Naresh Nayak was just six years old when he first saw Dhirubhai Ambani and his sons, Mukesh and Anil, at his father’s restaurant, Cafe Mysore, in Matunga, Mumbai. Now 44, his phone hasn’t stopped ringing since the weekend, when he attended the wedding reception of Radhika Merchant and Anant Ambani with his mother Shanteri.
The newly married couple touched Shanteri’s feet while a smiling Merchant said, “Every Sunday, we eat your food in our house.” Suddenly, everyone wants to know about the dosas and idlis that the Ambani family has been raving about.
Cafe Mysore has been serving “authentic” South Indian food since 1936, when it was founded by Rama Nayak. The Nayaks have attended all the Ambani weddings.
“It was overwhelming. Their gesture was majestic. The amount of love, gratitude and warmth they showed to my mother will forever be etched in my heart,” Naresh said.
‘The Matunga area’
Cafe Mysore is one of the many eateries in Mumbai’s Matunga East that are clubbed under the ubiquitous ‘Udupi’ food. There’s Cafe Madras, Anand Bhavan, Ram Ashraya, and Mani’s Lunch Home that cater to the neighbourhood’s predominantly South Indian population.
Its founder Rama Nayak belonged to a hamlet near Mangalore. He moved to Mumbai in 1910 with his mother and took refuge at the Ramakrishna Math in Khar. The mother and son were assigned kitchen duties; that is how Rama Nayak developed a knack for cooking.
He started four South Indian food restaurants — Cafe Mysore, Udupi Krishna Bhavan, Udupi Cafe, and Idli House. He handed one restaurant each to his four sons. Naresh’s father Nagesh got Cafe Mysore.
Naresh credits his father for making Cafe Mysore “legendary,” and calls him an “innovator” and “an engineer by heart.”
From introducing the steam boiler system in the early 1980s to an automated hygiene system and solar panels — the changes introduced by Nagesh, who died in 2009 at the age of 61, proved crucial in ensuring the restaurant’s longevity.
After Nagesh’s death, Shanteri took over the reins; the restaurant remained a one-woman show until 2020, when she retired and Naresh took charge.
50-year relationship
Cafe Mysore has a 50-year-long relationship with the Ambanis.
“They have been coming here even before I was born,” Naresh said.
Cafe Mysore was Mukesh Ambani’s go-to restaurant since his college days. On its wall hangs a newspaper cutting that shows a young Mukesh dining with his son Anant.
On 15 July, during the reception, Anant cheekily reminded Naresh that perhaps it was time to update the photograph.
“He (Anant) asked me to give my phone to the photographer and then joked that this will be the next photo in Cafe Mysore,” Naresh recalled. “I’ll get the photo printed as soon as possible and will let him know.”
Naresh and Shanteri received the invite on the morning of 15 July. Knowing that it would be a crowded affair, Shanteri was hesitant.
“I said that this is their last wedding (in the Ambani family),” said Naresh, discussing how he convinced his mother to attend. Shnateri had attended the wedding of Akash-Shloka and Isha-Anand as well.
Though the decoration, security, and hospitality was all on point, the 44-year-old was gaga over the food.
“The Gujarati cuisine was to die for. It was less greasy and appeared home-cooked. As a restaurateur, I was impressed with the attention to detail,” he said.
Idli in Paris
The Ambani family are particularly fond of idlis, upma, dosa, Mysore Pak, chutney, and sambhar. Even when they are travelling, the Ambanis cannot let go of Cafe Mysore food.
Once, Mukesh Ambani sent his charter flight to Mumbai to pick an order from the restaurant.
“He was in Paris for a business meeting. Their food and beverages team, which coordinates with the restaurant, brought containers from home to pack the food. It was flown to Paris,” Naresh recalled.
Not just Ambanis, Cafe Mysore was equally loved by veteran actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor. After his morning walk in Five Gardens, Kapoor would stop by Cafe Mysore to relish a glass of Rasam.
“He always picked the corner table to avoid being seen,” Naresh said.
The peri-peri twist
Though Ambanis love the classics, the customers are currently drooling over the peri-peri idli fry and peri-peri dosa at Cafe Mysore.
The restaurant hasn’t made any significant changes in its 1958 menu or the recipes. Even the suppliers are the same as before.
“But the peri-peri versions were introduced two years ago, and it has been selling like hotcakes,” said Naresh.
The 100-seat restaurant, offering a 50-50 mix of air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned seating, operates six days a week and remains closed on Wednesday.
Despite intense competition in the Matunga East area, which is home to numerous South Indian restaurants, Cafe Mysore is always house-full.
Naresh said that various restaurant owners from the neighbourhood called him after the video of the Ambani couple touching his mother’s feet went viral.
“They are proud of the recognition Matunga has received,” Naresh added. “Because this translates into marketing not just for our restaurant or our Matunga community, but also for all South Indian restaurants across the country.”
According to him, the impact on footfalls will be evident over the next few weeks.
“But the Ambani order—five sets of idli, vada, upma, sambhar, and chutney—arrived early in the morning at 7,” he said, laughing.
(Edited by Prashant)