When the 20-something Ashish Sajnani came back to India in 1999 after completing a course in hospitality from Leysin, Switzerland, he would find himself parked at the Barista in Chembur. These were the pre-monorail and SCLR (Santracruz-Chembur Link Road) days when Chembur was known to be the last neighbourhood of the city, much like present day Kharghar. With hole-in-the-wall places like Vig and Sainath dotting the food scene in the area, Sajnani realised there was a huge vacuum that needed to be filled. He decided to take charge.

It was in 2004, that Sajnani launched Le Cafe - touted to be Chembur's Indigo - giving the area's patrons a taste of the good ol' shakshouka and Highland Scotch broth at affordable prices. But, as Sajnani says, "the baby had to grow up."