Bindaas Begum Rockin' Raja | Indian Royal Recipes Beckon | Food Review | Restaurant Review

The land of Maharajas! That’s one aspect of India’s historical legacy. This is the land of Rajahs and Maharajahs and Ranis and Nawabs and Begums. We all grow up listening to stories of the pomp and splendour of their kingdoms. And obviously, the royal chefs and the delicacies they cooked up are all a part of this very fantastic legacy. So a passionate foodie couple got a food historian to take them on a culinary trail of a royal sort, one where they asked royal families to part with some of their cherished recipes. And then they chose the best of the lot of be part of the incredible menu at Bindaas Begum Rockin Raja.

The gorgeous ambiance, the polite staff, the HUGE menu (at very reasonable prices) at this lovely foodie destination in Mulund are all a part of a royal ambiance, but all with a dash of contemporary chilled out vibe. Don’t be fooled into thinking that this is a place only for ‘oldies’ or lovers of ‘historical or vintage’ era or that it serves royal thaali. This is a young place where everybody will find something awesome. While they have many novelties on the menu, they have tried and tested Indian gems too (like Subz Miloni, Tandoori Rotis, Paneer Tikkas and so on). Oh they have a fantastic bar too!

For this review session, we tried something from every section and came back with our minds blown :D

For drinks, we started with GINGER ALE, packaged drink so even though it was horrible, cannot blame anyone but my own choice :D

My sister had a COFFEE + CHOCOLATE based drink and loved it.

-- SOUPS

BADAM PALAK SHORBA – Spinach + Almonds, nutritious + delicious, a lot of green and just a hint of sweet, very wholesome, little crunchy and a MUST-HAVE,

CRÈME DE VOLAILLE PRINCESSE – French delicacy from Bikaner royalty, fresh aromatic Asparagus soup, nothing artificial about it, really good and healthy,

--APPETIZERS

GOVIND GHATTA- Regal specialty from Awadh, Besan (Ghatta) dumplings filled with paneer, khoya,some dry fruits. While the name makes it sound like a very rich and sweet dish, it is in reality a delicious dish, not very sweet (just a hint) and served as little bites to make it an amazing MUST-HAVE appetizer,

KEWA DAATSHE – Sikkim’s royal family provides this surprising mix of loads of cheddar cheese with char-grilled chillies, my sister loved the combination (not very spicy as I expected),

BHUTTE KI KARENJI – Royal family of Dhar in Madhya Pradesh gifts my FAVORITE of the evening, Karenji with loads of bhutta, I loved how the steamy juiciness of corn came through the crispy karenji exterior. I had only loved sweet karenjis, this is such a surprise and I am coming back for more soon,

TSHOEM- Another royal dish from Sikkim, loads of stir-fried exotic veggies, especially water chestnuts and mushrooms, make this one a healthy option for everyone,

--MAIN COURSE

PANEER MAKHANE KA KORMA- My choice in main course from royalty of Bhopal, a rich saffron-y gravy with dry fruits, paneer, makhana, mildly sweet (but I have a sweet jaw y’all), I loved the velvety texture. Also, the main course is full of so many delicacies, it is virtually impossible to choose one! This went really well with soft Butter Naan (stop counting calories :P)

GIRNAARI KHICHDI- Enjoy this healthiest dish with loads of vegetables and peanuts from the royal family of Sayla from Gujarat, I know Khichdi is probably the last dish one would look at as gourmet, but try this one before any such judgement,

--DESSERTS

LAHSUNI KHEER- Dessert section started with a bang with this unheard dish, it is actually a 200 YEARS OLD RECIPE! Thick delicious Kheer with a hint of garlic, nothing much discernible, yet the taste profile is simply MAGNIFICENT. I would travel for hours just to try this one :)

NIMISH TUMKI- Nizaams of Delhi bragged about this and if you like delicate sublime desserts, you will love it too. Milk froth, dry fruits, rose essence (real, not artificial), it literally feels like clouds are having a party here!

SHAHI TUKDA- Famous Hyderabadi dessert with thickest of rabdi and more…I cannot describe the beauty even if I tried, so my suggestion-try it yourself.

Frankly, I have never been enamored by the lifestyle of the royals but when it comes to food, well I am swooning over our meal and cannot wait to go back, so that says volumes about how awesome Bindaas Begum Rockin Raja is. Bon Appetit!