Bandra’s Imbiss rocks on

There are a couple of reasons why we liked our recent dinner at Bandra’s Imbiss so much.

The first was because we met Rukshana Kapadia for the first time. She is a Parsi who is based in Kolkata. She is proud to call herself a ‘foodie’. She has begun to blog recently, has been posting about her food adventures on Zomato, Facebook and Instagram and organises food meet ups in Kolkata. We first interacted on Instagram. She then called me before her recent visit to Mumbai asking if we could meet up. I was struck by the polite and genteel tone of her phone conversation. 

It was so typically Parsi of her.

K and I met up with Rukshana for dinner a few days back. We were planning to go to one of our tried and tested favourites in Bandra when Rukshana suggested that we go to Imbiss instead as recommended by her cousin.

We were big fans of Imbiss when it opened with its array of moderately priced superb fare of meaty dishes. Then we were tried to avoid a red meat overdose for a while and stopped going to Imbiss because of this. I heard that they had opened a larger branch at Colaba but that was too far in any case.

So we took Rukshana’s suggestion and went with her to Imbiss in Bandra.

The place looks the same. It was pretty packed on a weekday evening. We sat in the outside section which was fairly pleasant as the weather was cool because of the rains. It’s obviously a place where people who connect with Finely Chopped go as at least two Finely Chopped readers were there!

Read: My earlier post on Imbiss

Even as we sat down and placed our orders we were engulfed in the alluring smell of fried meats. Three of us, two Bawis and a Bengali, smiled in unison.

Now here’s the first reason why we were so happy that night.

The food was so good. We had loved it a couple of years back when we used to go to Imbiss.  I was so happy to see that they had maintained, if not upped, their standards. And the pricing was fairly reasonable. The mains cost around Rs 230 a plate.

We had the bratwurst, juicy flavour packed pork sausages, served on strips of perfectly fried (not too chewy) bacon. Would you mind if I said, “we died and went to heaven”? 

Sometimes cliches do work best to tell a tale.

We had the roast buff tongue too which all of us agreed was the most tender rendition of roast tongue that any of us have had and each of us has have had….ok I don’t like the way this sentence is coming out.

Then I ordered the kassler which I remember liking from our earlier visits. As it was explained to us then, they are grilled pieces of bacon or smoked pork. I had a bite of it and realised why we had loved it so much the first time we had it. The meat was tender. The bits with fat were too good to be allowed on the streets unchaperoned. It was all about unbridled and unrestrained pleasure. The pleasure and passion just the same as the first time.

I requested K to shoot a phone video and she agreed to do so only after she finished the last morsel on her plate.

The one dish that disappointed me was the chorizo rice that I was so fond of earlier. here I found it too heaty and I don’t handle spice well. I remember it being piquant and mildly tart before but this time the chilli heat swatted me hard. I wryly told Rukshana that they might have put bhoot jolakia chillies in the dish.

Sure enough they had. I met Bruce, the co-owner, on the way out. He told me that they were finding chorizo pickles too expensive so were using bhoot jolakia instead.

Rukshana didn’t mind the heat in the dish though and and, like a true egg-loving Parsi, said smashing the egg placed on top off the rice into the rice would help balance it. This was one dish we sent back unfinished but the rest I loved. Once again, do keep in mind my inability to handle high doses of heat in my food.

If I was to some up the experience, great meat…beautifully flavoured with great texture and efficient service and a happy vibe.

Here’s the video K shot at Imbiss:

Now here’s the other reason why the dinner was such a happy one. K and I got along with Rukshana like a house on fire. Her joyous spirit was infectious. We in fact headed off to Sweetish House Mafia  after dinner and continued chatting over Nutella salt and double chocolate chip cookies till past midnight when they  they shut shop. All this while to the tune of anxious phone calls from her parents…Parsis and in Calcutta… their worry was to be expected I guess. However, the buzz at Sweetish House Mafia in Bandra got more lively as midnight arrived. It was a happy place.

I bumped into Rukshana at Candies again the next day before she headed home.

Making a new friend and rediscovering an old favourite restaurant definitely made for a happy meal for us that night.

Would love to hear from you in the comment section on what makes a great evening out for you.