Venue: Gwalpahari, Gurgaon

Muzaffar Ali dons many hats. As a child, we remember him as the director of the Hindi cinema “Umrao Jaan”. While we were not allowed to watch this film, I recall our parents raving about great acting, smart direction and the beautiful costumes and sets. Years later we came to know that Muzaffar Ali is a fashion designer as well. They say art flows from one form to another. “Maashra” is one of the latest ventures of the art couple Muzaffar Ali and Meera Ali, an architect and designer.

Muzaffar and Meera Ali have opened up their homestead in Gurgaon and set up a tent restaurant “Maashra”. Maashra offers a fine dining experience in line with the royal cuisine of Awadh. This comes as no surprise as Muzaffar Ali is the honorific Raja of Kotwara, Awadh.

Maashra is at Gwalpahari, in Bedabrata’s neighbourhood and when we received an invite to dine here, Bedabrata virtually ran without stopping to change.  That is of course in jocular vein. But yes, we had heard about this venture by Meera and Muzaffar Ali and their House of Kotwara so we were very excited.  The drive took us on this narrow path virtually in wilderness, and just when we were wondering if we were lost, there was an imposing gate on our right. No board, no publicity. But when we knocked, the gate was opened and there was a different world inside that was so not Gurgaon. The trees on the huge lawn were lit with tea lights and fairy lamps.  The flickering flames on the candles made the place look surreal – like a dream. And this dreamy setting continued as we walked inside and saw this gorgeously lit sprawling tent at a distance. Beside that was a train buggy which we later came to know was a set from one of Mr. Ali’s films.

Shaama, daughter of Meera and Muzaffar Ali was at the helm of affairs in the tent.  The lighting was such that there was a golden hue. Paintings by Muzaffar Ali and other art work were part of the tent décor. Hindustani classical music was being played in the background. It was all meticulously arranged and we loved the ornate place card for “Delhi-Fun-Dos”.

It was a 6 Course Sampling Menu that was served on the table. Vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian items were uniformly part of the fare. The first couple of courses were like entrees.  The mutton dishes were all a riot of flavours. A host of aromatic spices had been infused in each dish and one could see these items would have taken hours of prep time.  We almost hit the ceiling on Chaap Sultani. The melt in the mouth mutton chops were served on cumin infused mashed potatoes and the combination sent our taste buds on a heavenly journey.

The other dish that we found very unique is the Khatti Meethi Dal. This was lentils cooked with tamarind, jiggery and mild spices. We haven’t had this one before. The Mutton Quorma came with a bread basket – Tandoori Roti and Sheermal. The Tandoori Roti was small – like a disc and had the warm smell of clay. The Sheermal – just the touch of sweetness in bread was a great combination with the Quorma.

We have a soft corner for Biryanis and Zainabia Afghani Biryani was just to our liking. It was aromatized Basmati rice topped with caramelized onion  and had pieces of chicken. This was perhaps the only chicken dish we had that evening.

The dessert was Apricot Kheer, or Khubani ka Meetha, our favourite dessert from Gunpowder days. A soothing cup of Qahwa tea closed the grand meal.

In fact, we had the great fortune of having a most enlightening conversation with Muzaffar Ali before the dinner started. He spoke at length about his views on the traditional arts and crafts of India. Getting into that discussion would be impertinent on our part. But it was clear that Mr. Ali’s views reverence for traditional Indian skills had been married with Mrs. Ali’s culinary skills and Masha Ali’s energy to make this dinner at Maashra an artful gastronomy experience.  Ghee, oil, and spices were used in such balanced moderation that even after the six-course meal, we were not uncomfortable.  Balance is the key towards successful art they say.

Maashra is not functional all the time, they have their open evenings.  They host small gatherings too. You have to follow them on social media or contact the House of Kotwara to stay updated. This is not really a restaurant that you walk into at will. It is more like a culinary art gallery. Or travel to another space in another era. The experience takes time and do be relaxed when you come here. And also, do have a table reservation before coming.

If all this seems daunting, let us assure Maashra is worth every bit of effort.