Owners of popular Mumbai bar Gokul open a new vegetarian restaurant in the city

Medu wadaDimlylit as always Gokul has not changed much is what we realise when we visit the iconic dive bar for an interview with the owners The tipplers are the same mix of collegegoers foreigners and offduty navymen all seated in their usual corners There are a few decor changes in terms of coloured LED lights and wall murals Dinesh with his older brother Harish has now been running the iconic dive bar since the sudden passing away of their father Jaya Pujary in 1998Gokul9 special pav bhaji PicsBipin KokateTheir sister Vandana an MBA in marketing and finance who works with an MNC joined the business three years back and helped relaunch their rolls joint Gokul Bite Encouraged by the response Dinesh and Vandana have now opened Gokul9 a nofrills restaurant that serves vegetarian fast foodI was always fascinated by the hotel industry In school I had a lot of fun on my morning trips to buy fish and vegetables with my father Later in college he started taking me to different BMC offices and in the evenings I would interact with customers I even packed beer boxes in our wine shop This was nothing compared to what my father had to do recalls DineshVandana and Dinesh Pujary at GokulBefore his foray into the hotel industry Pujary did odd jobs like boot polishing selling milk and also cigarettes outside IIT which he had to eventually stop as students didnt pay him regularly when he came to the city from Mangalore He stayed in a slum in Vikhroli and attended a night school Pujary later moved into a single room above Gokul with his entire family They eventually shifted to a bigger house behind the Taj Mahal Hotel Today his children distribute books and other essentials at the same night schoolVandana is the youngest of the three I wanted to take baby steps So I reworked the menu of Gokul Bite Eventually we felt that this area really needs a vegetarian restaurant with a good ambience The concept of running a vegetarian restaurant is very new to us but its in our blood and I know we can do it affirms Vandana Plus there is good money in it admits DineshJaya PujaryAs we tuck into the pav bhaji and medu wada the mind jogs back to several occasions when we wished for a nofuss fast food joint to chill at post a hectic shopping session in Colaba Gokul9 fits the billMy father wanted to run a haven for everyone Women tell me that they feel safe in Gokul they can smoke or walk in wearing short dresses without anyone bothering them shares Dinesh We want to recreate this pull of Gokul with Gokul9 Thats why the menu has been designed to serve comfort food that anyone can have on a daily basis adds Vandana The exhaustive menu covers everything from sheera for breakfast to Indianstyle pizza and Chinese favourites and thali tooThey eventually want to open a hip bar in Colaba The most important business lesson that Dinesh has learnt from his father is patience It helps in this line and regular life My father had a deadly personality with his moustache Had he been alive today Gokul would have been a multistoreyed threestar hotel he says proudlyWhat is it like working with a sibling we ask Most of the time its irritating But the best thing is that you can express yourself in spite of wanting to pull each others hair laughs off Vandana If a big fight happens between us partners the cop is our mother who will make us hug and make up signs off Dinesh with a smileTime 7 am to 1230 pmAt Nawroji Furdunji Street Apollo Bundar ColabaCall 7045370003Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates