There are many things you look for when it comes to choosing a good dive bar. Fabulous drinks, a space with character, a super playlist and small plates that bring in delicious elements of storytelling. Restaurateur Sagar Neve and Chef Niyati Rao come together to unveil Mumbai’s elevated daaru-chakna bar, Bombay Daak.
Food: Quirky and fun. Think Milkmaid prawns mapped from Rao’s regular food outings at her Tamilian neighbour’s house in Singapore, complete with curry patta and gunpowder. Spam—the canned pork that became a hot favourite during World War II—appears as an ode to the secretly available special at the city’s SoBo Willingdon Club.
The duck puff is a yummy twist as is the fingerlicking schezwan chakli served up on garlicky cream, the spicy rabbit mince in Shikaar ka achaar (ode to Bhatinda), Luncheon meat (with Parsi flavours), and the maska bread slathered with cheese that arrives as munchies with your cocktail.
The concoctions from the bar bring in Swadeshi Sips, a banger spin on Indian liquors, and the tequila-powered Lallantop with bel leaves. Niyati’s father and his friends in Kolkata, in the ‘80s, went to a tiny shop in Tangra to gobble pork wontons with a sharp tofu sauce—and she has brought in the exact vibe in the veg dish, Tangra Hangover.
Décor: Named after the iconic train Bombay Daak that trundled fish from Mumbai to Kolkata during the colonial era, the kicky dive bar lives up to its sepia genesis. The interiors are as whacky as the menu.
Empty bottles of the yester year fizzy drink, Gold Spot, line the shelves, together with 110-year-old vintage lamps (from Chor Bazaar) creating golden pools in the dimly lit space. An endearing prologue is the Donor’s Board pegged on the wall at the entrance, listing people who shared stories and recipes in the making of Bombay Daak. Just like a gymkhana.
Service: With only 30 seats, a long waiting line, no bookings, and a flag off time of 6 pm every day (start with a sundowner), service is fast, and the turnaround amazing.
Price: It is pretty easy on the pocket at Rs 2,000 for two (with drinks).
Address: Shop 5/21, ONGC Complex, Reclamation,
Bandra West, Mumbai
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