A leaf from the Camas

"It is all about warmth and a feeling of being at home,” says 44-year-old Ahmedabad based Rustom Cama (pictured) about his new venture in that city, the Silver Leaf Bistro. Started in January 2016, the108 seater eatery serves European, North Indian, Parsi, Mexican and Pan-Asian dishes, among other cuisines. Everything is oriented to make every kind of customer identify with the spirit of the place, he adds, while speaking to Parsiana over the telephone on August 8, 2016. It exudes the same feeling as "the original Silver Leaf Coffee Shop,” continues the managing director of Cama Hotels, referring to the coffee shop set up and named in 1979 by his father the late Jehangir, in their family-run Cama Hotel. The 42-room hotel, set up in 1960, was the first four star luxury property in the then newly formed state of Gujarat.
The location of the 24-hour Bistro on the arterial Sarkhej Gandhinagar Highway was chosen by the father and son duo "after meticulous consideration and it was found to be most accessible for the widest” clientele. "The neighborhood of Thaltej is easy to visit for out-of-town visitors arriving via the Highway too,” states Cama. The venue, surrounded by new commercial and residential developments, "gives additional opportunities for home deliveries as well as for promoting corporate lunches …The project to build the Bistro became more important after the passing away of my father” in August 2014 (See "The humane hotelier,” Parsiana October 7, 2014). He adds that the Bistro is entirely Jehangir’s concept "and bears his hallmarks.”
Encompassing a patisserie called Cake Walk, the eatery is located on the ground floor of a busy mall and is spread over 4,000 sq ft. Footfalls average 150 on weekends and are in the 60-70 range in the weekdays plus takeaways. Restaurant reviewers have commented on how the place has "cleverly woven its exposed exhaust systems and stark walls” into the overall décor. Writing in whatshot.in, the online magazine that helps "discover Ahmedabad with their curated features, events and guides,” Anil Mulchandani specifically points out "the Victorian patterned tiles and the steel cords wrapped around artworks and light fittings that give it an industrial look.” Cama lets on that the company has spent rupees two crores (US $ 2,99,046) on interior decoration and kitchen equipment.

Interior view of the Bistro

Entrance to the eatery

Flashback
"The Coffee Shop had found a place in people’s hearts as their own,” states Cama. Like many Indian cities, Ahmedabad has evolved into a sprawling metropolis and "traffic now prevents people from visiting the Coffee Shop at the Hotel in Khanpur as frequently as they would like.” It was felt that while the patrons of the 1980s "have a steadfast attachment to the restaurant, with time, future generations would not feel the same connection” unless new outlets were opened. It was decided that the Bistro should "continue the tradition of the Coffee Shop with suitable evolution in design, cuisine and general philosophy. Also, a "new lease of life was given to the original classic,” Cama states in a follow up email, in response to Parsiana’s queries.
The extensive menu of the Bistro is a tribute to "the favorites from the Coffee Shop, keeping its ethos alive.” They gathered menus from notable restaurants of the 1960s and 70s along with the "classic dishes brought to the table by the chef of the Hotel, Martin Gomes.” These were brought up to date by Robert, Martin’s son, working with Rustom. To these were added a few international favorites to comprise the present menu of 200 plus items.
The restaurateur modestly states that "the star dishes are far too many.” The favorites are Lobster Thermidor, Hungarian goulash, Tandoori quail, Cama club sandwich and Lasooni Boti. The Bistro which has nine Parsi items listed on the menu, including the ubiquitous mutton and vegetarian dhansak, serves a "modest but adequate sampling (of Parsi cuisine), keeping a multi cultural audience in mind.” Will, for instance, the dhansak taste the same at both the Coffee Shop and the Bistro? Cama clarifies that "there is no active program to maintain the identical recipes between the two restaurants.” The Bistro versions of each dish have been created independently. However, the "satisfying, heart-warming and wholesome flavors have been the common thread,” he explains. The Bistro subscribes to the philosophy of "fine dining without fuss,” he elaborates, while the Coffee Shop is more of a café. A third of the Bistro’s 50 odd staff members are from the Hotel, says Cama.
Cama spends the week in Ahmedabad actively managing the hotel businesses there and the weekend at Mt. Abu where the company runs the 48-room Cama Rajputana Club Resort. Rustom’s mother Mehroo functions as the chairperson of the company while elder sibling Laila Bhullar is settled in Canada. Rustom, who states he has a deep interest in the philosophical aspects of Zoroastrianism, calls himself "a follower of the original doctrine,” and studies "parallels between the religion and Mithraism and Hinduism.” Not a wearer of the sudreh and kusti, he states interfaith marriages "don’t really make a difference to me.”
Silver Leaf Bistro, Ground Floor Acropolis Mall, Sarkhej Gandhinagar Highway, Park Society, Ram Nagar, Thaltej, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Phone: 079 2685 4507

Diners at the Bistro