My City / Nostalgia

Its the burbs man?

Bandra? and do what, share my table with em Bollywood types?

These are some of the things i used to say when someone asked me to go to Bandra for a bite or go there in general.

In fact, i never stepped inside Bandra for a social night out until last year (and i have lived in Bombay here for 21 out of my 27 years) It all started when i beagn dating a Bandra hottie although initially we used to meet in town.

As things go we started spending time in Bandra and it was a completely new experience. I knew it was a part of Bombay and i had known people who lived there but i had never known it myself.

The streets, the joints the quaint houses, the nearness to the sea was so familiar yet different from my part of town.

First thing i realized was that It wasn’t as far as i thought it was (between 30-50 mins depending on what time of day i went) and when id get there Id usually lose my waydiscovering new routes and things.

Then China White happened. A friend of my then girlfriend took us to this place a few meters from crossroad. What wonderful food, it was amazing, it was like eating in a foreign land where everything was familiar yet different. We would be there often, i took my other town friends there and even they had to admit it was superior. Our visits increased as did our appreciation for the ‘ burb (it wasn’t all bad, they even had a Crossword)

From then on i plunged in to make up for lost time of sorts. Breakfasts at Crepe Station (good stuff), gelato at Casa Amore (terrible). For some big celebrations we headed to Olive (pretentious, overpriced but good) a few times and when in the mood for a good burger it was Vista at the Taj Lands End (Bombay extends to where the Taj goes) Thai at Lemon grass (terrible) and Italian at Potpourri (good stuff) sometimes it would be Thai Ban (acceptable) Chinese at China Gate (good) For Indian we used to hit the once great Papa Pancho and when we got nostalgic for Colaba we would head out to Cafe Basilico (minimalist decor, great!)

Sometimes you would run into the Bollywood types but you just stuck up your nose at these ‘filmi’ people with no style and just carried on being.

Then one day it all came to an end. China White became Royal China (a place i detest) and then my Bandra belle and i ceased to be boy and girl and became man and wife.

We ceased to sip Cappuccinos at the Bandstand & so ended the frequent jaunts into this suburb by the sea.

Oh, how i miss China White.