Fountain Sizzlers Palladium

Text: Mohan Krishnan

Sizzlers are part of the golden age of dining in Bombay. I remember the old Excelsior cinema, where you grabbed those lovely chicken rolls dripping with mayo and ran in to see the movie. Or sat down and polished off an entire sizzler plate, down to the last piece of charred cauliflower, that one used to mop up the sauce. Oh, to be young, and hungry in Bombay.

For a touch of class, you went to Touché at Warden Road, Bombelli’s or Gourdon. Time flew and the mantle passed to Yoko, and Kobe.

For 30 years now, Fountain Sizzlers has reigned supreme in the Fort area. You walk into a colonial era building, and are greeted by a mixed aroma of various sizzler plates that guests are guzzling down – mostly lawyers by day, and families by night. You go there for the food, and you leave sated.

Now Fountain Sizzlers has gone upscale and opened up a spiffy new space at the Palladium Gourmet Village in Lower Parel. The prices are a tad higher, to account for the premium rent – and the décor is clearly fun, fine-dining.

Ayush Arora, 29, is the young scion of the founder family who is driving the new direction. After completing an MBA at Oxford, and working in the F&B strategy team for Marriott International based in London, he decided to come back and join the family business.

"We occupy a unique space as a BBQ and grill house. The sizzler is an extrovert dish – it makes its presence felt, the sound, the sizzle ‘smoke’ rising up, the aroma. It’s always been Bombay’s Continental food choice, when you don’t want French/Italian, or Chinese, or pizza. In many Gujarati and Jain families, they used special pans to make veggie sizzlers – it’s easy make at home, and guaranteed to please."

There are now a few kitchens in Bombay who offer ready-to-eat sizzler meals – they send you all the prepped ingredients, and a sizzler pan – that you can keep for a price, or return. I’ve tried Home Chef at Dadar, and it is a real red-hot sizzler. Who knew?
I ate at the Palladium restaurant. As I sat waiting for my guests, I was delighted with the sizzler 'sound, light and aroma show'. I saw many older couples sitting, sharing a full plate, and nibbling on some sides. If you’re not a strapping youth, you’ll have to work hard to finish an entire sizzler by yourself. This is why they have the Teppan Xpress sizzlers, and the Sizzling Spaghetti – smaller portions, same buzz.

The Buff Tenderloin was cooked to perfection. The Chilli Garlic Potatoes, and Lotus Root starters were spot on. I was a bit disappointed with the Chicken Shashlik – not sure if the chicken or the cooking was to blame, but it did not have the succulence one wants. The Sizzling Brownie fully deserves its fame. My only regret was that I didn’t have the Iced Lemon Tea.

The menu is vast, with over a hundred items. Ayush reminds me that it’s divided 50/50 between veg and non-veg. The sizzlers have always accounted for a major portion of the revenue. The new ideas like the Teppan Xpress sizzlers, the cracker-thin pizza, the mainly veg Sizzling Spaghetti, and stone bowls have been successful and profitable. The turnaround time per table is about 45 minutes, which is perfect for the office lunch crowd, or people who want to eat light.

Ayush also makes the point that many of their guests are repeat customers. An extensive menu brings them back to try new things. I know I’m going back for the Lamb Chop Sizzler, and the cracker-thin pizza.

"I recommend that guests try the Chilli Garlic Potatoes, the Thai Golden Basket, the Golden Patty Cottage Cheese Sizzler, the Pepper Garlic Chicken Sizzler, the Peri Peri Chicken Sizzler, and the Jumping Prawns Sizzlers. I’d recommend the fiery Grilled Chicken Express Sizzler, and the Yaki Udon Stone Bowl. The Sizzling Brownie and Lemon Iced Tea are mandatory."

What is Ayush’s non-negotiable? "The food quality. This is paramount. The welcoming, humble and warm service that shows our passion for hospitality. The guest is (almost) always right, and we don’t want to say no. We work on the small things – we must be a safe, fun place, the A/C temp must be right, the music, the lighting, the ambience… they must all work together to create the Fountain Sizzler experience."

"We are careful to hire right, train well, take care of our employees, and build the culture. Sometimes people leave us, but if we value them, our doors are always open. Above a certain level, our staff retention is over 10 years, which is great for our industry."
"We see our expansion in outlets coming from taking the Fountain Sizzler experience, first to more outlets in Bombay, then to other cities in India, and finally internationally. We build systems that are solid, so as we scale our operations, we’re confident that we can deliver."

What’s the magic of eating a great sizzler. First, there is the drama, of it being brought out – hot, hot, or garma, garam as we like to say. You wait for the sizzle to gently fade, and it’s a delicate balance, between your desire to chow down, and knowing when it’s safe to raise the fork to your lips. I have suffered many cases of burnt tongue, both with sizzlers and French Onion Soup. But as the heat is tamed, and the veggies and protein mingle with the sauce, there is a mouth-watering rush to gobble, and get on with the joy of eating. One rises from the table, with a deep sense of satisfaction, all’s well with the world, even if you have 13 WhatsApp messages waiting for an answer. Thank you, Fountain Sizzlers, for keeping the tradition alive.  

3rd Floor, Gourmet Village, Phoenix Palladium Mall, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400013