Mumbai food: US restaurant chain's Andheri outlet is a surefire winner!

The latest outpost of newly imported US restaurant chain gets a desi heart with comforting flavours and pocket-friendly prices

Genuine Broaster Chicken
Food: Good
Service: Efficient
Ambience: Hip

'I told you not to put all the eggs in one basket,' reprimanded a mother hen to her husband in a funny sketch on a whitewashed wall while another showed a fight between the chicken and the egg where the former declared, 'I came first'. The chicken puns warmed us up to Genuine Broaster Chicken, which sprung up last week in the Seven Bungalows neighbourhood in Andheri. With a playlist populated by crowd favourites like Adele and Lana Del Rey, the kitschy eatery — fairy lights adorning sacks stuck to the ceiling and exposed bulbs protruding from blue-and-red helmets — presented a hip, young vibe.

Happy Fried Chicken

The 1953-established American brand, known for its unique pressure cooker-cum-deep fryer technique of cooking chicken, has been imported into India by Yellow Tie Hospitality. While we expected a typical, chicken-dominated QSR menu with a makhni gravy thrown in (since the menu says, 'American soul, Indian heart'), we were surprised to find a smorgasbord of pocket-friendly options, from the signature Broaster fried chicken to Franchos (fries loaded with sauces), pizzas, pastas, meaty lamb burgers, pan-seared fish, desi mains and woks, including several creations by the celebrity chef Harpal Singh Sokhi (of TV show Turban Tadka fame).

Ghotala Khichdi. Pics/Datta Kumbhar

Winner winner, chicken dinner
We began with one of Sokhi's reccos, Happy Fried Chicken (Rs 179) featuring six pieces of the tender, boneless chicken strips wrapped in a crunchy, ajwain-laced coating, accompanied by a curry mango jalapeno dip. While we loved the sweetish indie-flavoured dip, the dish mainly scored due to the succulent meat flavours retained in the broaster way of cooking, scoring over similar chicken pops we've tried at other assembly-line QSR eateries. We washed them with Tarbuj Cola (Rs 119), a refreshing thirst-quencher with a fine balance of watermelon juice and the fizzy cola.

The interiors

Next, we picked Melting Barrels (Rs 169), a vegetarian appetiser (surprisingly, the menu features equal number of veg options) comprising spring roll-like fried barrels stuffed with sweet corn and cheese filling served with a Thai sweet chilli dip. While the gooey stuffing was yum, the barrels lacked a crunch. Piqued by the quirky Anna's Chicken Idly (Rs 179), we called for it, expecting chicken stuffed between two idlis. However, what appeared were flat chicken patties, more like bland North Indian kebabs than the fluffy South Indian idlis.

What a ghotala!
A burst of flavours greeted us when we took a bite of the Lamb Rogan Josh Burger (Rs 279), another of the chef creations on the menu. The sponge soft, hot pink buns (colour derived from beetroot, we were told) packed in a delightfully meaty lamb patty, caramelised onions and spiced gravy. From the mains, we opted for a vegetarian Ghotala Khichdi (Rs 249). With portion sufficient for two, the dish comforted us with well-cooked rice laced with chopped veggies, chunks of cottage cheese and a butter masala gravy. Content, we left the restaurant promising a second date with Broaster Chicken soon.

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