Restuarant Review: Sarvi

Summary: Great seekh kababs in Mumbai
Getting there: Nagpada Junction. There's a dilapidated old building opposite the Police Station. No signboard. Use your nose :-)
Don't Miss: The Seekh Kabab
Food Cost: <50
Description:
I read about Sarvi in a recent issue of "Time Out Mumbai" which listed down the best dishes in Mumbai - ranging from a Rs 1500 Camembert Dariole at Taj to a Rs 25 seekh kabab (at Sarvi). A collector's edition - but hey, we're not reviewing Time Out - we're reviewing Sarvi.

And being the adventurous sort when it comes to food, I took time off from work to seek out this curious place which serves the "best seekh kabab" in Mumbai.

The toughest part of the whole adventure was locating the restuarant. As instructed by the reviewer in Time Out, I got down at Nagpada Junction. Looked for a signboard sponsored by Pepsi or Coke with giant "SARVI" in garish colours. Didn't find one. Walked all over the junction. There were many restuarants, but didn't find Sarvi.

Wait. From where I was standing, I smelt delicious Tandoor smoke. Yes, I turned around - ahh - there it was. No signboard, nothing. Just a place with as many doors as there were windows. All open, probably to let the noise and vehicle fumes in ;-)

This is a typical Muslim place in a predominantly Muslim locality. Vegetarian food just doesn't exist. Neither do good manners, clean tables, or polite waiters. It's all rough and tumble and yell, eat, eat more, pay and go. It was love at first sight!

So I seat myself in a round two-seater in a corner, opposite a gent dipping tandoori roti in greasy curry. A waiter comes and looks. "Kya hai?" I could make out only "Alu Gosht" in his distracted, rushed reading of the menu. So Alu Gosht, tandoori roti ("Kitna?" "Ek") and seekh kabab it was.

The anticipated seekh kabab comes in a small plate with a generous helping of "kuchumber" and mint leaves. I break off a piece - it breaks easily. And the first taste is just awesome. The texture is just right. I can't describe the taste of meat, but this was just the best meat I ate. It was so soft, I almost didn't need to chew. I just let the taste seep in, savouring every morsel.

Apparently the secret of the Sarvi seekh kabab is the use of animal fat for cooking, and turmeric, instead of maida that many restuarants use to economize on the quantity of meat. Just to know the difference, I took home a couple more seekh kababs, and bought another couple from a reputed restuarant in south Mumbai. Sure enough, it was the Sarvi kabab that brought out the full taste of the mutton. It was much softer, even when cold (I live an hour long train journey away!) while the other one had become quite chewy. I'm no chef, but I suspect it's the flour and the oil that makes the difference. But am not sure whether animal fat is healthy :-(

So back to Sarvi. The rest of the food is nothing to write home about. The Alu Gosht was only okay - it was just something to dip the Roti in. I ordered one more seekh kabab. I've also tried a couple of other chicken and mutton curries on later visits. But I'll recommend only the seekh kabab here.

And yes, the atmosphere of old Bombay, at its chaotic best.