Gorging in Girgaum and other tales

We serve as long as you can eat says a printed promise scrupulously kept by Golden Star Thalimdashand every eatery dotting Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road At the start of this lane facing Charni Road Station the restaurant leads into the pulsing heart of Girgaum or Girgaon derived from the Sanskrit giri or hill and gaon at the foot of Malabar HillIf Hindus considered corner plots inauspicious industrious Iranis spotted twice the business at a junction Gazing towards Mount Damavand in the land of their birth they fervently whispered Numo Khodu Touch Wood in Dari dialect and moved in to brew the cup that cheersGolden Star was a basic bunmaska and kheemapao joint before turning thali specialist says Zia Eshraghi His father Aziz came to town as a 13yearold from Yazd in 1934Waiting tables at this cafe he worked his way up to own it in his fifties The success story repeated at the end of the road Sunil Shettys father started as a cleanercumwaiter at a modest Udupi he later made his till the actor son converted it to Mischief Dining BarThe Eshraghis being Bahai proprietors the restaurant name suggests the ninepointed star symbolising the universal brotherhood their faith propagates The whole number 9 a perfect culminating digit each star tip hails messiahs of nine different faiths on the same path to justice and peaceWhen this building Sakina Manzil underwent renovation in 199293 we began with thalis says Zias partner Rumi Ranji They were an instant hit the vegetarian switch suiting Panchratna diamond market merchants around the corner Known for fusion Gujarati and Rajasthani fare Golden Stars first cook was Maubji Maharaj His son Premji continues in the kitchen teamI glean mouthwatering nuggets Weekends offer three unlimited desserts instead of two The 60seaters piece de resistance is Alphonso aam ras And undhiyumdashfrom undhu meaning upside downmdashcomes from farmers slowsimmering winter greens in earthen pots buried underground with a fire lit aboveDaryush Bakery with its chimney protruding above the Girgaum streetscape of the 1990s A few feet on Im at the gates of a Tuscan villastyle venue laying out rich Parsi cuisine on long tables at wedding and navjote celebrations Albless Baug designed in 1868 by an Italian architect was contracted to Jamasji Mistry who built parts of Bombays financial district Its construction costing Rs 150000 was undertaken by the sons of Edulji Faramji Albless Edulji Faramji had earned the last name for his kind manner of greeting everyone he metmdashGod bless you allmdashwhich compressed to AlblessCeremonial prayer chants drown in the surround sound of Western Railway trains clattering along tracks a hop away Not that easy to muffle the loud oohs and aahs of rapturous invitees only live bands outshout them tackling course after fine course of lagan nu bhonu curated by master chefs Tanaz Godiwala Kurush Dalal or Bomi and Kaizad PatelBefore jumping up to the announcement Banuo aneh grahasto jamva chalo ji Ladies and gentlemen come for dinner guests raid the bar of course To quote Behram Busybee Contractor While the first 400 eat Im having chhato pani Chhato is a drop pani is water The drop is alcohol and it is more than a drop The name was introduced during Morarji Desais prohibition when alcohol was banned but drunk Now you drink in splendid communion with veteran elbowbenders on the otlaAlbless Baug presents two otlas stretched verandahs Kurush Dalal caterer and archaeologistmdashtwin qualifications shared with his legendary mother Katymdashsays that these otlas were used by the brides side and the grooms respectively Each often hired separate caterers He deconstructs stellar items of the bhonu My childhood was in Rasht by the Caspian Sea Fish there was grilled with simple sea salt and lime juice not the chutney of patra ni machhi or spice of sahs ni machhi the Bombay Zoroastrians addedAlbless Baug has served Parsi wedding feasts since 1868 Designed by an Italian architect it was built thanks to the family of Edulji Faramji Albless who supposedly earned his last name greeting everyone God bless you all which compressed to Albless Pic courtesy Phillips AntiquesParsi pulao hangs on to memories of the Iran they left behind seen from the lambrice base topped with dry fruit and fried onion birista Goat meat replaced lamb in an Indian influence Sahs ni machhi is fulsome fusion pomfret from Indias west coast the egg custard a Brit blendin vinegar a Portuguese infusion topped with crisp Indian garlic garnish The British touch is evident again in lagan nu custard the dessert with Iranian elaichijaiphal flavouringServing delicious munchies since 1929 is the tempting tagline of Daryush Bakery amp Cake Shop Spruced smart by Neil Bastani the shop remains in Building No 272 to which his greatgreatgrandfather Rostum came from Yazd I pad through sections of the interior retained from the time of Rostums son Bhaman The vastness indicates how other cafes bought in bulk to resell items rolling out flakyfresh from the gigantic ovens of Daryush Neil says Our bar then totalled some of the biggest beer sales in the state The bakery witnessed production on a massive scale We lived next door in Patel Building On my way to Campion School every morning I would watch huge piles of patties over 30 kilos of khari being bought at a timeOn a manic monsoon afternoon sopping wet to the bone I gladly gulp the steamy scent of hot trays emerging from a cavernous oven Able to think straighter I recall Kurush say Daryush created the mother of all jam puffs our ultimate treat as kids craving them Ladies preordered these in multiple dozens for fancy teas they hostedWith entrepreneurial slog embedded in his DNA Neil appears brave in business He has introduced brands with citywide outlets like Junos Pizza and Snaxx with a vegetarian fast food menu beside the bakery A charming Irani high tea in a box apportions plum cake mawa cake maska khari batasa Shrewsbury nankhatai and jeera butter biscuitsWhile this unusual package is available online too it might be a good idea dropping in to personally pick from the range of meltinmouth mille feuille puff pastries macaroons muffins bonbons cookies chocolate cakes and petits gateaux baked by Farah Shroff of Parisserie Operating from her kitchen in Daryush Bakery the Ferrandi Paris alumnus smoothly customises her South of France training to eggless vegan and glutenfree desserts Further past terracottacoloured St Teresas Church with a pitched roof sheathed in Mangalore tilesmdashI reach Shree Ram Boarding House Trying the mutton thali lunch bombil fish and chicken thalis are great options with surma fry and other tangy delicacies proves heavenly especially mopping up the gravied meat with typical rice flour puris called tandalache vadeLunch being served at Golden Star Thali the corner restaurant whose name refers to the ninepointed star of the Bahai faith its proprietors the Eshraghis practiseManaging partner Hemavand Namdarian reveals Narayan Keshav Samant opened this Malvani restaurant in Dandekar Building after its tiny 1958 predecessor Isha Krupa in premises abutting Central Plaza cinema Marathi talents enjoying meals at Shree Ram have included actors Pradeep Patwardhan Sanjay Narvekar and Uday Tikekar as well as cricketers Dilip Vengsarkar and Ajit AgarkarIts Iran once more upstreet at Cosmopolitan Restaurant holding on from its 1920s heyday The benefactor of the hospital opposite Sir Hurkisondas Narottamdas not Sir HN Reliance a la blithe Ambani distortion encouraged Jehangir Forooghs grandfather Khodabux Nasrabadi and father Sohrab to occupy this space He valued Irani and Parsi honesty aware they never compromise on quality So my ancestors had a chance to run Cosmopolitan says Jehangir Folks like my father would without a worry dunk Polsonbuttered brun in condensed milk till that heavy tin emptied My holiday home was my shop During the Std 6 school vacation I made omelettes handled the cash counter and sold cigarettes under Dads supervision Currently with another branch of his family the cafe has had a motley crowd pass through its doors from singer KL Saigal and mill mazdoors to Nita AmbaniThe Goan Saraswat bhojnalay Anant Ashram in Khotachi Wadi entered from Jagannath Sunkersett Marg is much missed Never mind that the service was as dour as the kokam superbly sour Cricketer Dilip Sardesai batted for wifetobe Nandini my stentorian sociology professor here dating her over delectable crab curry As a St Sebastian schoolboy in neighbouring Dabul Rajesh Khanna stuffed his tiffin box with their foodMaubji Maharaj the eateryrsquos first cook from Falna near Udaipur Pic Bipin KokatePanshikar still reigns the king of divine Maharashtrian upwas cuisine You neednt suffer fasting for their farali snacks Wash down homely misal masale bhaat sabudana khichdi kanda bhaji and thalipith slathered in loni white butter with piyush the Marathi manoos lassi With three thriving branches one a restaurant the Panshikar motto is Kaamgaar sukhi tar maalak sukhi contented workers make employers contentIn this week of the elephant god steamed ukadiche modaks glisten in pyramidal mounds From Sawantwadi in Sindhudurg district the Panshikars originally Khandekars who adopted the name of their village name Panshi welcomed residents of Keshav Naik Chawl as regularsOpposite Gaiwadi this was where Tilak initiated the Ganesh festival as a public event knitting people together to talk freedomSoaked by another cloudburst Im struck by a warm thought Fitting that the citys first Ganpati pandal grew in gullies famed for food to satiate the plump god of benevolence Whose benign smile seems to say a happy belly looks a healthy bellyAuthorpublisher Meher Marfatia writes fortnightly on everything that makes her love Mumbai and adore Bombay You can reach her at mehermarfatiagmailcom wwwmehermarfatiacomCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things 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