Here's all you need to know about this new restaurant in Mumbai's Mulund celebrating Mangalorean food

In Mumbai the lsquoShetty restaurantrsquo is an institution For decades the community has fuelled the city with massive menus a somethingforeveryone approach and a nononsense attitude These restaurants thrived with no celebrity chefs rows of laminate tables and a deepseated instinct for businessThecha Masala DosaNow at the newly opened Mangalore Tiffin Room in Mulund the next generation Pooja and Prithvi Shetty are proving that while the format might change to a sleek standingonly Darshini a quickservice selfservice vegetarian restaurant popular in Bengaluru the hospitality in their blood remains the secret saucePooja with a background in HR and Prithvi who studied hospitality in Canada grew up in an atmosphere where the kitchen was a livelihood Their fathers Shivaram Shetty and Narasimha Shetty run Vrindavan Veg Restaurant in Kalachowki and Devi Jyoti Resto Bar in Mira Bhayander and Yash Resto Bar in Sanpada and Hotel Silver Paradise in Turbhe respectivelyFilter coffeeldquoWhen we see it from their the eldersrsquo perspective they think restaurants need to be a big operation We are very happy that it is a small setuprdquo Pooja shares This shift from the sprawling multicuisine family establishments to a specialised niche space is a calculated move ldquoI feel a smaller setup with good quality food and a good location can still run your show very well Not everything that looks big gives you big moneyrdquo adds Prithvi The two say they set up the establishment with practically no help from the family as they wanted this business built entirely on their ownPrithvi and Pooja Shetty are second generation restaurateurs and come from families that ran Udipi restaurants across MumbaiThe menu at Mangalore Tiffin Room is a curated nostalgia trip of over 70 savoury and dessert offerings and beverages The recipes come straight from Prithvirsquos mother preserving the flavours they encountered during childhood temple visits and village chai stalls in Mangalore The Kireng Podi sweet potato fritters Rs 85 are a standout simple crispy and comforting with kaapi on the side ldquoWhen we go to the village for a temple visit the evening snack there is kireng podi and bajje that is where it comes fromrdquo Pooja explainsThen there is the Thecha Masala Dosa Rs 125 As Mumbaiborn Mangaloreans the duo combined their roots with the local Maharashtrian love for thecha Here the thecha is dry almost podilike lacing the crisp dosa with a slowburn heat that is addictive Despite facing initial hurdles with LPG connections that forced a switch to an allelectric induction kitchen the dosas maintain that elusive crisp outside soft inside textureThe space is small with no seating and focused entirely on the food You will find Mangalore Buns Rs 105 Bisi Bele Bath Rs 110 and a Filter Coffee Rs 35 both iced hot and even one sweetened with jaggery that hits the sweetbitter equilibrium perfectly For dessert the Filter Coffee Soft Serve is a modern nod to a classic habitThe transition from the oldschool way of running a business to the newage model hasnrsquot been without its repercussions think fitting in a kitchen in a shop space ensuring its fire complaint and chopping down the menu to only fit dishes convenient to serve quickly and to eat without sitting down Prithvirsquos hospitality education and Poojarsquos corporate background give them a fresh lens but they havenrsquot forgotten the grit required ldquoYou canrsquot be saying lsquoitrsquos 6 orsquoclock letrsquos shutrsquo You have to be there all the timerdquo Pooja notes comparing the intensity of the Indian food scene to the more structured life abroadFor Pooja and Prithvi Mangalore Tiffin Room is about proving that the Shetty legacy isnrsquot tied to a 100item menu but to the soul of warm service and homely recipes ldquoWe got lucky with our staff really Itrsquos all very new for us too but the way they have taken on their responsibility adapted to the LPG issues and helped us keep the space running mdash we could not have asked for a better teamrdquo says Prithvi recalling lessons from his dad about staff managementOne lesson they have learnt from their parents is to ensure the food stays consistent and at a price point that allows people to grab a bite regularly But as the next generation they are naturally bringing forth their own ideas too ldquoSome items we added to the menu because we knew this would eventually be trending But most others are out of our passion and love for foodrdquoWhere Mangalore Tiffin Room ground floor Sangeeta Enclave opp Datta Mandir Road Sarvodaya Nagar Mulund West