This summer Bombay Bustle, the Indian restaurant from Samyukta Nair, will bring tiffin tin lunchboxes all the way from Mumbai to Mayfair. Each towering box is inspired by the world-famous network of tiffin-wallahs who use Mumbai’s local railways to deliver thousands of hot, home-cooked lunches across the city every day.
Every tiffin box will be delivered to the table and unpacked to reveal tiers of curries, breads and rice. Culinary Director Surender Mohan has created three tiffin menus, each paying homage to the cuisine, culture and people of three diverse regions: North India, South India and Bombay. Every week sees a new region take centre stage, beginning in the mountainous foothills of Rajasthan with the North Indian tiffin tin.
Guests will begin with a tier of Amritsari Fish with fiery gurkha chutney; followed by Rarah Keema Pao, with spiced lamb mincemeat and buttery pao; and chargrilled Chicken Tikka Tawa Pulao with cooling cucumber raita.
Coastal flavours appear in the South Indian tiffin tin, with Kerala-style Idiyappam string hoppers with rich lamb stew; a Madras Chicken Curry cooked with fragrant coconut milk; and a Gunpowder Peanut Aloo, with a traditional Southern spice mix of roasted lentils and sesame seeds.
Finally, the Bombay tiffin tin takes its cues from the hustle and bustle of Mumbai and the cosmopolitan culinary showcase within the city: tiers will include hot Malabar Chicken Wings with curry leaf and ginger; Kerala Fish Curry with creamy coconut milk and tamarind; and Dabba Dal, Bombay Bustle’s famed dish of black lentils cooked overnight with a slick of melted butter and fenugreek. For vegetarians, each tiffin tin can also be ordered meat-free.
Co-founder Samyukta Nair said, ‘When I was at school, receiving my tiffin tin was the highlight of my day. No lunch would ever be the same, each being made in a different home with a different family recipe from varying regions. I wanted to bring that ethos to London and showcase the diversity of India’s flavours, with our very own Mumbai tiffin tin bridging the distance between the different cultures and regional cuisines’.