The Bombay Bronx is fitted with installations reminiscent of
the city – take for instance the local train-style booth seating with train
handles suspended from the ceiling, Irani café-style tables and chairs, a
wall-sized painting of Amitabh Bachchan in his Deewar attire, tin fittings on
the bar resembling the roofing of Dharavi’s slum houses, train routes mapped
out on the ceiling, lights fitted into loud-coloured dabbas and the neon
signage of the iconic Eros theatre. Clearly, subtlety was not the brief to the
interior designer. It is little wonder that we caught many wild-eyed walk-in
diners taking a tour of the place before settling in a comfortable spot.
We called for a round of their signature cocktails – the
vodka-based Pani Puri Caipirojka (Rs 290) was an honest ode to our favourite
street snack pani-puri. Kokum Sour (Rs 350) was a pinkish-red,
pleasing-to-the-palate drink; the Iced Peru (Rs 350) was served in a glass
rimmed with chili with the vibrant fruity punch of guava evident in every sip.
Aam Panna (Rs 350) was brimming with the familial tangy
flavours of raw mango, and the Jaljeera Sour (Rs 350) was a strong whisky-based
spicy concoction. The cocktails were quite boozy, were served chilled and
worked as absolute summer refreshers. They also serve complimentary tasters
before you decide your order. Their drinks menu, aptly titled Maal, is
elaborate with Indian and imported selections.
The quick-on-their-feet waiters
whose uniformed shirts have the word ‘Boss’ imprinted on them, also placed some
chakhana on our table. Wrapped typically street-style in newspapers, we got
spiced boiled groundnuts, kothambir wadi and sev – perfect accompaniments to
the drinks.
The underlying theme behind the food here is to recreate
Mumbai’s street food and serve it with spunk. Their menu has ‘Vez’ and
‘Non-vez’ categories. Their signature Dhokla Pakoda(Rs 150) is soft and spongy,
sandwiched with green chutney in cute white tea cups. The Bombay Dabba (Rs 550)
is a great social platter of anda pakoda, chicken lollipops, chicken tikka and
masala fish fingers – the crispy mildly spiced fish fingers being the highlight
here. You also simply must order the Shetty Mulgapuddi Idli (Rs 150) where tiny
idlis are tossed in ghee, sesame seeds, curry leaves and spiced with mulgapuddi
powder.
If you are not a basa fan, skip the Stuffed Basa Thecha
Rolls (Rs 220) where the only hero of the dish was the spicy thecha. For
something heavier, order the Bombay Chicken Pijja (Rs 250) served with ketchup
– the pizza has lots of Amul cheese layered over diced tomatoes and yellow bell
peppers doused with dry red chili garlic powder (the type that normally
accompanies a vada pav). The home-style Bhuna Mutton (Rs 350) had a rich gravy
of browned onions but it’s the chewiness of the mutton pulled down the dish.
What was disappointing however was to note the lack of desserts in the menu. A
chai popsicle for instance would’ve made for an apt end to our Mumbaiya meal!
Evocative reminders of Mumbai will jolt you even right
before you leave in the form of the bill which is a BEST bus ticket. The outlet
has a lot in the pipeline – the paan tapri may become more than a prop
double-shifting as a DJ booth. For office-goers looking for a fun lunch break,
a khau galli themed lunch buffet is in the works. A topi-sporting bartender
will occupy the golawala cart from where he will whip up different concoctions.
Very reasonably priced, Bombay Bronx has definitely filled
the void for ‘concept-restaurants’ in Pune. Next time you find yourself missing
Mumbai, no need to get on the first bus out of the city; simply drive by to the
Bronx!
Must Try:
Dhokla Pakoda, Bombay Dabba
Meal For
Two: Rs 1,500 + taxes (with alcohol)
This meal was
sponsored by the restaurant.
This review was published on Burrp.
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