Here's how veteran staff at Mumbai's oldest clubs, gymkhanas cater to the well-heeled

Nicholas FernandesPicsDatta Kumbhar Bipin Kokate Sameer MarkandeIf you are a member at one of Mumbais clubs and gymkhanas there is sure to be a drink that you like fixed a certain way or a seat with a view reserved for you or a starter that you come for week after week It is a family away from home where people come to make new friends and mingle with old ones says Xerxes Dastur chairperson Ripon Club in Kala Ghoda an establishment that dates back to 1884Pascoal GoesIf the club is an extension of your home then making it more comfortable is the staff Members and staff are known to share a camaraderie that goes well beyond merely placing orders and waiting on tablesMahabal Govind PoojariA few months ago Ripon lost one of its beloved staff members Felix Vaz a senior waiter from Chira Bazaar who had served there for more than three decades Vaz was missed for the bonhomie he shared with the members as well as his childlike love for chocolatesHarish GuravWhile the citys club culture has changed vastly the oncepredominantly Goan staff giving way to a more cosmopolitan makeup there is still a lingering connection that exists between the oldtimers We spoke to a veteran staff member each from three clubs and one gymkhana in the city about their love affair with their establishmentsPoojari brings in a lot of patience to his service especially while attending to the elderly PicBipin KokateThe Poojari SpecialRadio Club waiterEmployed here since 1988The view is just great says Mahabal Govind Poojari Referring to the sunlit sea right outside Radio Club in Colaba Poojari laughs that this was just one of the many reasons why he has been serving as waiter here since 1988For Poojari his links with his hometown in Udipi go a long way With previous experience at a Udipi restaurant in Byculla and at Nitin Vihar in Colaba Poojari was identified as a resourceful worker and brought into Radio Club I was known for taking orders and serving quickly says Poojari At Radio Club the tips from his Udipi hotel days have lingered We were asked never to stand around and stare at tables in the restaurants he saysIts true Poojari scurries around and makes himself scarce when not required In fact during the course of our conversation we couldnt let Poojari get out of sight His dependable service also fetched him an award in the 1990s from the Radio ClubAt 52 Poojari has attended to various sections of the club such as the restaurant area and the pool and now attends to members at the first floor Presidency Bar which offers a delightful view of the Arabian Sea He has seen members age and their children grow as well as expansions of the dining areas at the Club When I began the Presidency Bar was only half its present size he saysIn his repertoire is his talent for attending on the clubs elderly members Earlier my job was to look after the janta table and make sure that the senior members were attended to he says referring to a table by the pool where it was tradition for members to share their small plates of Melba toast or bhajiya with each other He adds that he owes his love for the job to committee members Manu Bhavnani and Prakash MirchandaniThese days he is well known for a chakna he makes for members to go with their drinks in the permit room Its not on the menu but you can ask for The Poojari Special a bhel made of crisp papad He quickly fixes us a tangy plate of his recipe and says I was once offered the post of head steward I refused I love to do this take orders and servePicDatta KumbharPascoal the RascalBreach Candy Club bar supervisorEmployed here since 1981Actor Randhir Kapoor sits at his usual table and likes his vodka at noon His wife Babita asks for her Pinot Noir every time she is here A certain Sindhi gentleman takes the corner view of the first floor bar and has his usual a round of two beers followed by vodka Then there is the member who when he waves his hand to the waiters is waiting for his order of vodka fresh lime and salt If you are an old member bar supervisor Pascoal Goes knows your poisonI started as a waiter at Breach Candy Club in 1981 learning from Mathew Fernandes and Peter Pereira who could handle several tables and do the work of three at the bar I was also catering and bartending at some of the parties that members hosted at their homes says Goes a 56yearold native of Margao GoaToday members both the desi ones and the firangs that the club boasts of flock to Goes for the Bloody Marys that he makes The secret is in the tomato juice and a local Worcestershire sauce I use he laughs asking us not to give away his secret And you can trust Goes to fix you a drink that doesnt find mention in the menu If you are vegan and you want your cold coffee with coconut milk you can leave it to Goes to experiment Goes is also known for his daiquiris hot toddies and mojitosPascoal Goes manning Breach Candy Clubs bar circa 1990s before it was refurbishedGoes thanks to his service and courteousness is a proud Goan who also shimmies well with the oldtimers at the club infusing their friendship with humour and charm There used to be a time when this was a bikini bar and members would come from the pool to grab a drink he says as he reminds a member of how she would back in her 20s return from her swim and ask him for chipsOne of his earliest memories of the Club is the Christmas tradition of floats in the pool on which a designated member would transform into Father Christmas and a young one would be assigned the role of a fairy They would be paraded around in the pool propelled by swimmers One time the floats design was such that it toppled Santa fell in the water he says gleefullyOne ambition Goes had harboured in his younger days was to go abroad and be a fancy bartender at a luxury hotel However I was discouraged from doing that because of how short I am I told myself that this club is my place in life he says We are sure the connoisseurs of his Bloody Marys would testify otherwisePicBipin KokateGuravs summer sodaBombay Gymkhana stewardEmployed here since 1997On a hot Wednesday afternoon steward Harish Gurav fixes us a thirstquenching fresh lime soda He has come in the tradition of employees there knowing exactly what proportions of lime concentrate and soda make the concoction that the Gymkhana is famous for This place is like second home to me and catering is my life says GuravFrom Ratnagiri Gurav joined the Bombay Gymkhana as waiter in 1997 after he spotted a vacancy in midday this elicits a smug smile from us In the course of the last 20 years Gurav has been known for his politeness and for catering to the personal tastes of the members He knows how to fix your tea the President of the club likes his mint tea with light milk and without sugar or your shandy with quantities of beer and soda The tricks of the trade he says came from observing stalwarts such as Theophilo Fernandes a chef wellknown for spectacular flambesThe greatest challenge in his career here he says has been remembering orders from big tables and the repeats You have to know members by their names as well as what drink they ordered he says Duty is dutyPicSameer MarkandeKem chhe NicholasRipon Club head waiterEmployed here since 1987Surrounded by teakwood mirrors Nicholas Fernandes evokes the time when chef C Fernandes used to make his famous roast chicken and potato mash and when silver cutlery embossed with the institutions insignia was the order of the day at Ripon Club In his 30th year of service Nicholas is head waiter at the club where he oversees the packed buffets on Wednesdays when mutton or chicken dhansak is served We notice his crisp white shirt embroidered with his name As headwaiter I used to wear a red tie too but I havent done so for the last two years he laughsNicholas 58 originally from Salsette Goa came to Mumbai in the 1980s where he worked at a little restaurant near Metro Cinema before joining Ripon Club I was part of the many Goan waiters who worked at Ripon and I learned a lot from Vitha Braganza and Marcelene Dias who were previously employed here he saysHis fluent Konkani and a Goanflavoured Hindi is no surprise But over the years he has also picked up fluent Gujarati to interact with the exclusively Parsi membership of the club It is common to see members saunter in with Kem chhe Nicholas ringing from themWhat does he miss the most Icecreams that were once served during the summers here A caterer named Dharma made them and we had them in four flavours he reminisces Well that and Felix the muchloved Chira Bazaar waiter Felix was my very good friend I feel I am alone now that he has gone he says