According to legend, when Zoroastrian refugees landed at the tiny village of Sanjan on the shores of Gujarat around the 10th Century AD, they sent an emissary to the local ruler for permission to settle there. The local king, Jadhav Rana replied by sending them an overflowing glass of milk to indicate that his land was already brimming with prosperity and there was no space for them.
But the leader of the refugees was a clever man. He returned the milk, sweetened with a pinch of sugar indicating that his community would bring flavor and richness to the new land without changing its color or form and would assimilate into the culture of the country very smoothly. Impressed by the demonstration, Gujarat embraced the Zoroastrians who settled there and in time came to be known as the Parsis Parsi is a peace loving community of India mainly residing in the state of Gujarat. They were originally from Persia, which is now Iran. Over the years they blended their culinary skills with those of the regional people thus giving rise to a blend of Persian and Indian cuisine. Today, Parsi food is a delicious blend of western influences, a Gujarat love for sweet and sour mixtures and the Persian genius for combining meat with dried fruits such as apricots. Non-vegetarian dishes dominate the cuisine.
Parsi cuisine is famous for its much more lip-smacking fare. There is a whole range of vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian dishes to choose from a Parsi menu. 18thAugust is celebrated as Parsi New Year - Navroze and on this occasion, Sofitel Mumbai has opened its door for people to enjoy Parsi cuisine at its best.True to their style of integrating cuisine with regional elements, Sofitel has weaved in parsi menu with parsi literature and gara clothing, an ode to a community that represents entrepreneurship in true sense. 
The buffet consists of famous Parsi dishes curated by none other than Tehmtan Dumasia – a chef known for carrying forward the authenticity of this cuisine. I started my meal with Patrani paneer – this is the delicious vegetarian version of patrani macchi. Succulent paneer wrapped and cooked in leaf basted by pesto marinade. Gorgeously melt in your mouth texture. Rest of the meal went in a blur surrounded by flavours unknown to my palate before. Sliced brinjals in green chutney, Khichdi, Drumstick akuri (a surprise package without eggs), chicken salli was mixture of tangy and sour. All of this supplemented with Cream soda in 4 flavours. For dessert, there was Kesar Ravo and Parsi custard. While I loved the custard, the famous semolina dish lacked the sweetness. Overall, my punjaabi soul had the first taste of Parsi cuisine and I embraced it as one of my own.
Quick Facts
The festival is on everyday till the 18th August 2015 for lunch & dinner.
Venue: Pondichéry Café, Sofitel Mumbai BKC
Date: August 7th to 18th August, 2015
Time: Lunch: 12:30 pm onwards
Dinner: 7:00 pm onwards
Price: Lunch INR 2,207 (plus taxes)
Dinner: INR 2,314 (plus taxes)
Disclaimer - This review was done on an invitation from the establishment. Views expressed in the review is entirely ours and without any bias. Pictures of the dishes are not the standard portions, they are sample portions.
