Each traveller heading to Mumbai — whether or not to search for job prospects or within the quest of creating it massive — can all the time depend on two buddies: bun and a few maska (butter). Priced economically, the meal received’t burn a gap within the pocket.
That being mentioned, everybody who feasts on this breakfast with a facet of chai (tea) develops a comfortable spot for it very quickly. True to the moniker of ‘greatest pals’, the scrumptious duo shall be at your beck and name, whether or not it’s 5 am or late at night time. And can depart you feeling heat, comforted, and glad.
Be part of The Higher India at present, as we just about stroll you thru the bylanes of the town. We’ll be stopping at some cult favorite spots which whip up a hearty breakfast. And (it goes with out saying), there shall be numerous helpings of bun maska. Let’s proceed!
1. B Merwan and Co
The decor with its rustic chairs and the cutlery with its vintage designs replicate a timeless appeal on the century-old B Merwan Irani Cafe in Mumbai’s Grant Highway. Began in 1914 by a gentleman Boman Merwan, the cafe is now helmed by the third era. Its standout merchandise, for the reason that starting, has been its mawa desserts (an Indian cake ready with milk solids).
Talking to Condé Nast, Chef Viraf Patel termed the breakfast right here as one in every of his favourites. “They provide the freshest bread — each the pao and brun pao are all the time loaded with heaps of butter, simply the best way it ought to be. The omelettes, eggs and kheema (minced meat) with these butter paos are to die for. End the meal with a cup of tea and a mawa cake (or six!) to go. Old style — achieved proper!”
2. Veronica’s
Amid the ever-changing dynamics of cuisines throughout the globe, the recognition of finger meals hasn’t dimmed a bit. And one spot within the posh Bandra suburb of Mumbai, Veronica’s is giving this vary of snacks their dues via their sausage rolls, shrimp popcorn, mushroom puffs, and croissants.
Historical past aficionados shall be delighted to know that Veronica’s is positioned in an erstwhile bakery, which marked a big spot within the metropolis within the early 70s. In an interview with Architectural Digest, Sameer Seth, co-founder of Starvation Inc recounted an anecdote of how this St Jude Bakery was the primary selection for households, who didn’t possess an oven, to ship their dough and desserts to once they wanted to be baked.
3. Kyani & Co
Zoroastrian migration and its attendant delicacies have been grafting itself into Indian gastronomy for the reason that tenth century when Iranian immigrants started flocking to the town. They left an indelible mark on the nation’s culinary canvas. One in all these legacy eateries the place that is seen is the Kyani & Co. This Parsi cafe was born in 1904 when a gentleman Khodram Marezaban willed to convey the distinctive Irani delicacies style to the town.
The purple checkered mats on the tables are an ode to the colonial setting by which the Parsi cafe scaled. Kyani & Co is a favorite of just about everybody who has walked via its rustic doorways, and meals author Kalyan Karmarkar is not any totally different.
As he wriote in a Fb put up, “The kheema at Kyani was certainly good. The meat and spices had been sturdy, not smelly or too oily as it’s in a lot of Mumbai’s iconic kheema locations. The poro (Parsi-style masala omelette) was just about the best way my mom-in-law makes it and method tastier on this 112-year-old place than omelettes (the far dearer omelettes within the metropolis’s new cafes). Although the grins throughout had been one of the best a part of the breakfast.”
4. Vig Refreshments
The dal pakwan (a Sindhi speciality that mixes lentil curry with crispy fried bread) is a draw at this 75-year-old eatery. Praveen whose great-grandfather was the mastermind behind the pakwan recipe, informed Faroma India, that following the Partition, the household moved from Lahore to Chembur in Mumbai the place they settled in a refugee camp.
Elaborating on what makes the dal pakwan phenomenal, Praveen mentioned, “Usually it’s simply channe ka dal (chickpea gravy) with candy chutney. We added a twist with aloo ki sabzi (potato vegetable), moong dal (curry fabricated from inexperienced gram beans), candy chutney, and hara mirch (inexperienced chilli)! It has a pleasant spicy kick now; a fusion of Sindhi and Punjabi delicacies.”
Among the many different hits on the menu are chole bhature (chickpea curry with flatbread), lassi (sweetened milk), and naan (a sort of Indian flatbread).
5. Cafe Mysore
“The oldest restaurant in Mumbai for South Indian delicacies! Over 1 crore ppl served since 1936,” reads the Instagram bio of the long-lasting Cafe Mysore.
All of it formed up previous to Independence when a person, A Rama Nayak, got here to Mumbai from Mangaluru along with his mom. The duo stayed at an ashram the place Nayak cooked in trade for lodging. Between 1942 and 1960, Nayak took over the administration of a number of resorts in Mumbai; one in every of them was Cafe Mysore. Shanteri Nayak, his daughter-in-law, now oversees operations on the cafe.
The menu boasts scrumptious South Indian fare — together with idlis (steamed rice desserts), crispy Mysore masala dosas, rasam (a spicy South Indian soup), and sheera (Indian pudding made with semolina).
6. Cafe Churchill
Hailed because the place that launched the town to cheesecakes, Colaba’s Cafe Churchill has been owned by a pair, Polly Mistri and Brenda Mistri, since 1995. It’s rumour that their journeys to America compelled them to introduce continental fare on the cafe. In accordance with an article in Life-style Asia, the visitor record was all the time an opulent one — that includes names like legendary artist M F Husain, actor Farooq Shaikh, actress Tanaaz Currim, and movie producer Firoze Nadiadwala.
Whether or not it’s the membership sandwich, the rooster lasagna, the Fernando Pasta, or Fungi Spinach Alla Parmaggiano pasta, every dish is a gastronomic celebration that imbues a touch of continental tradition.
7. Cafe Madras
Over eight many years of relevance and reigning Mumbai’s South Indian gastronomy, Cafe Madras was began in 1940 by a gentleman, Gopal Purshottam Kamath. Among the many big selection of fare that the place affords, the dosa (savoury Indian crepe) and filter espresso proceed to be crowd pullers.
Different menu hits are the neer masala with stew, idli butter podi, pessarattu dosa (a sort of dosa originating from Andhra Pradesh made with inexperienced gram batter), malgapodi (a chutney powder made out of roasted dal and dry Kashmiri purple chillies), and the Madras dahi misal (a curry fabricated from spicy sprouts and yoghurt).
8. J Hearsch & Co
When you can’t count on a lot seating at this iconic Mumbai bakery whose story is intertwined with World Warfare I, its scrumptious choices compensate for this. Because the story goes, it was a German baker (J Hearsch) who handed the bakery to a lady Sophia Liberata Fernandes within the Nineteen Twenties, following World Warfare I (1914-1918).
J Hearsch was seeking to lease his bakery to somebody and search refuge in Germany following a pressure in relations between Britain and Germany. Since India was one in every of Britain’s colonies, it wasn’t secure for J Hearsch anymore. And so, he trusted Fernandes. Whereas the administration has modified fingers, the possession lies with Fernandes.
The menu boasts a lot of finger meals and snacks; you can’t go fallacious with the rooster cutlets, the cheese croissants, and the chocolate balls. A private favorite of mine has all the time been their mutton samosas and rooster lollipops.
Edited by Pranita Bhat
