Mutton sali boti at Kala Ghoda Cafe |
We use our hotel staycations in town (I was about to write ‘abroad’) to visit restaurants in the area. Restaurants we had been meaning to go to, but had not done so given the distances involved. Since K is with me on such trips, these are not the ‘grunge’ eateries I frequent otherwise. Or dives! That’s not her sort of thing. We largely go to cafes. Air-conditioned ones with clean toilets. And with good food on offer. Not just drinks.
We went to the Kala Ghoda Cafe on the way back from our recent staycation at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel at Colaba. I came out with mixed feelings at the end of our visit.
We sat in the cafe area at the entrance. It reminded me of the small cafes we’ve been to in Paris, Berlin, Prague and Madrid. Petite, bright and cheerful. I later spotted a larger restaurant-like section inside. I think this is the wine bar. The cafe section is more our sort of place
We liked our drinks. K, her cappuccino. Me, the orange sparkler. The latter was fizzy. Had the bitterness of orange rinds. A touch of salt. An underlying note of ginger. Not sweet. A very adult and satisfying aerated drink.
I had the ‘salli boti with oats roti’. The dish was packed with ‘botis.’ Tender mutton pieces. Every spoonful that one took came with a piece of mutton. The mutton was neither too sweet, not too tangy, unlike other versions of this Parsi dish that one has had in the past. Yet it had a mild tanginess which made it Parsi. The crisp salli (thin potato straws) added a nice contrast to the meaty pieces of mutton on offer.
The oats roti were akin to biscuits dried in the sun. What you would expect to get in a prison.
You break the roti, place a piece of mutton on the resultant disc and eat it. It is not possible to wrap the mutton with the roti and eat it as is the norm.
K ordered the ‘desi waffles’ made with Amarnath. It was dry, savoury and left her ‘sad.’ She was hoping for some sweetness. She added the honey given on the side to make it palatable. Something that she never does. The menu description didn’t given her any intimation that it would be savoury.
We packed and took back tuna, chicken & veg pesto sandwiches for folks at home and these were well enjoyed. I did not try these and cannot comment on them.
Some of what we ordered that afternoon was nice. Some would appeal to you only if you are a masochist. Hence the ‘mixed feelings’ that I mentioned at the start.
They must have got something right given the customer loyalty they have enjoyed over the last 15 odd years. This is not easy to achieve in Mumbai. That too if one is located at a place such as Kala Ghoda in south Mumbai which is now pretty far off to most Mumbaikars given the growth of the city in all directions.
A customer observed while we were there that the cafe is so popular that it does not need an Instagram handle. The placard on the table asking people not to hang around if there was a crowd, bears testimony to this. The owner is Parsi. Clearly a maverick, given his emphasis on healthy food, even if at the cost of pleasure. Something that is very ‘non Parsi,’ given the community’s love for good food and the good life. The placard is the only Irani cafe- like element – think the ‘no loitering instruction in Irani cafes -at the Kala Ghoda Cafe.
I must add that the service was understated and efficient. The aircon cooled the place well. A respite from the heat outside. Oh, and yes, the washroom was clean!
I would like to go back and order more and hopefully discover the charm of Kala Ghada Cafe in the process. I say this with all sincerity and no sarcasm.
Ps: Do let me know if you are a regular here and if so, what should we have ordered. Some have told me that they like the coffees here, the black mushroom risotto, the range of breads on offer. Tell me more people.