Good food satisfies hunger, great food tells a story while it does so, and at Waarsa, every bite comes with a side of legacy. ‘Waarsa’ means inheritance and here, they’re unfolding the unexplored side of homestyle Awadhi cooking, far from the glamour of its usual royal associations. Helmed by Chef Rahul Akerkar – known for brining fine-dining to Mumbai with Indigo and for spots like Ode and Qualia- and Chef Mukhtar Qureshi of the renowned Qureshi family at the helm, this new spot at NCPA in South Mumbai’s Nariman Point is daring to redefine the narrative around Awadhi cuisine. The pair had earlier joined forces to open Neel in 2009 with a similar idea to showcase Awadhi food, but Waarsa marks the true manifestation of that vision, exactly as they wanted it, simple and honest.
“Awadhi food in itself can be rich, and heavy, but at the end of the day the cooks would go home and eat at home and that food would be very different from what you’d see given to royalty,” explains Chef Akerkar, “We realised there was a whole section of Awadhi cuisine which wasn’t very well known, the homecooked side. It’s not as rich or elaborate, it’s just light home food, and we have a ton of food from Mukhtar’s family recipes.”
Originating from the historical region of Awadh in Northern India, particularly around the city of Lucknow, this culinary tradition is often synonymous with lavish meat dishes, aromatic biryanis, and sumptuous kebabs. At Waarsa, they’ve aimed to steer clear of the typical hallmarks of Awadhi cuisine. Oily curries and overspiced kebabs aren’t their style, and instead, they’ve chosen to spotlight Indian produce and nuanced flavours with a menu that’s almost fifty per cent vegetarian. “I couldn’t even use broccoli, because it’s not local,” says Chef Qureshi, “only those vegetables which are native to India. Everything from the simple parwal to lauki, things most people wouldn’t associate with fine dining.”
It wasn’t simply the idea of cooking with simple vegetables that initially challenged Chef Qureshi, but the conscious decision to steer away from a meat-heavy menu, a concept almost foreign to his Awadhi heritage. “The idea of food without meat doesn’t exist in our family,” jokes Chef, but despite his assertions, the menu sings with harmonies of humble vegetables gently coaxed into a more glamorous setting.
As Chef Akerkar explains the intricacies of how they crafted the menu and the many places they visited in Kolkata and Lucknow on their research trips, a small cup and saucer appears – a Nalli Shorba, rich and warming laced with unctuous mutton marrow, the perfect antidote to the stormy spalls outside.
A selection from their small plates soon follows, with Chef Akerkar struggling not to recommend everything at once. The Lauki aur Channa Daal Shikhampuri is a perfect example of the narrative they’re striving to create, and as if on cue from a table behind me, I hear a dubious customer asking “Lauki? But I don’t like Lauki.” The tawa-seared bottle gourd and chickpea patty is a Qureshi family special and with its velvety soft texture and delicate spicing can hold its own against even the most lauded galawti kebab.
The Jaituni Dingri is an unexpected star. Green olive marinated mushrooms, with a tandoor char. At first it seems a little out of place in an Indian menu but then Chef Qureshi explained that Alexander the Great introduced them to the subcontinent and they are a firm part of Srinagar’s cuisine. The contrast between the olive notes and the deep umami of the mushrooms works wonders. Carrying on the winning streak of the vegetarian menu, the Kasundi Baingan Tikka with whole Tandoor-roasted baby eggplants in a yoghurt and mustard marinade feels so comfortingly like home it’s hard to imagine there isn’t a troop of grandmothers at work in the kitchens. It’s simplicity at its finest.
On the seafood side, the Awadhi Sunehri Jhinga a tandoori tiger prawn marinated in Saffron and Kashipuri yellow chilli is plump and flavourful but somewhat lacks in character in comparison to the vegetarian fare. However, the Habibia Chaap, which is a tawa-cooked kid goat ribs topped with a fried egg refocuses the meal with meat so tender that it effectively ruins me for chaap anywhere else. Chef Qureshi went through many a meat vendor before he found the quality he was after and it was well worth the hunt. The Matar Paratha, a small extra on the side turned out to be another dark horse, with the fresh pea flavours making it light and more refreshing than a paratha has any right to be.
Tradition has its place in the menu, but so do more experimental ideas and the Kashmiri Seb Korma with sweet, fresh Kashmiri apples with beetroot and water chestnut proves that fruit has a place in Indian cuisine as the apple and ginger pieces cut right through the creamy gravy. The much talked about Tendli Sukkha Aloo was minimally spiced to let the vegetables do most of the work but offers a complete juxtaposition to what you’d expect on an Awadhi platter. Chef Qureshi’s hand-cut Mutton Kheema Hara Pyaaz is one that Chef Akerkar counts among his favourites, and understandably so. The chunky lean, mutton keema simply accented with black pepper and green onions is a far cry from the oil-laden keema usually doled out at North Indian spots. The meal wrapped up with an Angoori Rabdi, which sidestepped the usual trap of being cloyingly sweet and creamy, with the small chenna balls happily soaking in the light but luscious radbi.
What lingers at Waarsa is how every dish captures the depth of Awadhi flavours but none of the typical greasy heaviness that usually accompanies it. It’s a meal that you could easily come back to time and time again, woven through with complexities and subtle additions that set it apart. With minimal masalas, and simple flavours, Waarsa is showing us that leaving the royal kitchens of Awadh and instead taking a trip to dine like the khansamas is how to really reconnect with the heart of the cuisine.