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10 meal-boxes for the time-strapped Mumbaikar hustling with WFH

10 meal-boxes for the time-strapped Mumbaikar hustling with WFH
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From DIY meal kits to party platters, here's a list of food boxes to choose from.

Sometimes a good meal is the only pick-me-up you need - whether it's a crazy day at work, packed with Zoom calls and a hundred deliverables, or a personal downtime of sorts. We learnt more about the power of food during a time of crisis or at ungodly hours (midnight snack, anyone?) in the last one year as we all dawdled our way into the new normal to find comfort, only in what was familiar. And on many occasions, we found it in food.

During the pandemic, we missed being able to go out for a meal, with all our favourite restaurants being closed. And while many of us did don the chef's hat to bake banana bread and whatnot, the truth is, between working from home and working for home, most of us have experienced burnouts bad enough to stuff a doughnut in our face and call it a day. This difficulty becomes manifold for the average time-strapped Mumbaikar in a city that's known to be as rewarding as it is exhausting.

Thankfully, the pandemic has also given birth to a range of new food businesses, which try to cater to the new needs of the hour. This includes DIY kits and meal boxes that helped us retain a semblance of our day's routine, without having to go the whole yard. Whether it's well-curated meal hampers or complete kits that call for a simple assembly job, there's much to pick from to reduce your workload at home.

So, we've picked the 10 best ones, worth your time and money. All you have to do is place your order, turn your video off on that meeting, and chomp away.

Supper

Supper is an online food venture that aims to bring restaurant-style gourmet food to your doorstep through DIY meal kits, that come with chopped vegetables and pre-measured ingredients in vacuum-sealed packaging, along with a step-by-step guide. The menu is a mix of contemporary and global offerings that includes drunken noodles, Korean bibimbap, shrimp tacos, margarita pizza, dirty Porto beanie burger (we hear this is their best selling item) and chicken fries, plus pre mixes. Supper's innovative approach to food delivery provides the satisfaction of cooking at home without the hassle of a grocery run, a recipe hunt or a messy kitchen.

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To Order: DM on Instagram or call on +919930977077

The Bohri Kitchen

Munaf Kapadia's Bohri Kitchen has been the talk of the town ever since it launched in 2014. Their home-dining experiences that provide a peek into authentic Bohri cuisine are something that we all surely miss (no thanks to Covid19). But the TBK kitchen and delivery outlets across Mumbai have been functioning in full swing. For their new menu, they have introduced veg and non-veg platters, which include staples like, smoked dal samosas, mutton samosas, chicken shami kebabs, chicken Russian cutlets, nariyal kebabs and kheema baida roti.

To Order: DM on Instagram or call/WhatsApp on 9891944748 (Place your orders 24 hours in advance).

Maiz Mexican Kitchen

This fast-casual restaurant might be a good way to try out authentic Mexican food. Their DIY meal-kit options include burrito bowls, tacos and nachos. You can choose up to two mains and one base. All their kits come with cilantro lime rice, Mexican black beans, a combination of house-made salsas, fresh guacamole/queso, tortilla chips, sour cream, lettuce and cheese. The option of a healthy, gluten-free meal-kit is available, too.

To Order: https://order.maiz.in/order-online/menu

Sushi and More

Sushi and More is India's largest independently run Japanese food delivery and takeaway business. Having recognized the Indian palate, the venture also offers an array of vegetarian, non-vegetarian and Jain options (on request). They have an exhaustive list of dishes to choose from, when you're picking a box, for which you could either opt for a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian bento box, with the latter having chicken and seafood options. Each of these boxes come with a portion of sticky rice and salad and sushi roll or stir-fries as sides. Their party platters are ideal for a large crowd.

To Order: https://www.sushiandmore.com/menu

Little food daily

Little Food Daily is a gourmet delivery kitchen with a dynamic menu that is equal parts fresh and delicious. The kitchen is known for its ever-changing menu, corporate meal-boxes and cool seasonal platters. The kitchen currently offers a loaded nachos DIY meal-kit (veg and non-veg options available) which includes tortilla chips, cheese, pico de galo, sour cream and jalapenos. Their vegetarian meal bowl options include Burmese Khao suey along with condiments, Penang curry with lotus root mushrooms, pepper and steamed rice, and falafel bowl, which comes with pita. For meat lovers, there's a Mexican chicken verdure rice burrito bowl, Zaatar sumac chicken hummus bowl and lamb Massaman curry with steam rice.

To Order: https://thrivenow.in/little-food-daily-andheri-lokandwala

Soul Food Mumbai

A food delivery service started by home chef Ashish Seth, Soul Food Mumbai is your go-to, if you're seeking a wholesome meal. Their menu offerings are largely North-Indian-style meat curries along with a few rice staples. Their meal boxes include a pan-Asian combo, oriental combo, Daruwala mutton combo, rara mutton combo, Gheewala mutton combo and Singapore chicken rice. These packages come with curry, sauce, rice and veggies.

To Order: Call 9819767851

Oottupura

This one stands out because unlike other options on this list, chef Marina Balakrishnan's Oottupura serves hyper-regional, home-style food from the Malabar coast. All their meals are vegetarian and prepared using fresh, locally sourced ingredients, made in tune with ayurvedic principles. The meal options change daily/weekly and a staple lunch combo is offered that includes indigenous dishes of Kerala.

To Order: https://thatthalasserygirl.in/book-your-order/

The Mexican Box

Not too old in the game, The Mexican Box is a hot favourite among food bloggers and influencers. Serving authentic Mexican food, this restaurant offers a variety of dips and salsas, stuffed chillies, a heart-shaped Mexican pizza, chimichangas and seven kinds of tacos. They also have vegan options and cocktail premixes. "The Nacho Man" is their best selling DIY meal-kit with three house-coloured, gluten-free tortilla chips and nine different toppings, some of which are macha chilli oil, queso sauce and spicy salsa verde.

To Order: https://thrivenow.in/the-mexican-box-worli or call 9321890033

Foodhall India

To walk in the premium ingredient store that houses flavours from across the globe is any food lover's delight. Foodhall India believes in curating worthwhile experiences through food and has created an exciting space for all kinds of food events and workshops. They recently introduced a ready-to-bake lasagne box. The two options are lasagne Verde or eggplant parmigiana. It is a hassle-free dinner option that is available across all their walk-in stores.

To order: Call 8095031111

Mahrukh's Kitchen

Mahrukh Mogrelia, a Parsi home-chef, is known for her traditional Parsi fare, which is available every Sunday. The menu here includes piquant curries like, mutton pepper roast, chicken dhansak, jardaloo salli gosht, alongside rice dishes, such as prawn pulao, mora daal with kollam rice, mutton biryani and cutlets, kebabs and desserts.

To order: Call 9892513577

Manal Doshi

Manal Doshi

Manal is a gregarious and ambitious girl who talks about bread incessantly. Her penchant for writing and aesthetics transcends into everything she does. She loves researching the culture and history of things. When she's not writing, you can find her working on a dozen unfinished projects, and consuming an unhealthy amount of art.

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