Parsee delights

I'll be honest. I have been a bit disappointed by much of the eating I have been doing thus far in India. I like North Indian food a lot and expected to be amazed and delighted by the restaurants and homes I would be eating in here. In Mexico I would discover gems amid the mediocre fair on a regular basis, but here I feel as if things have generally been a much narrower range. Much of the Indian food I have had has been good, some of it has been quite bad, but none of it has blown my mind – until I visited Britannia & Co.

Britannia is an adorable little lunch café which is in a district of shipping offices and naval grounds on the east side of Mumbai. Though relatively sparsely decorated in colonial style, the building had a certain charm to it. The café was opened with a 99 year lease in 1923 and has the feel that the regulars of today are the same as they were when the restaurant opened. While not flashy or expensive, the food came in large portions, delicious, savoury flavours, and with a lot of love.

The menu is a brief listing of an odd range of dishes I have never heard of. Upon sitting down, staring with a bit of wonderment at my menu, an elderly man shuffled to my table and cleared his throat softly. “Do you want to order?” He asked with a slightly off British accent. A bit startled, I picked a dish, and placed my order. Whisps of gray hair clinging to his otherwise bald head, the man shuffled off. Shortly afterward, ushered by a younger man, my sali chicken arrived. It was a steaming mound of aromatic, soft stewed chicken stew placed atop a pile of crisp potato sticks (think French’s, but fresh and much, much better). For dessert I got a caramel pudding which came with a rich, mildly burnt sauce and a smooth velvety custard.

While I ate, I watched the old man shuffled around the café, stopping occasionally to make small talk with his customers. I frequently make back stories for strangers in my head, and for once I had the opportunity to be proven right. Mr. Kohinoor made several stops at my table, and slowly released the story of his restaurant. As I guessed, he was the owner of the restaurant, and the son of the original lease holder. The other elderly fellow stooping over a cup of coffee in the rear was his brother. The smiley middle aged man behind the counter up front was his son, next in line to inherit the business. The family is Parsee (a religion of Persians kicked out of Persia in the eighth and ninth century by the incoming Muslims who have maintained relative cultural cohesiveness in Mumbai and are popularly known for their manner of disposal of bodies – feeding them to vultures so as not to taint the sacred elements of air, fire, water, or earth with the flesh of the dead). Along with his stories, Mr. Kohinoor made some cheeky some jabs at political figures in India and abroad, instructed me on how to eat it properly, chastised me for reading during a meal, asked about where I am from and where I am going, gave me advice on my travels, and (a bit creepily) suggested I check out the red light district of Mumbai.

The meal was tasty and the company was great, but the cherry on top was the napkins. Printed above the logo is the restaurant’s motto: “There is no love greater than the love of eating.” Not a phrase I would like to defend in court, but a sentiment I am quite partial to.

Overall, it was just what a dining experience should be. Quick, but not rushed. Comfortable but not casual. Kind and earnest. Low cost, but not cheap. So, what I am trying to say is that if you are ever in Mumbai and looking for a delightful meal go to Britannia Restaurant, it’s on Sprott Road in Ballard Estate. While I was in Mumbai I had a number of really great meals – and since getting to Kerala I have continued to eat quite well, but this little gem was a stand out.