We walked by Parsi-owned Jimmy Boy Restaurant & Cake Shop countless times during our stay in Mumbai this time, and marveled at its retro ambience and the familiar 1950s & 60s American tunes we kept hearing each time. So, we decided to pop in here for a simple dinner one evening.
It was a casual, atmospheric bakery and restaurant, filled with warmth and friendliness. We see customers - we assume are regulars - who popped by to take away its eggless plum cakes by the boxes.
We looked at their display counter and ogled at the countless interesting-sounding pastries: palak paneer puff, chicken junglee sandwich, murg malai sandwich, mutton seekh puff, chicken kadai puff, etc, etc. Too many to try, too little time! Reminded me of the time I was in a bakery in Almaty, Kazakhstan - it had dozens of baked items which I wanted to try, and I could only buy 6 of them: and each was as good as I’d imagined they’d be.
We were still stuffed from our lunch at Taj Mahal Palace’s Souk earlier in the day, so could only order a couple of items here to satisfy our curiosity.
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Mutton Dhansak - very tasty version here: mutton stewed with dhal lentils.
The Parsis were of Persian descent, but they have co-opted Indian spices into their cooking after centuries of acculturation. So, mutton dhansak tastes of garam masala, turmeric, and chili.
Brown rice with a brace of Parsi-style mutton kebabs (no more, no less) accompany the dhansak. Love the texture of the rice.
No kachumber here, but a plate of freshly-sliced onions, tomatoes and some lime halves - perfect to cut into the richness of the dish.
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Lagan Sara Nu Stew - the lagan sara or “wedding-style vegetable stew” is a thick, tomatoey concoction containing yam, peas, carrot and other root vegetables.
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Bun Maska - I love this soft, semi-sweet bun. The version here was sparsely-studded with raisins, and was slit & generously buttered.
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Chapati
For drinks, what else but raspberry soda, a recent discovery for us from our visit to Britannia & Co a fortnight ago.
I eyed their menu board on the wall longingly - it displayed Jimmy Boy’s breakfast options. Oh my, what I’d give to taste Sali Par Eedu (Parsi breakfast eggs on fried potato).
@travelmad478 Your mention of Jimmy Boy prompted us to come eat here.
Address
Jimmy Boy Restaurant & Cake Shop Fort
11, Vikas Building, Bank Street, Near, Horniman Circle, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001, India
Tel: +91 70688 91891
Opening hours: 8am-11pm Mon to Sat,
8am to 4pm, 7pm to 11pm Sunday.
I spent a LOT of time in Mumbai over my career and I sure miss eating there. It’s nice to know that some things have not changed!
