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Have you been to Versova’s Central Perk?
Updated On: 20 February, 2022 09:02 AM IST | Mumbai | Phorum Pandya
Udaan actor Rajat Barmecha and his director-brother Vicky might be the poster boys of the new family-run café, but at the Andheri outpost, it’s their mother who is the star
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Rajat Barmecha and brother Vicky launched the cafe to fulfil their mother, Shanti’s wish. Pics/Shadab Khan
The Barmecha House is a 20-seater cafe nestled between a chemist and an ATM. The yellow and grey board stands out, and a glass door with a wooden frame opens into an indoor seating for 10, where patrons are greeted to a tempting display of cakes, fresh bakes, and European food being whipped in the kitchen. A bare brick wall holds family pictures in bright yellow frames, and bookshelves show off an interesting reading list. In a corner, a handmade plaque has a quote from the film, Into the Wild: “Society you’re a crazy breed. I hope you are not lonely without me.”
In March last year, smack in the middle of the second lockdown, brothers Vicky and Rajat Barmecha gave in to their mother, Shanti’s pressing wish—to open a cafe in Mumbai. Rajat, 32, who made his debut as an actor with the 2010 film Udaan, says, “This is my mom’s dream project which turned her into an entrepreneur at 56. She is the real owner, we are just extras,” Rajat jokes as he slides into a seat next to his mother, who is looking resplendent in a red saree. “It’s her first interview!” he announces to regular customers as he gives her an encouraging hug. Shanti was born in Bidasar, a small village in Rajasthan, and moved to Ladnun after her wedding. “Having lived in Kathmandu and Delhi, my husband and I moved to Mumbai eight years ago to be closer to our sons,” says Shanti, whose culinary expertise was, until now, limited to making Indian and traditional Rajasthani fare at home. “I am learning to bake, and for the first time, I started using the coffee machine,” she says.
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