A royal fare

Started nine months ago with the first establishment at Viman Nagar,the small eatery expanded fast,opening two more branches at Wanowrie and,recently,at Dhole Patil road. Bighdey Nawab is one of the few restaurants in town which serves genuine Lucknowi food. “As a child,I was spoiled by my parents,and my father,half in jest,half scolding,used to call me Bighdey Nawab,which in Hindi means ‘pampered prince’,” says the owner,Santosh Kulkarni,as he tells the story behind the naming of the eatery.

The décor is interestingly done up with a bright shade of yellow donning the walls while the tables are a greenish shade of blue,almost turquoise. On the walls are framed caricatures of Kulkarni himself,all done around the theme of the name of the restaurant. However,the first floor is slightly cramped; there is very little space for diners,and the tables end up being bunched up together.

Onward,to the food at the restaurant,the kebabs were particularly delicious. The Peshwari Murgh Kebab was quite tasty,and the Mutton Kakori Kebab seemed to melt in the mouth. The idea of the Cheese Kebab was also quite innovative,and the dish,tasty. Then,for main course,the naans and rotis were (thankfully) not rubbery,which is a common problem at many eateries across town. The Chicken Nihari with a thick gravy base ensures that the dish will not run all over the plate. However,the Mutton Gosht was quite disappointing. The meat was tender,for sure,but the curry didn’t have the distinctive taste of mutton,and was slightly on the saltier side.

For dessert,the Shahi Tukda,was superb. The milk-based sweet was a good way to end the meal. One thing about the food that struck out was that the normally high oil content was missing – the food was rich,but not to the standards that one would usually associate Lucknowi food with.

Ambiance: 3/5

Hospitality: 4/5

Food: 4.5/5

Price: 4/5