Aamras challenge at Mumbai’s Shree Thacker Bhojanalay
“What is the record for the number of bowls of aamras that someone has had from your unlimited aamras thalis?’ I asked Gautam Purohit. Gautam is the second generation owner of Shree Thaker Bhojanalay (estd 1945) which is one of the two oldest, if not the oldest, active Gujarati thali joints in Mumbai.
‘44 or 45 bowls I believe.’
‘Whoa! And, how many can you have?’
‘At least 8,’ replied Gautam.
‘Now that you have seen me, how many do you think I can finish?’
‘Hmm. 4,’ said Gautam after sizing me up.
‘You should break the biscuit bhakri into 3. Have one piece by itself. Have one with the garlic chutney. One with the kadhi,’ said Gautam while he broke one.
‘Wait. We need to shoot you lifting the bhakri first,’ said Srishti who is the videographer of the #thalimumbai series that we are shooting at the moment for #finelychoppedtv
‘Sorry. I couldn’t stop myself. I often go up to tables of customers and give them tips on how to eat our food,’ said Gautam.
That’s what I love about the place. Its owners (Gautam’s brother Krishna is a co-owner) are fully involved in the business.
The other thing that I love about STB is its ’food first’ philosophy.
These terms are buzzwords in today’s food media but were core to our heritage eateries.
The culinary legacy of STB goes back to Maganbhai Purohit, Gautam’s father, who came to Mumbai from Sindarli village in Pali, Rajasthan. He worked his way from being a coal chipper for the bhatti (oven) of a Gujarati eatery to becoming a cook help to a benevolent restaurant maharaj (head cook) to working as an assistant to a maharaj where he learnt household recipes of the families they worked for.
Like his dad, Gautam puts a premium on quality too. The produce is sourced locally. And is seasonal. He learnt his cooking chops from his father and is the head chef of STB and cooks everyday.
The excellent food that I have had here bears this out.
I met Gautam socially at a couple of food events recently. Yesterday we parted as friends & that’s what I love about my work. The people one meets, the relationships that one builds and…the great food of course!
How many bowls of aamras did I have yesterday? Four!
I could have one more. Reason enough to go back.
Check out my aamras moustache in the pics
