Universal appeal

His head covered, feeding an incense holder with frankincense, the fumes of which ascend in a slow spiral as he makes his rounds of the newly renovated Cafe Universal, Behram Radmanesh was absorbed in his own thoughts. It was a little before 11 a.m. when the doors of the eatery — situated almost at the bifurcation of Mint Road and S. Bhagatsingh Road in Bombay — are thrown open to the public. But it will take a while for the patrons to start trickling in for in its new avatar it attracts not the chai-brun-maska (tea and crusty bread with butter) clients of the typical Irani restaurant of yore but the sophisticated office crowd who come for a quick bite in the afternoons or bring their family for a leisurely dinner at night.

"It took us seven months to renovate the place,” says Gustad Dehmiri who joined as partner two years ago. With his years of experience as partner of Leopold Cafe, the popular tourist restaurant on Colaba Causeway, Dehmiri was able to introduce the necessary frills and flavors to liven up the place. Three rows of neatly arranged tables can now accommodate nearly 100 diners. The exact figure is 97, corrects Radmanesh for whom the numeral ‘7’ is a lucky number. The gleaming, new wooden furniture make tablecloths redundant. Inlaid in the walls are bottles of alcoholic drinks or canned aerated drinks. Visuals of strategic global landmarks on the walls or television programs keep the guests engaged until the food arrives.

Cafe Universal’s present decor (top and right) with Rad-manesh and Dehmiri (bottom left) before it was transformed

There are drinks to build up one’s appetite too — from the popular varieties of beer and wine to cocktail and even mocktail for the teetotalers. "In this area this is the only place where Draught Beer is available,” mentions Dehmiri explaining that it is one of the drinks which "has to be consumed within two days otherwise it falls flat.” Cafe Universal has been selling beer since 1961 when London Pilsner came to Bombay and they obtained a licence to function as a beer cum snack bar, relates Dehmiri.

The sandwiches, rolls, egg preparations, fresh fruit juices, milk sha-kes, hot and cold beverages and of course the falooda which are offered by Irani restaurants continue to be listed on their menu card. But now additionally included are the starters, salads and bites (which offer 12 varieties of burgers).

For those who come to Universal for a full meal, the Chinese dishes and sizzlers are recommended. While the vegetarian Chinese dishes come in the Rs 50 to 60 price range, the non-vegetarian ones cost Rs 50 to 70. Soups are available for Rs 30 to 35. If opting for sizzlers or steaks the bill would rise, for the vegetarian ones cost between Rs 160 to 190 and the non-vegetarian cost between Rs 150 to 230. The most expensive item on their menu is the prawns shashlik for Rs 300.

During daytime select office crowds from the Fort, VT, Ballard Estate locales frequent this eatery as do tourists from the dock area, and often at nights are families from Cusrow Baug, observes Dehmiri. A meal here would definitely cost less than at Leopold which continues to be better patronized as it falls within the tourist circuit. But Dehmiri does not believe in advertising Cafe Universal there on the rationale that at Leopold (see "Leopold, a lasting landmark,” Parsiana, October 2000) he is but one of the four partners whilst at Universal the 59-year-old livewire plays the principal role (Radmanesh in the 79th year of his life is more a passive partner, says Dehmiri).

Since he is the only member from his family left in Bombay, two years ago Radmanesh invited Dehmiri to join him in the business. Originally in this Carnac Bunder area there used to be more than 50 Irani restaurants. Presently Cafe Universal is the only one left, reports Radmanesh. The closest Irani eatery is Britannia which is well patronized during the day by the Ballard Estate office going crowd.

Radmanesh (left) and Dehmiri

"Today people like good food in neat, clean surroundings. If the cupboards are dirty, the place is not well looked after, customers kèm aavé (how can you expect customers to come)?” Dehmiri asks rhetorically. He always advises the members of his fraternity "to spend, to renovate and then get good returns. But they don’t want to do it,” regrets the entrepreneur who is pained to see many establishments languishing. The irony of the situation is that sometimes there are no youngs­ters to take over the business, at other times when a person from the second generation shows interest the older partners are not in favor. Discord among partners may also result in the ruination of a business.

Dehmiri is fortunate that other members of his family are supporting him in his enterprise. His brother Rashid is one of the partners at Leopold. Twenty-three-year-old son Rustom takes an interest in the business as does his wife Thrity who sometimes sits at the Universal cash counter and supervises the 15-member staff working there.

Committed as he is to his business Dehmiri insists on "doing marketing myself everyday.” From 8.30 to 11 a.m. he is at Crawford Market buying the vegetables and fruits for both Leopold and Universal. "This way I can choose the best quality at the best prices. ‘Marketing is best done by the owner.’ This is what I was taught as a kid by my father,” he acknowledges. Daily cash transactions are what he believes in. Orders for poultry, fish and meat are given on the phone, he mentions. During the day he distributes his time between Leopold and Universal.

Twice a year Dehmiri travels out of India, mainly to Canada because he is applying for Canadian citizenship. The ties with Iran are maintained long-distance. They have ancestral property in their mader (motherland) village Aliabad in Yazd which is looked after by Zoroastrians residing there. Prayers for the deceased members of the family and gambhars also continue in absentia in Iran, reports the restaurateur.

For one who is always on the move and enjoying his sojourns Dehmiri impresses, "It is through travel that one gets to see newer and interesting places...gets ideas and inspiration which can be implemented in our own milieu.”