Ballard Estate has all but lost its charm. During the evenings, the streets are deserted except for the occasional junkie or bewda mumbling to himself. But if people still come to this area it is because of Harish Restobar. It’s located on Adi Marzban Lane and named after the legendary Parsi dramatist.
It’s spacious with an airconditioned section. The best aspect of this unpretentious joint is the food. It rightly boasts of more than 260 items on its menu of vegetarian and non-vegetarian snacks and food items. Even a simple thing like the fresh lime soda is so very tasty and refreshing.
The best section in the menu is the one dealing with seafood cooked in authentic Mangalorean style. The Kane, Lape, bangda fried, pomfret, surmai and prawns in spicy gassi (gravy), clams and quids sukka and crab masala are simply outstanding.
In seafood tandoori there is rawas tikka, lobster tandoori, king prawns tikka and pomfret Hariyali tandoori.
You have mutton seekh, chicken banjara, chicken chilli-milli kabab etc. The Chinese section is interesting too.
If it is a leisurely gastronomic experience that one is looking for, Harish is the go to place. As for service, it is impeccable.
A Disaster Unfolding Right Under BMC’s Nose
Building construction activity is taking place in Mumbai at a most frenetic pace. It is as if there is no tomorrow. Faces of several areas have changed dramatically. A colleague who visited Andheri after a long time simply couldn’t recognise the suburb. Tower after tower are jutting out of nowhere.
Old two- and three-storeyed buildings are pulled down under the guise of redevelopment and massive tower blocks are coming up in their place. Since the infrastructure is the same as it was during the British era one can well imagine the massive additional load it is now required to take. The new buildings hardly have any compound where children can play. Even the refuge areas are sold by unscrupulous builders to unsuspecting apartment buyers.
In areas like Bhendi Bazaar, Dongri and Mohd Ali Road, totally illegal towers are being built in violation of all norms of the BMC. Complaints by local activists are treated with utter disdain. Most of the towers are fire traps. But then, who cares? A colossal disaster is taking place right under the nose of the BMC, but precious little is being done to halt it.
This is beautification BMC style. The road divider near Gol Masjid at Dhobi Talao has become a place for garbage and debri dumping. | S Balakrishnan
The Joys Of Winter
There is a slight nip in the air these days indicating that winter is round the corner. It’s as if the whole of Mumbai is centrally air-conditioned. It’s a pleasure to go on long walks early in the morning. It’s all very invigorating. However, it is sad to see people talking into their mobile phones while walking. The ideal thing to do is to leave your blessed mobile back home and listen to the chirping of mynahs and sparrows.
Hopefully in December the weather will be cooler. You don’t need woollens except for a muffler. In the past, Tibetan men and women used to descend on the city in droves and sell woollen sweaters, caps, socks, gloves, etc. Now they have all but stopped coming because there is hardly any need for their wares because Mumbaikars can now manage to brave winter without them.
The people of Mumbai miss them because they never created a nuisance. They would clean up the place where they did business and leave the city as silently as they came.
