Best Bakes at Yazdani

When you come to Mumbai as a tourist or a settler, one of the most essential things to experience is eating at an Iranian or a Parsi joint. The southern part of the city, which is better known as town, is where these age-old cafes, some of which are historic, are located, charming visitors with their balmy wooden interiors, a modest display of savouries, a nonchalant air and an old staff with a friendly demeanour. In this city, which is bursting at its seams with a plethora of restaurants, often the identity of a restaurant blends into the other and then you really can't differentiate one from the other, and this holds true for the food they serve. And when you need a welcome change, you step into an Iranian or a Parsi eatery. 

Yazdani Restaurant and Bakery in Fort was opened by a Parsi baker, Meherwan Zend in 1953, and has been delighting the palate of its patrons ever since. I had discovered it on my way back from college one evening in 2009. I used to walk from St Xavier's College, which is very close to the famous erstwhile Victoria Terminus (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus), every evening after classes to my PG in Colaba, crossing the area of Fort, which is a buzzing business district of the city. I was amused with the ancient Gothic architecture of the buildings in Fort and that was the main reason behind my walk, and I would click random things which caught my attention. 

Once I was crossing a bylane in Fort and a strong enticing whiff of freshly baked bread greeted me and I found myself standing in front of Yazdani. Its unique ocean blue facade with a hint of deep red on the roof added to my pleasure and I stepped it. I called for a muffin, a bun maska (butter) and chai. The muffin was a steal in 12 bucks. It was soft and well baked, and the peculiar flavour of cardamom that it was infused with just added to the taste. The bun was fresh and was smeared properly with a generous amount of butter and chai was just up to the mark. I was happily satiated with everything I consumed and I didn't have to pay a fortune for that happiness. The next time I visited the bakery, I ordered an apple pie, which becomes one of those special things in your life that you want to keep coming back to after you consume in once. I have. 

Last Sunday I took a friend along with me to the bakery. It was sometime in the evening and since all the offices in Fort are shut on a Sunday, there was hardly a soul eating at Yazdani. I was carrying my camera. We called for two cups of chai, brun maska (crisp bun with butter) and muffins, but we were told that muffin was not available as not many people turn up at the bakery on a Sunday. Since whatever you eat at the bakery is hand baked that very day, you can be rest assured that you will never be served anything stale. The decor is nondescript, the seating is very basic and the temperature inside the bakery is slightly higher than outside because of the running of diesel ovens. Nonetheless, the aroma of fresh bakes overpowers everything else. There is a framed certificate from Burrp on one of the walls, a menu written with chalk on a blackboard, a wooden cabinet to store the bread, pictures of the famous wrestler King Kong who was a regular here, an interesting looking apparatus for slicing the bread, glass cabinets displaying savouries, butter and more bread. As soon as we were served our order, my friend Sohrab dug into his plate of brun maska and even though I was tempted to do the same, I first took a few pictures. One of the owners, an elderly man in his late eighties I am assuming, saw me clicking and he wanted to take a picture too, so I suitably complied. For four cups of tea and two plates of brun maska, all that we paid were 80 bucks. 

The muffin which I couldn't eat that Sunday brought me back to the bakery yesterday morning and I treated myself to two muffins, a brun maska and a cup of chai. I also called for an apple pie, but was informed that it was available after 3 pm when it would be served fresh from the oven. The beckoning call of that delectable apple pie will soon have me at the bakery once again.      

     

A Mouthful of Goodness

It was a Sunday evening and I had just stepped out of Regal cinema in Colaba, Mumbai, where I had gone for a noon show of Saheb Biwi aur Gangster Returns, along with my roomie, Lourdes. Though the movie was good in parts and Irrfan Khan was at his steaming best, there was something more delectable waiting for my generous attention and I was also eager to comply.

We started walking towards Kala Ghoda, which is diagonally opposite to Regal and at a distance of roughly 50 metres. It is a well-known art district of the city and is also home to designer brands and a bevy of charming homegrown cafes and eateries. Our destination was the Kala Ghoda Cafe, which is neatly tucked away in a bylane adjacent the Jewish synagogue, Keneseth Eliyahoo, a beautiful pastel blue coloured building. Don't go by the cafe's unassuming facade and when you enter, it may suddenly strike you that oh! It's small! Give yourself a few seconds and you will start liking everything that you see there. The cafe envelops you in a balmy, comfy environment with its wooden interiors, warm lighting and soul soothing music. There is an arrangement of about six tables on the ground floor, which is where the kitchen is, and a narrow wooden staircase leads you to the mezzanine level, which has a couch and two chairs surrounding a table - my favourite spot here. If the cafe happens to be full at the time of your visit, there is a table outside the other side of it, where you can sit and wait, or, even order your food there.

The menu features a selection of veg and non veg sandwiches made with whole wheat bread, pastas (there is a whole wheat option), other continental varieties, salads, desserts and beverages. Keeping in mind the location, it is mostly reasonably prized, except for the sandwiches, which are small but nonetheless, scrumptious. Lourdes called for a ham and cheese sandwich and I for a rosti, which one of the chefs had recommended, and we both ordered two cups of hot chocolate, which is made from the Belgian dark chocolate. The staff is very friendly and courteous, knows exactly what is there in the menu and if you ask for any suggestions, you won't be disappointed.

Our order arrived without much wait. The hot chocolate is probably the best you can have in town. It's thick and with every mouthful you will be delighted with the taste of authentic Belgian dark chocolate. The ham and cheese sandwich was perfectly grilled and was loaded with generous portions of both ham and cheese. I could imagine how satiating it would be to have it by looking at Lourdes. She went quiet and devoted herself fully to the pleasure of eating. I was quite skeptical about rosti as it was the first time I was eating it, but all my worries were put to rest as soon as I ate a bite and truly savoured it. It's a pancake which is made of grated potatoes and you have an option for have it with a veg or a non veg filling. I had called for some grilled veggies and my rosti was well stuffed with the seasonal fresh ones. It was mildly tempered with salt, olive oil and seasonings, which helped in accentuating the taste of the veggies, rather than over powering it with their own flavours. We sat there for quite sometime, enjoying the food and occasional chit-chat and left with a lingering need to come back.