Serving an ace

Paya soup momos. Pics/Ashish Raje

It's a strange feeling sitting at The Bombay Canteen two days before it reopens after the pandemic. There's a lot that has happened in between. The world came to a screeching halt, like a speeding car being braked in time for an old lady to cross the street. A silence fell on the buzzing industrial hub where TBC is located - Kamala Mills. Floyd Cardoz passed away and the restaurant lost its guiding light. It's more than a lot that's happened when you think about it, as nine uncertain months turned people's lives around like clothes in a washing machine.

Podi b''f tartare

But while it's not completely out with the old, it's in with the new. Every consecutive table there now has artwork serving the dual purpose of helping local painters and maintaining social distancing. The servers have face shields and rubber gloves on their hands. Children will be allowed in for the first time. Service opens again from today, but only for dinner. But most significantly, the menu has been revamped since chef Hussain Shahzad from sister concern O Pedro has taken over the kitchen, after chef Thomas Zacharias decided to explore new avenues while continuing to be a shareholder in the company.

Pork belly thukpa

There are three dishes from this new menu that we want to talk about - podi b''f tartare ('525), paya soup momos ('550), and slow cooked pork belly thukpa ('975). Tartare isn't for everyone. Some people mistake it for tartar, the sauce, and their faces contort in disgust on learning that it's actually a starter made with raw minced b''f. But, there are also those who enjoy the smooth, almost slurp-in-your-mouth texture of the uncooked meat served with a raw egg yolk crowning it. They will find a faint hint of gunpowder permeating the palate in TBC's version, with an accompanying crispy dosa acting as cutlery to scoop the mince up with.

The redone interiors of The Bombay Canteen when it reopens

Be careful about the momos. They are hot. Pierce the casing open first and peek into the meaty paya soup inside as it lets out steam. The brownish liquid visible through the hole looks as good as a hidden water body that takes hours to find. Then pick it up, pop it in your mouth, and find out what it means to marry a Muslim dish with one that has a name that is sometimes used as a derogatory word, to denote people from India's northeast.

Yash Bhanage (left) and Sameer Seth

The thukpa is also a nod to the same region. But here at TBC, the simple bowl of comforting soup and noodles served in shacks along mountainous roads has been turned into a grand spectacle fit for a theatrical stage. An ornate teapot contains bacon broth that the server wearing gloves pours into a bowl of handmade noodles. The pork belly sits on a separate plate, waiting to be cut into customised pieces. Two bowls contain pickled green radish and a chilli sauce eager to enter through the wings. But the real drama lies in the furikake, tiny rice balls that are traditionally a Japanese condiment, which crackle with the sound of Magic Pops when added to the hot bacon broth they are dropped in.

This is fun food that signals a new beginning. But co-partners Yash Bhanage and Sameer Seth tell us after the meal that Cardoz hasn't left the building. Bhanage says, "Hussain was like his sorcerer's apprentice. They had this amazing relationship. And whenever we tell Hussain that 'change this', he tells us, 'No, Floyd would have yelled at me,'" while Seth adds, "Through this process [of reopening after the pandemic], it's been amazing to have this voice in our ears - 'What would Floyd say?'"

The answer, if we were to venture a guess, is that he approves.

Chef's tips
>> Kachampuli - souring agent from the Coorg region. You can use it for salad dressings and curries. (Coorg)
>> Fresh toor - also known as green pigeon peas, to make daal replace any other pulses. (Local)
>> Hara channa - you can make hummus, use it in salads, make a chole bhature or even chana chaat instead of using chickpeas. (Local)
>> Naga chilli - make chilli oils for salads instead of olive oil; make a hot sauce; use it in curries, but it will be very spicy. (Nagaland)

Opens: Today, 5 pm to 11.30 pm (Mondays closed)
At: Process House, Kamala Mills, Lower Parel
Call: 8880802424

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