Sardar Paaya House

3 Reviews on “Sardar Paaya House”

• Suruchi Mungekar

  Never visited this place but was craving to have mutton kheema and paya masala so one of my friend suggested me this and said try this two dishes you would seriously love it. So I thought let’s give a try and ordered it from zomato the quantity was like two people can easily have it accept the quantity the taste was awesome still can’t forget it and this two dishes made my Sunday greatful and I ate paya masala in Lunch and mutton kheema for the dinner. And it won’t harm your pocket it was pocket friendly and the pieces of paya was also 4 and it was bit spices but you would love it.

  May 2, 2020, 3:34 pm

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• Rohan Pathare

  A well renowned place in sion for paya soup.I had always heard if you wanted to have paya soup go and visit sardar paya at gtb nagar Sion.At last I visited ut, as everyone described it was a small place with a limited seating arrangement be side of which there would be waiting periods.First thing which catches ur eye is the way they cook and variety along with the price. It is the most pocket friendly place I have been too in approx 100 rupees ur stomach would be filled up.I had red gravy and white gravy paya soup the only difference was red on is a lot on Spicer side and white is not. But if you want to have white please visit this place a lot early.Also had chicken leg piece, fresh tender and we’ll marinated and cooked in spice’s.Quantity- enough for twoQuality- goodRecommended- hell yeah!!!Have anything whatever you want. Please remember this place is open from 12-5 Pm ONLY

  January 16, 2020, 6:27 pm

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• Duleep Thomas

  It’s been a while since I had been planning a stop at one of the street-side eateries in the famed Sion Koliwada stretch. My time-consuming research led me to the Sardar Paya House. Even after I honed in on the eatery, the operational hours of the establishment posed a challenge – the hours of this establishment are from 12 pm to 5 pm. So, that resulted in yet another constraint to my plan. This afternoon, however, the stars aligned and I made it to my elusive target – the Sardar Paya House, The one landmark that stands out as an unmistakable marker is the Shanmukananda Auditorium. Along the lane that runs to the north side of the auditorium to the end of the street and around the corner into a narrow alleyway was the Sardar Paya House. It took me a few seconds to live that momentary euphoria of locating the eatery. The establishment is perhaps more different than any such place I have been to, that is, up until now. The serving counter is not to the back of the establishment, rather, it is on the alleyway side facing inwards to the dining area. The serving counter has about 5 – 6 giant pots and some of them are atop a heat source. There is one remarkable person who singularly handles the serving counter – his primary role is to serve the soups and he also assembles the other dishes. Right beside him, in an adjoining window is a youthful associate who has a similar set of deep pots – this person handles the biryanis (Indian pilaf).It took a while to take in this unusual set up; our next stop was into the seating area. The seating area consisted of a set of spartan stools and tables. There were about four such tables past the alleyway entrance and perhaps just as many seats towards the back of this main dining area and in the adjoining space behind the biryani serving counter. It’s hard and certainly inappropriate to rate the ambiance at such places. It was rustic, it was spartan and just barely functional. Just as we slid onto the benches right to the edge of the alleyway, the nice waitperson showed up. The menu is laser-focused: it comprises Soups, Chicken dishes, Mutton dishes, Biryani, Staples and Beverages. We ordered the clear Paya Soup (without the lamb trotters), Mutton Kheema (ground lamb gently cooked in spiced onion gravy), Chicken Masala (chicken thigh cooked in a saffron-colored sauce), Mutton Masala (similar spiced sauce as the ground lamb), Tandori Roti and rounded it off with Lassi.The clear Paya Soup came first. It was a flavorful stock of lamb trotters, served in stainless steel cups and so hot that it retained a piping hot temperature till the end of our meal. I loved the soup for its simplicity and its rich, elegant flavor.Next came the Mutton Kheema and the Chicken Masala with Tandori Rotis. The Mutton Kheema (spiced minced lamb) was a winner. I cupped the Kheema with portions of the Tandori Roti that I tore off – the flavors exploded in my mouth. The minced meat was juicy and it took in all of the rich flavors of the spiced sauce. I will jump the gun and declare the Kheema the hero of the day. The sauce of the Chicken Masala was distinctly different; it had a gentle hint of garlic and had a turmeric hue. The chicken thigh in the dish was cooked to perfection and faithfully took in the flavors of the sauce. Nice dish!The Tandori Rotis were so good; it could have been whole wheat (it was like home-made rotis); they were prepared and stored in an insulated container.Then came in the Mutton Masala with more Tandori Rotis. This dish came a very close but was a valiant second to the Mutton Kheema. The mutton (lamb) in this dish was: delicately cooked chunks of a boneless piece, one piece on a bone and one with some nihari (marrow). The sauce was perfectly complementary. Outstanding!It was nearing curtain call and that’s when our beverage made its presence. The salted lassi, served with welcome ice cubes was the perfect finale.We also did a take-out; we ordered the Mutton Biryani and a Chicken Biryani. The mutton pieces were not substantial but I would not hold that against the overall quality of the Mutton Biryani. The rice in the Mutton Biryani was also cooked right. However, the Mutton Biryani had a slightly bitter aftertaste. I struggled to pinpoint the reason: I guess it was because of the onion-based sauce and the fact that I had the Mutton Biryani the following day. The onion-based sauce probably does not stay well for prolonged periods. The Chicken Biryani, on the other hand, was a culinary delight. The chicken pieces were right-sized and they were moist and tender, the rice was cooked to perfection (as in the grains were all so separate) and the underlying masala retained its integrity even on the following day when I tried the Chicken Biryani. The key there was the sauce, it was probably not so laced with the onion paste. So, while both Biryanis were good, the Chicken Biryani stays good for a bit longer.Overall, food gets a two thumbs up.Service was the dark horse. It was more than commensurate with the establishment. The waitperson was very knowledgeable and provided measured suggestions to solicited inquiries. The timing and sequencing were perfect, especially remarkable since it was essentially a one man show. The one other observation was that the waitperson was so accommodating that he even sourced a beverage that was not on the menu. Service gets a two thumbs up.As I reflect on my dining experience at the Sardar Paya House, it is the nuances of the service model that stand out. The place is essentially street food that could be served on a pushcart but this one operates in a unique dhaba-like setting. The other unique feature is the hours of operation – just five hours from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm, which is lunch/late lunch. Then it is the setting: the serving counter is not to the back of the eatery, so it’s like an open kitchen. There is no on-site cooking, really – orders are thoughtfully assembled and there appears to be an efficient method to it. A short description of the assembly process: it is a pre-determined mixing and matching of the pre-cooked contents of the large containers (pots). The food and the service were outstanding; I had a really good but different dining experience. For those adventurous foodies who place food and service criteria above ambiance, this place is a jewel in the rough. And, in that context, this place is worth a visit. I enjoyed it!

  December 21, 2019, 9:10 pm

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