#DoTheNew At SodaBottleOpenerWala

SodaBottleOpenerWala has introduced Maja Ni Life to us Delhi folks who are too engrossed in our monotonic routine affairs that we've forgotten to appreciate the goodness of nicely done food, good company, and some banter.

It comes as a breeze of fresh air when you're acquainted with the legacy of a quintessential Bombay Irani Cafe, for SodaBottleOpenerWala that is the brainchild of Olive Group presents the heart-warming typical Parsi cuisine, some Irani specialties, and a lot of Bombay street food.

Being at SodaBottleOpenerWala is like being teleported to the era of late 60's and early 70's, and you'd preferably feel like you're visiting a Parsi Bhonu's well-to-do cafe with that vintage rotary dial telephone, glass-paintings adorning walls and a rainbow jukebox.

It was my date with authentic Parsi Cuisine where Bambaiyya and Parsi dishes were taken to the next level with a #DoTheNew 'Reloaded Menu' launched recently at SBOW. With Chef Anahita Dhondy spear-heading the kitchen, nothing less than excellence was to be presented to patrons, after all.

The newest entrant to the Menu is a series of 'Daily Specials'. The thought behind is that one takes a unique flavorful byte of Parsi Cuisine with oneself each day. You'll have no lack of variety to complain of. :)

When an invite was extended to me to #DoTheNew, I was excited for sure, because it would be the first experience with Parsi Cuisine. An evening date at the Cyber Hub outlet was set.

We began the meal with Chicken Soup For The Bambaiyya Soul which was mildly spiced with chicken chunks and some veggies in a steaming hot broth.

Crispy Corn Bhel draws inspiration from Bambaiyya Bhel that is a popular item across all Chowpatis in Mumbai, while the quintessential Vada Pav is a must-try when at SBOW.

Tareli Machchi and Tarela Himalayan Rainbow Trout were exceptionally well-prepared fish dishes, while the former was boneless, the latter was whole and one has to be careful with the bones, as is always the case with bony fish,

Patra Ni Machchi, which is SBOW's signature was a whole steamed Red Snapper layered in mint and wrapped in a banana leaf. A modern take on this classic dish was presented by Chef Anahita Dhondy herself when she was invited to the recently concluded season of MasterChef India as a guest.

Cafreal Salad was prepared with classic Goan Cafreal Masala and the cottage cheese chunks in it were layered with mint dip.

Bambaiyya Chicken Biryani here at Soda Bottle Opener Wala beats hands-down, even the one I had at Paradise, which is literally, the paradise for Biryani in Hyderabad. Long-grain rice cooked to perfection, with succulent chicken chunks topped with egg halves and served with accompanying Raita.

Jumbo King Prawns were served whole and even though they were the kings in the grand presentation, there was less of the meat which was actually edible. It was served alongside steamed rice and thus it parallels a hearty main course.

Malai Na Parantha was cooked lightly and was quite smooth on the palate. We paired it with Paneer Sanju Baba, the recipe for which was supposedly given by Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt himself.

Their classic Raspberry Soda was a beauty in red with berry chunks being incorporated into each sip, while Sekanje Bin had a nice jaggery flavor lent to it.

Mrs. SodaBottleOpenerWala's Special Cold Coffee was thick, creamy and smooth on the palate, while the Irani Falooda was so good that it is fit for a queen. :)

The entire range of desserts and their in-house baked cookies, biscuits, and Nankhatais are enticing, though I decided to go with the famous trademark traditional Lagan Nu Custard, which is a regular at Parsi wedding ceremonies and their White Chocolate Orange Brownie (served along with a scoop of Vanilla ice-cream) which was uniquely set apart from the league of run-of-the-mill desserts.

We rounded up the hearty Parsi meal with a round of authentic Parsi Choy.

I absolutely loved my time at SodaBottleOpenerWala, more so because they aim to preserve and present the rich legacy of a gracious community that upholds the thought of Maja Ni Life with their traditions, mannerisms and feasts, of course. :)