Anand hi anand

An investor or chef today looking to open a restaurant spends considerable funds on a brand marketing team to craft publicity around its unique selling proposition Including its name Its a practice the proprietor of New Special Anand Bhuvan on Mint Road Fort will balk at Located opposite the GPO the eatery is flanked by two establishments both named Special Anand Bhuvan The three have wordlessly negotiated this amusing namegame for over 30 years Interestingly they have nothing in common except their signboards What binds them though is that all three owners belong to the Konkanispeaking Gaud Saraswat Brahmin GSB community Hailing from the coast of Karnataka the GSBs are known for their delicious fish preparations although these three establishments servepure vegetarian fareBun puri is a delectable fried snack of flour and bananaShridhar Shenoy of New Special Anand Bhuvan is dismissive when we quiz him about the name It has never occurred as odd to him neither has it eaten into his business This despite a Google search throwing up a common number for New Special Anand Bhuvan and Special Anand Bhuvan on 26 Mint Road Yes I do receive calls for orders that are meant for my neighbour he admits I make it a point to direct the caller to the right number Like us curious guests ask Shenoy about the similarity and his narration now runs on autopilotShridhar Shenoy of New Special Anand Bhuvan says his grandfather moved to Mumbai from Mangaluru and began his career by clearing tables His first job was at the erstwhile Kelkar Hotel at CSMT PicsAtul KambleWe may not be friends but we share a cordial relationship says Shenoy about the other owners Anant Hegdekar owner of Special Anand Bhuvan agrees We dont compete In fact Vishal Shenoy who runs the other Special Anand Bhuvan on 13 Mint Road makes it a point to greet me every morning on his way to the restaurantOur attempt to chat with Vishal is unsuccessful We like to remain low profile is all he saysAnand Hegdekar owner Special Anand Bhuvan on 26 Mint Road says the owners dont compete are cordial to each other and respectful of the others businessBack at Shenoys restaurant the conversation veers to how the restaurant got its name It is part of family folklore he says While the British ruled India Indians were barred from accessing certain public spaces My grandfather Madhav Shenoy came from a family of freedom fighters and wanted to create a safe sanctuary for the locals in Mumbai Hence the name Anand Bhuvan place of happiness explains Shenoy who joined the business in 1983 His grandfather moved to Mumbai from Mangaluru and like so many hospitality entrepreneurs from the coastal city began his career by clearing tables His first job was at the erstwhile Kelkar Hotel at CSMT New Special Anand Bhuvan established in 1942 was one of the first restaurants he set up Its success inspired Sr Shenoy to launch 11 more from Reay Road all the way to PalgharSince his induction Shenoy has tried to introduce changes to the menu to keep up with changing times Along with staple breakfast dishes such as idli dosa uttapam and sheera he also offers Chinese and Punjabi eats and fast food The place is popular for its thalis which are priced reasonably The South Indian thali includes a portion of rice rasam potato bhaji patal gravy bhaji suka dry bhaji dal dahi and fourpuris R75Special Anand Bhuvan owned by Vishal Shenoy on 13 Mint RoadIn its heydays Shenoys hub would see patrons bond over cups of tea and bun puri their sweet fluffy snack made with all purpose flour and banana It continues to be a fastmoving item At both restaurants its the traditional Mangalorean snacks that do well Goli baje or deepfried maida balls that are soft and spongy from the inside while crisp outside are a hit These are prepared using flour curd and a few spices of choice All ingredients are mixed together fermented for a few hours and deep fried in oil says ShenoyAccording to Hegde long before the Bunt community of coastal Karnataka monopolised the midlevel Udipis in Mumbai it was the GSB hoteliers who ruled Mumbai hospitality This space was purchased by my father in 1936 At the time there were five restaurants with the same name owned by a certain Mr Kamat A lot has changed since Hegdekars restaurant is fairly empty on the Friday evening we drop in The scene is no different at Shenoys We attribute the down day to the public holiday but Hegdekar says the restaurant doesnt see crowds on a working day either We used to see great business but after Mumbai Port Trust MPT moved to Nhava Sheva we lost a chunk of our patrons These days Mint Road is unsettlingly silent throughout the day We are in the soup he admitsAmid the grimness theres a ray of hope The eateries are often frequented by foreign tourists and those who sign up for Mumbai darshan tours Shenoy recalls a Romanian guest who made the restaurant her pitstop during a weeklong visit to Mumbai Her daughter started having tummy trouble during their visit So I introduced them to idli and they fell in love with it Thats all they ate every day for the rest of their trip here he laughsWhat to tryNeyyappamBun puriPayasam puriBadam pakGoli bhajiyaPatal bhajiThe lockdown could affect working hours of establishments featured here Call before making a visitCatch 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