BBC, to those in the Goregaon-Malad-Borivali area is beyond the British Broadcasting Corporation. It is also the Borivali Biryani centre, which has been serving up delectable Handi Biryanis for a number of years now. You know that it is one of those seeped-in-tradition places, when acronyms like PTB(Paneer Tikka Biryani) rule. It reminds me of the ICH canteen(Indian Coffee house) in Seepz, which made the GOTU(Ghee, Onion, and Tomato Uttapa) famous. All you need to do is, call them, rattle off the acronym, your address and that’s it. Quick and to the point! Coming back to the BBC, the booming retail and food industry in and around Malad must have led the owners to think, why not open up a restaurant of our own in the vicinity? Great thought, I say.
One, the location is just right; bang outside Mindspace- near the Toyota showroom and about 10 minutes from Inorbit, so the customer base is assured. Two, great capitalization on the brand-name of the BBC. This is how Dum Lagaa ke was born; sometime in October 2007. It continues to have its famed biryanis a la carte but has also expanded into other Punjabi dishes, like Tandoori Chicken, Nehari Gosht, Kheema Pattice, Chicken Tikka, Paneer Palak, Paneer Makhanwala and the like. We’ve had the Dum Alu Punjabi, Paneer Palak, Bhindi Masala and Paneer Makhanwala and they were simply great. The best part about this place is the freshness of the ingredients. You can actually taste the vegetables and paneer and other ingredients. The rotis taste like rotis, unlike the rotis served up in the hundreds of restaurants sprouting in Bombay.
The Dal Bukhara is pretty authentic too. Among the desserts, the Gulab Jamun, in particular stands out. The Gulab Jamun, when it arrived, was 2 large pieces, completely doused in the sweet-sugary syrup and liberally sprinkled with dry fruits. The Gajar ka halwa, is largely based on Khoya, which may not appeal to everybody, but it’s still pretty good. Dum is not a very large restaurant; it can seat about 40 or so. So it’s always full during lunch-time with loads of hungry Mindspaceites sauntering in. A recent innovation has been the ‘Thali’ at 12; which comes at Rs. 100 for Veg and Rs. 125 for non-veg. You get a sabji, a starter, Biryani, raita, rotis and a salad . Given the fact that this is pure Punjabi food, it’s interesting that one can have a lot of it, without feeling overtly stuffed, which I think, speaks a lot for the quality of the place. And now, the Thali, which started off as a Limited edition idea for 2 weeks during Diwali, has since become the staple of the place. What’s interesting to note is that, dessert isn’t included in the pricing, but every table that has the Thali, ends up ordering the Gulab Jamun. It’s almost like a ritual, and you know you’ve done the right thing, when the waiter nods at you with an approving smile. The options for vegetarians are a bit limited, but what is there is just amazing.
The Biryani continues to rule the roost, with the Chicken Tikka Biryani and the Paneer Tikka Biryani scoring over the Veg Biryani. The service is fast, especially the home-delivery service among the quickest. And the pricing is just right, a meal for 2 with a starter, sabji, rotis and biryani and dessert can come up to around 300. So, if you ever do pass through Malad, do drop in to Dum Lagaa ke. It sure is finger licking good!