long, understanding markets, understanding people, understanding preferences. People here do love Indian food. The adaptation of flavours available in Indian cuisine is rarely available in Indian food.”

 

The Program:

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Albana is responsible for bringing the element of science in her food. “You have to have the food cooked in the right way, at the right temperature and delivered right. You do not have to put oodles of cream or butter in a Makhani gravy. You don’t have to put tonnes of masala to make the food taste great. One single spice does not necessarily have to kill all the others. It is where my experience with the Mediterranean cuisine has come in handy.”

“We have standardised processes set in place. How much fat should go in, how much masalas, all controls are established. We have a centralised procurement for veggies and meat, sourced fresh daily. We use Groundnut oil in our food. Our Malai Paneer comes from Punjab and Sindh. There is no use of MSG, excess soda in starch, artificial flavouring or preservatives. Everything is real authentic stuff.”

"I am willing to lay a wager on my food, I am so proud of it. People can walk out of my place with a full meal and yet not feel a sickly feeling or acidity or extreme satiety."

And the sting in the tail, she looped off with “None of the food items in our menu is deep fried. Not a single one”.

 

The Platter:

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TWISTED RC (4 / 5): And twisted it was! This was a hummus with a replacement of chickpeas with our commoner Rajma. Light brown hue, a little grainy, and with the distinct Rajma twang. A first for me, a pleasant jolt of sorts. Served with bagel chips to go along with.

COCO-TI (4.5 / 5): So to be a distinct stand out from the run of the mill Paneer and aloo starters, you had this Coconut Tikkis. A super nice addition of desiccated coconut in the mash to churn out light and fluffy tikkis.

DESI TIKKI (4 / 5): Again a pan seared delicacy. Having bits of carrot and capsicum. Resonating the Indian flag. Hence the name. Nice healthy stuff, super garlicky.

YENNA CHICKEN (4.5 / 5) : Chicken spices marinated with and cooked with South Indian spices. An affair of red chilli powder, shredded coconut, caramelised onion, cumin and garlic. The coconut element was luckily dominant, and that made it all the more appealing.

VIDESI CHICKEN (4 / 5): An American Barbeque chicken. Smoked stripes with Indian spices. Decent as they come, I would, however, place my bet on the earlier variety.

CHICKEN BHUNA BIRYANI (4.5 / 5): The distinct flavour of the char. Like the bhuna chicken and the long grained rice had been layer alternated and kept for simmer on coal embers for a very very long time. The boneless chunks of chicken were adequate and the overall fare was extremely appealing.

 

The Pleasure:

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LAALGULLA (4.5 / 5): Desi red velvet anyone? These were pinkish rasgullas in a creamy white syrup. More flavoursome than your typical Bengali ones, well balanced in sweetness and an on the mark closure to the rich meal. 

The Postlude:

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Umraan is another kid on the block all set to ruffle some feathers. To break the impression of stereotype Indian food dished out by vintage players. To wow the audience with their imaginative mix and match. There are immediate plans to make their menu a more wholesome one by introducing the mandatory daals and rotis and beverages (Imli mojito anyone?) That would be the day. It's a big thumbs-up as of today.

The Prescription:

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1) Increase the spread of items on the menu card to twice the present number at a minimum.

2) How about introducing a few mutton items?

3) Seafood?

4) Some degree of tom-tomming in the market.

5) Tie up with Groupon, LBB and other similar.

6) Aim for a fine dining location soonest.

The Parameters:

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The Food Quotient : Food Quality 5 / 5, Food Choices 4 / 5, Food Portion 4 / 5, Food Presentation 4 / 5

The Other Determinants: Location 4.5 / 5, Cleanliness ---, Warmth 5 / 5

The Hygiene Factors : Ambience ---, Space quotient ---, Delivery time 4.5 / 5

The Conclusives : Food Price 4 / 5, Overall Experience 4.5 / 5, Will I Visit again 5 / 5

The Ps:

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