The wish to try emu took us to Bandra’s old Good Luck, an Irani cafe that took the wise decision of not selling out. Neither old-fashioned nor modern, Good Luck has been making news for serving emu kheema, giving Mumbai something new to eat. It could’ve been mutton or beef, had it not been served as emu kheema, and the bird will have to be cooked another way for me to appreciate its taste. The small portion wasn’t a problem, because the dish wasn’t anything to crow about.
But I could go back to Good Luck only for its haleem – the famous Hyderabadi speciality. Good Luck‘s haleem hits the spot every time; it’s a meal in itself, even though you may ask for another one; the wheat-meat-lentil paste slow-cooked to goodness. It’s like khichda, with the difference being that khichda has pieces of meat and can even be prepared in a hurry, while haleem is a blend of awesomeness that requires patience.
The rest of the food at Good Luck is not that great, though. In fact, apart from the haleem and the emu kheema there isn’t anything worth trying there. Surprisingly, the biryanis are quite bad, and the chai – any Irani cafe’s pride – is ordinary tea served in a paper cup. It’s too much to expect a restaurant like this to get a lot right, so we’ll just be happy now that we know what emu kheema is like, and walk into Good Luck for a plate of Hyderabadi haleem whenever we’re in Bandra.
RESTAURANT REVIEWS: Kakori House | Bostan | Pind Balluchi | Lucky | Karim | Havemore | Global Fusion
