This new restaurant serves Parsi food near Palghar on the highway

Down the rickety Ahmedabad Mumbai National Highway No 8 manoeuvring through heavy trucks and trailers we drove one Sunday at 630 am to the FoodHub at Haloli near Palghar We reached in two hours and were welcomed by Chef Shezad Marolia who met us two days before the opening of Cafe Farohar this weekend for an exclusive for Sunday middayMarolia has been running the original Cafeacute Farohar at Udwada with his mother Hilla since 2016 He decided to offer Parsi cuisine on the highway to feed a larger audience especially nonParsis ldquoEveryone returning to the city stops at Food Hub to either refuel or take a breakmdashit is the last food court before Mumbai on this highway and so it made business sense to start hererdquo he saysChef Shezad MaroliaThis 200seater outlet looks vibrant with its brightly coloured walls and graffiti of Parsis savouring dishes created by artist Manish Gurunath Parab We particularly loved the installation on the wall of bawajis on three scooters The chequered red and white tablecloth the bell jar pendant lamp and the Asho Farohar on the entrance door lend an old Parsi eatery vibemdashmaking it relevant across generations Like oldschool restaurants there is an AC and nonAC section and Marolia has acquired a bar licence tooThe real hero here is the food Marolia brings years of experience in professional kitchens paired with the homely touch of his motherrsquos kitchen Fresh ingredients are sourced daily with Marolia shuttling between Mumbai and Udwada Whole spices are bought and ground inhouse and the chef is highly particular about marination time ldquoMy mum was a home chef so my love for food stems from my childhoodmdashIrsquod help her do the little thingsrdquo he recalls Marolia wants people to explore Parsi dishes beyond patras and pulaos available at popular Parsi eateriesBoiThe menu we are told would comprise 250 dishes from their original menu at Udwada We tried the fried vengna ni katri Rs 220 which was mildly spiced but perfectly cooked and was creamy even without the cheese on top We skipped the farcha Rs 200 and salli marghi Rs 355 and went straight to atheli marghi Rs 330 one of the best we have had with the right balance of flavour and spices The chicken was well coated with masalas and went perfectly with rotlisKid gosht Rs 440 was next It is made with baby sheep or goat meat and was tender and cooked in a cashew curry paste What we noticed was that unlike the other versions we have had before this one wasnrsquot too sweet ldquoThatrsquos because we use a combination of magaz seeds kernals and cashews so the sweetness is reduced and you get to appreciate the creamy textures of the gravyrdquo explains MaroliaVengna nu katri and Bhatia goshtThe bhaji dana ma gosht Rs 440 reminded us of an Awadhi speciality called shalgam gosht in a dry avatar The blend of greens spinach and methi with meat that falls off the bone had us requesting an extra rotli to savour it The patra ni macchi price as per size and patra ni paneer R220 here are perfect proof of what good marination can do to a dish Also we liked that like a good Parsi dish this one had hints of sweetness but was not cloyingly sweet as some places tend to serveWe couldnrsquot decide if in the mutton pulao dal Rs 440 we loved the creamy sagan ni mori dal more than the fragrant pulao dal Again the meat just fell off the bones Served with kachumar we could easily have gone for a second helping if the crispfried boi fish Rs 220 had not been staring at us from the sidelines We were like a little kid in a candy shop It was the crispiest most delicately flavoured boi we have had in recent times What also had our heart was the bhatia gosht Rs 440mdashmeat cooked with potatoes Marolia tells us bhatia in Gujarati means potlimdashthis is a dish people used to make and carry between travels especially on huntsDid we wash it all down with raspberry soda and a dash of limemdashyes Did we have lagan nu custard Rs 80 caramel custard Rs 65 sev Rs 110 and mitthu dahi Rs 45 and raspberry jelly Rs 55 for dessertmdashwell it would be a crime not toIn the same food court Marolia also has Udwada Bakers that sells oldfashioned baked items such as cookies palmiers khari macaroons and more On weekends the glass shelf is brimming with onthego savouries like puffs and patties Marolia tells us that at Cafe Farohar also has breakfast items such as kheema akuri bun maska and choi Also doodh na puff a centuries old sweetened milk drink that is beaten to a frothldquoNext stop for Cafe Farohar is Mumbairdquo Marolia signs offWHERE Cafe Farohar FoodHub Haloli Near Palghar Off AhmedabadMumbai National Highway No 8