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Died: Boman Rashid Kohinoor, 96, senior partner of four Irani restaurants including the iconic Britannia and Company; in Bombay on September 25, 2019.
"There is no love greater than the love of eating,” reads the logo of the 96-year-old iconic Britannia restaurant that continued to draw patrons as much for its Parsi and Irani favorites like berry pulao, sali boti, dhansak and cutlets as much as the bonhomie extended by Kohinoor. The restaurateur would come in daily even when he was in his nineties and son Afshin had taken charge.
A self-confessed, diehard fan of the British royalty, he never tired of regaling guests, reliving the joy of personally interacting with Queen Elizabeth II whom he had met in Bombay in 1961 at the Mahalaxmi Race Course. He remembered wishing her a long, happy tenure, and took immense pride that she is the longest reigning Queen at 93 years of age. Yet another cherished wish was fulfilled when he was granted a 10-minute audience with the Queen’s grandson Prince William and Duchess Catherine when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Bombay in 2016. Thereafter, life-sized cardboard cutouts of William and Kate continued to grace Britannia. Laminated copies of correspondence exchanged with members of the Royal family would proudly be shown around to customers, whether locals or foreigners, who evinced the slightest interest.
Partiality towards his Zoroastrian clients was no secret. He chose to indulge their palates by reserving raspberry soda for them, as attested many non-Parsi regulars who remembered being induced to try the alternative "fresh lime soda sweet to beat the Bombay heat” lest he run short of the perennial Parsi favorite.
Boman’s demise got front page coverage in the city dailies with many reports quoting well-known names who were regulars at Britannia. Cinestar Boman Irani recalled, "If we were shooting at Ballard Estate which is a popular location on Sunday because of its deserted roads, the entire production unit would end up at Britannia for lunch and we would hope to arrive early enough to get breakfast as well. We used to order our usual eggs and kheema pav… When you entered the restaurant it would be like entering a time warp – from the food to the waiters everything looked the same… Boman used to always have the same demeanor; he would always chat about the good old days, send something extra to the table and of course we’d have a huge argument over who would pay the bill…”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Television anchor and comedian Cyrus Broacha who would frequently have lunch at Britannia during the decade from 1990 to 2000, relishing their berry pulao remembered, "Boman would go around tables talking to every customer… He would always have this naughty smile on his face…”
President of the Asiatic Society Vispi Balaporia remarked on Britannia’s "unique vibe” that she attributed to Boman’s contribution. "He was like this perfect character you could use as a protagonist in a work of fiction,” she said.
  "There used to (be) around 200 (Irani) restaurants along the stretch of South Bombay, now there are hardly 15. The next generation isn’t interested in joining the family business. Many have tasted the euros and pounds while living abroad. The daily hassle of running the restaurant that barely generates profit does not attract them,” Boman was quoted in The Indian Express a decade ago. The first restaurant that Boman’s father Rashid had started in Bombay was Kohinoor, near the Victoria Terminus railway station, mentions Afshin. XL restaurant at Chira Bazaar was another eatery introduced by Rashid. Britannia was founded at Ballard Estate in Bombay in 1923, the same year Boman was born in Cham village in Yazd.
Boman was brought to Bombay when he was nine years old. After Rashid’s death in an accident when Boman was around 14 years of age, Rashid’s elder brother Ardeshir served as a father figure to the teenager who soon learnt the ropes of the business and helped the eatery earn a distinctive name, being on the bucket list of many local and international tourists. Boman’s contribution to the eatery enterprise was James Restaurant opposite Old Custom House. He was also a partner at Bastani. Both these establishments have now closed down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attempts to maintain the decorum and standard of many of these Irani eateries with prominently placed signage read: "Right to admission is reserved,” "Please do not argue with management,” "Management has got right to check any article or individual on suspicion,”  "Customers are requested to take care of their belongings,” "Debit and Credit Card not accepted”...
The cash counter at Britannia, remember old-timers, had a cat sprawled on it with a sign "Do not disturb!” Much of the décor with the Bentwood chairs remains the same. On the walls where the paint is flaking are three flags: the Indian tricolor, the Union Jack and the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran. A portrait of Zarathushtra shares space with Mahatma Gandhi and Queen Elizabeth II.
The rooster that has found its place in the Britannia logo had an interesting story as related by Boman to city historian Dr Simin Patel: Knowing that Boman’s wife Bachan (née Doongaji) was an animal lover, one lady brought her a chick saying the mother hen had died. They named the chick Robin although they did not know whether it was a cock or hen. When Boman would call out to their younger son Romin, Robin would come running instead. After three or four months when it finally started crowing, all the staff members started clapping. Through the day the rooster would stay at Britannia and at night Bachan would take it home. She managed to train him to stop crowing in the early mornings so that her sleep was not disturbed. Britannia as also Boman and the rooster featured in the 1988 movie Tezaab. An image of Robin now finds a permanent place on the walls of Britannia. 
Boman gave credit to his father’s "good foresight” by renting premises for Britannia in a building designed by architect George Wittet. That was after World War I when Ballard Estate was being developed as an office area. Rashid would visit the Taj Mahal Hotel, observe how they were running the restaurants there and then use the knowledge when starting Britannia "on a very posh style.” In those days Ballard Estate had no walls; there was a parapet like at Apollo Bunder and people would jump over the parapet and go for a swim. There used to be a small garden where Boman would often rest on the benches before starting work at night, he had related to Patel.
Britannia, now, is open for breakfast and lunch for six days of the week, being closed on Sundays. On public demand they have started operating on Saturday nights too. Their signature dish, berry pulao, using Iranian zereshk berries (barberries) was specially introduced after Boman and Bachan returned to India following a stint in Iran. "In Iran, the food is dry and bland by Indian standards so my wife experimented to find the right spices to liven up the dish, but the exact recipe is a closely guarded family secret,” he had explained to Patel. Starting with Goan cooks and waiters, these were replaced by Mangalorians and currently they have Biharis and a couple of Muslims.
One of 11 children, Boman believed his good memory was on account of eating plenty of fruits, vegetables and especially nuts in his early years. In Bombay he studied at St Xavier’s High School after which he pursued science at St Xavier’s College. Among his classmates was cricketer Polly Umrigar who continued to remain a good friend until his demise. Boman too enjoyed playing cricket and was a good athlete, participating in cross-country runs.
Not very religious by nature, he did not feel the need to frequent the fire temple. According to Afshin, his father practised the Zoroastrian tenets and believed that "hands that work are more precious than lips that pray.”
The restaurateur cum raconteur is survived by his sons Afshin and Romin.