october-2010

THE MEGACITY OF MUMBAI has no shortage
of restaurants. In fact, there are an
estimated two million of them, even
some top-fl ight options, such as
Morimoto’s excellent Wasabi, and
Ziya, which serves nouvelle Indian
cuisine and is run by Michelin-starred
chef Vineet Bhatia. But in a city that
can feel overwhelming, sometimes
diners crave simple, tasty food. In this
region of India, that means going to
a middle-class venue specializing in
thali—robust fare that’s home-cooked
and served on big silver platters also
called thali.
Few restaurants have mastered the
art of the vegetarian thali meal like
Panchavati Gaurav. Located in the
heart of south Mumbai, between a
recently spruced-up Art Deco cinema
and the no-nonsense Marine Lines
business district, where wholesalers
hawk everything from bicycles to
custom eyeglasses, Panchavati mostly
serves the area’s buyers and sellers,
as do the handful of other nearby
thali restaurants, such as Rajdhani
and the quaintly named Friends
Union Joshi Club. They all off er 25
to 30 preordained dishes to satisfy
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM | OCTOBER 2010
JUST A DAB
A typical
thali spread
food&drink
Lhassi’s Great Adventure
IN MUMBAI, THE FINE ART OF THALI, A SERIES OF SMALL DISHES WASHED
DOWN WITH TRADITIONAL INDIAN YOGURT DRINKS, IS THE ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD.
BY C.J. KURRIEN // PHOTOGRAPHS BY DARYL VISSCHER/REDUX
businesspeople’s appetites.
You eat what you get, but it’s okay
because you’re in able, experienced
hands. And while there’s no question
that the explosion of culinary options
in Mumbai has cut into the popularity
of the thali—especially among the
affl uent youth, who don’t want to be
seen at the restaurants where their
parents dine—Panchavati’s owner,
Rahul Chandak, isn’t worried. “Our
food is tasty and consistent, with
no unpleasant surprises,” he says.
“There’s something to be said for the
familiar.”
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