This old bastion of Park Street needs no introduction. In its 60th year, Mocambo has added a 70-seater section and t2 dropped by for dinner with the genteel hosts — Nitin and Kittie Kothari. Here’s what was shared over Devilled Crab, Fish Meuniere and Chicken Steak!
How did you acquire the space next door?
Nitin Kothari: It was a spirits store for many years, even before Mocambo began. I always had my eye on the space but I was hesitant to ask the man who ran it. Then one day, I mustered the courage and stepped into his store. When I proposed the idea, he said cheekily, ‘Mr Kothari, I’ve been seeing the queue outside your restaurant every day and I’ve been waiting for you to make that proposal since the last 20 years!’
What’s new about the 70-seater Mocambo?
We have fortunately never felt the need to seriously reinvent the menu. We do introduce new dishes from time to time. But the oldest ones are marked on the menu with a ‘Heritage’ tag. Yes, today, because people are more health-conscious there are a lot more vegetarians eating out. Hence, our menu has many vegetarian items for them, both Continental as well as Indian cuisine — several risottos and a variety of baked
dishes.
Do you often hear from people that they’ve been coming here since forever?
So many times! I used to have people tell me, ‘My father used to bring me here as a kid’. Now, I hear, ‘My grandfather used to bring me here as a kid’. We are also now, third generation.
Has the restaurant boom in the city had an impact on Park Street?
I’ll tell you one thing. I tell this to my son (Siddharth) also. If you make sure your hygiene is in order, if you make sure your food is up to the standard, you don’t have to fear if another 200 restaurants open. Day after day, your Devilled Crab, Chicken A La Kiev and all the dishes have to taste the same. Unlike fast food chains, there’s a huge human element involved. The guy who’s at the kitchen work- table that day, the guy who’s at the stove with the frying pan that day... it’s about their temperament, their feelings. If the fellow’s had a fight with his wife the previous night, you’re in trouble! It will reflect on the taste.
NUGGETS FROM 1956
♦ Mocambo opened in the summer of 1956 on Free School Street
♦ Its head chef and manager was an Italian named Prandhi, which explains the generous sprinkling of Italian dishes like Chicken Milanese and Chicken Tetrazzini
♦ The white walls, red lampshades and wooden framework so identifiable with Mocambo were by a German interior architect (Messerschmidt) and the new Mocambo continues to retain that colour scheme. “The only addition is a private room and I’m contemplating naming it The Hole in the Wall,” said Nitin Kothari. The kitchen has been fully renovated and increased in size
♦ In the 1950s, a six-piece live band (fronted by Anton Menezes) played a heady mix of jazz, blues, pop and rock. There was Stanley Gomes on his violin and Pam Crain’s voice
♦ Lazy lunches of Fish Florentine and Chicken Orientale a la Mocambo would stretch on till four in the afternoon. The dress code was formal and no gentleman was allowed in without a dinner jacket
♦ You could even bump into an Uttam Kumar or a Suchitra Sen, Sharmila Tagore and ‘Tiger’ Pataudi, Amitabh Bachchan or Sanjeev Kumar enjoying a quiet Continental meal!
Karo Christine Kumar
Pictures: Rashbehari Das
What makes Mocambo worth the wait?
Tell t2@abp.in
