A nut cracking experience
A new café at Kala Ghoda offers a variety of cuisines
Entrance to The Nut cracker
Folded into the by-lanes of Bombay’s Fort area, jostling with other cafés, bistros, snack bars and restaurants, a wooden door with the NC name plate opens into a bustling restaurant where one is told music is playing but one can’t hear it above the natter of the frolickers. Mornings it is jazz or rock time; they also play slow rock and alternative music but no live music in the course of the day. Bafna believes there is enough clientele to flourish while commenting that competition from neighboring cafés is tenable. "The Kala Ghoda Café and The Pantry are classic cafés,” presumed to be inexpensive, serving light meals and refreshments. Bafna describes NC as "a home style café” in her introduction in the menu. This genre gives NC the ability to play around more with the menu and the ambience. The restaurant houses more people though than the Café and both these have a similar contained nouvelle cuisine menu which is lighter and emphasizes on fresh ingredients in smaller portions.
The average age of her clientelle are those who are in their 20s. According to Bafna the "oldies” come in for breakfast, before office. All the customers she says a hello to "are friends who have dropped in to check it out. It’s a new place so all want to try it.” NC opened on October 6, 2014 and was invaded by non-resident Indians that morning, who were friends or friends of friends. There were about 25 already seated comfortably when Parsiana visited and Bafna proclaims that 30 may cozy up at a pinch in this rented place where an office stood before.
The young risk taker offers vegetarian choices for breakfast to ‘Noon Onwards.’ The four-page menu has six items with eggs. Her family being lacto ovo vegetarian, they serve what they ingest — milk and eggs but no fish and meat.
The pancakes and French toast (served with blueberry compôte and honey) are priced at Rs 210. Salli Eggs and Breakfast Sliders (which also come in Jain option with paneer bhurji) are served at Rs 190. The excelling egg options vary from Rs 130 for akuri to Rs 240 for Eggs Florentine.
The Nutella sandwich is the cheapest item at Rs 100 in the "Nutcracker Junior” listing, coupled with the most expensive on this list — the Mini Cottage Cheese Burger and fries at Rs 260. Its adult variant, the Cottage Cheese Burger is the most expensive item on the menu at Rs 360. The breakfast offerings comprise Barley and Cracked Wheat Upma (Rs 160), bagel and cream cheese (Rs 230) as also cereal and French toast at Rs 210 for each. In the category of ‘Noon Onwards’ there are Warm Lebanese Sandwich and Pesto Panini (both Rs 260), Soya Spinach Jalapeno Burger (Rs 310) and Asian Salad (Rs 240) which is offered with the option of boiled egg at an additional Rs 20 or grilled tofu for Rs 50 extra.
The desserts indeed are their signature pièces de résistance. Inspired by her friend Pooja is the Seven Layer Cookie (Rs 260). It has layers of biscuit crumble, gooey Belgian chocolate, butterscotch and almond served with vanilla ice cream. Bafna pays tribute to Pooja in a one-liner — "A recipe from a dear friend-turned-patisserie-chef in Vegas.” A Lemon Tart at Rs 80 jostles with three more desserts of cheese cake (Rs 260), Warm Gooey Chocolate Cake (Rs 240) and Warm Apple Crumble (Rs 210).
In the beverages she has a unique "Breakfast in a Bottle” which is described as "A blend of oats, milk, dates and nuts — a perfect breakfast substitute.” Coolers, smoothies, lemonades ranging from Rs 120 to Rs 160 and of course various types of tea and coffee at an average of Rs 100 are the other options. Open from noon to 10.30 p.m. on Mondays, their timings are 9.30 a.m. to 10.30 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays. The last order is taken at 10.30 p.m.
NC does not have delivery service so far but offers a pick-up service. With the number of offices in the vicinity it would be suicidal not to. Requests are ready within 30 minutes of placing the order. Suppliers were identified beforehand and in the three months of their existence, NC’s vendors have already been streamlined, we are told.
The restaurant layout
Black bean burger from ‘Noon Onwards’; the Seven Layer Cookie
Inspired by relationships
Born Anaheeta Lalkaka, the entrepreneur says no one calls her by that name except her 82-year-old father Kersi and sometimes other older relatives. Like her, older sister Zia (40) is also a CA working at the Housing Development Finance Corporation Bank. Mother Freny, 76, is a home maker. Schooled at Villa Theresa High School and graduated from H. R. (Hassaram Rijhumal) College of Commerce and Economics, the 36-year-old "always wanted to do this… (Husband) Siddhartha and I ate out a lot as both are foodies. Must say I had a huge level of anxiety when we began.” She adds that her husband was a great encouragement in this new venture. From a family that runs their own chartered accountancy firm — Lodha and Company — Siddhartha, now 40, started his own investment banking unit in the firm on his return from the USA after completing his Masters in Business Administration. The couple met at guitar lessons through a friend before his departure for studies abroad.
Annie believes they are complementary personalities and says: "I am creative, he structured and practical. He also looks after the logistical angle (of the business).” They have streamlined most processes and there is little hassle so far on this score.
The couple have a daughter Diya, aged four-and-a-half and the two alternate nights in baby-sitting, with some help from parents. Annie did not work at all for a year-and-a-half after their daughter’s birth, until this dream project took shape. The new occupation was a breakaway from her past experiences at work — whether practicing accountancy at the finance consultancy firm KPMG for about eight years or into export of garments to Italian designers for seven additional years.
Bafna recognizes that mother and sister are agiary goers and find refuge in prayers. She herself believes in good thoughts, words and deeds. She reiterates the oft repeated sentiment, "It is more important to be a good human being and have peace of mind,” and goes on to add, "I go to agiary not to pray” but for silence and solitude. She does not take Diya with her as she "does not want her to be insulted or told that she cannot enter because she is not a Parsi… We are making it (the community) shrink more. Why shouldn’t (an out-married) Parsi practice her faith if she wants to?”
They may be contacted on tel no: 022 22842430 or viewed at www.nutcracker.in