It was a beautiful evening in Mumbai last Friday, and we wanted to make the most of the last few days of our stay here. So, we decided to walk down to the Colaba Causeway to see the lights at the Gateway of India.
As we were walking back towards our hotel near the Horniman Circle from Colaba Causeway, we decided to stop by Copper Chimney for a quick bite.
Copper Chimney (founded 1972) was perhaps Mumbai’s first restaurant chain, and a very successful one at that. I’d even eaten in branches back in Singapore, and in Bangkok. But the food at their Mumbai outlets always seemed so much better.
Founder, JK Kapur, was a Lahore-born emigre who came to India during the Great Partition of 1947. All he had were the barest essentials, plus his memories of his mother’s cooking. JK Kapur also had a dream: to own a restaurant one day where he could bring to life all his taste memories.
But he started off as a film distributor - a little twist of fate that was to bring him great success later on in his life. In film-mad India, his association with the industry’s movers and shakers, and the movie stars, played no small part in the success of his dream restaurant, Copper Chimney, when it came to fruition in 1972 in Worli, Mumbai.
No less than the biggest local movie heartthrob at the time, Dilip Kumar turned up at its opening. Copper Chimney never looked back since, as celebrities turned up to sup on its offerings of exotic northwest frontier cuisine.
Our drinks order, left to right: Khatta Jaljeera (Indian blackberries, infused with jaljeera, soda, and fresh lemon juice). Rose Shikanji (roohafza, shabja, chaat masala and fresh mint), and Delhi Shikanji (fresh lime juice, chat masala and fresh mint).
There’s a show kitchen where we could see one of the pastry chefs (called “ustads” here) showing off his twirling skills making the handkerchief-thin Roomali Roti.
The Roomali Roti gets its bowl shape from being cooked on an inverted “tawa”.
- The wafer-crisp, basin bowl-sized Roomali Roti, topped with chopped nuts and with a dollop of creamy hummus-like dip (sprinkled with black sesame seeds & paprika) in the middle. The whole thing disappeared down our gullets in seconds. So good.
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Fish and Mixed Meats Plate - this consisted of (from left to right): Mutton Seekh (minced mutton kebabs), Bhatti Murg (spiced grilled chicken), Tandoori Fish Tikka, and Reshmi Kebab (chicken marinated in cream and cashew nut paste).
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A must-order: the house specialty Parda Chicken Kebab, described as “from Multan, Punjab: chicken chops rubbed with turmeric, then marinated overnight in green chilis-yoghurt and “kabab chini”, and finally tandoor-roasted.” These were to-die for.
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Chello Kebab which combined risotto-like buttered basmati rice porridge with bhatti murgh (grilled, spiced chicken). This was one of the dishes which one simply could not stop eating even if one was already filled to bursting.
The very addictive, creamy rice porridge was both sweet and savory - almost like a French rice pudding I had in Paris as a little kid long, long ago. [Ratatouille moment!!]
- Dessert: Peshawari Kulfi Faloode - super-decadent pistachio ice-cream, kulfi, falooda noodles, sweetened rabdi (spiced milk) and rose syrup, sprinkled with chopped nuts.
Everything tasted so good - we ended up eating more than we’d planned to. We just had to face it - dieting is impossible when one is in Mumbai!
P.S. - The buildings at Horniman Circle looked ravishing when lit up at night.
Address
Copper Chimney
Ground Floor, Hari Chambers, Shahid Bhagat Singh Rd, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001, India
Tel: +91 82918 50880
Opening hours: 12 noon to 3.30pm, 7pm to 11pm Mon to Thu,
12 noon to 3.30pm, 7pm to 12 midnight Fri to Sun.
