Bun Maska and chai….



Any one who has lived in mumbai long enough (and this has nothing to do with time) when describing the city would talk about crowded trains, pitiful roads, bollywood, Vada pav etc.

I add one more to that list…. The Iranian Restaurants.

Most of these restaurants are really old, running back to 20 years. Their menus seem to have caught up with time but their service is nothing close to the speedy century we live in.

Run by old irani uncles who look really lazy, but are far from it, they are mostly managed by the shabbily dressed men, who are probably not the kind of people you want to be served by and I have come to believe that the ambiance of any irani restaurant is enough to kill the appetite of someone who thinks Mc Donald’s needs a customer feedback.

Yet, in their own indifferent way these restaurants can very much be associated with and like any acquaintance you want to cherish, you need to give it more than one chance.

By fate, I have been able to do so; every university I have studied at, has had an irani restaurant by the side. First Stadium and now Gulshan…

Bedsides... all the biryanis and mutton patties that they are known for my favorite remains Bun Maska and chai…

For a mere 12 bucks: this little combo is perfect! Especially at 7:30 am when the city is wide-awake and the irani uncle plays his favorite mohomad rafi track.

You really feel like you have you have traveled back in time.

In my busy schedule where I am living on a clock this 15 mins of my early morning chai makes me feel there is no hurry, no timelines, no worries….


If we are what we eat…I would be this refreshing chai and bun maska……available amidst all the superficial concerns, which would kill your desire to know what it is really all about.

All it takes, is a second chance.