Where Food Meets Bollywood at Moombai & Co.

Nestled on the ground floor of Dubai’s iconic H Hotel, Moombai & Co merges Bollywood nostalgia with Mumbai’s quintessential dishes to create a fun, friendly eatery. According to Assistant Manager Ajit Mondal, Moombai & Co. is a well-established chain already in nine countries, and more to come, as well as 41 branches in Mumbai alone, and 64 out of India.

With seating for 164, there are cozy booths, tables, and even a temperature controlled outdoor terrace. The eatery is dotted with posters of Bollywood classic films, large pull trolleys, and quirky anecdotes on the wall.

We were served chips style Indian papad accompanied by mango, coriander, and tomato dips, followed by virgin mojitos’ from their extensive beverage menu. We selected assorted dishes from the starters to the mains, in veg and non-veg options. Hashbrown aloo tikki was one—an unusual potato patty stuffed with a spicy pea mixture, crisp fried, on a bed of seasoned yogurt. The popcorn prawn koliwada was a South Indian style red chili chutney marinated prawns with a smattering of fried curry leaves and served with a red pepper dip.

The ghee roast chicken was another favorite starter, succulent and flavorful with again, hints of South Indian flavors and textures. We also enjoyed the spicy corn and coconut soup—a medley of rustic flavors, ladled over the spicy corn mixture in the bowl.

For the barbeque items, we indulged in paneer kashunoni tikka, or cottage cheese squares seasoned with mustard rub, and served with a rich beet root dip. The malai chicken is always a hit with us, tender and super buttery; marinated in a mixture of yogurt and cheese seared with a creamy spinach glaze.

For our mains, we tucked into chicken berry biryani; a Hyderabad style dum biryani slow cooked with dum style chicken, aromatic long grain basmati rice and the unique twist was the sprinkling of whole berries, lending it a sweet and sour flavor. It went perfectly with the stuffed chili salan, another typically Hyderabadi dish which was essentially stuffed long chilies with cheese and a peanut masala. Then the Parsi style salli chicken which I had never tasted before—this was an almost stew-like dish with a generous garnishing of potato straws.  And finally, the mutton bhuna gosht; a jolt from carnivore paradise with tender chunks of lamb nestled in a flavorful and fragrant spiced gravy.

No matter how full we are, we always have room for dessert. We were suggested some delicious offerings by Ajit—one the ras malai milk cake; a dense, milky, Indian style tres leches milk cake. Then the heavenly baked mini gulab jamuns in a custard, followed by blacked barfi tart; a maple sugar, and milk tart served with vanilla bean ice cream. This was accompanied by endless cups of steaming hot masala chai.

The Verdict: Moombai & Co. is a really fun place to take the entire family for some delicious food, not to mention the Insta-worthy photo opportunities. There is definitely something for everyone here. Don’t miss it.

Visit: www.moombai-co.com