Restaurant Review : Cafe Churchill at Colaba, Mumbai, India

There are things and places which become a part of your life such as that book you won't lend anyone, a song which reminds you of fond childhood memories and a favourite restaurant you'll always find the time to visit when you return to a city. For me, it is to this last category that Cafe Churchill belongs to.

I first visited the Cafe (or simply Churchill as it is popularly called) over a decade back. Back then, Colaba was a trendy area not so infested with hawkers as you see it today. The then ruling doyens of the Colaba cafeteria scene continue to rule the roost today - Cafe Leopold and Cafe Mondegar's. Cafe Royal was in no-man's land with better quality steaks and sizzlers priced higher than these two eateries but still unable to build up as loyal a clientele as Leo's and Mondy's. But fortunately for them, Bill Clinton happened ( the then US president visited Cafe Royal on an official visit to India and raved about it). But in my humble opinion, Cafe Royal was never a match for Leo's and Mondy's. If they had a rival in their space, it was the 20 feet by 20 feet eatery at the end of Causeway called Cafe Churchill. It is easy to miss the place in the hustle and bustle of Colaba. You'd be better off looking out for the Bombay Dyeing shop on the opposite side of the road (next to Cusrow Baug) and you'll find Churchill on your left.

Once inside the premises, all you can call it is cute and quaint. It is a 20 seater eatery (restaurant would be a fancy term!) sans any decoration. A large board on the wall details Churchill's sandwich, pasta, continental and dessert specialties. Another relatively newer board lists the Chef's specials - Chicken Cordon Bleu, Cracker Jack Prawns etc. A portrait of Zarathustra is the only real image in the seating area apart from a portrait sketch of who else but Winston Churchill. Churchill's affable owner Dolly Mistry or her sister can be sighted often on the premises. They'll help you with recommendations and are generally cordial. The restaurant's long serving manager - Suryakant knows me well and even with my annual or bi-annual visits at best, knows my favourite dishes.

Now the food. If it weren't for the vast variety on offer, I could have boasted I've tried it all. I really have tried 70-80% of the menu in bites and side meals on multiple trips here across breakfast, lunch and dinner. Mains are priced between INR 200-400 and desserts at around INR 100 each. And yes, credit and debit cards are not accepted. My hands down favourite is the Pollo Alla Indiana which is a dish of chicken cubes sauteed with mushrooms and bell pepper cooked in a creamy curried sauce and served with steamed rice and boiled vegetables. Heavenly. I cannot do justice to the dish in words and will only goad you to try it for yourself. Another contestant for the numero uno spot would be Carrettiere. This exoticly named dish is actually a lovely mix of chicken with gherkin, capsicum, onions, sweet basil and paprika in a cream sauce and served with your choice of pasta. Better than most pastas I've had in expensive Italian restaurants around the world! The Cardinal platter with its mix of pomfret, prawns and salmon is a hit too. Long before Theobroma arrived on the scene, Churchill was the go-to place for desserts. For me, it still is. Their Kahlua Torte and Irish Coffee Cheese Cake are simply in-imitable.

Some people think Churchill is overpriced for the food and ambience on offer whilst others like me think all prices are fair to justify the spread, size and taste of all that this gourmet paradise in a matchbox offers. At the end of the day, it is not just about the food. It is the experience of roaming around in Colaba, finding refuge in a quiet corner of a busy street and digging into food which tastes consistently good year after year in a cozy setting that has never changed from the time you first walked in. For old timers, it is a place for reliving old memories and for first timers, creating new ones. Walk right in!