This new restaurant at NCPA brings flavours of Awadhi cuisine to Mumbai

Tarkari dum biryani

We come bearing good news. If there was one thing missing on the Mumbai food scene, it would be a restaurant by Mukhtar Qureshi and Rahul Akerkar. Now, after 14 years the duo opens Waarsa, an Awadhi restaurant under Aditya Birla New Age (ABNAH) Hospitality at NCPA. We met them at the venue a few days before its scheduled opening. A turquoise blue door with a floral-motif doorknob welcomes us into the 56-seater. The walls wear a washed-out salmon blush, inspired by surkhi - a material used in historic buildings. Restoration architect Abha Narain Lambah has done up the space in modern renditions of the old. Intricate floral embossed patterns on the ceiling and the antique mirrors across the room offer depth and grandeur.

Mukhtar Qureshi (left) and Rahul Akerkar at Waarsa, NCPA. Pics/Atul Kamble

Mukhtar Qureshi, MasterChef at Waarsa, has donned a crisp white chef's coat that reads Q-Man, and in contrast, Rahul Akerkar is in all black casuals. The two go way back when Akerkar opened Neel - Tote on the Turf with Qureshi at Mahalaxmi Racecourse in 2009. Akerkar calls his first encounter with Qureshi a happenstance. "He was working in the Indian section in our catering company, Moveable Feast. At the time, it was on my mind to never do a restaurant where I was not intimately familiar with the cuisine. But it happened with Mukhtar," he admits.

Awadhi nalli ka shorba and Daal q-man

When Akerkar bowed out, the two remained in touch. Over the past decade-and-a-half, they charted different trajectories - Qureshi led the royal Awadhi cuisine restaurant Ummrao at Courtyard by Marriott, while Akerkar had opened Qualia. In the lockdown, Qureshi took the catering route and Akerkar moved to Goa. In 2023, he joined ABNAH as culinary director. "When we were toying with the idea for an Indian restaurant, I dialled Mukhtar, and asked him: ‘Should we open a restaurant again?'

Haq lasooni chaman and Khoobani ka meetha

Waarsa, the duo tells us, means inheritance and the food takes inspiration from Awadhi cuisine's footprint across Kolkata to Hyderabad, Lucknow, Kashmir and Varanasi. Akerkar finds comparisons with Creole food. "The [Creole] cuisine has its backbone in Latin America and West Africa, and is a fusion of French, Spanish, African, and Native American flavours. Awadhi food is a bit like that." Waarsa puts the spotlight on khansamas and women chefs - the ‘aapas' in the bawarchi khana. "Surely, what they ate at home was a far cry from how they cooked for nawabs," explains Akerkar.

Kashmiri seb ka korma

When Qureshi began to plan the menu, there were several dilemmas: "Awaam ko kya chahiye? [What does the public want?]; Log mere paas wapas kyu ayenge? [Why will people come back to eat my food?]; "We created a menu jo ghar bhi lage, sheher bhi lage, aur galiyan bhi lage [flavours of homes, cities as well as streets]'."

He hit the road, touring Benaras, Lucknow and Kolkata. He gorged on chaats served on pattas and puri aloo with its humble watery gravy in Benaras. "In Lucknow, I visited a 200-year-old tunday kebabi joint; Ram Bhandar for dahi jalebi and samosa [to relive my childhood], and the famous Sharmaji's chai stall. "The art of any cooking is to know when to put what ingredient. I noticed the food had earned a lightness without losing its original flavours. I had found my inspiration," he recalls.

Intricate floral and antique patterns adorn its interiors

In the trial kitchen, Qureshi was busy working with baigan (brinjal), kadu (pumpkin), tendli (ivy gourd), parwal (pointed gourd), seb (apples) and ratalu (sweet potato). "Being a Qureshi, I have not given enough attention to vegetarian fare," he laughs, adding, "It is corrected in this menu."

We begin the meal with two shorbas. The santre ka shorba (Rs 450) exudes a tangy sweetness of oranges in a broth with hints of pine nuts. Ginger holds all the flavours under its reign. It manages to open our palates and prepares it to welcome the Awadhi nalli ka shorba (Rs 490), which is a surprisingly light smoked marrow soup. Portions from the mutton shank make for tender morsels.

Of the 30 kebabs on offer, we try kamal jad ki shaami (Rs 585; lotus root). It is tucked between fried lotus root stem chips that add a sweet crunch to the minced texture of the kebab. Jaituni dingri (R585), or olive rubbed mushrooms, are slathered in a slippery tapenade that leaves a tinge of tartness in the aftertaste. The finely minced Kakori kebab (Rs 875) is vintage excellence. We fold a mouthful into a bite of malai paratha. The Awadhi sunehri jhinga (Rs ,150) is charcoal fire-grilled in yellow chilli and saffron, giving a spicy hit and a fragrant finish.

Mukhtar Qureshi

Qureshi's attention to vegetarian dishes includes the standout Kashmiri seb ka korma (Rs 685). The gravy is made of the fruit, paired with tomatoes. Haq lasooni chaman (Rs 685) is a paneer dish in Kashmiri spinach that's packed with garlic. The khada masala ke murg (Rs 785) is local at its best. Made with whole garam masala, including cinnamon, cloves, pepper and spice. The signature, dal Q-Man (Rs 585), kid goat slow cooked in black masoor dal base finished with dill, bathua and white butter, is a community dish made during Muharram.

The tarkari dum biryani (Rs 685) is a steamed vegetable biryani is too dry and falters, but the kareli ka dum dudhiya biryani (Rs 1,250) is a Hyderabadi rendition of mutton shank, mutton kofta, boiled egg, with gosht yakhni salan that is impressive. Qureshi has way too many versions of his signature khoobani ka meetha. Here, it comes with a purdah, baked apricot halwa cooked in its own sweet juice.

"Awadhi food is known for its delicate use of spices, fragrance and a subtle nazakat. Qureshi's cooking is all of that. My inputs were purely subjective, rather than telling him how to cook it. He doesn't need that. It is his gift, not mine," Akerkar signs off.

Waarsa
OPENS September 21
AT NCPA, Nariman Point.
Time 12 pm to 4 pm; 7 pm to 1 am
Call 9594943555

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