Galouti kebab at Neel at Tote on the Turf.
Of all the kebabs that Indian cuisine has incorporated from the gastronomically wealthy city of Lucknow, the galouti or galawati kebab is the most tender. The galouti kebab (made with either minced mutton or beef) is said to have been invented to appease a toothless nawab who couldn’t bear to give up eating meat. Though easy on the tongue, the recipe for galouti kebabs is a complex combination of minced meat tenderised using raw papaya, basic ingredients like gram flour and butter, and aromatic herbs and spices (according to some recipes, there are over 100 including powdered cardamom, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, mace, red chilli, and peppercorn). In some cases, shaved coconut or rose essence is added to enhance the flavour. We sampled the mutton galouti kebab at ten restaurants to find the one with the right texture and the best balance of spices.
BLUE FROG
Mathuradas Mills Compound, opposite Kamala Mills, Lower Parel. Tel: 022 6158 6158.
Price: Rs475.
Blue Frog’s coin-sized patties were juicy, but of the grainy texture of a slider patty. The greasy kebab was served with a puffy naan that was too yeasty for our liking.
★★☆☆☆
CARAVAN SERAI
155, Golden Orchid, Waterfield Road, Bandra (West). Tel: 022 2645 9711. Red Box Building, Andheri Link Road, Lokhandwala, Andheri (West). Tel: 022 2639 0001.
Price:Rs315.
Place Caravan Serai’s fiery red galouti besides the one from Punjab Grill (see below) and you’ll have a tough time telling them apart. Both could do with a lot less spice and a better ratio of mutton to flour.
★★☆☆☆
JAMAVAR, THE LEELA KEMPINSKI WINNER
Sahar, Andheri (East). Tel: 022 6691 1345.
Price: Rs1,295.
Deeply fragrant, smoothly textured and rich but not unpleasantly so, Jamavar’s masterfully made kebabs are the stuff of royal banquets. ★★★★1/2
JEWEL OF INDIA
Nehru Centre, Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli. Tel: 022 2494 9217.
Price: Rs550.
Jewel of India’s charred brown, Monaco biscuit-sized kebabs were pasty as opposed to creamy and a bit dense on account of too much besan that overwhelmed the flavour of the spices. ★★☆☆☆
KAKORI HOUSE
Shops 4 & 5, Building 25, Linkway CHS, Meera Tower, Oshiwara, Andheri (West). Tel: 022 6453 9950. For other locations, see here.
Price:Rs250.
You get a hit of garam masala after biting into Kakori’s chunky and sinfully creamy galouti kebab. Though slightly pungent, it’s great value for money. ★★★★ ☆
KEBAB KORNER, INTERCONTINENTAL MARINE DRIVE
135 Marine Drive. Tel: 022 3987 9999.
Price: Rs845.
The florid colour of Kebab Korner’s mutton galouti is a warning sign of the amount of red chilli powder (and presumably food colouring) in the patty. We also detected the flavour of grated coconut in the kebab, the burn from which was intolerable after a few bites. ★★☆☆☆
NEEL AT TOTE ON THE TURF WINNER
Mahalaxmi Race Course, opposite Gates 5 & 6, Keshvrao Khadye Marg, Mahalaxmi. Tel: 022 6157 7777.
Price: Rs585.
Neel’s galouti kebabs are a study in proportion. Their flattened and lightly charred-on the-surface patties had the right balance of tender and mushy minced meat, and spices. The kebabs are served with a crisped ghee-soaked paratha that helps to hold up the melting patty. ★★★★1/2
PALI BHAVAN
10, Pali Naka, near Costa Coffee, Bandra (West). Tel: 022 2651 9400.
Price: Rs650.
The buttery texture of Pali Bhavan’s galouti kebabs allows you to scoop the meat up with a knife and smear it on the accompanying paratha. Though subtly spiced, the kebabs are so rich that eating just two (out of the four that come in a plate) will make you feel like you’ve eaten a full meal. ★★★★☆
PUNJAB GRILL
Third Floor, Palladium, Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel. Tel: 022 4347 3980. Also at 9 Gulmohar Road, Juhu Supreme Shopping Centre, opposite Sujay Hospital, JVPD Scheme, Juhu. Tel: 022 4243 3100.
Price:Rs495.
Nearly the circumference of our palm, Punjab Grill’s generously-portioned galouti kebabs suffered from an excessive amount of red chilli powder and too much besan. ★★☆☆☆
ZAFFRAN
Mathuradas Mills, next to Blue Frog, Lower Parel. Tel: 022 3378 9524. See here for other locations.
Price: Rs425.
Zaffran’s slim mince kebab had the grainy texture of a regular mutton patty and as such it didn’t quite feel like we were eating a galouti. The kebab’s redeeming feature was that it was subtly spiced. ★★☆☆☆