Moti Mahal

Rest : Moti Mahal
Meal : Lunch
Loc : INOX, Nariman Point

Moti Mahal is a popular name in foodie circles and many claim to be the original Moti Mahal started by immigrants in Punjab. Originally famous for its butter chicken and black dal, it has since then branched out into a wider menu and upscale clientele.

While i have been here often, this time i was there on the wife's insistence, she had a hankering for some black daal and tandoori.

I personally wanted to head to Busaba but as some of you know… a married man HAS to do what the wife wants..

We went straight for the jugular and started with the Paneer lababdar,which was cottage cheese in a tomato gravy with chillies, peppers and onions.
I prefer this to the dry paneer tikka which always works better as a starter or the buttery paneer makhani which is simply too sweet.

The garlic naan was not too bad, the onion kulcha on the other hand was a misadventure. It was not bad mind you, just didnt work for me. I prefer to taste the entree with the dryness of the bread, anything more is distracting.

The Daal.. the reason we were there. A massive flop. It was served so hot that we couldn't taste anything. When we did manage a taste the flavor underneath was missing.

The jeera rice served here is always nice, with ghee, it has a nice crispy taste to it, sort of like fried rice.

Overall, the food was okay, could have been much better but it was not bad nor was it as good as the other times i have been there.

The service though i was not impressed with. It was hardly busy but things took a while to come by, i kept asking for onions but no joy.

The one interesting thing about MM is that they make their own masalas and spice mixes, so your stomach might feel burdened but will not be upset after a full fledged meal here.

MM portends to be an upmarket restaurant, not 5 star but i think they can afford to not charge for Papad. I paid 120 bucks for papads, that is just NOT ON.

Food : 7/10
Service : 6/10
Damage : 1400

Motil Mahal
102 Level 1, CR 2 Mall
Nariman Point, Mumbai
Phone 32534134, 66546454