Soul City

The biggest cities have the best-kept secrets. Discover Mumbai through the insider spots that keep tradition alive and make it special.

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CAFE MADRAS

In August 1950, Gopal Kamath bought Cafe Madras from a friend. The earliest menu was similar to what you can order today at this no-frills, wholesome, heritage eatery. Waiters have rattled off the “idli, vada, sada dosa, masala dosa, rava dosa, upma, rasam vada” litany for 70 years now. The recipe for panpoli, a dessert made out of bananas and jaggery, hasn’t changed since the restaurant’s inception, but in 1960, the Mysore sada dosa was a new addition.

In the ’70s, Matunga seemed almost entirely peopled by folk from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Mundus and pavadai (long skirts) were what most people wore. Today, if you walk past the colourful temples, catching snatches of the aroma of freshly ground coffee, into the hurly burly of Matunga’s famous flower market, echoes of the past remain. Within the vegetable market, fresh, seasonal produce is unloaded and displayed in tourist-brochure snapshots of colour. You will discover alien gourds and condiments beloved of the South Indian community.

But like the changing demographics of what was once called ‘mini Madras’, Cafe Madras has also had to change. Typically Tamil preparations were taken off the menu as the Tamil population declined. Deep-fried treats like banana bhajias were retired a decade ago, no doubt in resonance with the early morning walkers who stand patiently outside, calculating the number of satisfied customers leaving to estimate their wait. The promise of Cafe Madras’s kaapi makes it worthwhile. The clientele includes industrialists and movie stars. Everyone waits their turn.