Dhobi Talao’s jewel to shine again

Chicken xacuti and Goan sausage chilly fry with pao

If not for the tolling bell, and aunties spilling out of church in their lacy, modest knee-length frocks, there's nothing to remind me about the Goan-ness of my neighbourhood in Cavel, a tiny Goan Catholic hamlet in South Mumbai. A shrinking demographic, largely due to relentless waves of migration since the 1960s, Cavel and its sister offshoots, Sonapur in Dhobi Talao and Dabul near Charni Road, are losing their form and fabric, even if slowly. The gentrification and rampant development have locked residents out of familiar sights and sounds - the raucous fish markets, bread bakeries at every nook to replenish their pantry with kadak pao, and most importantly, restaurants that serve authentic Goan meals. Castle Hotel and Snowflake Restaurant were perhaps among the last remaining dug-outs for Goan Portuguese cuisine-inspired grub, such as fish cutlets, chicken cafreal, sorpotel, and ambotik curry. Or so, this writer thought. Until, of course, a visit to Dhobi Talao's Dukar Gully, which gets its name for the pork shops that once lined the road, saw us chance upon a spruced up board in bold red-orange titled, C D'Souza Marosas Restaurant and Confectionery.

Jude D'Souza, 58, took on the renovation of the 75-year-old C D'Souza Marosas Restaurant and Confectionery in Dhobi Talao, in 2021. The eatery will open to guests this month. Pics/Ashish Raje

The 75-year-old Goan eatery had shut down temporarily during the pandemic. But, the passing away of its octogenarian owner, Philomena D'Souza in April 2020, had punctured the family's plans of resuming service anytime soon. Her looming presence at the restaurant's cash counter emblematised resilience and resistance to the change Dhobi Talao had been encountering over the last two decades. Dedicated patrons for the restaurant's bolinas (semolina and coconut cookies), jam tarts, as well as pulao and vindaloo, also meant C D'Souza's menu never needed a revamp. It's this legacy that Philomena's sons Carey alias Caridade and Jude D'Souza wanted to keep alive. "As well as that of Marosas," Jude tells us, when we meet him at the newly-refurbished restaurant.

Potato chops

C D'Souza's has a long-standing association with Marosas, the iconic restaurant on 13 Meadows Street near Flora Fountain, now 13 Nagindas Master Road, which shuttered way back in the 1980s. Philomena's eldest son Carey, who has joined us over a phone call from Goa, says, "The restaurant in Fort was originally owned by an Italian confectioner called A Comba. From what we've been told, during World War II, Comba had been arrested by the British authorities for relaying messages to Italy via radio using the Morse code. After his arrest, when his restaurant, A Comba & Co, was put up for auction, my grandfather Caridade D'Souza, outbid all the other bids and purchased the space in the early 1940s."

The facade of the restaurant, which is situated opposite Our Lady of Dolours Church, Sonapur

The inspiration for the name of the new restaurant, Marosas & Co, was Caridade's wife, Maria Ruzai D'Souza. "It was a combination of both her [my grandmother's] names," shares Jude. Caridade, originally from Mapusa in Goa, is later said to have bailed out A Comba, and hired him as his employee. The restaurant served what Carey describes, as "Nouvelle Cuisine", an eclectic style that had its origins in France in the mid-20th century, where the emphasis was on lighter, fresher and smaller dishes.

(Second from left) Janeiro D'Souza, the son of the founder of Marosas & Co, with the original owner A Comba (extreme left)

"The food was predominantly inspired from French cuisine and we had a set menu, known as the table d'hôte comprising ap​petiser, main course and dessert," says Carey. "Even the ice cream was handmade," adds Jude. According to the family legend, one Mr Gomes who used to work as the personal chef of the Maharaja of Morvi while he was staying in France, had been employed at the restaurant. Marosas also adopted silver service, a classic style of formal dining service practised in France and Britain, especially in luxury hotels and high-end restaurants. It involved the use of silverware and crockery, and a meticulous waitstaff.

In this file photo, Philomena D'Souza, who died at age 85 in April 2020, is seen at C D'Souza in the company of her friend Bella Athavle, who sat on a separate table and watched the world go by the gully. Image Courtesy/Bombaywalla Historical Works; Hashim Badani

"The staff only served with gloves on," he adds. Their patrons were mostly lawyers and judges from the Bombay high court, professors and academicians from Mumbai University (then Bombay University) and the staff from the nearby banks in Fort area. Among their more famous foodie customers were JRD Tata, Mario Miranda and renowned filmmaker-actor Raj Kapoor, who along with his sons, devoured the chicken patties there. After Caridade's passing, his son, Janeiro took over the restaurant. When Janeiro died in 1973, Carey and the family took charge, until they shuttered the space in the 1980s.

Carey D'Souza

C D'Souza's was started a few years after Marosas. Somewhere around 1946, thinks Carey. And unlike its classier French sibling at Fountain, this eatery had humbler roots - it was Caridade's gift to the home-sick Goan migrants, who by then had thronged the length and breadth of Dhobi Talao, either seeking temporary refuge at the clubs (kudds) before their sailing sojourns, or who'd arrived here bag and baggage, like Caridade, for better opportunities in the city. The family also ran a bakery shop in the neighbourhood with its kitchen in Kalbadevi.

Carey D'Souza with his mum Philomena at Marosas in Flora Fountain

On the menu were Goan favourites, sorpotel, prawn curry and pork sausages to name a few. The food was always affordably priced, and a hit among the local Catholic and Parsi residents in the area. As a child, Jude, now 58, remembers, church-goers from Our Lady of Dolours Church, Sonapur, often making a pit-stop here before mass. "On Sunday mornings, when the church would be packed, and people were forced to wait outside, some of them would come inside the restaurant to have a cup of tea and smoke a cigarette," smiles Jude. A Campion School alumnus, he would visit the restaurant as a child to enjoy a meal of potato chops, curry and pao. Christmas and Easter, he remembers, were the busiest times, with advance orders coming in for plum cakes, the many-layered coconut milk and egg dessert bebinca, bhat cake and marzipan eggs.

A range of wine glasses and dessert bowls, as well as candy jars and sugar bowls that were used at the Marosas & Co restaurant, decorate the shelves of the newly-renovated C D'Souza eatery

Jude, who has spent a decent part of his career abroad, admits having been away from the family's restaurant business for the longest time. "But I decided to return home during the pandemic, and do whatever it takes to keep C D'Souza running," he says, adding, "When I surveyed the area [Dhobi Talao], I realised that while there was still a decent Goan population, there were hardly any restaurants serving Goan food." Determined to continue to feed the local residents, he began renovation work in 2021.

The re-branded C D'Souza Marosas will open later this month. The exterior has a fresh coat of green paint, while the interiors has been given a wooden look and feel. The original bentwood chairs, cushioned with green leather covers, and tables with glass tops have been retained, restored and varnished. So, have the old glass and wood cabinets, which once made room for the famous jam tarts, cashew and coconut macarons and madeira cakes. Souvenirs from the Marosas brand continue to occupy space in the cabinets. "Marosas used to take catering orders, and we had separate cutlery for the same," says Jude. A range of wine glasses and dessert bowls, as well as candy jars and sugar bowls that were used at the restaurant, decorate the shelves. Paintings by Goan painter Derek Monteiro are spotlighted inside niches. Work on the repairs has been slow, but Jude was particular about not hurrying it up. He recently hired two Goan chefs who will bring to life some of the age-old delicacies.

On the day we visit, the chefs prepared a sample tasting menu for mid-day: Goa sausages chilly fry, peas pulao with chicken xacuti, pork vindaloo and pao, and Jude's personal favourite, mutton potato chops. For this writer, who has roots in Karwar and Mangalore, our taste buds are quite different from a true-blooded Goan. We don't like too much vinegar in our meals, and coconut-based curries... well, we think nobody can make it better than the Mangaloreans. It's why we rarely fangirl over Goan fare, except perhaps their seafood. But what C D'Souza Marosas offers us, feels very comforting, almost like food the women of our family prepare.

The chicken xacuti made with coconut milk, is a clear winner - the gravy light yet creamy, the spices not overpowering and the chicken soft on first bite. We slather spoonsful of the curry on our deconstructed potato chop, which has spiced mutton mince wrapped in a thick layer of mashed potato. The diced pieces of pork in the vindaloo are succulent, not chewy, and melt immediately. And while vinegar is meant to be the star of the dish, its piquancy and tang, doesn't alter the flavour of the fried and ground spices. The Goan sausage chilly fry comes with potato slices; it's a perfect combo, especially when you sandwich it in your pao and have it with your chai for breakfast, or as an evening snack. It's a delicious start to a family enterprise that's seeking relevancy at a time when it feels increasingly hard to do so.

While writing this a day later, we are still thinking about our meal, and the fact that today of all days - Easter - feels like a good day to celebrate everything and anything that's being resurrected. Jude says, "When we open, we will retain the old menu, but of course expand to offer continental dishes. It's still a work in progress, but what we aim to do is give Goans of Dhobi Talao their pride back."