Weekend Grub: Chupa Rustom captures the essence of Irani cafe culture
I haven't really experienced Karachi's much-talked-about Irani cafes.
We've all heard about and seen pictures of those cafes of yore, but I don't belong to the generation that actively participated in this culinary culture.
So when new upscale desi restaurant Chupa Rustom promised to give a taste of the same with Iranian-inspired interiors and food, I was intrigued. Considering the sudden profusion of pan-Asian and Asian fusion restaurants in Karachi, I was also fascinated that a restaurant was attempting desi fusion cuisine.
Where to go
Chupa Rustom is located on Bukhari lane 13, adjacent to the newly opened Chaye Khana.
The decor of the restaurant makes it easy to spot. And I believe our overall experience of the restaurant was leveled up because of the ambience.
When to go
Chupa Rustom is open from 8am - 11am for breakfast and 7pm - 11pm for dinner.
What to order
Chupa Rustom has adequate variety on its menu but having not indulged in much authentic Irani cuisine before we were confused about what to order. Our server Ali Hassan was more than happy to assist and we genuinely enjoyed the enthusiasm with which he explained the dishes and gave us some recommendations. We also wanted smaller portions to sample more of the menu and the staff was willing to comply. Shout out to Chupa Rustom for excellent service in general!
While we waited for our first round of dishes, Chupa Rustom served us a twist on the complimentary bread basket. It was a papar basket!
The variety of papar is made in house and we had a great time munching on the goodies while waiting for our our appetisers, or as Chupa Rustom calls them, waqfa.
A lot of Chupa Rustom's appetisers can be described as desi tapas and the serving is generous enough to be a meal for a person and are great for sharing.
The desi tacos are one of Chupa Rustom's fusion creations. The shell is makai roti and the filling is saag or tikka masala chicken. We loved the saag that filled up the taco and the salsa blend on top. However, in order to make the makai roti the hard shell, the taco became a little difficult to bite into. Makai roti is very easy to over cook and once hardened, very difficult to bite into. I wish they'd kept the shell soft, so that it's not a hassle to eat.
The jheenga kurkure are reminiscent of pakoras and we're not complaining. The crispy prawn has a homey feel to it and even though we asked for smaller portions, our serving was enough to fill us up.
The winner on the table was the aaloo methi kabab. It was the chupa rustom of the appetisers! The kabab was perfectly cooked, with a light crisp coating and soft on the inside. We loved the filling of the kabab and the tamarind sauce on the side complemented it perfectly.
The champ faringa was an interesting take on the mutton chop dish. The seasoning on the chops were spot on; however, they felt sightly undercooked, resulting in a slightly chewy texture on the inside.
The side of the chops won us over more. The 'khichri' that it was served with was a fascinating khichri-risotto hybrid, infused with truffle oil and mushrooms, so yes, it's very rich. We got a surprise of coconut in the first bite and, if you love coconut as much as I do, you'll welcome that burst of flavour.
Moving on to the entrees, or Khaaba, our meal turned out to have mostly seafood, but that was an odd, yet pleasant, coincidence.
The Kala namak samundari taj (yes that is quite the mouthful) was my personal favourite at the table. The tiger prawns were perfectly grilled and lightly seasoned to bring out the flavour of the prawns. The prawns are served with Kashmiri dum aalo and I genuinely wanted a bowl of those potatoes!
We also got the shahi mahi kabab, thinking we should try their take on chullo kabab. Chupa Rustom's take on the kabab is that they have Norwegian Salmon kababs.
As a dish, the Shahi mahi kabab was very well tied together. The kachumer on the side was a pineapple salsa and the kabab was served with dill rice and a dollop of cream cheese. I do wish instead of cream cheese we got a cream cheese sauce but I'm not complaining.
Chupa Rustom has an interesting way of serving biryani. Like the popular soup of the day, the restaurant has 'Aaj konsi biryani pakki hai?' and our biryani of the day was prawn biryani.
Unfortunately, we could not enjoy the biryani, there was a strong lack of seasoning and we mean the basic salt. I usually eat very little salt but if I noticed it, you know there's a problem. It was sad because the ingredients in the biryani had us thinking this could be a stellar dish. I'm hoping it was a one time fluke rather than that's how the biryani is meant to be.
The biryani is covered in a multi-seed puff pastry that we can enjoy on the side and I really did enjoy that. Chupa Rustom has its own bakery and we really did enjoy the goodies. Do try the tarts and the chana biscuits.
We enjoyed our meal with an array of Chupa Rustom's drinks. The shikanjabeen was light and the best to wash down our meal with. The jal zeera is a tamarind drink that would be great for brunch.
However, the hit at the table was the masala lassi. With a strong hit of cardamom, the lassi was sweet and one of the best lassis I've had at any restaurant. My colleague is not a fan of lassi in general but even she enjoyed it and that speaks for itself.
The Shahi Tukrey at Chupa Rustom has been a raved about dish but while it was definitely an elevated take on the classic dessert, we found the pound cakes much superior.
The almond cake and cashew cakes were soaked in almond milk in a tres leche style. The cakes themselves bore a very Bombay bakery touch and that was not a problem at all. The cakes had a wonderful crumble and we loved the sauces served on the side. I wanted more of the dulche de leche.
Damage on the Pocket
While the appetisers/tapas and dessert seem well priced within the range of Rs300-Rs600, the main courses are rather steep. With high end ingredients like tiger prawns and salmon, the range starts fromm Rs600 to a whopping Rs1900. Though the quantity is generous, its still costly for most.
Chupa Rustom also has breakfast which ranges from Rs300-Rs700 and I'm willing to visit the place again to try it out. I definitely want to enjoy that amazing lassi again. That lassi and Chupa Rustom's amazing ambiance would make for a great Sunday brunch!