The Parsee

[Bapi]

I have been meaning to go to The Parsee in Highgate for some time as its only twenty minutes from where we live in North London. The food by Cyrus Todiwala, of Café Spice Namaste, and concentrates solely on the cuisine of his Parsee community in Mumbai (formerly Bombay). Surprisingly, there was only one other couple when the four of us arrived for our 9pm table. It's situated in a smallish, but brightly lit converted shop, just down the road from quaint old Highgate village.

We started with excellent papads, just like my mother gets and not the pallid, pale yellow ones mass bought, which one often gets in "Indian" restaurants. This was served with first rate homemade chilli pickle and a tamarind chutney- again, none of that generic mango chutney and onion salad here. Unfortunately, even after being warned of the heat of the pickle by me - our friend N indulged a little to enthusiastically and was therefore was brought near to tears. I fear our Spanish cousins are not used to spicy things- bless her. (V pretty, just not that bright )

My friend and his missus both opted for Papeta na Pattice to start with- which were three smallish cakes of potato mixed with peas, grated coconut, nuts and various spices; which were then bread crumbed and shallow fried. These were served on a bed of rich tomato gravy. The little I tried was very nice and real home-style comfort food. Rosie opted for Akoori on toast - which was very generous helping of spiced scrambled egg, flavoured with chilli and garlic and coriander - finished with a bit of vinegar- which lifted the dish. Rosie found it a bit filling so left part of it as she really wanted to enjoy her main course.

I opted for a selection of vegetarian and meat starters- According to the notes written by the chef- Parsees have a great affinity and passion for eggs and I was given a dish called Tamota purr eeda. This was a ramekin filled with a mixture of spiced beaten egg steamed on a bed of diced tomato cooked with chopped shallots, garlic & spices. This was then finished with a sprinkling of sugar & vinegar, and a little chopped coriander. I liked this dish very much. I was also given a small tasty piece of venison, which was char grilled after having been spiced with star anise and a piece of chicken, which had been marinated in cumin, ginger and garlic, which was ok.

Mains were very successful on the whole. Parsees are apparently devoted carnivores are enthuse specifically about lamb. In keeping with this my missus opted for Dhaansaak This was superb and light years away from the bastardised version served in curry houses up and down the country. The menu explains that "Dhaansaak is traditional Sunday fare & is the Parsee equivalent to the Sunday Roast. Dhaansaak is composed of two words “dhaan” meaning rice & “saak” meaning the lamb & lentil combination." This was served with delicately flavoured onion and star anise pulao,fried minced lamb balls and cachumber (onion salad). The whole composition of the dish was excellent- and the meat moist and tender. She loved it.

N went for Dhaan Daar Nay Kolmi No Patio- silly girl, again this a bit too hot for her, but I really enjoyed eating what she left over, so no complaints from me. The daar refers to the lentils in the dish, kolmi to the succulent prawns and the patio to the wonderful twangy, spicy sauce. D opted for the only slightly average dish which was Murghi Ni Curry Nay Papeto- Chicken and potato curry enhanced with a creamy concoction of coconut, cashew nuts, chick peas almonds and sesame seeds. Not to my taste and as I tried this after the other spicier and more flavoursome dishes, perhaps my palate wasn't able to truly pick up the nuances of the dish.

I opted for Pork nu Vindaloo. I have always wanted to try this dish properly made and I am very glad I did, it was excellent. Tender morsels of pork made with Goan masala paste to into which palm vinegar is added. The dish is also redolent with garlic and spices, which are enhanced and almost counter balanced by the twang of the vinegar. In addition we had papeta purr Eeda- which was chunks of potato to which cumin seeds, green chilli and then spiced egg is added. I didn't really enjoy this dish, but I thought the dish of Aubergine and courgettes in a patia sauce was excellent. Breads too, were first rate.

By this stage my friend the- Narcoleptic Chingford Boy- had once again, fallen asleep at the table. He did exactly the same at a meal at Hibiscus last year, and so puddings were passed over whilst we waited for our taxis. A fine place with genuinely friendly service and excellent food.Granted it’s a little more expensive than your average local "Curry House" - but then this is no average Indian restaurant. Seek it out.

Edited April 1, 2004 by Bapi (log)

[MobyP]

By this stage my friend the- Narcoleptic Chingford Boy- had once again, fallen asleep at the table.

aka?

[magnolia]

Parsee was one of the first "dates" I had with Simon M & another poster from a previous board, Howler. I can't recall exactly what we had but there was an amazing omeletty dish. What I *do* remember is that Simon & Howler played the "who's more Indian" game

[Episure]

I have been meaning to go to The Parsee in Highgate for some time as its only twenty minutes from where we live in North London. The food by Cyrus Todiwala,  of Café Spice Namaste, and concentrates solely on the cuisine of his Parsee community in Mumbai (formerly Bombay). Surprisingly, there was only one other couple when the four of us arrived for our 9pm table. It's situated in a smallish, but brightly lit converted shop, just down the road from quaint old Highgate village.

We started with excellent papads, just like my mother gets and not the pallid, pale yellow ones mass bought, which one often gets in "Indian" restaurants. This was served with first rate homemade chilli pickle and a tamarind chutney- again, none of that generic mango chutney and onion salad here. Unfortunately, even after being warned of the heat of the pickle by me - our friend N indulged a little to enthusiastically and was therefore was brought near to tears. I fear our Spanish cousins are not used to spicy things- bless her. (V pretty, just not that bright )

My friend and his missus both opted for Papeta na Pattice to start with- which were three smallish  cakes of potato mixed with  peas, grated coconut, nuts and various spices; which were then bread crumbed and shallow fried. These were served on a bed of rich tomato gravy. The little I tried was very nice and real home-style comfort food. Rosie opted for Akoori on toast - which was very generous helping of spiced scrambled egg, flavoured with chilli and garlic and coriander - finished with a bit of vinegar- which lifted the dish. Rosie found it a bit filling so left part of it as she really wanted to enjoy her main course.

I opted for a selection of vegetarian and meat starters- According to the notes written by the chef- Parsees have a great affinity and passion for eggs and I was given a dish called Tamota purr eeda. This was a ramekin filled with a mixture of spiced beaten egg steamed on a bed of diced tomato cooked with chopped shallots, garlic & spices. This was then finished with a sprinkling of sugar & vinegar, and a little chopped coriander. I liked this dish very much. I was also given a small tasty piece of venison, which was char grilled after having been spiced with star anise and a piece of chicken, which had been marinated in cumin, ginger and garlic, which was ok.

Mains were very successful on the whole. Parsees are apparently devoted carnivores are enthuse specifically about lamb. In keeping with this my missus opted for Dhaansaak This was superb and light years away from the bastardised version served in curry houses up and down the country.  The menu explains that  "Dhaansaak is traditional Sunday fare & is the Parsee equivalent to the Sunday Roast. Dhaansaak is composed of two words “dhaan” meaning rice & “saak” meaning the lamb & lentil combination." This was served with delicately flavoured onion and star anise pulao,fried minced lamb balls and cachumber (onion salad). The whole composition of the dish was excellent- and the meat moist and tender. She loved it.

N went for Dhaan Daar Nay Kolmi No Patio- silly girl, again this a bit too hot for her, but I really enjoyed eating what she left over, so no complaints from me. The daar refers to the lentils in the dish, kolmi to the succulent prawns and the patio to the wonderful twangy, spicy sauce. D opted for the only slightly average dish which was Murghi Ni Curry Nay Papeto- Chicken and potato curry enhanced with a creamy concoction of coconut, cashew nuts, chick peas almonds and sesame seeds. Not to my taste and as I tried this after the other spicier and more flavoursome dishes, perhaps my palate wasn't able to truly pick up the nuances of the dish.

I opted for Pork nu Vindaloo. I have always wanted to try this dish properly made and I am very glad I did, it was excellent. Tender morsels of pork made with Goan masala paste to into which palm vinegar is added. The dish is also redolent with garlic and spices, which are enhanced and almost counter balanced by the twang of the vinegar. In addition we had papeta purr Eeda- which was chunks of potato to which cumin seeds, green chilli and then spiced egg is added. I didn't really enjoy this dish, but I  thought the dish of Aubergine and courgettes in a patia sauce was excellent. Breads too, were first rate.

By this stage my friend the- Narcoleptic Chingford Boy-  had once again, fallen asleep at the table. He did exactly the same at a meal at Hibiscus last year, and so puddings were passed over whilst we waited for our taxis. A fine place with genuinely friendly service and excellent food.Granted it’s a little more expensive than your average local "Curry House" - but then this is no average Indian restaurant. Seek it out.

I've not eaten at the Parsee but your post's style is better than most restaurant reviewers' format.

And your Narcoleptic friend has done what most of my Parsee friends would do on a Sunday afternoon, not at a table though.

[Bapi]

By this stage my friend the- Narcoleptic Chingford Boy- had once again, fallen asleep at the table.

aka?

MobyP , maybe I have the wrong end of the stick here, but do you think the person I am refering to is an EG-er?

He isn't, it's my friend Dan- but his wife is a regular lurker, which is why I am so gleefully rude about her.

[howler]

yo maggie -

unfortunately, playing 'who is more indian' with simon majumdar is a sport that quickly loses its charm because, sad to say, the poor fellow isn't indian at all.

its funny, because its a phenomenon i've noticed here but never in the states: the children of indian parents or mixed indian parents who live in the u.k. are so much more prone to pretending a familiarity with the country and its customs than their counterparts in the u.s.a.

[John Whiting]

As an old Chowhounder, I have a strange feeling of dejà-vu. . .

[mongo_jones]

yo maggie -

unfortunately, playing 'who is more indian' with simon majumdar is a sport that quickly loses its charm because, sad to say, the poor fellow isn't indian at all.

its funny, because its a phenomenon i've noticed here but never in the states: the children of indian parents or mixed indian parents who live in the u.k. are so much more prone to pretending a familiarity with the country and its customs than their counterparts in the u.s.a.

i don't know about comrade majumdar's antecedents or the general phenomenon you cite but i do know he's responsible for at least one major "howler" on the india-forum; something that makes me question strongly his knowledge (attributed? claimed?) of bengali food.

[MobyP]

OK chaps (shuffles nervously), anyway (ahem), about the food? (cough cough)

[mongo_jones]

OK chaps (shuffles nervously), anyway (ahem), about the food? (cough cough)

to redeem myself i'll say only that i am jealous. parsi food is rare even in india outside of bombay (except in parsi homes). and there's little approaching such articulated regionality in the bleak indian culinary landscape in the states. i have to say i am impressed by the vindaloo as described--refreshingly tangy rather than spicy, as a good goan-parsi vindaloo should be.

my one reservation is about the name of the restaurant or to be more precise the spelling of it. granted both "parsi" and "parsee" are transliterations anyway but the latter spelling has particularly colonialist underpinnings (kind of like spelling gandhi as ghandi)--makes me wonder if the place is playing off of those kinds of associations in england. what is the general clientele-profile?

my own english cousins (born and raised in the suburbs of london) tell me they're happy to be "cashing in" (as they put it) on indian-ness's raised hip profile in england these days; given that both their parents are excellent cooks, however, they're not very impressed by the high-profile indian restaurants.

[John Whiting]

makes me wonder if the place is playing off of those kinds of associations in england. what is the general clientele-profile?

Cyrus Todiwala is about as intelligent/enthusiastic/dedicated a champion of Parsee/Parsi culture as one could ask for. Not so much a credit to his race as a credit to the human race. The last thing I would suspect him of is colonialism. His clientele consists of good food lovers of all political persuasions.

[mongo_jones]

john,

i'm not accusing him of "colonialism" (unless, that is, he has placed sussex under his flag and is extracting its economic surplus). i'm wondering if the spelling "parsee", rather than "parsi" (which is far more common in india) is a concession to a colonial era spelling/transliteration of names indian which persists in england--adding two "e's" rather than an "i" to the end of a word with a long "e" sound--as also seen in the spelling "suttee" instead of "sati". does the distinction make any sense?

if his clientele is largely anglo there might be a subtle invocation of a residual raj nostalgia happening in the name of the restaurant. none of which has any effect, probably, on the quality of the food served there.

mongo

edit to add: i could be wrong about the parsee/parsi thing, of course, and in fact i've just posted a question about it on the india forum: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST&f=40&t=40170 ; interested parties may wish to follow the thread as it develops.

Edited April 3, 2004 by mongo_jones (log)

[howler]

i wouldn't read too much into the spelling ... 'parsee' is a little old fashioned, but there are plenty of places in bombay that use that spelling - for example, its 'parsee gymkhana' and not 'parsi gymkhana' etc.

[Vikram]

I opted for Pork nu Vindaloo. I have always wanted to try this dish properly made and I am very glad I did, it was excellent. Tender morsels of pork made with Goan masala paste to into which palm vinegar is added. The dish is also redolent with garlic and spices, which are enhanced and almost counter balanced by the twang of the vinegar.

This is to make an observation just for the sake of making an observation, but its ingredient related, so it should be OK for eGullet. One of the subthemes of the Parsee meal was the use of vinegar, but since I wouldn't expect Cyrus Todiwalla to be anything less than authentic, the vinegar he used for the other dishes probably wouldn't be the same as the one for the vindaloo - quite correctly Goan palm vinegar, since this really isn't really a Parsi dish. For Parsi food only one type of vinegar will do - Kolah's sugarcane vinegar from Navsari. I'm researching an article on vinegars in India and got my first packet of this and it is AMAZING. Its supplied in plastic packets and when you cut one open, you get the most amazing heady smell. And the taste has all sorts of subtle, sweet-sour notes. I realise comparisions with balsamic are absurd, but that's what I was babbling to myself when I first tasted it,

Vikram