Art of Dum, they give it all away in the name. This new gourmet delivery kitchen brand is making food artistic, and they are certainly doing it with ‘dum.’ Sanjay Vazirani of Foodlink fame made a foray into the delivery kitchen space in Mumbai. With Art of dum, they have secured a permanent place in our homes for meals that are celebratory, lavish, and simply lip-smacking. Credit their incredible cooking style or authentic flavors or even their sustainable packaging that impresses you with the first peek; they are certainly doing it all right. Not expected out of a cloud kitchen, my order made with the traditional ‘Dum Pukht’ style of slow cooking is something I won’t forget for a long time to come.
A good mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes filled my home with tantalizing aromas of Awadh, and that seldom happens. I usually talk about my experience in order of tasting. Still, before I gush over their impressive glass containers and clay pots down to the detail of sending even pickles in the cutest, miniature bottles, I will beak norm and sing praises of the dal makhani. It looked irresistible in the giant glass jar, which is why it was the first thing I tasted and was blown away. The dinner table was set, and the eyes were first placed on Lucknowi Tundey Ke Kebab.
If I had to describe this dish in a word, it would be -cotton. It was not just any cotton, soft, succulent, and bursting with flavor variety that also stole the spotlight from its veg counterpart Peele Mirch Ka Paneer tikka. For meat lovers, the latter is best avoided. While the starters were not on the same page, the main course certainly was. Giving the dal makhani a tough fight for ‘dish of the day was the butter chicken. While both delicacies are meant to be enjoyed with pieces of bread (we had three: pyaaz mirch ki roti, warqi paratha, and butter naan), the savory treats could be feasted on without accompaniments.
For Mumbaikars, good Mughlai food belongs to Delhi, but thanks to Aart of Dum, that statement will always be wrong, and food fit for kings will be relished at home in Mumbai. For desserts, we had Kesar da Phirni which I thought I would skip for lack of a sweet tooth. A bite into the chilled sweetness and my meal ended not on a sweet note but a whole song, for this cheesecake-lover couldn’t let go of the jar till it had nothing left to lick.
In conclusion, Art of Dum is what everyone in Mumbai needs to try once, at least. It will help you understand the nuances of tasty Mughlai food and get over that meal you relished in Delhi years ago. Mumbai has the best butter chicken, after all!
Where: Discovery Of India, Nehru Centre, Ground Floor, Dr Annie Besant Rd, Worli, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400018.