Restaurant Review : Koolar & Co, King Circle, Matunga (E)

Can you believe it - despite living in Mumbai for most part of my...err.... considerable years ( :P), I had never eaten at an Irani's? That is to say, a true-blue corner cafe with a crusty old owner at the cashier, old ceiling fans whirring away, old dark wooden furniture, old posters framing the walls, old waiters - basically, everything old,everything from a bygone era. The Irani cafes are a Mumbai culinary landmark, a must-visit in a city that has precious little to offer tourists other than its fine colonial architecture and immense culinary diversity.

I filled in that vital missing piece in my foodie jigsaw yesterday, by having a late Saturday lunch at Koolar & Company at King Circle in Matunga (E).


Koolar has everything an Irani should have - an amazing location at the V-shaped corner where two streets meet, mirrored walls, ancient ceiling fans, wooden tables with red-and-white checked tablecloths, creaky wooden chairs and a kitschy mish-mash of curios for decoration.


At Koolar, the decoration included a hanging clock - the kind seen on old railway station platforms (ostensibly from VT railway station, but likely a fake from Chor Bazaar!), a metal lamp suspended from the ceiling (straight from the Arabian Nights, complete with elaborate lattice work) bumping shoulders with 2 other lamps with - get this - Pepsi-branded lampshades.


As for the framed posters-oh my! They included:

1. Marilyn Monroe in her famous white-skirt-flying pose from The Seven Year Itch,
2. The first-page of the newspaper carrying the headline of the sinking of the Titanic,
3. An unknown-to-me busty Hollywood blonde wearing the tiniest miniskirt known to mankind,
4. A Harley Davidson ad, AND,
5. Charles Bronson, in a dapper suit

Plus, the sheer variety of things available for sale at the counter was breathtaking. Get this- there was detergent, bottled water, chips, biscuits, bread, cakes, cola, soda, cigarettes, eggs, butter, deodorant, shampoo, mayonnaise - everything one could possibly remember as running low at home while on a Sunday morning breakfast jaunt!

Taking in all this glory made the already-short wait for our food seem even shorter. First up was the kheema pao.


The kheema (mutton mince) was served in a big white bowl - it was not too spicy,and with a surprising dash of sweetness. Thankfully it was not too oily either. It was served with 4 fresh pao (bread rolls), and some of the juiciest freshly-cut onion I have had in ages and the inevitable lemon quarters. Quick and fairly tasty. And at INR 90, pretty decent value for money too.

Next came the highlight of our lunch - nay, one of the highlights of ALL my eating history. The chicken cutlet was simply divine. Oddly though, it was served pre-cut - a jumble of golden brown pieces served in a bowl with sliced cucumber and tomatoes for company.


But the first bite made me clean forget the unusual presentation. Crunchy, evenly-golden thin crust giving way to a chunk of succulent, juicy, steaming-hot, perfectly seasoned chicken. Bliss! Worth every paisa of the the INR 80 price tag!



We wound up lunch with the must-have at every Irani restaurant- the double omelet (INR 40). This too, was served with pao and had a nice evenly tanned brown appearance. The omelet was not particularly fluffy but was juicy and tasty and the bits of onion and chilly inside packed quite a punch.


Other items on the menu include the Wrestler's Omelet (made with FIVE eggs), sandwiches, burgers, Irani tea (served without milk) and oddly enough - cappucino, among others.

In conclusion, Koolar, while not being exactly a cheap feed, is still awesome value for money when you throw in the old-world charm, the idiosyncratic decor and the quick service. Not to mention the simple-yet-tasty food! I am still drooling over that chicken cutlet.....