Mumbai Food: This resto-bar gives twist to age-old tradition of tiffins

The veg and non-veg spread; (from left) chicken tikka masala gravy, cottage cheese tikka, chicken squash soup, fenugreek paneer; (top row) peri peri chicken, garlic coriander kulcha. Pics/Rane Ashish

When the British arrived on the Indian Subcontinent, they were quite bamboozled by what Indians were consuming at mid-day - in most cases, a light luncheon or snack in between meals - which to them, had been afternoon tea for the longest time. An anglicised attempt to get familiar with Indian culinary traditions with the help of language is how we got tiffin, an Anglo-Indian term, most likely to have been derived from the English slang tiffing, meaning a quick drink.

Now, a Lower Parel restaurant is giving the age-old concept their own twist as they kick off the Taxi Tiffin Service, akin to what we commonly call an express lunch. "Corporates who don't get enough time to have a proper lunch can get hearty, healthy and tasty food in tiffin boxes reminiscent of their childhood. We wanted to add fun to their lunchtime," said chef Nagraj Bhat of the London Taxi about why the resto-bar decided to start affordable lunch schemes.

The lunch as it arrives

The veg taxi tiffin (Rs 450) comprises roasted bell pepper soup, an overtly tangy, almost rancid mash that failed to please us; cottage cheese tikka, a creamy serving of paneer cooked in masalas and garnished with nuts; and fenugreek paneer aka methi paneer, a luscious red gravy that we mop up with toothsome garlic coriander kulchas..

Coffee banana cake and caramel custard

The non-veg tiffin (Rs 550), too, comes with an unappetising chicken squash soup that is made up for by the masaledar peri peri chicken, which despite its fancy name is really good old chicken tikka. The palatable chicken tikka masala gravy is uniquely paired with pita pockets.

In short, it's decent food priced reasonably though we wish they would offer office delivery. If your next question is whether we were bowled over, we'd say not. But the next time we're in Lower Parel looking for a quick grub with not too many dimes to spare, would we bear this dabba in mind? Yes.

TIME 12 pm to 4 pm
AT Kamala Mills, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel.
CALL 30150876

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