Just Walking Around

Bade Miyaan to Bade Miyan Chote Miyann Subhan Allah……

You can visit the fanciest of restaurants in their 5 star ambience and all the paraphernalia that comes with them which they call service and sometimes the experience and still come out dis-satisfied with the taste of the food or the food spread on offer. The one thing I know from the various outings that I have made alone during my sales visits or with family when I am home , is never judge the book by its cover. So let me tell you about some small joints in this city of Mumbai which should be on every foodies list and which thrive on the goodwill they have garnered from their patrons over the years. Nothing fancy no show shaa just basic stuff but one thing that is common is the taste that lingers on and makes you want to visit them again and again.

If you are in the Fort area there are 3 such eateries that you cannot give a miss if you a true non-veg lover. Just near the busy Crawford Market as the J J Flyover ends on the left hand side as you move towards VT or CST station there is a small restaurant . If you blink you may even miss it. Its been there for nearly 6 decades and goes by the name of Hotel Grant House. Or people familiar with this establishment know it simply as Police Canteen. It all started when a young lad from Andhra Pradesh landed up in Mumbai in 1940’s. Young Laxman Varma used to run errands in restaurants near the Victoria Terminus. His customers included the local constabulary and police officers. Some of them used to tell Varma that he should get into the food business himself instead of just being a handyman.He took them seriously.Varma started ᡃfirst with basic snacks. Batata vadas, omelettes. He then ventured into his best ever recipe --kheema or minced meat curries. He would carefully note down down the reactions of his customers to his offerings  what worked and what   didn’t….quantities, recipes, dishes…fix his formulas and then try to maintain them.

His shop was popularly known as the ‘Police Canteen’ as many police folks used to come to eat here. It wasn’t one though. This building housed the Prohibition Office ,when Mumbai had one. It was also the house of a Governor Grant at one point. In 1996 the ‘Police Canteen’ shifted premises to a shop next door to the Haj Building and renamed itself as, what else, ‘Grant House’.Currently run by his two son’s Shekhar and Shreedhar , the hotel still boats of the old world charm . Some of the waiters here have worked nearly for three decades and know the regular customers by individual names. Their most famous and legendary dish is the Kheema-Pav.. Roughly minced meat with a good robust bite, cooked in a garam masala stamped curry, with a feather pillow soft pao to mop it up with a Coke or a Thunps Up. The perfect traveller’s meal. The other speciality is  the Kheema -Bheja Mix. A half an half of mouth watering Kheema and soft and succulent Bheja (Brain) masala made to perfection. Leaving a lingering taste on ones tongue. You can also try their fresh bombil fry or the fish platter with Paplet , Bangda and Ravas fry . All the fish picked up fresh from the docks or the neighbouring fish market. Have the fry fish with steamed rice and dal . nothing beats with combination. Sometimes you can try their excotic dishes like the Crab masala with the gravy seeped in crab juices making it the best .The flavours of the crab run through every drop of the gravy. This is so unusual in Mumbai where the flavours of the masalas outshout that of the seafood in curries in restaurants here. The curry in Grant House was all about the crab which stamped its presence even when absent.Other dish which is equally popular is the Tisrya masala or the Shell fish gravy again enjoyed with rice. For the chicken lover you can try their Chicken Biryani. Very Light in nature and not too much masala or too much oil. Just right. The chicken very succulent. Pieces of onions and the rough masalas strewn through the delicately flavoured basmati tukda rice. If you are in Mumbai and if Hyderabadi biryani is your thing then the one at Grant House comes pretty close.

Hotel Grant House has its set of loyalists. Folks came trooping in that afternoon including some who lived close by and now have migrated to far of suburbs like Kalyan-Dombivili. Most of them when in this part of town are sure to take a parcel of the famous Kheema Masala or the Kheema -Bheja and sometimes even the Biryani..

Another legendary place in south Mumbai is the  Britannia & Co at Ballard Estate. Housed in a heritage building with British era architecture. It all started  in 1923, like a few other Zoroastrian immigrants from Iran, Rashid Kohinoor decided to get into the restaurant business in the city once known as Bombay. Could he have imagined that Britannia & Co. would have people requesting reservations right up to era of iPad menus?

Britannia & Co. is now in the able hands of the third generation, still whipping up food influenced by the family’s Iranian and Parsi roots. It is not hard to imagine what the joint must have looked like when it first threw open its doors to the British Officers stationed in the Fort area. Not much, has changed including the wooden furniture imported from Europe during the eatery's early years.

A few modern amenities like a phone and the five-foot odd stacks of air-tight containers, aluminum foil boxes and other packaging paraphernalia have been added and help Britannia run a thriving home-delivery business in South Mumbai.

The earliest offerings of Britannia were reflective of the family’s Iranian heritage. But Boman’s late wife, Bachan, was a Parsi and after their marriage she introduced Parsi specialties like sali boti (mutton gravy with crispy fries) and dhansak (chicken or mutton in a lentil gravy) and fish patra or Patra ni Macchi the steamed fish in banana leaf to the menu. Ironically, she was also the force behind the very famous and very Iranian berry rice pulav.It was she who suggested that berry pulav be introduced and to this day, the barberry in Britannia’s signature dish is imported from Iran. But the dish has been adapted to suit Indian tastes. The pulav in Iran is dry and just lightly flavored, whereas Britannia’s version is spicier and more like an Indian biryani, with the pulav rice heaped over a gravy dish. Part of Britannia's charm is its legacy and also the widespread attention it has received from the local and international media. It is not uncommon for locals, travelers and tourists to walk in with copies of articles that might have appeared in a French gourmet magazine or a local daily. Even the humble, basic chapati from Britannia enjoys international acclaim. Patrons are agog over their melt-in-the-mouth quality. So next time you are in the vicinity of Ballard Estate , Horniman Cirlcle or the iconic Asiatic Library and want to dig into some Berry Pulav or authentic Parsi food head straight to Britannia & Co. You won’t be disappointed.

One other favourite of the night crawlers of Mumbai is a restaurant most famous for its mouth watering Kebabs and Mutton dishes. In a lane just behind the great Taj Hotel is situated this gem of a restaurant more like a road side eatery patorinzed by the foddies and Bhookads of Mumbai. This is known simply as Bademiya.

It was established in 1946 by Mohammad Yaseen as makeshift seekh kabab counter. The counter has now branched out into several restaurants, takeaway joint and a permanent food stall at the original location. Its well known in foodie history that Yaseen moved to Mumbai at the age of 13 and became a butcher. He also started supplying meat to hotels. In 1946 Hazrat Fida Mohammed Adam Chisti, who was the religious Guru of Yaseen, gave him ₹20 as seed money to start the counter. Yaseen started the food counter at Apollo Bundar near Mumbai naval port as late-night snack option for naval officers living nearby.The business picked and got roaring response from all Mumbaikars. The rest as they say History…..

The business is at its peak during night time and at its chaotic best during weekends. Its one foodie joint which open till 3 in the morning . Non-veg lovers come from far and beyond , sit themselves at the make shift sitting area in a dilapated building where they are served by over worked waiter . Some park their cars and served by the very same waiters on the car bonnets. The menu is simple , you can try their Bhuna Chicken or Bhuna Mutton with Roomali roti and offcourse you can not miss their Seekh kebabs both available in Chicken and Mutton. Served well with a slice of lime , some onion rings and that tasty pudina (mint) chutney. The other tasty kebabs are the Mutton Boti kebab or the melt in your mouth Chicken/ Muttom Malai kebab . Try their specialty Shammi Kebabs a little spicy but great in taste. Looks like tikki’s or pattice than kebabs. Another signature dish is the Mutton Baida roti Meat stuffed in handmade bread with onions , chilly and as the name suggest baida or egg and all this cooked on a hot Tawa (hot plate) .If you are still famished for food order their Dum biryani again both available in Chicken and Mutton. They also serve prawn tikka masala and fish tikka masala but its their kebabs they famous for . Over the years though they have compromised on their taste a bit and their serving portions have become small making the food a tad too expensive. But if you are a Kebab lover just go for it.

Recently they have started their fine dine restaurant at Horniman Circle. For those who want to eat these famous dishes but want a good ambience and more so a proper seating , this ones and great place to visit with your family on a weekend. But make sure you have reservation or be prepared to wait for a longish time.

So next you want have a lip smacking time head to these South Mumbai small (Chote) but famous food joints and have the time of your life…..

No fancy ambience like those 5 star establishment with uniformed waiter , elaborate menu cards and stiff upper lipped Consigliere but only focused on good food.

Who kehte hain Naa ---“Bade Miyan to Bade Miyan Chote Miyan Subhaan Allah…”