Cashing in on the newfound nostalgia generated
by Mumbai’s legendary old Parsi-Irani Downtown joints are a whole new wave of ‘homage’
restaurants in the city. Each of them hoping to recreate the magic of a bygone
era with their inspired cuisine and ambience.
London’s very own Parsi-Irani homage
The nostalgia for the Mumbai-style Parsi-Irani restaurant has long crossed continents and landed in balmy London with homage restaurants like the many outposts of the Dishoom chain of Parsi-Irani eateries across the city and the celebrated Parsi restaurant Cafe Spice Namaste at Whitechapel by famous British-Parsi celebrity chef Cyrus Todiwala.
By Raul Dias
It’s sad, but true. The original
South Mumbai Parsi-Irani restaurant is dying a slow death in the city of its
birth, with stalwarts like Dhobi Talao’s Bastani & Co. and Colaba’s
Paradise already downing shutters and others like Kyani and Sassasian barely
limping along. But elsewhere around the city, slick faux-Parsi-Irani-style
restaurants have sprung up, paying
homage to their predecessors and giving a new twist to Parsi-Irani cuisine
mainstays like berry pulao and
patra-ni-machchi among others, all in a setting that’s dripping with
nostalgia and mock old-world charm.
SodaBottleOpenerWala
at BKC, Lower Parel, Thane and Powai
At SodaBottleOpenerWala (SBOW) there is no shortage of typically Parsi-Irani tropes that take you back to an era that will soon be relegated to old history tomes. Think bottles of ice-cold raspberry soda and a menu peppered with Parsi-Irani dishes like bun maska and Parsi choi and you’ll get our drift. And so popular is this all-day dining Parsi-Irani café style restaurant that it has multiplied from one outpost in Mumbai to four in the last few years, like some sort of culinary virus! Yes, besides its flagship branch in the glitzy suburban commercial super hub of BKC, SBOW’s Lower Parel, Thane and Powai branches are just as well-visited, dishing out delectable, nostalgia-inducing wonders like the bheeda par eeda, chicken farcha and mutton dhansak that sit pretty atop the red and white checked cloth-draped tables. And while diners perch themselves on those typically Irani café style Bentwood chairs, they can marvel at the toy train that zooms past them on rails suspended from the walls. Speaking of walls, the ‘No smoking/spitting/sleeping in toilet etc. etc.’ sign is hilarity at its genuine best and an ode to the legendary, now defunct Bastani & Co. restaurant, in Dhobi Talao, Mumbai. Cocktails like the zanily named brandy-based brandied bawa and the ripe mango-spiked rustom buntawala take the spicy edge off other dishes like the eggs kejriwal and aloo aunty’s vegetable cutlets.
at BKC, Lower Parel, Thane and Powai
At SodaBottleOpenerWala (SBOW) there is no shortage of typically Parsi-Irani tropes that take you back to an era that will soon be relegated to old history tomes. Think bottles of ice-cold raspberry soda and a menu peppered with Parsi-Irani dishes like bun maska and Parsi choi and you’ll get our drift. And so popular is this all-day dining Parsi-Irani café style restaurant that it has multiplied from one outpost in Mumbai to four in the last few years, like some sort of culinary virus! Yes, besides its flagship branch in the glitzy suburban commercial super hub of BKC, SBOW’s Lower Parel, Thane and Powai branches are just as well-visited, dishing out delectable, nostalgia-inducing wonders like the bheeda par eeda, chicken farcha and mutton dhansak that sit pretty atop the red and white checked cloth-draped tables. And while diners perch themselves on those typically Irani café style Bentwood chairs, they can marvel at the toy train that zooms past them on rails suspended from the walls. Speaking of walls, the ‘No smoking/spitting/sleeping in toilet etc. etc.’ sign is hilarity at its genuine best and an ode to the legendary, now defunct Bastani & Co. restaurant, in Dhobi Talao, Mumbai. Cocktails like the zanily named brandy-based brandied bawa and the ripe mango-spiked rustom buntawala take the spicy edge off other dishes like the eggs kejriwal and aloo aunty’s vegetable cutlets.
Bombay
Coffee House
at Ballard Estate
A chain of vintage cafés spread across the city, Bombay Coffee House’s Ballard Estate outpost is all about nostalgia, art deco and delicious Parsi fare. The interiors of the restaurant—that’s itself housed in a wing of an art deco-style petrol pump—tell tales of erstwhile Bombay with black and white photo frames and flooring, rustic furniture and interesting elements like vintage telephones, Tintin comics, and a floor to ceiling bookshelf. One can spend their entire day at Bombay Coffee House as the café offers plug-points on each table, ambient music and a comfortable and friendly environment, making it easy for the city’s professionals to work out of. But it makes it to this list thanks to its ultra-authentic Parsi-Irani food on offer like the sublime kid gosht with pav and the crunchy potato straws-topped salli murgh, that more than make up for the fact that no alcohol is served here. But besides the aforementioned a la carte options, patrons can opt for more authentic Parsi favourites like the mutton cutless, the frilly, egg-coated murgh na farcha, dhansak with brown rice and the lagan nu custard as part of a set, 3-course Parsi celebratory feast called a bhonu.
at Ballard Estate
A chain of vintage cafés spread across the city, Bombay Coffee House’s Ballard Estate outpost is all about nostalgia, art deco and delicious Parsi fare. The interiors of the restaurant—that’s itself housed in a wing of an art deco-style petrol pump—tell tales of erstwhile Bombay with black and white photo frames and flooring, rustic furniture and interesting elements like vintage telephones, Tintin comics, and a floor to ceiling bookshelf. One can spend their entire day at Bombay Coffee House as the café offers plug-points on each table, ambient music and a comfortable and friendly environment, making it easy for the city’s professionals to work out of. But it makes it to this list thanks to its ultra-authentic Parsi-Irani food on offer like the sublime kid gosht with pav and the crunchy potato straws-topped salli murgh, that more than make up for the fact that no alcohol is served here. But besides the aforementioned a la carte options, patrons can opt for more authentic Parsi favourites like the mutton cutless, the frilly, egg-coated murgh na farcha, dhansak with brown rice and the lagan nu custard as part of a set, 3-course Parsi celebratory feast called a bhonu.
Gymkhana 91
At Lower Parel
This one’s slightly different from the others on this list, in that—as its name suggests—it pays homage to another Parsi mainstay—the gymkhana. Once, ultra-exclusive havens of relaxation and leisure, where affluent Parsis went to socialise and indulge in something they love best—eat, the gymkhana today has morphed into the club, losing a bit of its prized exclusivity. And Gymkhana 91 seeks to bring that sophistication back. Located in the center of Mumbai’s de facto restaurant super hub of Lower Parel, Gymkhana 91 has an ‘Old Boys Club’ look and feel without being stuffy. A loft-like mezzanine area has as its focal point a large, circular, porthole-like stained glass sky light window. Neo-gothic architectural styled walls and windows, colonial designed furniture and lights, green terracotta tiled roof reflect the old-world charm of gymkhanas, while the façade of the building houses an 8-foot clock keeping with the old times when gymkhanas had a clock tower in the vicinity to tell them of the time. Inside, one can sip on a vodka-based rustom nu soda or a bourbon-spiked Mumbai presidency beneath wrought iron chandeliers that hang from a dark-lacquered oak pitched roof and snack on the whimsically named Parsi-style appetisers like rati aunty’s chutney eda pattice or an order of Byculla’s chicken Russian cutlets. For mains, the berry pulao and the old school Parsi akuri hit that nostalgic spot perfectly, as does the clichéd, yet yummy classic caramel custard for afters.
At Lower Parel
This one’s slightly different from the others on this list, in that—as its name suggests—it pays homage to another Parsi mainstay—the gymkhana. Once, ultra-exclusive havens of relaxation and leisure, where affluent Parsis went to socialise and indulge in something they love best—eat, the gymkhana today has morphed into the club, losing a bit of its prized exclusivity. And Gymkhana 91 seeks to bring that sophistication back. Located in the center of Mumbai’s de facto restaurant super hub of Lower Parel, Gymkhana 91 has an ‘Old Boys Club’ look and feel without being stuffy. A loft-like mezzanine area has as its focal point a large, circular, porthole-like stained glass sky light window. Neo-gothic architectural styled walls and windows, colonial designed furniture and lights, green terracotta tiled roof reflect the old-world charm of gymkhanas, while the façade of the building houses an 8-foot clock keeping with the old times when gymkhanas had a clock tower in the vicinity to tell them of the time. Inside, one can sip on a vodka-based rustom nu soda or a bourbon-spiked Mumbai presidency beneath wrought iron chandeliers that hang from a dark-lacquered oak pitched roof and snack on the whimsically named Parsi-style appetisers like rati aunty’s chutney eda pattice or an order of Byculla’s chicken Russian cutlets. For mains, the berry pulao and the old school Parsi akuri hit that nostalgic spot perfectly, as does the clichéd, yet yummy classic caramel custard for afters.
CAFÉ IRANI CHAII
at Mahim
Grabbing headlines a few years ago as the first new Irani restaurant to open in Mumbai in 50 years, Café Irani Chaii (yes, quirky double ‘i’ pat in place!) is an inexpensive and modest little café that sits along a tiny lane in central Mumbai’s Mahim neighbourhood. What makes this place stand out as being radically different from the others in this piece is that it is not paying homage to the restaurants of yore as a modern day faux Irani joint, but it is actually a bona fide Irani café that’s bringing in the nostalgists and even a whole new lot of younger patrons by the drove. And it truly is like a shiny, new portal into a moth-eaten era, with its glass countertop bearing egg trays and glass jars of bull’s eye peppermint candy and Parle-G biscuits. Besides an entire section dedicated to various scrumptious confections like the fresh off the oven buns served with jam, honey and yes, dollops of salted butter, it is the savoury egg dishes that gets us all excited. Given the great love of the Parsi-Irani community for the humble eedu (egg), Café Irani Chaii pulls out all the stops offering everything from the famed spicy scrambled eggs akuri to the unmissable kheema ghotala that is made up of spicy lamb mince with a sunny side egg sitting jauntily atop it. Its single page menu is also peppered with iconic Parsi-Irani dishes like the Irani zereshk polow and mutton paya soup that are best washed down with a Pallonji brand ginger or masala soda, or better still, a piping hot (chipped) mug of its namesake—Irani chai!
at Mahim
Grabbing headlines a few years ago as the first new Irani restaurant to open in Mumbai in 50 years, Café Irani Chaii (yes, quirky double ‘i’ pat in place!) is an inexpensive and modest little café that sits along a tiny lane in central Mumbai’s Mahim neighbourhood. What makes this place stand out as being radically different from the others in this piece is that it is not paying homage to the restaurants of yore as a modern day faux Irani joint, but it is actually a bona fide Irani café that’s bringing in the nostalgists and even a whole new lot of younger patrons by the drove. And it truly is like a shiny, new portal into a moth-eaten era, with its glass countertop bearing egg trays and glass jars of bull’s eye peppermint candy and Parle-G biscuits. Besides an entire section dedicated to various scrumptious confections like the fresh off the oven buns served with jam, honey and yes, dollops of salted butter, it is the savoury egg dishes that gets us all excited. Given the great love of the Parsi-Irani community for the humble eedu (egg), Café Irani Chaii pulls out all the stops offering everything from the famed spicy scrambled eggs akuri to the unmissable kheema ghotala that is made up of spicy lamb mince with a sunny side egg sitting jauntily atop it. Its single page menu is also peppered with iconic Parsi-Irani dishes like the Irani zereshk polow and mutton paya soup that are best washed down with a Pallonji brand ginger or masala soda, or better still, a piping hot (chipped) mug of its namesake—Irani chai!
A li'l extra...
London’s very own Parsi-Irani homage
The nostalgia for the Mumbai-style Parsi-Irani restaurant has long crossed continents and landed in balmy London with homage restaurants like the many outposts of the Dishoom chain of Parsi-Irani eateries across the city and the celebrated Parsi restaurant Cafe Spice Namaste at Whitechapel by famous British-Parsi celebrity chef Cyrus Todiwala.
Chai or Choi? That’s the question!
While it may be a distant cousin of the good old Mumbai-style masala chai, Parsi choi is a whole other kettle (pun intended!) of tea. The main difference between regular chai and choi is that the Parsis add mint leaves and lemon grass to their iteration with a whole lot of sugar and milk. In the winter months, or on cold rainy days, it is not uncommon to have black pepper powder added to the tea for some soothing warmth.
While it may be a distant cousin of the good old Mumbai-style masala chai, Parsi choi is a whole other kettle (pun intended!) of tea. The main difference between regular chai and choi is that the Parsis add mint leaves and lemon grass to their iteration with a whole lot of sugar and milk. In the winter months, or on cold rainy days, it is not uncommon to have black pepper powder added to the tea for some soothing warmth.
(An edited version of this article first appeared in the September 2019 issue of Travel 360, the in-flight magazine of Air Asia India)
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