Bombay Bustle launches delicious picnic baskets

Bombay Bustle, the Indian restaurant in Mayfair co-founded by Samyukta Nair and inspired by the Dabbawalas, the institution of men who use Mumbai’s famed local railway and bicycles to deliver home cooked meals across the city, has launched their picnic baskets in keeping with this ethos.

Traditionally towering boxes brimming with lunches made in the homes of the working community, dabbas are transported to their intended recipient through a complex route of local trains, handcarts and bicycles. Aiming to recreate this, every woven basket will reveal a feast of small eats, biryanis, sides and desserts. To support the Dabbawalas whose livelihoods have been decimated due to Covid, Bombay Bustle are donating £1 from every basket and restaurant bill to The Nutan Mumbai Tiffinbox Suppliers Charity Trust. The Bombay Bustle team are aiming to ensure that the 5000 men delivering over 200,000 dabbas across Mumbai daily will be able to return to their full strength after the crisis. Paying homage to the flavours and culture of Mumbai, Executive Chef Surender Mohan has created two different baskets: The Bustle for one and The Bombay designed to be shared. Delivered to your home or ready to pick up hot to take to the nearest park, each is filled with dishes from across India that lend themselves with ease to al fresco dining. Bombay Bustle have taken care of all the picnic preparation, even providing cutlery and a chequered picnic blanket to hire, allowing picnickers to enjoy their feast fuss-free. ‘Dabbawalas and tiffin boxes are such a fundamental part of the fabric of society in Mumbai and due to Covid the city has ground to a halt again which is heartbreaking. We’re donating £1 from each picnic basket and from every restaurant bill to support this community, it’s such a critical time right now. We’ve been working hard as a team to create an al fresco Bombay Bustle experience to remember and can’t wait to bring a part of the culture of the dabbas to London,’ says co-founder Samyukta.

To begin there are a trio of snacks comprised of Murukku, Khatta Meetha and Kolkata Chanachur. To follow there are a selection of snacks and heartier dishes including hot Malabar Chicken Wings with curry leaf and ginger, duck Chettinad samosa with tomato chutney, a slow-cooked Lamb Biryani and Methi Theplas with Chunda, a tangy mango chutney, and lime pickle. Taking centre stage is a choice between four buttery pao’s given the Bombay Bustle treatment; the Karwari Fish Pao filled with Rawa-crusted cod cheeks, green chilli tartare & Balchao sauce in a poppy seed pao, the KFC Pao with Kerala fried chicken & barbeque sauce on a curry leaf pao, the Kanda Bhaji with onion fritters and the spiced pulled lamb Junglee Maas Pao topped with Burani raita. Having debuted a sneak peek of their pao at Taste of London to much fanfare, Surender has further developed his take on the much-loved Indian street food to create the moreish lightly toasted buns. To finish, picnic-goers can indulge in dessert of Rasgulla in rose syrup. For those looking to liven up their al fresco experience, there’s the option to bring the bar outside and add a bundle of beer, wine or signature cocktails including the Old Gold Fashioned and Smoking Mary. The picnic baskets are available for collection and delivery The Bustle Basket (£28) is available for delivery The Bombay Basket (£48) is available to take away from the restaurant only

www.bombaybustle.com

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