New branch of Bandra's Salt Water Cafe to open in Churchgate in place of Mocha

Every day a new restaurant opens somewhere in Mumbai as another one shuts Whatrsquos the big deal When a man who at 38 has almost as many restaurants under his belt decides to shut the very first coffee shop he started 14 years ago it is a big deal So we corner the eversmiling Riyaaz Amlani over Belgian beer and Beef Carpaccio at his landmark Bandra eatery Salt Water Cafe to find out what new mojo is he springing on us The first outlet of Mocha opened at Churchgate in 2001 Fourteen years later itrsquos paving the way for Salt Water Cafe Amlani has several brands under his belt including Smoke House Delhi Bespoke Cafe Tasting Room Stone Water Grill Salt Water Grill and others but the Mocha and its later avatar the Mochamojo literally translated it means Mocha magic are the ones that have genuinely woven a spell over Mumbai So why shut the one that started it all Amlani orders some of his favourite stuff Beef Carpaccio Fried Prawns and a mixed meat salad along with three pints of Hoegaardenhe makes it sound very interesting with a deliberate stress on the lsquohoersquo ldquoNow letrsquos talkrdquo he says once the drinks have arrived Pic courtesy Shobita Kadan Softened by the beer and the prawns we persist nonetheless with our question why is he shutting down his first baby which must be very close to his heart ldquoYou put your heart into everything you do But once itrsquos launched you put your heart into the next one as well Sometimes my heart does the talking but I am a businessman too and what works best for a business has to get be donerdquo he says with a smile But itrsquos the restaurant thatrsquos opening where the Mocha stood till last week thatrsquos got our attention now Impressario Entertainmentrsquos first Salt Water Cafe located in Bandra boasts of regular patrons who come from as far as Walkeshwar and Napean Sea Road So itrsquos natural says the man that he takes his iconic brand down south We expect the unexpected Riyaaz is known for launching strikingly different restaurants each time And thatrsquos saying a lot when you have over 30 of them Whatrsquos new this time then ldquoWhile we will try and create the same Salt Water Cafe experience in Churchgate that people travel all the way to Bandra for expect some amazing new dishesrdquo he says While he wonrsquot let much out of the bag yet some new dishes he says have been specially created for South Mumbairsquos discerning palate Psst they include the Champagne Chicken and Smoked Scarmoza Risotto the Smoked Duck and Carbonara Baked King Fish the Salt Water Caesar Prawn the Roasted Australian Lamb shoulder and a whole array of vegetarian dishes keeping the large Gujarati population in mind And herersquos the best bit about this juggling game ldquoMocha is not moving out from the area entirely really Itrsquos just moving to a location close byrdquo he says as we dig into our food Still two years shy of 40 the CEO and Managing Director of Impresario Entertainment amp Hospitality has been called everything from an eatopian and a coffee baron At last count his 35 restaurants and cafes serve over 12000 people in 10 cities But why so many brands Doesnrsquot that confuse people ldquoI never really plan When I open a restaurant I do not plan a chain beforehand We play it by the ear But each time I want to create a different experience All my restaurants end up being different ldquoWe plan to open a number of coffee shops and restaurants in the coming year My dream is to be known as Indiarsquos best and largest player in the standalone hospitality industryrdquo he says perhaps not sounding modest for the first time But the next moment he lets us into his other side the Mumbai lad who loves nothing better than a drink and some great food with his close pals ldquoI want to start a cosy neighbourhood bar one day one where you will get great food and awesome cocktails but most importantly a bar with a heart that will welcome everyone with open armsrdquo he says We are waitingu00a0