Colaba's scotch broth mecca 'Paradise Restaurant' to shut down after 61 years

Once every year Colabas favourite Parsi and Continental meals Mecca Paradise Restaurant would down its shutters Owners Jimmy and Mehroo Kadkhodai wouldnt trust anyone else with its running when they would make their annual trip to America to be with their children This time the shutters have been down for longer And midday can confirm that the 61yearold eatery with a fanatic fan following will not be open for business againJimmy and Mehroo holding the menu at their Tardeo home PicAshish RajeSome of it has to do with Jimmys health In November last year Mehroo Kadkhodai noticed one morning that her husband was having trouble walking It was time for her shift at the eatery she would do mornings and he would take over post 4 pm but didnt want to leave alone and insisted on joining her at the cafeacute The 80yearold had his chai but said he felt uneasyTheir family doctor confirmed that Jimmy who had undergone a bypass surgery a few years ago had had a paralytic stroke Although he is now back home after spending a month in hospital Mehroo says she finds it tough at 75 to run both home and restaurant We want to take a graceful bow Mehroo says The couple is waiting for their children daughters Hutokshi and Parivash and son Shazad to make a visit and decide the fate of the space they ownThe simple interiors of the restaurant The artworks on the wall show Adam chasing Eve after eating the forbidden fruit and vice versaMaking of ParadiseJimmys introduction to restaurating started when he was barely 14 and helped his uncle run the canteen at Excelsior cinema He says it was here that Mumbai was introduced to the sizzler At 16 he decided hed open his own restaurant and his uncle pitched in Paradise Restaurant joined the likes of Cafe Mondegar Cafe Royal and Cafe Olympia to establish Colaba as a neighbourhood that served stellar oldworld foodParadise served only rolls burgers and hamburgers back then and it was after Mehroo married Jimmy in 1965 that she introduced continental dishes and Parsi bhonu to the menu which it became famous forMehroo and Jimmy Kadkhodai at their Tardeo homeThe special dishesWe ask Jimmy about the legendary scotch broth and he decides that Mehroo should talk about it because it was her special secret of using halfboiled chicken and mutton that did the taste trick The broth had chicken and mutton bones The gosht wala came to the kitchen and gave me the cuts which I would wash personally But my favourite was the chicken masala which had a superb gravy and the best pieces of chicken she saysHappier timesThe restaurant recalls Mehroo was her current affairs den I will miss talking to people who came from all walks of life They were my source of news even before I read it in the days midday she giggles Their patrons included celebrities and the influential including Ratan Tata He was a good friend of Jimmys and theyd chat about cars Once Johnny Walker actor was at the restaurant and I was having a hard time placing him He walked up to the counter and said Yes I am Johnny WalkerThe chicken dhansak served at the restaurantMehroo vividly remembers the day Obama visited in 2010 It was Diwali and we were asked to shut shop and queue up outside to greet him Soon after when we opened for business a CNN reporter barged in to take a byte on the nuisance it had caused usI told him it was an honour and we were proud that the thenUS President had come for a visit My granddaughter saw me on television in America and told my son It was a pleasant surprise for her to see Grandma Mehroo on televisionThe Kadkhodais were clear that their focus would remain hearty nonvegetarian fare How could I do everything We did veg specials sometimes I used to make all the masalas myself and spend hours at the masala galli at Saat Rasta with a wet cloth covering my nose watching sellers pound the masala That is what made the food delicious she remembersMehroo says while the shop kept her busy she looks forward to spending time with her grandchildren We connect with them on our computer but they are all growing up and we want to see them more oftenThe best chicken roll in IndiaKunal VijaykarFood writer and television personalityI recall visiting the restaurant as a child I would go with my parents and grandparents Their chicken roll is the best in the country and Mehroo used to make the mayonnaise fresh every day It was gooey sticky and sweet Half my weight is thanks to gorging on the rolls over the years My favourites on the menu were kid fillet roll chicken lollies and lagan nu custard The shutting down of Paradise is tragicClosing was inevitableKurush DalalFood historianIconic eateries shutting is sad because it takes away the soul of the city But it is inevitable The food sector is no longer what it was Restaurants like Paradise sold wholesome food not designer quinoa salad and kale chips The next generation isnt keen to run the establishments The margins are lower real estate prices are up and if you own the real estate it is more profitable to rent it out Our history is no longer history in the making That part is done In the mid90s my friend Binit married a German girl named Claudia One day we walked into Paradise for a meal Binit looked at the menu and frowned They have no vegetarian food except bread butter and chips she said Honest to God we had not noticed it until thenAlso readThese iconic places in Mumbai have shut downCatch 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