Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy...

....A restaurant like this one
Won't somebody help me chase the hunger pangs away!!

(Sung to the tune of Gimme, Gimme, Gimme)

I had a SUPERLATIVE lunch experience in Jimmy Boy.

It was a long time coming. I had been promising myself a visit to this restaurant for a year and a half now. But never found myself close enough to Horniman Circle, with enough of an appetite. Simultaneously (but not known to me), N had been promising himself and V that they would go out for a traditional Parsi meal to Jimmy Boy's. He also couldn't get around to it.

Today when N came and suggested lunch, I quickly suggested checking Busybee's site out. I know that some of the info is outdated, but I don't trust anyone else* on food in Bombay.

On the first page, we didn't find anything interesting. Onwards to second, where the first entry was Jimmy Boy. We had to do what we had to do. We went for lunch.

The old mustachioed uncle who discussed the order, had a decent informed conversation with us. No trying to small-talk on the weather or India's defeat yesterday. No unnecessary restlessness (like in Britannia). He stayed with us, helped us make up our mind and then went on with his world.

While I ordered a Jardaloo Sali Boti and a lagan nu custard, N decided to go the whole hog and had a Lagan Nu Bhonu (Patra Ni Machchi, Chicken Farcha, Mutton Biryani and Kulfi). The Lagan Nu Bhonu was huge, with me chipping in the end. As far as Jardaloo Sali Boti is concerned, I will ask my idol to comment:

"I mention next the jardaloo sali boti, which, I believe, is on the bhonu practically every night.

Jardaloo is apricot, or apricot is jardaloo, the dry one. It is used with meat to give it a sweet flavour, and I think this is an exclusive Parsi dish. Chef Damu Rohit, a native of Sanjan and a man who has spent many years working in Parsi kitchens, is responsible for the Parsi dishes at Jimmy Boy. He explained to me the process. The dry apricot is soaked in water for three to four hours, so it becomes plump and soft. The meat, which is small round pieces of boneless mutton (boti), is cooked in an onion and tomato gravy (some of the water in which the apricots were soaked is added to it) with appropriate masalas, plus sugar and toddy palm vinegar. The apricots are then added to it. The sali, potato strips (pommes alumettes), are served separately in a bowl. You pick them with your hand and put them on top of your jardaloo boti. Eat it all together, the meatiness of the meat, the sweetness of the apricot, and the saltiness of the fried potato strips. Also, experience the softness of the meat and apricots with the crispness of the chips. There will be a seed in the apricot. If you have got strong teeth, break the seed and eat the nut inside. The bhonu includes Parsi rotlis, wheat chapatis, soak them in the meaty gravy and eat."

It was great (though a little more mutton would have been nice) and the rotlis stayed soft till the end.

However, the best part was yet to come. Just check the pic out.

At the end of the meal, we could wash our hands into the bowl, with fresh warm water being poured by the server out of a jug. Such a refreshing change from the common finger bowl-lemon slice routine.

While a very small thing in itself and in no way a core offering, this was format execution at its brilliant best!

As consumer behaviourists will put it - a true point of differentiation. True Delight.

* It's not blind trust. Last year, when Gogo was in town, we had paya, kababs and the most amazing ice-cream experience in the world, thanks to Busybee. But that's a different story.