Food Review: Samaas

The Bengali thali.

If you live away from home, the three words that are probably closest to your heart are home cooked food. It was a friend who shifted to Mumbai three years ago who told us about Samaas.in, a month-old food delivery service, which promises “home cooked meals” on its attractive home page. The website will lure you in regardless of whether you’re native to Mumbai as the food is acquired from the kitchens of Malvani, Bengali and Maharashtrian families living in the city.

For now, Samaas only delivers between Vile Parle and Bandra, seven days a week. They offer a set selection of dishes per day, as well as a daily thali that comprises an assortment of the day’s specials. Its distinguishing feature is its menu, which abounds in regional specialties such as mocha chingri chop (a Bengali croquette made with banana blossoms and shrimp); teesriya masala (clams in Malvani gravy); and shenganchi amti (drumsticks cooked with lentils). Non-vegetarians should hold off ordering until the weekend, as both the Saturday and Sunday menus have the choicest selection of seafood and meat preparations.

Our options on Wednesday were not half-bad. From the Malvani menu, we ordered the kombdi hirwa masala, in which pieces of chicken (on the bone) were cooked in a thick curry made of coconut, coriander and chilli paste. The kolambi fry (Rs190), comprising about eight large pieces of prawn encased in a crisp, spicy semolina batter, was excellent to snack on. They also get props for not sending us the teesriya masala that we had ordered as they felt the clams were not fresh.

The Bengali thali (Rs150) came with two portions of basmati rice, a stodgy yellow dal, onion bhajias on the verge of turning soggy, a simple but delicious serving of aloo posto (potatoes with poppy seeds), and fleshy rohu (a river fish) cooked in an uncomplicated yet flavourful gravy of onions, cumin, coriander seeds and red chilli powder. Even though we had to spoon out a shallow layer of oil from the gravy, the plump rohu was the highlight of the thali. The egg-lined chicken roll (Rs90), which we ordered separately, was like a home-style Frankie stuffed with pieces of tangy boneless chicken and boiled potato. For the most part, our food from Samaas had a good balance of masalas, but it would only make a great daily meal option if the home chefs eased up on the amount of oil used in cooking.

This review was conducted anonymously.

For lunch delivery on the same day, orders have to be placed by noon. The last order for dinner is taken at 7.45pm. Orders will be delivered two hours after they are placed. To place an order, call 022 2617 4716.