This new Bandra restaurant celebrates food made along the Jhelum river

On the map the Jhelum is a blue line that meanders and flows in a trajectory splintered by the Partition Rising from a deep spring at Vernag in the western Jammu and Kashmir union territory in Indiaadministered Kashmir it races through the Kashmir valley to Wular Lake in Srinagar where it calms and stills before bending southwards into the Pakistani province of Punjab Before 1947 Jhelum resided in one land now it departs into anotherThe Chhabras like the river were oblivious of their futuremdashthey were affluent landlords living in Gujranwala in undivided Punjab through which the Jhelum flows A recklessly drawn border forced the family out of their hometown Joining the sea of refugees Raj Kumar Chhabra arrived in Bombay with his parents and two siblings on a train moving into a camp in ChemburAbhay Chhabrarsquos just launched Jhelum restaurant in Pali Naka serves food made along the Jhelum river which flows from Kashmir to PakistanFrom a life of affluence they were reduced almost suddenly to a state of penury Even as the Chhabras struggled to find their footing in this bedlam their lives took an unexpected coursemdashmuch as the Jhelum under the spell of torrential rainmdashwhen Raj Kumarrsquos father took ill A hospital admission cost Rs 200 and it was back then beyond affordable Denied treatment the patriarch passed on ldquoThat was a turning point in my grandfatherrsquos Raj Kumar liferdquo says 24yearold restaurateur Abhay ChhabraDetermined to save his family from another tragedy Raj Kumar started a canteen business in Ravi Industrial Estate in Thane serving North Indian food The success of that eatery led him to open another one in Masjid Bunder six months later He went on to launch New Neelam Restaurant and Bar his son Ajay Chhabra expanded the chain that became a popular watering hole which also served delicious Mughlai and Chinese food The apple doesnrsquot fall far from the tree we learn when we meet Abhay who is a thirdgeneration Chhabra in the business of foodHis newlylaunched restaurant in Bandrarsquos Pali Naka celebrates his roots the land of his ancestors and the river a reminder of the ebb and flow of life ldquoI picked up dishes eaten along the banks of the riverrdquo says Abhay of the menu which is inspired from northwestern Punjabi and Peshawari and Kashmiri cuisineAbhay ran his own event company before moving into the tech startup space where he along with two others launched an app to help people with nightlife bookings In 2019 the year before the pandemic he opened the finedining restaurant and lounge B52 at Khar Gymkhana which operates out of a 6000 sqft spaceJhelum is more intimate with interiors reminiscent of the world they left behind The pink on the wall represents the mud of the riverbanks the blue lines on the fabric of the seat hark back to the river itself and the beige and brown the colour of the earth Cane lanterns give a dim glow to the tiny 30seater while quaint knickknacks placed inside niches imagine a forgotten past But otherwise this is still a chic modern space with a glass facade drawing very much from a 20somethingrsquos sensibility of how hersquod imagine a cosy fine dining space where he can take his family and partner for a mealDahi ke kabaabThe menu is slim There are about 40 dishes give or take including rice and breads This may help make a more focused choice but the list appears sparse to us perhaps because there are no descriptions of the dishes a standard protocol at most restaurants While Indians are familiar with pindi chole murg malai kababs and the like for someone who has never tried North Indian food names without any instant recall value are nothing but random dishes The waiting staff has been prepped for this shortcoming ldquoWe took about six weeks to decide on the menurdquo says Abhay His brother in the US a chef by profession became his sounding board when planning and curating the meals The chef Yawer Hussain Faridi has previously worked at New Neelam and trained under the celebrated chef and Awadhi cuisine genius Ishtiaq QureshiThe choice of location for his new experiment is interesting and even bold Pali Naka is inundated with restaurants and eateries Some like Jai Hind Lunch Home bang opposite Abhayrsquos own space have endured despite stiff competition due to patronage from fans old and new To make friends in this crowd is going to be an uphill battleDal Peshawari is cooked for over 72 hours on slow heat over a tandoor PicsAishwarya DeodharThere isnrsquot a dearth of restaurants that serve Punjab and Kashmir on a plate What makes this different The dry ingredients and masalas including the chole Abhay says are sourced directly from these regions including Kashmir and Punjab so that the restaurant remains authentic to the food of the landWe try bits from the starters laid out for usmdashdahi ke kabab Rs 385 chatpate tandoori aloo Rs 350 murg malai kabab Rs 475 and barrah kabab Rs 595 The barrah kabab Rs 595mdashlamb chops marinaded in brown spices and skewered on a tandoormdashserved with green chutney is soft and succulent Lamb if not cooked well can be chewy We enjoy it with our handsmdashmessy but delicious On the main course there is the exceptionaltasting dal Peshawari Rs 395 which we prefer having without the rice because it is so filling ldquoIt is cooked for over 72 hours on slow heat over a tandoor in dum style to get the right flavour and texturerdquo explains AbhayHaving spent a significant part of his childhood at the New Neelam chains Abhay also wanted to bring part of that legacy into the dining experience The sweet and spicy murgh makhani Rs 485 has been inspired by the butter chicken served there ldquoItrsquos the typical Neelam butter chickenrdquo he says ldquoThe paya soup at Neelam was such a big hit that we would sell at least a hundred orders daily during winter Because of its popularity I decided to include paya masala Rs 595 on our menu Itrsquos a gravy dish cooked with daalrdquoBarrah kababOne of our favourite dishes from the dinner was the Kashmiri rogan gosht with taftan which is a lot like the Indian naan but slightly sweeter and kneaded with saffron water Wersquove never tried this combination before and thatrsquos what adds an element of newness to this experimentWe finish our meal with a dessert called mithi yaadein sweet memories Rs 355 which is deseeded lychees drowned in a bowl of rabri and garnished with nuts It is mouthwatering but by this time wersquove eaten so much itrsquos only gluttony thatrsquos seeing us through The other two sweet treats on the menu are malpua and phirni ldquoI want Jhelum to become a brand in itself and thatrsquos my dream I plan to open more such outlets in India and abroad perhaps London and NYCrdquo he says Where the river canrsquot flow he willAddress Jhelum Pali Naka BandraTimings 12 Noon to 330 PM and 730 PM to 330 AMCall 8591438301