Thank you, Ashaben

Meal for two: Rs 500
Rating: ***

f Mumbai equals Manhattan (as many claim), Swati is probably its equivalent of a Jewish deli restaurant. Run by Asha Jhaveri, the wife of a wealthy Gujarati merchant, it serves the most delicious snacks. Everybody has their own special reason for going to Swati. Ours include the panki chatni (a delicate rice pancake steamed between banana leaves), the thalipith-pitla (a roti made of mixed dals, served with a spicy besan paste), the methi bajri rotla with peru shak (bajra roti with a delightful guava curry), and the sinful malai malpuda, swimming in syrup. But there are four pages of menu to choose from, from bhel puri to pav bhaji to hand-churned sitafal ice-cream. I remember Swati when it was a tiny, no-frills joint. Now it has evolved, in sync, I suppose, with its customers’ lifestyles: the old rexine chairs replaced by stylish steel seats; the old waiters’ bundgallas by aprons; and, suddenly, a "coffee-cinnamon (sugar-free) ice-cream" on the menu. But the "sweet dishes" still come in a plate with two teaspoons, the menu card is still humbly laminated, and the logo is still reassuringly kitschy and old-fashioned. The soul of Swati, thank heavens, remains unchanged.