Mineority By Saby. Kalyani Nagar.

Mineority by Saby opened its doors to Pune on 15^th October 2016.

MINEORITY is a beautiful story and a tribute to the mining community in India and the world over. It is started by Singh family along with award winning, celebrity chef Sabyasachi Gorai, who was the Director of Kitchens for Ai-The Japanese Restaurant, The Love Hotel, Lap -The Club, Olive Beach, Olive Qutub and The Moving Kitchen by Olive. Mineority is a project of passion and the story is straight from his heart as he grew up in different mining towns and every corner of this gastropub tells a story of his life and travels.

He has won many awards for his food and restaurants and one of his biggest accolades was being honoured by the President of India as well as Varli Awards as the ‘Best Chef of India’. He was one of the ‘5 people to watch out for’ in Fortune India ‘s list 2013, which covered only the top five people from five different fields from all over India.

Mineority’s name comes from the combination of the words ‘mine’ (that was dug), ‘ore’ (that was extracted, be it gold, copper, coal) and the ‘minority’ group of people who brought it out of the ground risking their lives every single day.

The restaurant is divided in two sections with an indoor area located on the first floor and a rooftop area, each spread over 2900 square feet.

Climbing past the staircase, one comes across a beautifully painted wall, giving a feeling of walking into a coal mine. The floor begins with a large wooden door that opens to a world of mine with bright and cheerful interiors. Each wall, corner and element at Mineority has a tale to tell, a symbolism and a deep connection with mining stories and towns from around the world. Unique artwork like a wall with a collage that has a depiction on old books, cages used as lighting, flooring like red ore, hanging windows and installations are a visual treat.
The menu here is derived from the mining towns in India such as Bihar, UP, Orissa, the North East states and parts of South India. Also, to complete the mining map there are dishes from international mining countries like Australia, Africa, Latin America and parts of Europe. As a cuisine the menu also takes inspiration from tribal and local eating cultures of these regions.
The food at Mineority is made with ingredients sourced from local produce and freshly available components.

Speaking to the co-owners and partners with Chef Saby, Singh family says, “Mineority is a fun and young concept dedicated to the miners, their loved ones and the mining community. Our spaces are designed to be lively, interactive and bring to Pune a place which serves a unique cuisine and is an ideal hub to unwind.”

So let’s talk about some food

1. Ethiopian Injera Roll – Traditional flatbread roll with onion, tomato kachumbar and flaxseed pesto is a treat for vegetarians.

2. Brazilian Chicken Pies – Coxinha pear shaped, batter fried croquettes with creamy pulled chicken filling and served with a spicy dip. #MustTry #Yummilicious

3. Shoe Rolls – Fluffy dumplings of choux pastry with cheese, mushrooms and cracked black pepper comes with a choice of chicken. I personally loved the way the mushrooms was incorporated in the whole dish.

4. Paneer Suya Kebab – Keniyan Kebabs made with spicy peanut marinade comes on a satay stick. We had real fun trying to pull out the paneer off the stick. The peanut marinade tastes more like peanut butter with a spicy peanut chutney. #Recommended.

5. Signature Black Chicken Skewers – Coal grilled chicken skewers with black sesame paste, traditional flatbread is served along with a coriander chutney. A superb combination of spices! #HighlyRecommended #JerlynRecommends #LovedThisOne.

6. Smoked Jungle Wrapped Paneer – Cooked with flavorful tribal leaf wrap from Manipur comes with gooseberry green chilli salsa and potato wedges. The paneer was nice and juicy with all the flavors intact. #Love

7. Laloo Aloo Samosa – Stuffed buckwheat samosa from Bihar looks like gujiya and comes with traditional ghugni. Now what exactly is ghugni? Ghugni or Ghoognee is a very very popular snack in Bengal and in parts of Bihar and Orissa. It is made with dried white peas and cooked with myriad spices including Bhaja Masala. Try this one to experience the real flavor of Bihar.

8. My Litti Chokha and Ghugni – Coal roasted traditional dumpling from Bihar doesn’t look appealing to the eyes with is delicious. All the Litti Chokha lovers this is the place for you.

9. Jhanjwala Prawns – Panch phodan, crushed chillies, fresh radish pods is India’s answer to Wasabi prawns. A must must must try for prawn lovers.

10. Evergreen Chicken – Assamese green chicken curry made with fresh mint and wild coriander comes with aromatic sticky rice, garnished with Kasundi. Both go hand in hand.

11. Kasundi vegetable Jhal – Spicy vegetable preparation of Bengali mustard, red chillies, finished with a dash of coconut cream and served with parantha. This was way too spicy for my liking but if you love spicy food then this is for you.
12. Mutton Ghugni Chiwda – Speciality from Bihar. Spicy chiwda, black channa ghugni comes with Beguni. Not a fan of mutton so would not comment about this one.
13. Desi Dip and Chip – A duet of pumpkin and yam chokha from under and above the ground comes with local nachni papad. Loved the yam chokha. Go ahead and give it a try.

DESSERTS

1. Gorans Bajadera – Classic croatian dessert made with layers of biscuit, nutty nougat and chocolate. Gooey chocolate and crispy biscuits is a fabulous combination.

2. Jurassic Cheesecake – This one was the star of the show. We were eager to taste this particular dessert because we had heard a lot of people raving about it. Burnt chenna poda topped with guaja flakes, the oldest cheesecake of the world from Orissa.

3. ‘DEHATI’ Cookie and Cream – Theuka shortbread and guaja, saffron cream was love!! Ahh…. The cookie made us go oohhh and aahhhh. And yes it is also served to the Gods they say.