A safe and savoury Ramzan

Nasreen Navani with her signature Mughlai dum biryani. You need to cut through the dough to get to the dish

For ammi ke haath ki biryani
Cuffe Parade-resident Nasreen Navani started Masalaesque two years ago with the idea of delivering meals that remind you of the masalas used by your mum.

Kheema samosa, butter chicken pops and mutton shammi kebab. Pics/Bipin Kokate

For this festive season, Navani has curated a menu that features street-style food, and has all the special dishes such as biryani, khichda, shammi kebabs, sevaiyan and even Iftar boxes, and special boxes for kids. Do keep an eye out for her weekend special menus, which will offer a different style of biryani every time.
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WHAT: Masalaesque, Cuffe Parade
WHEN: 11 AM-3 PM and 7 PM-1 AM on Swiggy & Zomato
PRICE: Rs 600 onwards
CALL: 9892900777

A taste of Lebanon

Bakalava. Pics/Sameer Markande

Arbab, a Lebanese fine dining restaurant by restaurateurs Faiz and Fahad Kadawalla, brings flavours from the streets of Beirut. Expect roasted meats and Arabic bread by their Lebanese chef. For Ramzan, they are offering a menu with dishes like manakish (foldable flatbreads) with toppings like zaatar, akawi cheese and lahmbajin, and a mutton shawarma platter. Other must-try dishes are reyash (grilled lamb chops) and mashawi mushakkal that includes lamb kebab, shish tawouk, lamb tikka and lamb chops served with grilled vegetables. For dessert, they have knafeh (Arabic cake) umm ali (Egyptian-style bread pudding) best paired with Suleimani chai.
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WHAT: Arbab, Bandra West
WHEN: 12 pm onwards
PRICE: Rs 1,600 for two
CALL: 7977026900

It's a date

Dates are a big part of Iftar and this gourmet dates brand is offering a wide range to pick from. What's more, the dates are 100 per cent organic. Some of their most popular varieties include ajwa, medjool, khidri and segai. You can either buy pure dates or get yourself variations, such as dates with candied orange, lemon peel, caramelised pecans, roasted almonds, pistachio, hazelnut or even macadamia nuts. All the options can be customised into gift boxes too.
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WHAT: Bateel dates
WHERE: www.bateel.com
PRICE: Starting at Rs 4,300 per kilo

Sample some smokin' chops

Chef Farida Kutiyanwala started her home chef journey in 2015 with The Big Spread. For Ramzan, she is putting out her signatures such as smoked mutton haleem, smoked red masala raan, tandoori smoked mutton chops, red masala mutton kheema, baida roti and smoked mutton naan sandwich. Each week, she will have new dishes on the menu and all of them come highly recommended.
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WHAT: The Big Spread, Mumbai Central
WHEN: All through Ramzan on pre-order
PRICE: Rs 250 onwards
CALL: 9323024509

Kheema GoT, anyone?

Pack-a-Pav hopes to pack a punch with their sumptuous Ramzan menu. They will bring back the nostalgia street food of Mohammad Ali Road with their haleem and nalli nihari that will complement the toasty flavour of their specially crafted buns. You can also enjoy mutton seekh kebab, mutton shami, mutton potato patty, and Kheema GoT (ala), their take on the traditional kheema served with brun pav.
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WHAT: Pack-a-pav, Bandra West
WHEN: Noon to midnight (on pre-order only)
PRICE: Rs 400 onwards
CALL: 9920230240

Desi delights

All month long, chef Amninder Sandhu will be spinning her magic with an Iftar of vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian dishes, including broccolini galouti kebab, beetroot seekh kebab, dahi papdi chaat, chicken samosa, mutton seekh kebab, and kheema kulcha. Biryanis include chicken, mutton and raan, jackfruit biryani, and anda and aloo biryani. For desserts there are gulab jamun, jalebi, rabdi, gur rasmalai, and gosht ka halwa. "Treats like slow-cooked haleem and nalli nihari can be ordered in the night before and savoured at Sheri time - these are filling and nutritious and will help you sustain through a whole day of fasting," says Sandhu.
WHAT: Iktaara, Byculla
WHEN: 11 AM-11 PM
PRICE: Rs 180 onwards
CALL: 9967435879

Ever tried nalli biryani?

Renaissance Mumbai is innovating and offering an Iftar meal that can be enjoyed at home with your family. Their chefs have created a special menu that features biryanis for vegetarian and non-vegetarian lovers along with individual or family-size servings of a variety of Iftar meal boxes. Select from a wide range of options such as nalli biryani, gulnar raan biryani and bhatti murg biryani.
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WHAT: Renaissance Mumbai, Powai
WHEN: April 12-May 12, 12 PM-7 PM, order via Mariott On Wheels, Swiggy or Zomato
PRICE: Starting at Rs 1,200 per kilo
CALL: 66927777

Serving with love

Besides being involved in community work of distributing food packets to the needy, Anmol Caterers is known for their lip-smacking food. Ramzan is another level of awesomeness.

There is a different menu for each day and a special mini thal with dishes like chicken tandoori tikka, chicken malai tikka, chicken reshmi seekh kebabs, mutton lasagna, crispy corn, freshly cut fruits with chocolate sauce, ras malai parafait and khajoor. Second-generation chef entrepreneur Azhar Lokhandwalla says, "While a thal has dishes from different cuisines, we try and strike a balance. After a few trial and errors, we know what flavours work well with each other. And quantities, too."

Mustafa Lokhandwalla with sons Saif and Azhar. Pics/Bipin Kokate
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WHAT: Anmol Caterers, Reay Road
WHEN: 4 PM-8 PM
PRICE: Rs 550 for two
CALL: 9223263887

Capital treat

Thank god for small wonders like the fact that Delhi's Karim's is now in Mumbai with their special meal options for both Iftar and Sehri. Choose from a variety of kebabs, curries and desserts featuring some traditional favourites like their famous paya, nihari, and phirni during Sehri, and their popular kebabs, burras and tikkas at Iftar to name a few. Add to that shahi sheermal, a special dessert-bread, available only during the month. This is in addition to their regular menu, so there's plenty of choice.
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WHAT: Karim's, Bandra West
WHEN: 4.30 PM-5 AM
PRICE: Rs 120 onwards
CALL: 7208656257 or via Swiggy and Zomato

Kurla on a plate

Back by popular demand, Central Mumbai's all-time favourite brand, Mughal Flavours Grand, Kurla, is re-launching this Ramzan with a special Iftari box menu, besides their usual favourites. Available in regular, large and premium boxes, you'll find a mix of dishes like Russian cutlet, shahi roll, lollypop, Mongolian and red kaandi to Lucknowi kebabs, Al-Baik, tawa rolls and phirnis.
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WHAT: Mughal Flavours Grand, Kurla
PRICE: Rs 150 onwards
CALL: 8097388103 or via Swiggy and Zomato

Homemade love

Ramzan can be stressful for those toiling away in the kitchen to make a huge spread. That's where home chef Mumtaz Kazi's ready-to-fry starters and customised Iftari boxes come as a saviour. There are mutton and chicken dishes like shami kebabs, pattices, cutlets, and samosas, but you'll also find the quintessential tilli gurda chana batata, dahi vade, chatpate theekhey aloo, mutton naan chaap, tandoori leg and ragda. Sweet dishes include firni, shahi kheer, fruit custard, jaldaru ka custard, trifle pudding, tiramisu, malpua rabdi, chocolate mousse, and zarda. In coolers there are sherbets in apple, watermelon, badam and butter scotch flavours. Kazi says, "Cooking every day can get taxing during the fast and it becomes hard to focus on prayers, too. These home-cooked foods come in extremely handy and the size of kebabs and cutlets are larger than normal. We do not compromise on quality and quantity."
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WHAT: Mumtaz's Kitchen, Andheri
WHEN: 4 PM onwards
PRICE: Rs 900 per dozen onwards
CALL: 9833308960

Have an Indo-European Iftar

Chef Anise Khan's Iftar special boxes are a huge hit already. The customised box is a celebration of sweets and culinary innovations and comes with a different menu for each day. It is packed with a variety of dishes and desserts from chicken kathi rolls and spring rolls to baked chicken au-gratin and date-walnut pudding, hapus mango mousse, and stuffed malpuas, perfect for Ramzan. "We wanted it to be a mix of Indian and continental dishes to suit everyone's palate," says Khan.
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WHAT: Star Anise Patisserie, Colaba and Lokhandwala
WHEN: 10 AM-8 PM
CALL: 9136400980 (Colaba) and 7700043531 (Lokhandwala)
PRICE: Rs 399/box for two persons

Kitna hai dum?

Craving good biryani? This place in Nerul is a known name for over two decades now. Second-generation entrepreneur Feroz Khan who runs the place says, "We introduced Navi Mumbai to the concept of kacche ghost ki biryani cooked over charcoal using an iron sigdi. We still follow the original recipe and preparation style brought down by our ancestors. To that, we've added authentic Mughlai dishes and tawa foods as well. That includes the bhunas, roasts and tawa gravies in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options, and nine varieties of tikkas, tandooris and seekh kebabs." Their rumali rotis and reshmi parathas are pillow-soft and go perfectly with the tikkas and the gravies. For dessert, there is shahi tukda and caramel pudding - both a must for Iftar tables.
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WHAT: Famous Dum Biryani, Nerul
Price: Rs 150 onwards
CALL: 27579499

Iftar in a box

The Bohri Kitchen needs no introduction and, this season, they have recreated their Bohri thaal experience into Iftar boxes and Iftar platters. The Iftar meal box is a meal for one and includes kharaas (appetiser), jaman (main course) usually a biryani, and meethas (dessert). Expect signature hits such as the dum biryani, smoked kheema samosa, Russian cutlet and matka phirni along with dry fruits and rose sherbet in the box. The Iftar platter is good for two and comes with their bestselling starters such as kheema samosas, mutton shami kebab, cutlets, chicken shahi roll and chicken baida roti.
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WHAT: The Bohri Kitchen, Worli
WHEN: Available on pre-order only (24 hours prior). Orders can be placed between 10 AM and 7 PM
PRICE: Rs 550 each
CALL: 9819447438

Tuck into a Mughal meal

Sabir Shaikh. Pics/Anurag Ahire

Sabir Bhai, a cloud kitchen in Andheri, brings the authentic Mughlai flavour to your home. Owner Sabir Shaikh has hired Sanaullah Khan, a bhatiyaar with over 30-plus years of experience, to rustle up an authentic meal.

Their Ramzan special menu includes mutton khichda, baghaara chaawal, mutton nargisi kebab, chana batata, raan (only on pre-order). They also offer the option of ordering and experiencing a daawat for a group of four people.

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WHAT: Sabir Bhai, Andheri West
WHEN: 4 PM till midnight
PRICE: Rs 200 onwards
CALL: 9321730322

Fusion mantra

Regular Iftar feasts can get monotonous sometimes. That's why chef Safa Malvankar of Buddies Cafe, Mumbra, decided to give it a fusion twist with her Ramzan special menu. Think chicken samosa and spring roll, doused in cheese sauce or chicken seekh and tikka boti with pasta sauce, malai seekh in shezwan sauce - ask for a combination (pre-order) and she'll make it for you. Churios for dessert? She's got that, too. Wash it down with a Roohafza mojito or rose and strawberry fizz. Malvankar says, "Of course the regular menu is available but I thought, why stick to the norm when you can go crazy. I know how hard some junk and cheesy food cravings can hit, that's why I decided to share my personal quirky kitchen mix-and-match experiments, which are a hit with our customers, too."

WHAT: Buddies Cafe, Mumbra
PRICE: Rs 100 onwards
CALL: 9867028018 or log into crisfoodhub app

For homemade cutlets and samosas

Shagufta's Kitchen's day-wise Iftar stories on Instagram are quite drool-worthy, but it is the taste of her food that is proof of her love for simple home-cooked meals. "I love sharing my home-cooked meals with those who love food and what better time than Ramzan," says home chef Shagufta Khan, whose Iftar treats include chicken cutlets, cheese-corn samosa, Russian kebab, kheema samosa, shami kebab, kheema aloo pattice, mutton chops fry, and mutton roll. There's also chana ragda, chana aloo chat and corn chana chat.
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WHAT: Shagufta's Kitchen
PRICE: Rs 150 onwards
CALL: 9820252744

Arabian Nights

Give your Iftar a twist of the Mediterranean and Arab world. The healthy box includes Arabian Nights cream cheese with dates, candied almonds, prunes and orange peel entirely yoghurt-based, fresh feta marinated in zaatar and garlic, baked spinach and cheese sambusak, no fry cheesy cigar rolls, baked falafel macaroons, lamb kibbeh and harissa sliders, mujjadra, batata harra, Moroccan chicken dip, eggplant and saffron dip, fresh tomato garlic salad and fresh fruit medley. Platter combinations and the menu can be customised. Shilpa Gupta says, "The whole menu is planned around ‘eat well, not less' and that healthy and low-fat food can also be packed with flavour. Let's apply that to the holy month too. Especially at a time when we have been forced to curtail our physical activities, let's eat light and feel right."
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WHAT: ttttapas by Shilpa Gupta
PRICE: Rs 4,999 per platter
CALL: 9820194985