Celebrating Delicacies Of Three States By Jamavar At The Leela Mumbai

The elegance and atmosphere of Jamavar is out of the world with walls adorning beautiful scarlet hues, candle-lit tables, silver platter and soft melodies making you want to hum along. That’s the mere beginning of our lovely dining experience, just a day before Baisakhi. With the harvest season around and the buzz of New Year around the country, Jamavar at The Leela Mumbai has managed to bring the celebrations to the city, capturing them in a menu dedicated to three states – Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Punjab.

The Festival Of Three States At Jamavar

Chef Surender Mohan has done a fantastic job of planning out a menu dedicated to the harvest festival in the three states. He’s picked the best of the dishes from each state and worked his culinary magic on all of them. The festival menu is here till the 18^th of April and we can only say one thing – Don’t Miss Out! Here’s why – family gatherings are a big part of festivities and this is one of the rare places in Mumbai that lets you do just that. In the company of great food, drinks, music and commendable hospitality, you can just let yourself be with your loved ones and go home with happy memories that begin with sentences like ‘remember that night at Jamavar…’

The Food

Coming to the flavours of the dishes, we have to say, each one was a delight. We were served fried papad with Pudina Chutney and Inji Podi to nibble on as we waited for the feast. We loved the podi and couldn’t help but take second and third rounds of papad just to mop it up. We were then served tall glasses of Kesar Pista Lassi along with Malai Peda, both native to Punjab. The lassi was refreshing, thick and full of flavour, just the way it should be. The Malai Peda was melt-in-the-mouth soft holding true to the word malai and we simply loved it.

Our first appetizer was Murgh Tikka Kandahari which was made tandoori style and finished off with a pomegranate glaze and served with a slightly spicier pudina chutney and red onion salad. It was oh so yum! One of the best tikkas we’ve had in a long time, no wonder it’s the house specialty! Next we tried their Multani Tikkey, a paneer delicacy. In the middle of the tikka there was a sweet raisin paste and the outside was crisp and covered in spices. The dish was flavourful and quite tasty. The third appetizer was the Kerala Samosa, a crispy delight filled with lightly tossed carrots, cabbage and green chillies. The red chutney served along with it made it a spicy affair and we loved the crispiness of the samosas.

The Lahori Seekh at Jamavar transported me back to my childhood when I used to binge on seekh fresh out of the tandoor in a popular Delhi eatery. Needless to say, it was absolutely divine as the masalas were on point and the seekh was juicy, tender and succulent. We also loved the spicy, Chemmeen Roast which is a dish native to Kerala. The state is well known for its spices and of course, their fresh seafood. The prawns were jam-packed with flavours. We loved the simplicity in cooking and this was a fiery delight that we absolutely loved.

For the mains we tried the Vaiga Fish Curry, a Tamil Nadu specialty with Set Dosas. The curry was aromatic and delicious plus the soft, porous dosas were a perfect combination with it. Next we tried the famous Sarson ka Saag with the mustard greens sourced straight from Punjab and served with white butter made in-house and it was so, so good. We mopped it up with a delectable Missi Roti which is the best option while pairing bread with Punjabi delicacies. Next we tried the Raarha Meat which was made using both bone marrow and minced meat. The meat was falling off the bone giving evidence of thorough cooking and the flavours so good they can make your taste buds dance in delight.

We then went on to try Chooza Makhani which was well cooked in a tomato gravy giving a delicate, rich taste and stands true to the North Indian cooking. This is one of the best chicken gravy dishes in the city and is a must try. So is the Daal Jamavar which is slow cooked, packed with robust flavours and topped with a dollop of butter. The perfect pair of the daal is piping hot Missi Roti. Come to Jamavar for just the trio of Chooza Makhani, Daal Jamavar and Missi Roti and we’re sure you’ll love the feast!

With such a spectacular and lavish fare we somehow managed to taste the desserts which were: Pinni, Malai Kulfi and Adda Pradhaman. The Adda Pradhaman, a Kerala special Payasam beat the other two desserts with regards to the depth of flavours and the perfect amount of sweetness! The kulfi was creamy and delicious and the pinni, always a delight! Do not forget to pick up a paan at the exit to have a complete experience of a delightful Indian meal. We highly recommend that you visit Jamavar at The Leela Mumbai for the festive menu ongoing till the 18^th of April and if you can’t make it, plan a visit anyway. Yup, it’s that good!