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At a café named Malido one would expect a plethora of Parsi dishes, if not overpowering the menu at least making their presence felt.  But no, say mother-son duo of Kermeen (née Bomanjee) and Neville Bose. "Our USP (unique selling proposition) is homely food,” they tell us at the outlet, barely a week after they opened the doors to their Café in the second week of January 2023 in the now upmarket locale of Kala Ghoda.
While there are indeed nods to "Parsi cuisine” in the form of berry pulao, roast mutton sandwiches, "Parsee Ghee Fried Eggs” and Bharuchi akuri, the menu is largely eclectic at this 40-cover restaurant. Over a cuppa of Parsi lemongrass tea and cheese toast that was still off-menu, Kermeen and Neville told Parsiana that Malido’s uniqueness will be in providing "everyday food… It is food we eat at our home… of course made a notch fancier… but no additives, no syrups, no synthetics.” 
Take their berry pulao. "It has no vanaspati…It is made with less oil…yet there is no compromise on taste,” avers Kermeen. The pastry in their pies "does not have unhealthy margarine… You can eat these every day and still feel good about yourself.” Their all-day breakfast menu has free range eggs and their granola is made in-house. Malido’s seasonal undhiyu (a winter delicacy made with field beans and root vegetables), chalked up on a blackboard, is oven-cooked. "Our desserts are not oversweet…rather under-sweet yet comforting,” stated Kermeen, who said she mostly oversees the kitchen while Neville "looks after everything else.”  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"We will change the menu in summer,” stated Neville. "We are still checking Parsi tastes…We want to clear some flavors with the Parsi community,” added Kermeen.
Tall windows let in the streetscape at the Café. Pointing to the cane chairs, Kermeen stated that she chose the furniture herself. An interior designer friend helped with the layout of the place. Tall lamps ("We got these from Chor Bazar”) lend a touch of elegance as does a large potted plant. Pointing to an ornate dresser that used to be part of their home furniture, Kermeen asked, "Don’t you just love beautiful old things? They remind me of a happier Bombay.” She used oak wood tiles on the walls. The patterned floor tiles are from Bharat Floorings and Tiles. 
Walking through the sparkling kitchen which takes up 45% of the available space, the owners say they wanted no compromise on hygiene. "It is not a gher no gahanbar (a mom and pop shop)… We have kept in mind that the staff should be able to work seamlessly.” When Parsiana visited, the two head chefs, one each for the hot kitchen and the cold one, were busy with food preparation and supervision. "Do not leave the eggs near the grill. They will spoil… Just a suggestion,” Kermeen advises one.
They plan to ramp up staff from the current 22 to about 32 and increase opening hours from 8 a.m. to 10.30 p.m. gradually. Currently the timings are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday.
"We tossed around names for nearly six months… Everything I suggested was responded to with ‘Joisu (we shall see)’ by Neville,” Kermeen narrated. Finally he liked the sound of "Malido.” It spoke to him of all the things they could make in the Café! "It has a nice ring to it,” chimed in Neville. "He thinks everything that is Parsi is cute,” added Kermeen. Malido is a sweetmeat made of flour and usually offered at religious events.
Thirty-year-old Neville, who has been navjoted, has studied hospitality management in The Netherlands. Kermeen stated she had earlier supervised the kitchen at the Royal Bombay Yacht Club. Kermeen’s brother Farhad Bomanjee owns the nearby trendy Kala Ghoda Café. Ardhendu, Kermeen’s husband, is the nephew of freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose and was a successful model and film actor in the 1980s. 
Kermeen stated that in 2025 they may have a cloud kitchen (catering to takeaway orders) "plus an outlet in the suburbs… Maybe Parsi food cooked to order,” she muses. "We want to treat Malido like a lab… introduce all the things we like and add more food that Bawas like.”
One can visit Malido Café  at 15-17-19, Burjorji, Bharucha Marg, Kala Ghoda, Fort, 400001, tel: 022-35134514, mob: 9076420030.