‘Paradise’ in Colaba to Shut Down! Mumbai’s Iconic 61-Year-Old Restaurant is Now a History
The main reason behind shutting the restaurant is Jimmy’s health and Mehroo is finding it difficult to manage both home and restaurant.
Colaba, Mumbai’s one of the most-loved restaurant Parsi restaurant, Paradise will soon shut down. As reported in Mid-Day, owners Jimmy and Mehroo Kadkhodai have confirmed that the restaurant will not be open for business again. The main reason behind shutting the restaurant is Jimmy’s health and Mehroo is finding it difficult to manage both home and restaurant. The couple is waiting for their children to make a visit from US and decide the fate of the space they own.
In November last year, Jimmy had a paralytic stroke confirmed the family doctor after the 80-year-old complained about feeling uneasy. He has also undergone a bypass surgery a few years ago. Although he is now back home after spending a month in a hospital, Mehroo, 75, says she finds it difficult to run both home and restaurant. “We want to take a graceful bow,” says Mehroo. The couple trusts no one when it comes to running their restaurant.
Jimmy at 16 decided to open his own restaurant after he helped his uncle run the canteen at Excelsior cinema. His uncle helped him open Paradise and the restaurant joined the likes of Café Mondegar, Café Royal and Café Olympia to establish Colaba as neighbourhood that served stellar old-world food. Initially, the restaurant served only rolls, burgers and hamburgers. After Jimmy married Mehroo in 1965, she introduced continental dishes and Parsi bhonu to the menu, which it became famous for.
Mehroo says, “I will miss talking to people, who came from all walks of life. They were my source of news, even before I read it in the day’s mid-day.” Their patrons included celebrities and influencers like Ratan Tata and Johnny Walker. The couple is looking forward to spending more time with their grandchildren. “We connect with them on our computer, but they are all growing up and we want to see them more often.”
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 06, 2018 12:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).