Noor Mohammadi, Mumbai
'★★' From the day I landed in Mumbai, Noor Mohammadi was on my "to try list". I travelled from Goregaon to this place, just to smack their limelight dishes as it was much publicised that they serve traditional royalty dishes. Truthfully a very 'Over hyped place' for this so called famous restaurant. I freely admit that I love to travel a lot just to have a chunky juicy piece of meat. They impart an extra pop of flavour in my mouth that really makes a difference to my day. But this one was not deserving.
'Noor Mohammadi Hotel, Mohammad Ali road - Mumbai'
Mohammad Ali road is said to be the heaven for meat lovers in Mumbai. The road, its market, and the neighbourhood itself is an integral part of the story of old Mumbai. This area is filled with many authentic Mughlai restaurants. But lemme warn you, it's pretty crowded area. The name was beautifully displayed on the restaurant. It was 5 PM & I just rushed inside as I couldn't stop pinning after watching the preparation of Shaami kababs.
But as I entered , it was a moment of panic , I was shocked to see the entrance. It was just unlike to what I fantasize. Maybe I was building a castle in the air. The place was very messy and unwashed. It is a task to enjoy food in such a unhygienic place. I don't know whether it was the wrong time, but however it was filled with dirt. The waiter settled me down to the back seat as it was the only tidy table around. From there, I was getting a direct kitchen view and trust me, you would never want to take that seat. My excitement level dropped down after examining the place.
I was very much looking forward to a beef nihari but it was not available. My 2nd choice was Hakimi, but sadly even that was unavailable, which already irritated me to a level. With my least of interest, I ordered Shami kebab, chicken Sanju baba and mutton paya, along with tandoori roti as suggested by the waiter. However after several requests, nihari was finally served after 5:30 PM .
'Shami Kebab'
I started with a shaami kabab. If you've never tasted shami here, I highly recommend it. It's buttery and rich, and it provides a luscious flavor and texture. It was a party for the mouth. One of an ideal shami. It was so soft that It just melted in the mouth. A perfect mixture of spices and ground meat.
Main course came within 5 minutes and to my surprise, the roti was cold and elastic. They were not served freshly from the tandoor and moreover they did not bother to heat them before serving. I complained and got blew away from the answer that right now only these are available. In my life, I have never seen any Mughlai restaurant serving cold tandoori roti.
'Mutton Paya'
Even the mutton paya gravy was not hot enough and was definitely lacking in spices. Complaining to which the waiter responded that they serve this much hot only. It was one of the moment of my life where I felt like burning the place down. It was like a bad dream. 3 hours of travelling just got in vain. They should open the restaurant after 2-3 hours if they have issues with timings and customers. It was the height of unprofessional-ism. It felt like a lot of energy and money just got vanished.
'Chicken Sanju Baba'
Chicken Sanju baba: This is an over heard dish by all Mumbaikars. The recipe was created by a very popular Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, also known as sanju baba and gifted to the owner. The good twist in the dish was its sweetness. It is very much contrasting than other chicken dishes. The gravy was sweet and delicious and I loved it . The leg piece was tender, juicy and cooked to perfection. The gravy that coats the chicken gets a definite kick from the addition of raisins.
'Beef Nihari'
Beef nihari: At 5:45, they plated nihari in a small copper handi where I could hardly see a small piece of meat floating. After the first bite, I asked the waiter was it really a beef because it didn't taste like that. Nihari has to be an explosion of spices, masala, and chilli. To the contrary, it was bland and flat. Garnishing of coriander, fried onions, green chillies, ginger lemon was completely missing. I didn't even wasted my time, questioning the waiter about those important toppings coz I already knew the pathetic answer. A disgrace to nihari.
At last: I cannot recommend this place to anyone as I had a terrible experience from the entry to the exit. Starting with the ambience which was extremely unhygienic .Then they serve cold roti with cold gravy which is impossible to digest . Questioning to which the staff answers back disgracefully. The staff was impolite and ignorant . I request the owner to serve fresh hot roti all the time or at least, mention the timings on zomato. So this way, the hunt for authentic nonveg in Mumbai continued. A big NO for this famous old restaurant. Disappointingly, I give it 2 rating that also only because of shaami kabab.
Cost for two: 500 INR. | ☏ 22 23456008
My Rating: 2 / 5 *
Facebook: http://bit.ly/noormoh-fb
Direction: http://bit.ly/MohammadAliroad
*Disclaimer: MTG have not received any favour/sponsorship from the restaurant. Rating is based on Value for money & Taste.
