Kolkata’s beloved Flurys that has been a warm hug to generations with its iconic breakfast and classic desserts has come to the bustling city of Mumbai. While there are many kiosks outside of Kolkata (including Navi Mumbai) retailing their signature desserts, this is their first tea room in a new city since its inception in 1927. Nestled in the heart of south Mumbai in Colaba, right across the sea and the Gateway of India, Flurys has caused complete chaos as patrons have been spilling out on the road as they wait to get a coveted table at this legendary spot.
Right across Gateway of India, the one-month-old tea room has an alfresco area Courtesy Flurys
One has to marvel at their league of loyal fans and can’t help but wonder if it’s folks from Kolkata living in the city yearning for a slice of familiarity from back home or perhaps eager beavers who have never really experienced the Flurys magic. This writer is part of the latter and somehow managed to snag a much-desired table at Colaba’s latest hotspot.
Like most restaurants and cafes in the city, there’s a space crunch so the main cafe is a small area where the interiors are beautifully designed with their signature bright pink theme running through and a glass pastry stand at one end with all their baked goodness and sweet treats on display to choose from. There’s also an outdoor patio area where the tables are most spread out and one can enjoy the view of passersby and the Arabian Sea, but doesn’t feel as charming as the indoors. In the hot muggy Mumbai weather, air-conditioning is too tempting to resist.
The Heritage Menu that has all the classic favourites like the English breakfast, while signature desserts like the Strawberry Cube and Lemon Tart are already a favourite with patrons Courtesy Flurys
The menu is an extension of the one back home but with a fresh perspective to woo in the local crowd. There’s a list of beverages ranging from tea and coffee to fuller milkshakes and sundaes along with plenty to gorge on. They’ve included a heritage menu with selections that are their timeless classics which have been popular since their beginning. Dishes like their Baked Beans on Toast, the signature Flurys omelette along with the full Flurys breakfast and their old-school sandwiches, among others. While fans might visit to indulge in these nostalgic dishes, it is 2024 and most diners want a more updated menu and for that they’ve got dishes like Fish and Chips, Teriyaki Chicken Bowl, risotto, pasta, Avocado on Toast and the likes.
Some of the new additions to the menu include dishes like risottos and flatbreads Courtesy Flurys
It’s standard cafe fare with an inclusion of fuller larger plates so as to incorporate heavier meals beyond just tea or coffee and a sandwich or sweet treat.
The Fish and Chips sounded promising and came looking more like a fried chicken and alas wasn’t seasoned enough. The Cobb Salad is actually another version entirely as it has none of the main elements and instead a peanut avocado dressing sans any bacon, blue cheese or chicken. It’s a lovely vegetarian salad perhaps in need of a new name but still quite enjoyable.
The Spaghetti with Lamb Balls, and the signature Creamy Garlic Mushrooms on Toast from the Heritage Menu Roxanne Bamboat
The Spaghetti with Lamb Balls is a hearty plate of slow-cooked meatballs in a rosemary flavoured tomato ragu and spaghetti and might have been my favourite from everything sampled that day. It was hard to resist their ‘Heritage’ menu and despite a full stomach, I opted for the Creamy Garlic Mushrooms on Toast, which is a thick white sauce-like gravy with plenty of mushrooms smeared over a slice of toast. It is quite literally something I’d imagine from a menu in the 1970s but it’s fun. Heavy and possibly better paired with some protein or pasta than a slice of toast, it eventually gets limp under all that gravy, but it was fun to imagine patrons eating this decades ago and felt like what one should order when they visit Flurys.
The nooks have an old-world charm reminiscent of the Kolkata tea room Roxanne Bamboat, Courtesy Flurys
The staff and servers are helpful and polite but terribly slow. One can chalk this up to teething problems since it’s less than a month old and they’re still trying to find their footing despite huge waves of patrons coming in regularly. No sweet treats were sampled as the meal was too indulgent and there wasn’t room left to try anything else. However, judging by the packed tables wolfing down their iconic bright pink squares — the Strawberry Cube Cake (there’s also a chocolate version) — it’s safe to say that this writer will be back to indulge more of what this Park Street icon has to offer in Mumbai.