Our little village and some of the going ons that transpire within.

Oct 18, 2007

BEST Bakery

Yes our bakeries in Bandra sizzle.
There used to be one called Mc Ronells. The fore runner to McCraig and Candies. Same family, different generation . And when you finished your exams you were taken there for a special treat. Rumballs, patties, chicken rolls. And when the results came out and if you'd done as well as you had earlier claimed you did, you were taken to the Chinese restaraunt under the same roof. In 1979 an American ChopSuey in this palace of food nirvana was Rs.11.00. And that came with silverware and white linen .
And then there's Hearsch. Which a generation ago sold bread, bread and bread. And Gutlies. And they didnt have a wall with a gate so you could drive right upto the counter [almost] And pick your bread right out of the oven.
We had an Amex in Bandra before creditcards were even dreamt of. American Express right across the road from Hearsch. With their beautiful wood and glass display cases. With oatmeal cookies and brown bread.
Cake crumbs from Venus. The scrapings from the baking trays after the cakes were removed were put together and sold for a rupee per packet. And my Mom being the good old East Indian Aunty that she is [ Frugal to the point of stinginess i.e.] had actually got us trained so that these crumbs with some custard poured over it was considered a special treat.
St. Judes on Bazaar road, Judes Bakery at Pali . And A1 where the name says it all. They're still there. The range has grown to include garlic bread, whole wheat bread, cheese twists, khari's , butter biscuits but the staples remain pao's and gutlies.
And now Hearsch has a coke fountain and Andora's serves you 3 different kinds of coffees and Croissant's and Birdy's and PotPourri and the Bread Boutique [ yes the Bread Boutique ], and French Bread and Open Bake give you French bread and blueberry muffins.
So we're spoilt for choice because our bakeries in Bandra are the BEST.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Yes, we have the BEST-est bakeries in Bombay...I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the Bagel Shop. Although I have'nt made it there yet, I hope to do so soon...

Bottle Masala said...

Lets not forget No.1 Bakery (with excellent pineapple jam stuffed doughnuts) on Hill Road (next to the Bori's) and Kings Cool on Pali Naka (run by Cyril).

Anonymous said...

I'm mired and getting deeper into your blog, Clem! Blame vikdoc at anothersubcontinent.com for luring me in...

Hey the cake tin scrapings are really pretty nice, you know. My mom would do the heroic thing and not inflict them on us, but eat them herself. ;)

- Hibz aka hibiscus (rosa dot sinensis at gmail dot com), june 24 2008

Anonymous said...

if you think these bakeries are good you've obviously never been to france - or somewhere that knows how to make bread.

Neil Pereira said...

Well, Mr. Anonymous on 25 April 2011... if you think you need to be in France or "somewhere that knows how to make bread" to savour a slice of nostalgia or to taste the traditions of a bygone era, then all I can say to you is.... (with due apologies to Sir Walter Scott)

"Breathes there the man with palate so dead
Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native bread!
Whose taste-buds hath ne’er within him yearned,
As home his footsteps he hath turned
From eating on a foreign strand!
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no gutlie raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless this gourmand as wish can claim
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
The wretch, having never eaten from a Bandra Bakery shelf,
Living, shall ridicule bakeries in town,
And, doubly dying, shall go drown
Amongst the vile foreign foods from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonored , and unsung."