Pav-packed affair

Irani chicken

Hits, misses, half-baked or over-done versions, and oddball creations - it's all been done in these past 14 months of the lockdown. Amidst these culinary adventures, ready-to-eat products often came to the rescue, especially when domestic helps were off-bounds, or worse, you were staring at terrifying deadlines. So, when entrepreneur Rohan Mangalorkar, founder of the successful Pack-a-Pav franchise, launched a range of heat-and-eat dishes to coincide with the opening of his Powai outlet, we wanted to give it a toss-up.

Products are packed in plastic boxes

Before we proceed, a note about the packaging. Each option comes in sturdy plastic boxes with details about its contents, cooking and storage. An eco-friendly, space-saving option would've made for a stronger first impression, Moreover, once opened, these boxes need to be stored in the freezer, and so they occupy ample shelf space.

All dishes can be pan-fried on a tawa or cooked in a microwave. The mutton shami (Rs 400, five pieces) and herb chicken seekh (Rs 360, five pieces) started off our late-night trial. The shami kebab and the seekh were generously portioned; this is true for the contents in all the boxes. The mince in the shami was tender, and can be a flavour bomb even if eaten solo. We remembered the baap version that we had tripped on during our wanderings in Lucknow's Qaisar Bagh many moons ago. The seekh was comparatively underwhelming; we could barely taste any herbed influence, and it was a tad chewy.

The Irani chicken (Rs 300, five pieces) was tried the following day; it was a palate-pleaser for its melt-in-mouth consistency. Texture-wise, these lightly spiced cutlets faintly reminded us of the kakori (also savoured from that sinful Lucknow trail), barring the delicate lacy egg coating. We were briefly teleported to one of the many occasions when we had tucked into the real deal at Fort's Ideal Corner. Brownie points for attempting to ace this Irani classic. The shami and Irani kebabs fit snugly into hot, butter-slathered pavs. Throw in a few slices of onion or garlic chutney powder, and you're set for a light, snacky dinner. Now, we weren't prepared for the calorie monster that was paneer and cheese (Rs 300, five pieces) kebab. The jugalbandi of paneer and cheese is too much to handle in one portion, and didn't sit lightly in our tummy.

Mutton shammi kebabs

On another night, after wrapping up work, we sampled the two semi-dry preparations. The butter chicken (Rs 375, 250 gms; Rs750, 500 gms) masaledaar filling can be stuffed into a pav or eaten with a roti or paratha. We did another memory hop to Delhi's iconic Gulati on Pandara Road where we relished the best butter chicken ever. This heat-and-eat offing was closer to a bhuna-style chicken dish that tasted yum, and was polished off in minutes. The tandoor sriracha mushroom (Rs 375, 250 gms; Rs 750, 500 gms) was another mixed bag. The home-style sriracha sauce added a spicy hit to the juicy button mushrooms but the smoked char of the tandoor was amiss. If you aren't fussy that the name on the box doesn't entirely represent what's inside, these two make for chatpata after-hour bites.

With plenty of strong players in Mumbai's packaged food market, including seasoned hands that boast of a wider range and smarter price points, Pack-a-Pav must ensure its flavour balance and portions remain top-drawer over time for it to create a significant impact.

At: Shop no 124, Galleria, first floor, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai
Call: 7777012499, 9920230240; also at Fort, Bandra and Versova outlets (delivery across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai)