Navroz is just around the corner. The Parsi New Year is associated with a sumptuous spread of food. Needless to say, one of our favourite Parsi restaurants SodaBottleOpenerWala is planning something super special this year round as well. It also happens to be the 5th year anniversary of the renowned Parsi joint. Navroz or Nowruz, signifies 'a new day'. According to ancient Zoroastrian scriptures, the king of Persia, Jamshed ascended the throne on this auspicious day. Nowruz is one of the most significant festivals for the Zoroastrian community across the world. A decadent Nowruz feast plays a key role in the celebrations, the feast at SBOW clubbed the sumptuous bhonu with unlimited cocktails and Sangria!
The special bhonu is available for a month. If you are craving comfort food, brimming with authentic Parsi flavours, you have got yourself an amazing deal at SBOW. Navroz is scheduled to be celebrated on 21st March. However, SodaBottleOpenerWala plans to commence the feast on the 15th itself and keep it going till 15th April.
The bhonu curated by Chef Anahita, includes a special variety of vegetarian and non- vegetarian options. In our Non-vegetarian thali, she served us an eclectic gajar ka achaar, a handful of crispy saria papad, sprouted kachumber salad, cucumber and mint raita, chicken pattice, mutton masala ni dal, butter peas pulao, prawns patio, ragi roti and papeta papti nu shak, which is basically a fried vegetarian preparation of spiced potatoes and seamphali. We ended our feast with toothsome falooda, and a bowl of nutty lagan nu custard.
Since the Nowruz falls on the spring equinox, there's a special emphasis laid on the seasonal foods. Chef Anahita also told us that there is a reason why they serve the food in a certain order. You start with something light like papads, achaar and kachumbar salad, then you progress to something heavier like mutton dal, and prawns patio. Also, the dal and mutton are cooked separately. Chef Anahita added the mutton chunks right before we started digging into our feasty dal, a traditional recipe passed down through generations in a Parsi household. Another Parsi fixation we learnt yesterday was the practice of topping the pulav with fried onions. The crispy onions add a nice crunch and complement well with the rice smeared in dal.
The special menu is up for only a month; lovers of Parsi home-cooked food, you know where to head! And for those who have never tried Parsi cuisine, this may prove to be a heart-warming experience.
When: From 15th March to 15th April 2019
Timings: 12 noon onwards
Cost Navroz Dronu : INR 1200 ++ for Bhonu with Unlimited Sangrias or Cocktails. INR 625++ for Veg and INR 695++ for Non Veg Bhonu
About Sushmita SenguptaSharing a strong penchant for food, Sushmita loves all things good, cheesy and greasy. Her other favourite pastime activities other than discussing food includes, reading, watching movies and binge-watching TV shows.