The holy trinity of bakeries in Bandra

American Express BakeryldquoWe knead Your NeedsrdquoThis tagline greets one into the cosy American Express Bakery AEB the offshoot of the Byculla landmark and an icon on the busy Hill Road A hallmark in the 1950s Yvan Carvalho informs that the place was opened as a branch by his grandfather Speaking of the range of butter papered eateries Yvan tells us that it has always been the same mdash breads and cakes pound cakes cupcakes and mawa cakesBabu of the American Express Bakery AEB in Bandra poses with the bakeryrsquos favourite baked goodies He has been with AEB for the last 16 years PicNimesh DaveThe onus of the bakery transferred from Yvanrsquos grandfather to his grandmother then his father and now him From the advertisements to the logos and even the lsquokneadingrsquo part were all formulated by his enterprising grandfather Yet how did the dough tantalise his grandfather We wondered Any experience in bakingThe branch sports several old advertisements that were conceptualised by Joseph CarvalhoIt was all books which were then considered the bibles of baking Since then machines that were imported from England one dating to 1940 and the other to 1965 are still in use Brothers Yvan and Emit adding to the family love for the bakeries introduced biscuit crinkles and biscottis as they discovered new treats during their travelsAll special items are reasonably priced while their specialty breads fly of their shelves in no timeYvan recalls that learning how to run a bakery has been hard ldquoPeople donrsquot realise that one needs to know about the machinery accounts or finance and manage labour and costs Yet one thing I am proud of is that we have stuck to our qualityrdquoThe American Express Bakery wooden barrel is reminiscent of its earlier daysRecalling a recent incident he shares that since the floods in Kashmir almonds had become cheaper than walnuts which were 1000 per kg ldquoYet we stuck by our prices What can you do It is a natural calamityrdquo he gestures From expats to youngsters the AEB has had celebrities too Director Imitiaz Ali leader Tushar Gandhi actresses Helen and Ratna Pathak Shah have made in an appearance to savour their delicious baked itemsWhile specialty breads and biscuits are incredibly popular one can look forward to Guava Cheese Fruit Mince Pies Coconut Toffee and other unusual Xrsquomas harbingers as Ivan confides that the plums are soaked in alreadyOn 930 am to 830 pm Sundays closedAt Villa Sushma Hill Road Bandra WCall 26422857J Hearsch amp CoUnlike the other two bakeries J Hearsch amp Co can have a stranger run around in circles on Hill Road until a kind bystander points out the derelictlooking house around the corner that masks the centuryold bakery Once discovered the bakery is reminiscent of the erstwhile spacious Bombay and bears the vibe of a college place The bakery hums and buzzes from 730 in the morning to 1030 in the night a shortened set of working hours than its 24hours open policy of beforeHearschrsquos counter is brimming with a wide variety of food itemsMelvin DrsquoSa one of the three DrsquoSa brothers has been overseeing the bakery for the last 3540 years though as per an earlier midday article October 16 2011 the Fernandes family has been the ldquolesseecumproprietors of Hearschrdquo The German gentleman Hearsch was the original propreitor of the bakery during World War I he however had to flee the country in those turbulent times Carrying down the legacy was a young woman Sophia Fernandes whose family stills carries the onusHearschrsquos puff roll and sandwich are equally deliciousMelvin DrsquoSa confirms that he has been part of this city icon since the 1980s when the mantle was passed on to him from his breadman father ldquoMy father was a bread distributor and he had only worked in a bakery After my elder and middle brother went abroad I started handling the operationsrdquo says the 64yearold Melvin a Science graduate from St Xavierrsquos CollegeHearsch amp Co is like a secret hangout given its clandestine location PicsNimesh DaveTill 1985 like 90 of Bandra bakeries J Hearsch amp Co sold pav sandwich bread kadak pav and bran bread Melvin recalls the hardships endured to run such bakeries including rude labour and prickly heat during the summer until the bakery got its automatic ovenAfter his fatherrsquos demise in 1987 brothers Melvin and Steven introduced rolls puffs and cakes ldquoAnybody in this business will tell you that there is very less margin in bread and more in snacksrdquo informs Melvin who works in shifts with his 55yearold brother Nudging lsquoexoticrsquo items like croissants garlic bread and French bread on the menu the palate of their customers has undergone a change Quzzing about the crowd favourites mdash the burgers and the chicken puffs mdash one notices that both items have had their own success stories to tellHe admits that introducing the burger to the Bandra crowd was a hard task at that time as people hadnrsquot heard of it But once it caught on there was no looking back In fact their chicken puffs ldquosell nothing less than 500 a dayrdquo says a selfeffacing MelvinItrsquos not only people who flock the beloved bakers day in and day out therersquos a gang of cats who secretly drool over the Hearschrsquos mayonnaise too an item that is said to have a secret recipe of its ownldquoInitially our rolls were made by mum at home and were brought to the bakery so that in a way was a family secret But that or even the mayonnaise has been shared with the workers here and therersquos nothing that is hidden from themrdquo he says One hopes and yearns to continue to enjoy the makeshift shaded seating between rocks and a parking lot while a heady bouquet of smells tickles our tastebuds Wondering about the future Melvin divulges that there are many plans but nothing concrete as of yetldquoMy daughter is in a catering college but hasnrsquot said anything yet Also we renovate a place every four or eight years and I would really like to do that In fact I would like to make it a cafe but then we are just conductors of the bakeryrdquo he concludesOn 730 am to 10 pm Tuesdays closedAt Hill Road Bandra WCall 26435361A1 BakeryIf therersquos one thing a true Bombaywalla has to stock for their dining table it has to be pav The moulded soft huskybrown bread is as multifaceted as the megalopolis itself And meeting Bandrarsquos needs just as it always has been since the 1950s is the A1 Bakery that was started by the Irani family after they migrated from IranA1 Bakery offers four different kinds of puffs There are also cutlets croquettes and nugget slicesNow helmed by the third generation Aaron Irani overlooks both the Bandra and the Malad branches along with his brotherinlaw ldquoIt started selling hot breads along with the Irani Mawa cakes and biscuits initially As time went on newer products were introduced which have retained their popularity reputation and recipes till todayrdquo says AaronA1 has a nofrills ambiance though you should not judge its menu by its sizeFacing Hill Road in all its simplicity A1 has had even partygoers seeking succour at 5 am Being a stonersquos throw away from the American Express Bakery the open facade is divided into queues as people order lipsmacking savouries ldquoThe hot favourites have been the Chicken Roll with Mayonnaise Chicken Puffs Mutton Puffs and Chicken Cutlet Pavrdquo says Aaron While the staff hardly has a moment to breathe there is renovation going around with greater plans in the pipeline ldquoWe are the only and the most famous bakery in Bandra supplying hot breads pavs and the very very famous hard breads called Gootlies Also in terms of breads mdash the dinner rolls sweet buns and the multigrain buns are very popularrdquo shares AaronAs young boys stand at a table chatting merrily while trees play light and shade one can suspect that A1 is their regular haunt Christian elderlies patiently await their turn appraising fresh breads from a distance Clearly very few need to look at the menu though it teems with a variety of snacks desserts and breadsWhile we are on the cusp of entering the month of Yuletide Aaron assures us that there are special family recipes for all products and to stir up the seasonal magic Christmas sweets are already getting preparedOn 5 am to 9 pm dailyAt Hill Road Bandra WCall 26426211