Missed taking a bite of Mani’s crisp dosa adai served with a dollop of white butter? Mumbai's iconic Mani's may have shifted address, but the menu remains the same
Mumbai Food: No change in Mani's menu, but you got to pay more
An artist paints a mural at the eatery. The outpost sports new decor, but the core philosophy stays the same. Pic/Satej Shinde
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Missed taking a bite of Mani’s crisp dosa adai served with a dollop of white butter? The eatery may have shifted address, but the menu remains the same.
Every day (except Mondays, when it is closed for business), the 62-seater eatery, with family and non-family sections, will serve a breakfast of idli, medu vada, dosa, kela bajji, Mysore bonda, sheera and upma. While these are available throughout the day, the vegetarian thali will be available for lunch and dinner, on a rotational menu basis.
“We used to offer thalis at our Matunga outlet and will continue the tradition here. They will include rotis, rice and three types of vegetables. We will change the dinner menu, as most dishes are rich in coconut, which becomes stale after four hours. For lunch, we are targeting bank staff in the neighbourhood. We are also expecting our loyal patrons from Matunga to frequent the outlet,” said KS Narayanaswamy, who has been manning the cash counter since 1976.
“At that time, idli and medu vada cost 44 paise, while a thali was priced at 65 paise,” recalls the second-generation owner whose father, VS Mani Iyer, a native of Palakkad district in Kerala, migrated to the city and opened the first outpost in 1937 nearRuiaCollegein Matunga.
The Chembur outlet will also host Mani’s signature onasadhya — a feast on the harvest festival of Onam
Since inception, the eatery has stuck to offering traditional, pure vegetarian South Indian fare, and Narayanaswamy has no plans to change things. There is no home delivery either. However, the change of location has affected the pricing. Although he hasn’t put a price tag on most dishes yet, the rates will increase moderately, he admits. For instance, a thali costing R65 will now be priced at R80.
This outlet will also host Mani’s signature onasadhya — a feast on the harvest festival of Onam — that was originally started by Iyer more than 50 years ago and has often seen three-hour-long queues. Served on a plantain leaf, the sadhya, to be eaten by hand, features over 22 dishes from Kerala, including pachadi, kichadi, erishery and avial, along with palada pradaman.
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