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| Mumbai's Irani cafes winding up biz |
| A few decades ago almost every street corner in Mumbai had an Irani cafe , catering to all from mill workers to casual labourers. Today only a handful
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| INDIA
, 31-July-2007
1:54:36 AM |
| They were once a city's signature scattered all over but time is taking a toll on this one too. The mega metro's Irani cafes are winding up business.
A slice of history served with a hot cup of tea that's slowly going cold. The bun maska, the chequered table cloth, the glass topped tables and quaint wooden chairs are the only symbols of the humble Irani restaurants that are perhaps still unchanged.
A few decades ago almost every street corner in Mumbai had an Irani cafe , catering to all from mill workers to casual labourers. Today only a handful remains.
Kyani's started in 1904 and is still running strong. Walk in here and you feel like you have walked back in time.
The same ambience, the same menu and even the price list seems like it belong to another era.
''One of the biggest draws at Irani cafes was the amount of time you could spend here. People would come and spend hours reading a newspaper with a cup of tea,'' said Aflatoon Shokri, Owner, Kyani and Co.
But in a city where time is a luxury pace matters. Probably why more and more people have started opting for fast food joints.
Idlis, dosas, burgers and pizzas have started replacing the humble khari biscuits and brun pav.
Changing time
And to stay in business the Irani cafes have changed as well.
The best example of this would be south Mumbai's Cafe Leopold. A foreigner magnet and a student hangout.
Leo's as it's popularly known, was once much like Kayani.
Now the brun maska has been replaced with beefsteak. The tea is still sold but just much more expensive.
''We have retained the ambience of an Irani cafe but the rest we have changed. We have added Chinese and Indian cuisine,'' said Farzad and Farhan Jehani, Partners, Cafe Leopold.
From mill workers to the foreign backpackers the Iranis have come a long way, serving as a wayside stop for those passing through this forever changing city and those who have made it their home.
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