Mumbai Hafta | Karama

I often wonder how certain restaurants manage to stand out in a food-centric location like Karama. But it’s only when I visit these restaurants do I realise that every single place has such a unique charm, that despite their food offering being quite similar to one another, there is something special about every place that will make you want to keep trying and alternating between places day after day. We tried out one such gem in Karama over the weekend – Mumbai Hafta.

The very name of this place takes you back to the hustle and bustle of bay-town, busy residents making their way to and back from work, and making a quick stop on their way to grab a bite of one of Mumbai’s signature snacks. I must say, while I was expecting a very limited small bites menu, I was pleasantly surprised to see Mumbai Hafta serve a variety of street food items, right from quick snacking favorites to more elaborate rice and curry dishes – everything from the streets of Mumbai.

The almost corner restaurant, located in one of the quieter lanes of Karama offers an Insta-worthy seating space – both indoors and outdoors. While we sat indoors so we could get good lighting for our pictures, you will definitely love the ‘modern dhaba’ vibes that’s an integral part of their outdoor area.

With so many options on the menu, we sure were a little confused in deciding what dishes to order, so we asked the staff for a few recommendations. We started with one of their signature keema dishes – Keema Pav. This one, made with juicy mince and a whole lot of spices, was served alongside a pair of buttered buns and oodles of nostalgia.

Being suckers for Maggi, we also decided to give their chicken Maggi a try. This dish can be ordered with chicken, egg or just plain veg, according to your preference. I am personally a biggg fan of Maggi noodles, and more often than not, my dinner consists of a filling bowl of Maggi, so having someone serve me these hot and creamy noodles with a twist of chicken and just the right flavors was a win win for me.

One more starter, which we landed on after choosing two others that were not available – lamb chops and mutton seekh kebab, was the Chicken Seekh Kebab. Without a doubt, the seekh was perfect – tender, juicy and all the spices done right. The portion size though, could’ve been slightly more appealing.

You didn’t think we were naïve enough to give their chaat offerings a miss, did you? Sticking to our love for Pani Puri, we ordered one portion of this sweet and spicy chaat dish along with a lip-smacking Sev Puri. Both the chaat dishes were fairly good and were cleaned off in seconds. However, I just had one main concern – the Pani Puri on their menu was titled Gol Guppa, and anyone who knows a little bit about Pani Puri and Mumbai, would know how offensive Mumbaikars get when someone calls their beloved dish by a Delhi name. I guess, with Mumbai in their very restaurant name, they better change the name of this chaat to Pani Puri and avoid offending true Mumbaikars like me 

For mains, we opted for Chicken Sakinaka – a tomoto based gravy dish featuring boneless chicken pieces served alongside hot phulkas. And while I really wanted to try the Chicken Sultan Biryani, this too wasn’t available, so we were offered a Kabab Biryani instead. This one was more like a pulao to be honest, topped with a variety of kebabs. The portion size was really good, and the taste fared well, but it wasn’t a biryani.

For drinks, we tried a variety of hot and cold options including the signature bullet chai. Served in a kullad or earthen mug, this one was brilliant. Masala Thumbs Up and Bakwas Sprite both featured the basic drinks topped with chaat masala and spices. Nimbu Paani was served in a big glass bottle and could easily suffice 2-3 people. The Saffron doodh had a calming and smooth flavour.

Mumbai Hafta

Location: Sheikh Hamdan Colony, Beside Belhasa Building, Al Karama, Dubai
Contact: 04 3495420

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