My quest for Kashmiri food in Mumbai is finally over. As a J&K native, I have been living in Mumbai since past 10 years and so. Everything is good here, but what I missed the most is ‘Real Kashmiri Cuisine’. So last Saturday, I and my wife decided to throw a thanksgiving dinner to few of our close friends, and the KongPoush Kashmiri Cuisine name popped up on my screen. Now before I share my detailed review, let me tell you something.
Being from J&K always gives a feeling of cringing and crying, since most of the times we left dissatisfied from the self-proclaiming Kashmiri restaurants. We tried 180 Degrees Kashmiri festival (before they replaced their chef), Poush, Zafran etc. However, this time we planned for KongPoush, since this was the only one we hadn’t tried before.
Here are my detailed observations:
- Our menu included Tabaqmaaz, Rista, Yakhni, Mujih Gaad, Methi Chicken, Mujih Chetin, Gand Chetin, Phirni and Kehwa.
- First of all, we got a free home delivery from Andheri West all the way to Mira Road East and on time.
- Quantity was perfect. Infact, there were few leftovers, which our guests insisted that we pack it and give it to them.
- Tabakmaaz was pre-cooked then refrigerated, which gave us a chance to deep fry them (as instructions came along). Once this was done, we all were surprised with the flavours of the fat and mild spices. Crunchy from outside and tender from inside, totally melts in your mouth, which is rare thing for mutton especially in Mumbai.
- Rista: What more I can say other that this Rista recipe at Kongpoush, to our surprise, it was way better than Ahdoo’s and Mughal Darbaar in Srinagar or Naaz and Dak Bunglow Wazwan in Jammu. It was so good, right amount of spices, right amount of gravy thickness and perfect tenderness which is required in a Rista.
- Mujih Gaad: We are not fish eaters, but it was required for our guests in Mumbai. I ate it so did my wife, we were so happy to try this fish. One of our guests requested that he will take the rest of the fish to her home, since they all love fish and this was nothing compared to anything they tried before.
- Yakhni: Yakhni got over within first hour of our dinner, so nothing to add more than this. You can imagine how good it must be. Tender fatty ribs and delicious mixture of yoghurt and authentic Kashmiri spices.
- I must highly recommend you all the readers, if you ever plan to take away your order from this restaurant, do not miss out on ordering Mujih Chetin and Gand Chetin (Raddish Chutney and Onion Chutney). Kashmiri food is incomplete without them.
- Methi Kokur: Tender and juicy pieces of chicken ready to melt in your mouth with a flavorful combination of Fenugreek. Absolutely delicious.
- Phirni: An Azerbaijani/Afghani dessert travelled to India via north route, who can do better then the legit northerners? Kongpoush uses real saffron for flavor and colour. Your meal is incomplete without this dessert.
- Kehwa: Once the dinner and desserts were over, we introduced Kehwa to our guests. The guests (who all had overeaten by then) refused, stating capacity issues. Once we forcefully served them, every single guest asked if they can have more. By the way, it also helps with your digestion.
Wow! What a beautiful sight to see all your guests happy and content with your thanksgiving party.
Mr Sunil Mattoo, Owner, Kongpoush, was so kind. First of all he gave me discounts, secondly I received a free home delivery, which was not at all expected considering such a long distance. Not only this, since the vessels were large, he let us keep it with us and after two days, he got them collected without asking for any extra charges or conveyance fee.
On this review section, I have noticed may people have given some negative feedback. I wonder why? If mutton or chicken tastes different, atleast understand that Kashmiri is a less spicy cuisine. Someone wrote that there was no masala in the chicken, C’mon, what masala? This is absolutely wrong to review by self-proclaiming gastronomy expert. I highly recommend ‘KongPoush’. Visit them and order blindly!
My recommendations are:
- Rogan Josh.
- Tabakmaaz (for starters).
- Roghan Josh.
- Rista.
- Goshtaba.
- Firni (Fereni)
- Kehwa.
- Mirchi Korma.
- Nadir Yakhni.
- Haak Saag.
- Rajmaah.
- Tamatar Chamman (Paneer in red gravy).
Mr. Sunil Mattoo can be contacted at 9821192910
Hope this helps all you explorers!