One of the high points of going to the Sterling theatre was the RTI canteen. The wife and I, would often try to make it for the 1045 PM Creme de la Creme show where they would show the non blocbuster, but good, Hollywood films. Those were the days before we were married and before the DVD days.
In fact the RTI canteen would shut just as the show started and we would stock up with nutty fingers (lovely moist choc truffle like pastry filled with…you guessed it, nuts) and succulent lemon tarts (my favourite) before the movie started.
The Sterling was shut for a while recently and has now opened as a multiplex. The wife and I went to see OSO this Sunday. A film which was as far away from creme de la creme as possible…it was entertaining though.
The grand Sterling screen has been chopped into many sections AND the RTI canteen is gone. Had a Subway sub (Ugh – sour mayo, hardly any ham) as we’d missed breakfast. During the interval we went to the new food court which is at the lobby. We picked up a cheesy pasta from Bombay Blues – salt less and tasteless and momos which were edible but did not have a dip. These plus a coke came to around 300 Rs. (Nutty finger & lemon tarts in the good old days would cost us around 30). I felt like something sweet during the second half and stepped out and picked a brownie from the “Sterling cafe”. It was too sweet and very crumbly and stale. probably the only brownie in history which the wife and I left uneaten. A complete waste of 40 bucks. The RTI nutty finger must have turned in its grave. In fact I had to go to Theobrama at Colaba after the movie to have a brownie to clear the taste.
PS In a way it was apt that we see OSO (which was about reincarnation) at Sterling. The theatre had lot of memories – the steps outside where we used to wait for the movie to start, lift where the wife and I would steal a peck, the green & marble staircase, the bright biggish lobby. Good to see that they were the same as before. Somethings are gone though like the water fountain/ tap in the lobby, the caramel popcorn machine (novel when it started) the big screen, the ‘balcony’ experience, the grimy loos (much better now :)). Guess if this was a newspaper article then the headline would been a corny ‘Om Sterling Om’
I want my Nutty Fingers
