This is the fourth of the five-article series of blog posts about Bombay’s Iranian Bakeries and Cafes. If you want to read it in a single, scrollable long-form format, you can access it here.

The men who manage the Irani Bakeries and Cafes of Bombay have become a part of the city’s heritage! Usually, a grey-haired man with a booming voice, with a nose whose curve would put Mughal emperors to shame, wearing a traditional Iranian cap would sit behind the counters. Most of these men (affectionately called uncle by most of their young customers) walk around the tables and greet the customers from time to time – ensuring that everything is going alright.

It is 9 AM in the morning. The buns and puddings have been baked and the puffs are being prepared at the Byculla Bakery and Restaurant. Two men walk into the restaurant and greet the Darius, the owner. The three are longtime friends. Silver-haired and smiling, the three men exchange hellos and then begin with the daily gupshup. It is the 27th of February, just one day after the surgical strike that India conducted on Pakistan’s Balakot. These members of The Sunrise Club enter into an intense discussion about what India did and what Pakistan did. Suddenly, this intense discussion gets interrupted as a customer walks up to pay the bill. By the time the conversation resumes, we move to a lighter topic and jokes on each other follow. It is a morning as sweet as the cherry-filled maska-buns of Byculla Bakery!

At around 11 AM, Meheraban Kola of the Sassanian Boulangerie walks into his restaurant. After a prayer, he begins with the chit-chat. A smiling gentleman with quite a flair for storytelling, he points towards the various vintage ads, news-cuttings and awards that his cafe has received over the years. Meheraban talks about how his cafe started off in 1913, by two partners. He eventually married the daughter of the other partner making it a single family that runs the business. Graciously giving all the credit for his success to his wife, Mr Kola says whatever I am today, I am because of my wife. 

Meheraban then talks about how a rise in competition from fast-food chains has caused a number of Iranian cafes to shut down over the years. He points out various nearby buildings which were once Iranian cafes, but are now fast-food chains or new-age restaurants. Reminiscing over the good old days, Meheraban talks about how the who’s who of the city used to come over for a bite at his cafe! He concludes by telling us to check out his shop during Easter-time as people still queue up for their legendary plum cakes and other Easter delicacies!

The Yazdani bakery is managed by Tirandaz, a bright-eyed and comparatively younger presence behind the desk than compared to most of his other Iranian bakery and cafe counterparts. Tirandaz pointed out that the bakery started off in 1953. While it is a younger establishment compared to other Iranian cafes in the vicinity, it continues to enjoy a stream of customers who regularly keep coming in for their bread and buns. Simplicity, according to Tirandaz, is the key aspect of an Iranian bakery. He points out how his walls, furniture, and even food is humble. There’s not an element of show-off or luxury, and the simplicity speaks for itself. He credits the success of the bakery to the authentic Iranian taste that his recipes have.

Britannia and Co., managed by the Kohinoor family, graciously allowed us to take pictures of their eatery but refused our request for a conversation. This is the fourth of the five-article series of blog posts about Bombay’s Iranian Bakeries and Cafes. Up next, we take a look at the men who manage these cafes! Keep reading.

• Introduction: Documenting Bombay’s Irani Bakeries and Cafes
• The Irani Cafe Experience: Bombay’s Iconic Bakeries and Cafes
• The Taste of Iran: Food at the Irani Bakeries and Cafes of Bombay
• Meeting The Showrunners: Men Who Manage Mumbai’s Iranian Bakeries and Cafes
• Curtain Call? The Disappearing Irani Bakeries and Cafes of Bombay