Around town: From all-day Iranian breakfast to a Bollywood hotspot, journey of the 103-year-old Universal Café | Bombay News

I think our café has hosted the most film shoots, remarked Rustom Dehmiri, who runs Café Universal alongside his parents, recalling more than 15 Bollywood films and 25 commercials filmed in the restaurant.

Pre-pandemic, this all-day restaurant and bar, featuring high ceilings and large windows bathing the restaurant in natural light, resonated with lively conversations as diners enjoyed their meals with cold beer. However, during our recent visit, the restaurant was mostly empty, shrouded in dark silence.

Chicken dhansak with mutton kebab and kheema steak. (Express photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

It's due to the weather which is getting hotter every day, Rustom replied, almost as if he was anticipating our question. He added that although the business was hit by Covid-19, it has rebounded this year. It will be crowded again once the rains arrive, which will cool the temperature, he added.

Go back in time

Café Universal's history dates back to 1921, when it operated as an all-day Iranian establishment, offering brown maska, chai, khari biscuit, chutney sandwich and pattice. Basudev B Razak, 64, who started working at the restaurant about fifty years ago, remembers that years later a partition was added, with a section dedicated to serving beer, attracting dock workers.

In the early 2000s, Gustad Dehmiri, who previously ran a supermarket in Iran, bought Café Universal from Behram Radmanesh. He remembered that it was an old, rundown beer bar when he acquired it. Razak noted that it was extremely popular among dock workers in its heyday, but the crowds began to thin as offices were shifted to Navi Mumbai. I remember it was a typical country bar, full of prostitutes,” Rustom recalls.

After taking possession, the Dehmiri family embarked on a renovation project, transforming the space into a family restaurant and bar while preserving its original charm. We kept the unique wooden beams that support the structure, the window and door frames, the bentwood chairs and the round tables, even though we had to replace their marble tops with wooden discs, shared Rustom . He said they incorporated elements reflecting their heritage, such as a copper band featuring figurines of their gods brought back from Iran by his father, as well as images depicting a typical Iranian breakfast and other monuments.

The Dehmiri family expanded the menu to include Chinese, tandoori and sandwiches, which continued to evolve over time. Today, the menu, printed on yellow and laminated paper, offers a variety of options, including sizzlers, burgers, pizza, pastas, breakfast choices, mini meals and desserts. Our sizzlers, fish and chips, our Omg burger with five layers of patties and cheese, our chilli toasts and our caramel cream attracted quite a crowd, shared Razak.

Rustom and Gustad Dehmiri stand against a wall displaying photographs of various celebrities who have filmed at Café Universal. (Express photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

Additionally, there is a dedicated section on the menu called Parsi and Irani Specials. My mother makes Ghormah Sabzi and Ghemeh Bademjani (minced mutton) at home in small batches, which we then freeze for the restaurant, Rustom revealed. Intrigued, we decided to try the Ghormah Sabzi, a dish made with five varieties of vegetables, including spinach and spring onions. It contained a tangy lemon zest, attributed to sun-dried black lemon sourced from Iran specifically for this dish. The menu also features Parsi specialties such as Dhansak.

Go forward

We saw a glint in Rustom's eye when asked about his plans for Café Universal. We started serving cocktails before the pandemic, and it generated buzz. We can't wait to do it again, he said, adding that he also spent the last decade honing his culinary skills. He looks forward to revamping the menu, introducing additions such as cigar rolls (baby spring rolls), nasi goreng, Korean barbecue wings and Japanese egg sandwiches, among others.

Where: Universal Cafe, 299, Shahid Bhagat Singh Rd, Opp Geo Chem Laboratories, Ballard Estate, Fort

When: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Price for two: Rs 700 (without alcohol) and Rs 1,200 (with alcohol)