Cafe Irani Chaii – Mahim

Life goes on, work needs to be done and we need to step out of the house. So, when we have to take a risk by stepping out then we might as well go to a restaurant, otherwise, for two foodies like my daughter and me, it feels like a risk not worth taking.

Once the task was accomplished, we focused on what we loved best. Eating out. And what better place to go to than Café Irani Chaii, on this chilly Mumbai morning. Yes, I know, but it is chilly by Mumbai standard.

It is a small place, a size ‘S’ restaurant, with only 7-8 tables. This gives it a cozy and homely feel. The whole ambiance is frozen in a bygone era, with the wood rafters and planks for the roof nicely polished to a deep chocolate brown, the old-style white floral shaped bulb covers, and mirrors on either wall. To add to the quirkiness, there are tons of pics hanging from the beams, pics of reviews in newspapers and magazines, and awards they have won.

Most of us who have been to Irani Café know what we want. So, without wasting too much time on menu diving, we ordered mutton keema fry with two buns and a chicken cheese omelette with a plate of toast (two slices) and two of their bottled lemonades.

The food came and we dived in. Believe me guys I committed a major sin today. I had that chicken cheese omelette with the buttered toast. Oh! The omelette was awesome and the bite of green chilies was just what I needed. It was a pleasure to wash it down with the lemonade. They bake their own bread and buns and puddings. The slices were thick and buttered to heaven. Look at the pic, this is what was left on the plate after I ate the toast. With that much butter and cheese, I knew I was going to be sick (as in not being able to have any more meals in the day) but I just couldn’t stop myself.

Whilst I was hell-bent on sending myself on a calorie-induced coma, my daughter was enjoying the keema. Though it was too spicy for her to finish it, she did enjoy it. Only grouse, she got a tiny piece of bone in it.

Also, if you are there tomorrow or for that matter any 26^th of January, you will get a 26% discount on your bill.

And to top it all, we saw this board.

My daughter joked that perhaps all the servers were introverts and they would serve us but will not talk to us, that is why they want us to eat and go and not linger. LOL. So that’s what we did. Ate and left, very satisfied.