Jumjoji’s second coming

Standing distinctively apart yet graciously inviting, the fine dining restaurant Jumjoji — The Parsi Diner, holds its own at The Orb, launched as an integrated food, beverage and entertainment hotspot. Located within the prestigious J. W. Marriott Sahar premises next to the international airport in Bombay, The Orb is considered "a vibrant experience destination” spread across two-levels with 40+ restaurants, cafés, nightclubs, pub, lounge, sports bars and salon.
From youngsters in their early 20s to the ever-growing corporate clientele in the vicinity, from Bombayites seeking to extend their culinary boundaries to overseas travelers, Jumjoji continues to draw diners seeking an exclusive Parsi-Irani cuisine. Seasoned gourmets get to expand their vocabulary when they learn that jumjoji is the Parsi Gujarati equivalent of bon appétit, a salutation to enjoy the meal.
A far cry from the typical Irani cafés, the décor reflects the globe-trotting, cultured yet understated aesthetics of the community that values "maja ni life (fun-filled life).” The brazen humor of Parsis and Iranis plastered on posters across the walls is juxtaposed with antique pieces that wouldn’t be out of place in a quintessential Parsi or Irani home.
Jumjoji is considered suburban Bombay’s answer to flavorful and delicious Parsi-Irani cuisine. It was conceived in 2012 when three Zoroastrians and a restaurateur got together for drinks and realized the absence of authentic Parsi-Irani cuisine in a fine dining space. The four partners come from diverse backgrounds. While Percy Chowdhry is the leading force behind the Rustomjee Group, Pravin Shetty has a 50-year-old family-run business called ShettySons that manages food and hospitality services. Jumjoji is one of the brands promoted by the group. Farah Irani was working for about 13 years at Tata Consultancy Services, and her husband Boman is an agriculturist from Dahanu.

Jumjoji’s fine dining interiors

Entrance Photos: Jasmine D. Driver

Jumjoji, as a quaint eatery for around 26 diners, first opened its doors in January 2012 at Bandra Reclamation. It was popular amongst food lovers and celebrities alike, including Bollywood stars, such as Bipasha Basu, Lara Dutta and John Abraham, and cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar and his family. However, the limited seating capacity couldn’t keep up with the demand and many food lovers had to go back disappointed due to a long waiting time. In May 2016, they closed this outlet, with a promise to come back very soon with a bigger and better one.
The new premises of Jumjoji at The Orb opened its doors in October 2018. With approximately 63 covers, the interiors of this outlet have been designed by Burgis Daruwalla of DC Group of Companies.
While there are many restaurants, especially in the suburbs, which serve Parsi-Irani cuisine, the experience is, at times, diluted with the inclusion of a fusion or continental menu. What makes Jumjoji truly special is the fact that they have decided to stick to just Parsi-Irani food. Few communities take their food as seriously, so the menu is planned with due care and has gradually evolved.
On the menu of Jumjoji are many familiar yet rechristened dishes like Ava Merchant’s Mutton Kabab, Marzban Gazder’s Chicken Dhansak, Uncle Farzan’s Chicken Salli, and such other names and ideas that bring to mind a Parsi-Irani household. The other popular dishes are Bahrom Dorabjee’s Chicken Farcha, Chicken Berry Pulao a la Britannia, and Aunty Freni’s Mutton Dhansak.
While Parsi-Irani food is synonymous with non-vegetarian food, Jumjoji takes care of its vegetarian guests as well. Rohinton Saabvala’s Chutney Pattice, Pari Batliwala’s Cheese Fingers, Khorshed Khambatta’s Veg Berry Pulao, and Cyrus Dalal’s Lagansara Ishtew are just a few of the many pure vegetarian delicacies offered here.
Currently, their dessert menu is limited but tempting, with Aunty Zarine’s Gulab Jamun with Rabdi, and the ever-popular Homi Godiwala’s Lagan Nu Custard. They serve paan-flavored candy floss, which is an interesting twist to the regular candy floss.
To keep the momentum going, they are constantly introducing new dishes, notes Farah. They have special menus during festivals, such as Parsi New Year, and are now set to welcome diners with yet another appealing menu from December 21, 2019 to January 1, 2020 to celebrate the joyous Christmas and New Year season. Of course, the premise of all these menus is — truly and only Parsi-Irani food.

Above l-r: Boman Irani; Farah Irani, Percy Chowdhry Photos: Jasmine D. Driver; Pravin Shetty

All the magic in the kitchen is created by Rajesh Shinde. A student of Rustomjee, ITI, Shinde was sent to train with Parsi and Irani women at their homes to learn the most intricate of details of each dish available here. In fact, it’s interesting to note that every single person who works here has imbibed a whole lot of knowledge and history of Parsi and Irani culture. Shetty shares, "We have personally trained our staff, who are non-Parsis, on the history of the Zoroastrian religion and community. We have shown them videos and told them about Iran and educated them about the many nuances of Zoroastrians.”
The average cost for a meal for two persons is approximately Rs 1,800, without alcohol, and about Rs 3,500, with alcohol, plus five percent goods and service tax on food and 20% value added tax on alcohol. Since no compulsory service charge is levied, diners are expected to leave a table tip. One also has the option of ordering from food delivery platforms, such as Zomato and Swiggy. But, of course, that would just be half the experience, sans the delightful ambiance of the restaurant.
The team wants to grow the brand slowly, steadily, and most importantly, very thoughtfully. Farah says, "Jumjoji is already a brand in its own way currently, and we want to better this brand. Now that we have a bigger place, kitchen, etc, we want to keep enhancing, with new dishes, etc.” And, this holds true not just for the food, but the entire dining experience as well. For instance, every Wednesday and Friday they have the enjoyable Piano Nights by Mark Parakh.
Supplements Shetty, "We believe that the food industry is going to grow tremendously in India… (with) people having more disposable income. They are not as interested in buying a house or car. Rather, people are constantly looking for new experiences. One of the reasons we want to stick to the authenticity of only Parsi-Irani food is to give us an exclusivity factor and deliver a unique experience. We want to have certain dishes that are Jumjoji specialties and then have people drive down here for those dishes.” Their future plans are to see Jumjoji grow as an international brand. "We want to take it to places, such as London and Dubai, which have a good Parsi population as well. In fact, people in these cities, including the locals there, will really enjoy Parsi-Irani food. Of course, that’s our five-year plan,” he adds.
More than the lagan-nu-custard, it’s the experience that should leave a sweet taste in your mouth and have you coming back for more, hope the partners.
Jumjoji is located at 11A/B, The Orb, First Floor, IA Project Road, J. W. Marriott Sahar Premises, Andheri (East), Bombay 400099; tel: +91 (0) 9987646400.