JOIN USThe familiar taste of home
It wasn’t an easy decision for IIM-B graduate Dinesh Kumar Yadav to quit a well-paying job and join hands with his wife Rekha to start a food business.
He recollects that it was indeed a big risk that he took but he doesn’t regret his decision because his venture, ‘Mumbai Tiffin’, which dishes out authentic homemade food, has exceeded his expectations.
Talking about how he got the idea, Dinesh recalls, “When I was studying engineering in Indore, I used to frequent a restaurant called ‘JainShree’ which was run by a couple. The eatery was hygienic, offered homemade food and the owners were well-educated people who took personal interest in making the food and overseeing the customers. This warmth and the simple settings remained with me. Today, I have replicated the same in my eatery,” says Dinesh.
The couple found it hard to hire staff when they started the eatery so Dinesh and his wife did all kinds of jobs from cooking and doing home deliveries to even cleaning the dishes.
“This gave us an indepth experience in handling just about any tough situation and strengthened our entrepreneurial skills,” he says.
‘Mumbai Tiffin’ operates out of a house in HSR Layout and the ambience is simple with nothing pretentious about it. The orders are taken by Dinesh while Rekha oversees the proceedings in the kitchen.
A fast-moving item on the menu is the ‘Methi paratha’ which is similar to the Gujarati ‘thepla’ but the recipe is very different. “It is ‘paratha’ made from wheat flour dough mixed with fresh green fenugreek leaves and has ten spices added to it including sesame seeds for the perfect texture and aroma,” says Dinesh.
The tava hot ‘phulka’ is not far behind in taste and is best eaten with the paneer gravy. The stuffed ‘parathas’ such as ‘aloo’ and ‘paneer’ are a favourite with children and office-goers in the vicinity.
The breakfast menu has ‘Puri bhaji’ and a host of plain triangular ‘parathas’ that go well with the mildly spiced ‘Paneer vegetarian curry’. They have a rotational menu for lunch which does well to cut the monotony.
“The rice, dal, ‘sabji’, paneer, ‘roti’ and ‘paratha’ are changed on a daily basis. There are also different kinds of ‘thalis’,” says Dinesh. There’s also sweet ‘lassi’ and
buttermilk and in summers, the eatery serves ‘Mango milkshake’ made from fresh ripe mangoes.
The dishes are reasonably priced and offer value for money. The couple believe that it is an emphasis on quality and not quantity that has brought them thus far.
‘Mumbai Tiffin’ is located at No 248, 19th Main, 15th Cross, Sector 4, HSR Layout. For details, call 8095976933.