Before it was somewhat unsuccessfully rechristened K Dubash Marg, Rampart Row, Kala Ghoda’s tree-lined street, was so named for the defensive ramparts built in the area during the colonial era. These were torn down in the early 1860s by the city’s then governor, Henry Bartle Frere, to build the area’s characteristic avenues and boulevards. And so, even as it has gently changed over the decades, K Dubash Marg retains that sense of timelessness and old-Bombay romance. It’s the sort of city street where one could spend a full day, eating, shopping or simply gawking.
Indeed, Wayside Inn has vanished, Chetana persists, and the building known as 30 K Dubash Marg has almost never been referred to by its number but by the F&B brands that have occupied the 100-year-old structure over the years. A couple of decades ago, it was known as the Joss Building, before Irish House became its primary landmark. Now, stacked one over the other, via its grand curving wooden staircase, are 1441 Pizzeria, HyLo, and most recently The Dimsum Room (TDR).
Indeed, some of TDR’s magic is in its location and in the way the expanse has been used, both of which are vital elements in a restaurant’s success, something founder Mayank Bhatt would understand better than most restaurateurs in our high-rent megalopolis. A newly minted entrepreneur, Bhatt has built his company All In Hospitality after being in the business for 18 years, as the business head of Social, the CEO of Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality, and the head of operations at the erstwhile Blue Frog. HyLo, which opened late December, was his first venture, followed shortly after by this dum sum eatery.
We first visited TDR before its opening, during the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival earlier this month. We strolled past a stall by HyLo set up just ahead of the canopied pavement walkway to the entrance of 30 K Dubash Marg. By virtue of being on the top floor of this heritage building, TDR offers many spaces to dine and play.
On that evening, we made our way past an open-to-sky terrace, with its banquettes overlooking treetops and domes, into a speakeasy-style bar with rich teal walls, a tinkling chandelier strung from the wooden rafters over the drinks counter. In this made-for-a-date room we sampled highlights from beverage head Razz’s (Razvan Zamfirescu of Goa’s popular Darling’s Bar fame in Chapora) menu of libations, like the Pandanquiri with rum, koji pandan and yuzu juice; the cocoa butter fat-washed Choc-Chai with Wild Turkey, oolong, and cherry liqueur; the lychee-laced house martini; and the Jade with vodka, cantaloupe, matcha, and lime made even more more-ish with Yakult. If you couldn’t tell already, a ribbon of East Asian flavours runs through the drinks menu—others feature sesame oil, sake, tamari, perilla, and plum liqueur—and yet, the beverages are broad-ranging, with a tipple for every mood and palate.
