Iconic 58-year-old Churchgate restaurant to host German Oktoberfest

Historic structures and museums are not the only ones that weave tales of the past for the present and stand testimony to times bygone Iconic restaurants too witness changing times don new attires and are quite the telling historians through the food they serve over the yearsToday Gaylord 58yearold restaurant at Churchgate attracts patrons from all age groups PicsAtul KambleOne such Mumbai icon that has stood the test of time is Gaylord the 58yearold restaurant at Churchgate founded by Delhibased PL Lamba along with his then partner Iqbal Singh Ghai in 1956 Gaylord was part of the Kwality Group which Lamba owns todayManaging director Sunil Lamba and Dhruv executive director of GaylordWhite and red checkered table cloth wroughtiron garden chairs and the smell of fresh bread mingling with the sweet aroma of scones welcome you when you walk into Gaylord But look closer mdash the deacutecor is differentCrane your neck upward and you see black red and yellow drapes representing the German flag Beer bottles hang from the ceiling Last week Gaylord kickstarted celebrations for the Oktoberfest which will continue till the end of this month On the special menu is a list of Bavarian beers along with German delicacies such as Black Forest hams Quiche Coburg Berlin meats tortes and BerlinersNoel DrsquoSouza has been the general manager at the restaurant for the past 26 years The event spearheaded by the youngest Lamba Dhruv is one of the many changes the restaurant has adopted to woo a younger clientele ldquoI came on board six months ago and set up a Twitter handle and a Facebook page for Gaylordrdquo says the 34yearold ldquoMy father Sunil learnt the nuances of running a restaurant from my grandfather PL Lamba and passed them on to me when the time came But I represent the thirdgeneration member running this restaurant and I want to incorporate their experience with some bold changes to usher in a clientele like merdquo says DhruvThe meringues are one of the most popular items at the Gaylord bakery He admits he was bombarded with questions from friends family and patrons when he decided to market the already popular restaurant ldquoMany patrons and wellwishers asked me why a classic restaurant needed more publicity But I stand by my decision mdash I want to retain Gaylordrsquos heritage but also make it more appealing to the younger generationrdquo he saysHis father embraces Dhruvrsquos need to reinvent and take his own vision of Gaylord ahead ldquoGaylord has seen the transition from Bombay to Mumbai We love the fact that we retain our regular patrons but it is a pleasure to see collegians throng to our bakery and young professionals catch up over lunch If a restaurant does not change with time it is left behind We want to cater to newer younger patrons toordquo says SunilAN Malhotra the 87yearold CEO comes to the restaurant every day till date The memory albumIn the rsquo60s Gaylord was one of the few restaurants in the area unique for its Continental fare People from all parts of the city then Bombay converged here for its delicious popular Indian Continental and Mughlai foodBack then Gaylordrsquos continental fare mainly comprised French dishes such as Chicken Belly Lobster Thermidon Peach Melba Chicken Chasseur Lamb sticks and Pepper Sticks In the rsquo80s Gujaratis along the Nariman Point belt began eating out more than ever and the restaurantrsquos footfall increased tremendously Change became inevitable and the owners had to rethink their fare and up the sweet quotient of the menu ldquoI clearly remember how our Gujarati clientele devoured Gaylordrsquos Continental food such as baked dishes and Au Gratin but preferred their Waldorf Salad with pineapple and cherries The original dish comprised only apples celery and walnuts and we eventually decided to lsquoIndianisersquo itrdquo smiles Noel DrsquoZouza who has been the general manager at Gaylord for the past 26 yearsJam sessions and the glitteratiWhile I chat with DrsquoSouza a smiling AN Malhotra the 87yearold CEO of Gaylord walks in Malhotra is recovering from an illness but his face lights up when I ask him to turn back time to the 1950s and tell me about life before Gaylord came on Bombayrsquos gastronomic horizonldquoA lady named Putli Patel ran the Blue Garden restaurant here before Gaylord was built I worked at Khyber thenrdquo says Malhotra one of thefounding members at Gaylord ldquoWhen Gaylord opened there would be a fleet of Victorias horse carriages lined up outside waiting for the patrons to finish their meals while another queue comprised of people waiting for a table inside Gaylord truly was one of a kindrdquo beams MalhotraBack then the restaurant had a dance floor and the presentday mezzanine floor didnrsquot exist ldquoA live Italian band conducted weekend jam sessions in the evening which were attended by the whorsquoswho in townrdquo says Malhotra as he points out to a table in a far corner of the restaurant ldquoThat is where music director Shankar Jaikishan would always sit If that table wasnrsquot vacant he got very annoyedrdquo he adds Actors Raj Kapoor Dilip Kumar Saira Banoo Rajesh Khanna and Sunil Dutt mdash all were regulars at Gaylord ldquoRajesh Khanna began coming to our restaurant before he became a heartthrob We never gave him preference over others and if the restaurant was full he waited for his turn A few years later after he shot to fame I met him at a party at Natraj He humbly walked up to me and said lsquoMalhotra saab ab toh aap table denge na mujhe You will give me a table now wonrsquot yoursquo He said it in jest and remained one of our frequent customersrdquo remembers Malhotra fondlyNo executive chefContrary to how Mumbairsquos cafeacutes and restaurants try to woo big names in the food industry to come on board as executive chefs Gaylord has not had one since years It is DrsquoSouza and his experience with the restaurants former chefs that ensures the patrons almost never leave with a complaint ldquoIn the rsquo90s we had Chef Bernard Rozario from Kolkata He was one of the finest Continental food chefs I have ever met Always open to experimentation we created some excellent Continental dishes with him during our Christmas celebrations Most of our menu today is inspired by what he created back thenrdquo says DrsquoSouza Malhotra on the other hand recalls the passion of PL Lamba who is 95 years old today ldquoLamba even managed to bring down a chef who worked for the ruler of Turkey in the rsquo80s With him we introduced a special menu with Doner Kebabs and other delicaciesrdquo recalls Malhotra Today in addition to its Indian and Mughlai fare the team has also introduced Goan delicacies such as prawn curry and plans to introduce foods from Rajasthan such as Laal Maas as well ldquoWe want to give our customers the taste of Indiardquo emphasises DrsquoSouzaBaking goodnessIn 1992 Gaylord launched the cityrsquos first lsquoshow bakeryrsquo where customers could see the products being baked through a transparent glass partition Croissants baguettes meringues a variety of breads doughnuts cookies mousse sat pretty in glass shelves and tempted patrons toward indulgence The bakery was renovated and expanded last year DrsquoSouza has also introduced Berliner with custard fillings pretzels milk breads baklavas and contemporary tarts and pies to the collectionThe bakery has been instrumental in attracting a younger crowd and has not gone unappreciated by loyal patrons Vinay Bansal a retired IAS officer from Colaba has been visiting Gaylord since the 1970s ldquoOne of the most pleasant changes at Gaylord over the past few years has been the renovation of what was the garden area outside the restaurant and the bakeryrsquos renovation Itrsquos almost like a Parisian cafeacute in the middle of Churchgate But I am glad the quality of their food remains impeccable My alltime favourite is their Continental dish Chicken Al La Kievrdquo says BansalWalk into Gaylord today and it will still sweep you off your feet into another time with its old sparkling chandeliers the European deacutecor quaint chairs and a fine menu But there is no way you will miss its modern upbeat vibe either Try telling DrsquoSouza this and he chuckles ldquoWell then I am the only dinosaur in this place All thatrsquos left for me to do is to grow some teethrdquo