Midnight Biryani: Dum Pukht: ITC Grand Maratha

ITC Maratha, Mumbai
Sahar, Mumbai, India 400099
Tel : (91) (22) 28303030 Fax : (91) (22) 28303131
Hours: 7:00 PM - 11:45 PM
Price: Rs 800 per dish (approx) excluding taxes.

ITC Grand Maratha, near International airport, Mumbai was visited on a very rainy day. We went there to drop a friend. Thanks to the traffic, heavy rains and badly placed road signs, we took quite a lot of time than required.

Driving in a messy traffic seriously is a gut wrenching affair. Moreover, a hungry tired soul just needs some good warm food to relish on and get back its energy. So we decided to try midnight Biryani at Dum Pukht, restaurant catering nawab and Awadhi style delicacies in ITC.

We ordered for Biryani and Kakori kababs, the most popular dishes in the restaurant. The restaurant is famous for showcasing the culinary tradition of ‘Dum’ cooking - a style of cooking food over a slow fire in sealed ‘deghs’ or clay pots. And the result was a delicious, mildly flavoured, authentic Biryani and kebab dish. The lamb in the biryani was tender and cooked to perfection. I didn’t have to use a fork to separate the meat. The rice was long, flavoured and a pure pleasure. The kakori kebabs just melted in our mouth, and the best part….were termed soft spicy Indian sausages by foreign guests….

So if you ever crave for an authentic flavour of Awadhi Biryani and Kakori Kebabs, just drive down to Dum Pukht…

Parimita Chakravorty