Its Sweet and Spicy

Kyani & Co

After being a part of numerous walks through cities, streets, and stories, one thing has become clear to me. There’s a clear distinction between people who join walks for the tangible heritage, and those who come in for the intangible one. Though, I am more of someone who loves looking at the buildings and surrounding structures, in this walk I had to sit down and relish the flavours on plates.  

Bun Maska with Irani Chai

This tour took place in the Dhobi Talao area of Mumbai. The first food stop was Kyani and Co. The 2^nd oldest Irani Café in Mumbai. An eatery bustling with people. There were 9 people in my group, so having at least two tables was our Groups Mandate. The first food or should I say drink served to us was, an Irani Chai. I am someone who never drinks tea but decided to give it a go. After all, food walks are all about trying dishes you have never had before.  A little bit more tea for you, my readers. A typical feature of an Irani Café mirrors all around the place. Are they put for aesthetics or to increase the depth or just for any one to check their appearance. Read till the end, for an answer.

If anyone is wondering, if I had bun maska (bread-butter) dunked in the chai or not. Yes, I did. Along with that we even had some bread pudding and mouthwatering chicken cutlets. Our host Sagar told us to go slow on the food as this was just the beginning. Just opposite Kyani was situated Bastani Café. A place which has been shut down for decades. I was too saddened by the sight.

After walking a bit, we entered a shop by the name R.N.Kerawalla and Co. There are well-known for selling stuff related to Parsi’s religious ceremonies. When we went in, the owner was sitting on a huge sofa, sipping on some hot Irani Chai.

Bhatra

Had a sweet dish called as Bhatra, which I didn’t enjoy that much. But the egg chutney patties were delicious.

Paris

From then we walked towards a small shop shelling savory and sweet snack bites. Over there, I instantly fell in love with the cheesy bites. ‘Paris’ is a must visit place if you are looking for dry snacks.

Cheesy Bites at Paris

Our next pit stop was a restaurant by the name Edward the 8^th. A place which didnt look so promising from the outside but was it worth going inside, you will know soon

We had mutton khima pav over. It was way too spicy for my taste buds. I somehow managed to gulp it down with water.

Mutton Khima with Pav

While walking towards our next destination, it started raining heavily. So, I shared my umbrella with a guy in the group. While chatting with him, he told this food walk was been discussed a lot on Reddit and hence he decided to give it a try.

All of us with umbrellas in our hands

After walking for about 40 -50 steps, our group reached an iconic and famous Irani joint, Parsee Diary Farm. Over there, we relished their famous malai kulfi and jalebi.

Our last stop was a place called, Sassanian Boulangerie. As it was the end, most of us were almost full but our host said, the most popular dish is yet to come.  

Flavoured Sodas

Before that we were served an array of various sodas. Not your usual ones, the flavours were raspberry, ice-cream, lemon and ginger.  My instant favourite was the icecream flavoured one.

Veg Dhansak

At last, came the most awaited dish, Dhansak. Its generally prepared during the mourning period. The preparation which we had was a vegetarian one. Dhansak can be broken down into two words, Dhan meaning wealth and sak means combination of vegetables. The wealth was rice, which is always brown or caramel in colour. Veggies such as pumpkin, brinjal, fenugreek along with lentils are used. Dhansak is usually prepared with mutton.

My Walking Group

You must have guessed till now, that this food walk mainly focusses on the Parsi and Irani community. Parsis first came to India in the 7^th century. The 2^nd migration took place somewhere during the 1850’s. The people who migrated at this time, came to be known as the Ianis as they came from Iran, The Irani tea was initially black, but the influence of English led to the addition of milk.

A few distinct features of Irani restaurants are marble top tables, checkered tablecloths and an instruction board. These places were cosmopolitan in nature, had family rooms for women and children. Even though they are welcoming in nature, they never engage in small talks with their customers.

For those who are still wondering about the mirrors all around, well those acted as CCTV cameras. With the help of these mirrors, the person sitting at the cash counter can know exactly what’s happening in the entire café by just sitting in one place. Till the last century, there were more than 350 Irani Cafes in Mumbai, but now the number has just come down to 35 or even lesser. The reasons being the newer generation doesn’t want to take it forward, most of these places are still only cash run. But it is through this tour that I came to know about a few hidden gems like the Paris Bakery and a restaurant named Edward the 8^th.