Barbeque Nation, a popular live grill restaurant in India, hosts a new food festival across all it’s outlets in the city with a theme that many would enjoy. The ‘Magic Of Mohammed Ali Road’ festival is one themed around the concept of signature street food items from the popular M.A Road in Mumbai. Barbeque Nation aims to recreate delicacies from Mumbai’s famous streets in Chennai with the ambiance, and sights and sounds themed to the festival. On arriving, we noticed the staff all dressed in a themed attire, dancing to Qawali music in the background. The festival invites the crowd to experience traditional Ramadan street food besides their popular grills. 

Highlights of the festival include live counters and rehri carts, where dishes like Mutton Seekh Kebab are made, allowing customers to view and enjoy the sights and fragrance of the food being made. What made our day on this visit was Nandi, a courteous waiter who always had a smile on his face and made sure we had everything we wanted. Service with a smile would be an understatement as this young man was also very interactive and kind enough to give us a little insight to the food as he brought them to our table, so we always knew what we were eating and the story behind it. “Mohammad Ali Road is known for its lip-smacking street food where people throng to enjoy traditional delicacies,” says Uday Menon, CBO of Barbeque Nation. He also says, “Magic Of Mohammed Ali Road is Barbeque Nation’s endeavour to bring the best of Mumbai’s street food, crafter by our expert chefs, to our patrons in gourmet style. We look forward in taking our diners through an enchanting culinary ride. We are confident that the festival will be very well received by our customers.” 

The South Regional Manager of Barbeque Nation, Ritam Mukherjee, added that, “The Magic Of Mohammed Ali Road menu is an exploration of the range of flavours that typify Iftaar street food in Mumbai. The dishes have very different tastes and flavours that set it apart from Mughlai, Lucknowi and Hyderabadi cuisine. We aim to recreate the magic of these delicacies on our diners’ plates while ensuring the dishes remain true to the original Mohammad Ali Road style of cooking. 

Barbeque Nation is a popular casual dining chain in India that offers a pre-fixed menu with a fixed price. With more than 50 outlets across the nation, it offers a blend of American, Mediterranean, Oriental, and Indian cuisine in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. The MA Road festival takes place across all outlets in the city until mid November and is open from 6:30pm onwards. 

What we had:

We had some delicious starters to begin with, all of which we enjoyed thoroughly. The grills were brought to the table, allowing us to enjoy their ‘live grill on the table’ concept. We binged on some tikkis, tikkas, and kebabs, including yummy skewers of corn, cottage cheese, and pineapples, that complemented the rest of the grills really well. 

Veg Tikki

Paneer, Pineapple, and Corn Skewers with Chutney Prawn Skewers, Mutton Sheekh Kebab

Chicken Tikka

Cajun Spiced Potato

For mains, we went with the specials that were created in line with the festival, themed to the street food flavours, and made well by the chefs of the restaurant. We tried the Nihari Gosht which is a rich gravy of soft and slow-cooked lamb, perfumed with spices and made in the traditional style. We also had some Zamzam Pulao which is a rice dish that consists of chicken, mixed vegetables, and nuts. It was impossible to resist the Mutton Khichda which was a rich and meaty stew that would fill you up. 

Nihari Gosht, Zamzam Pulao

Mutton Khichda

For dessert, we tried some delicious street food specials that, according to the restaurant, were sure to satisfy even the most discerning sweet tooth. And, we’re they right! 

Mawa Khaja

Malai Kulfi

Malpua

Kesari