Britannia & Co - Legacy of Parsi Cuisine

Britannia & Co. is one of the last remnants of the once thriving rich Parsi cuisine. Now the Parsi & Irani cuisine is left only in the Parsi households of Cusrow Baug. However this small paradise is in the heart of the busy business end of Mumbai - Ballard Estate area !!!

So how do I even begin ... the place which looks very old school right from the outset is your typical Parsi/Irani place with slightly chipped interiors and the typical old polished furniture. The furniture itself has a unique story behind it and so has the old wall clock at the centre of the huge dining area. The slick white board displays the todays specials and the refrigerators stock up the scrumptious desserts and the cold drinks.

Mr. Boman Kohinoor, the ever young almost 90 year old owner and proprietor of this Parsi heaven is an omnipresent figure and is always a delight when it comes with his one liners or with his huge treasure chests of experiences and stories. If you come to Britannia & Co. and not exchange pleasantries with Mr. Kohinoor then the entire trip is not worth it. Period.

The food is legendary. Be it the Mutton Kheema or the Sali Boti. The Dhansak is fairly reasonable as I have tasted better. The Fish Patra is nice and refreshing especially the chutney part. 

The Biryani takes a back seat as the 'King of the Parsi Paace' arrives. Presenting the Berry Pulav. It comes in all sorts of varieties: Chicken, Mutton, Kheema, Egg and even the Herbivore type. Yours truly went for the Chicken variety and attained the level of gourmet divinity. The goodness just oozes out in the form of those glazed berries, red and pink in color. The pulav is a perfect blend of nice juicy chicken portions accompanied by the rich gravy and high quality cooked rice. Two small cutlets/kebabs make this dish complete. Bon Apetit !!!

The Sali chicken is also very nice and the rich creamy chicken along with sali supplemented by roti or chappatis make a nice start to the meal. The Kheema is also a welcome change but stick to the specialities is my piece of advice.

Along with the main course, you ought to indulge in the fruity beverages on offer. The Fresh Lime Soda is the normal variant but the Raspberry & the Ginger ones in those retro bottles are the ones to die for. I for one slurped and slurped till the very end into raspberry liquid heaven.

Not much to say about the desserts. There is the Mishti Dohi and the Mousse but the one dish which stands out is the Caramel Custard. Its just the adept end to this gastronomic journey down the Parsi memory lane.

This place is just not about food, it is about an experience. Right from Mr. Kohinoor to the interiors, right from the food till the antiques hanging on the walls, and from those soda bottles till the working hours everything has a story which one must experience on its own.

Britannia & Co. is truly iconic in nature and such places must be preserved not just for its gourmet delights but also for the rich heritage it brings along.

However the only sad part is that the place is open only for lunch and its closed on Sundays. Thats the only dampener to an otherwise awesome experience. #Goosebumps

How to get here: Wakefield House, 11, Sprott Road, Ballard Estate, Fort, Mumbai, 400038
                           Walking distance from nearest station i.e. CST