Society

Business As Usual

I invited him to the Oberoi. He looked unhappy. When I asked where he'd like to go instead, he said, "Leopold Cafe!"

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Business As Usual
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Leopold Cafe
Colaba Causeway, Mumbai
Tel:
Meal for two:

I once had a visitor from France whom I needed to impress, so I invited him to the Oberoi. He looked unhappy. When I asked where he’d like to go instead, he said, "Leopold Cafe!" Indeed, "Leo’s" is probably one of the few Indian brands that have acquired a cult following overseas, alongside Old Monk rum, Kingfisher beer and Royal Enfield bikes.

It started life in 1871 as "Leopold & Co", a pharmacy run by a Swiss chemist. Since then it’s been through avatars as a wine shop, general store and, ultimately, Irani cafe. Everyone who’s read Shantaram knows Gregory Roberts was a regular here, but not many know that this was also one of Charles Sobhraj’s haunts. (Ferhan Jehani, a member of the family that’s run the place since 1923, can probably tell you some interesting stories!)

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Leo’s serves things like akuri, Irani chello kebab, biryani, and fresh fruit juice. But the real speciality of the house is its draught beer, served in special multi-level pitchers. The last time we went, we counted at least eleven different nationalities of diners. And as we left, people were loudly singing ‘Happy Birthday’ in Italian. We’re happy to know that now, after the terror attack, it’s back to business as usual at Leo’s.

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