Chembur's destination cool for youngsters
Want to know how much
Chembur has changed (for the better, of course) in the last three to four years?
Take a trip down Ambedkar Udyan Road and stop by at Donut Company, a ‘young
and happening hangout’.
But while you choose from a variety of doughnuts and muffins, spare a thought
for the suburb’s journey from a being the hub of the ‘vada with a hole’ to
being a place where you can gorge on doughnuts and sip Hazelnut Latte.
The cool quotient of Chembur has shot up tremendously since the days when a good
cup of coffee meant home-brewed ‘Madras kafi’ and Sunday brunch was dahi
idli pushed down the throat at a late breakfast.
“Chembur is getting a lot more younger and cool. There is a considerable amount
of change in people’s preferences. Nothing else can explain the popularity of
a place like Oceanic in Chembur,” says Nayeem Sharif, the restaurant manager
of Oceanic, a sizzler joint that recently launched a new menu to include red
meat and seafood sizzlers.
Oceanic has also opened a resto bar in Suman Nagar, a further testimony to how
much more cool Chembur today is compared to even a few years ago.
That the resto bar is called Aadarsh is another story. And the fact that on
hip-hop nights at Excess, people dance to Kaanta Laga could be a trifle
disappointing.
But all this does not take away from the fact that if a Chemburkar wants to let
his or hair down, the destination need not be south Mumbai anymore.
“In fact, people
from Chembur and neighbouring areas like Navi Mumbai, Mulund, Ghatkopar, etc are
rushing to Chembur to party,” says Brijesh Govil, director of Oasis, a
restaurant.
Vijay Shetty, the second generation owner of the an Udipi hotel near Ambedkar
Udyan, says Chembur began its journey from being overly austere to fun (and yet
not frivolous, say the residents) when new construction brought new people to
this rather sleepy suburb.
He says even the Udipi joints that are not really famous for innovations were
also carried away by the winds of change.
“It’s our no-frills approach to hospitality that’s legendary. But even
such plain vanilla eateries could not afford to miss Chembur’s race to be
cool,” says Shetty, who has made changes to his menu card to widen his net of
clients.
“We now serve everything from fast food to fried rice,” says Shetty, who
also insists that at the end of the day there’s nothing more satisfying than
fluffy, white idlis dipped in drumstick sambhar.
A fun place to hang out: youngsters
Heena Arora (16)
Resident of Runwal Centre, near Deonar depot
“It’s very nice
living in Chembur. There are a lot of fun hangout places like Barista, Cafe
Coffee Day, Tastings, etc. There are a lot of options for people to meet up with
friends and just chill out. Also, Chembur has become a good place to shop and
there are lot of young people who prefer to hang out here.”
Jay Harsora (22)
Resident of Diamond Garden
“I have recently
shifted to Chembur and was a bit apprehensive about entertainment options in the
suburb. But thankfully Chembur has turned out to be a cool, young and happening
place to live in. It has many restaurants that suit the taste of young and older
people alike and are also easy on pocket. I am thankful that my family opted to
shift to Chembur.”
Dimple Rajpal (17)
Resident of Sindhi Society
“Now my
friends and I have started hanging out in Chembur but earlier we used to go to
Bandra to chill out. Now there are a lot of cool places and the suburb has
become a lot more active. Places like The Acres Club are doing really well and
attracting a sizeable young crowd. This has added some spice to Chembur.”
What’s bringing up the cool quotient
The Donut Co
Opened when Two
months ago
Specialty Doughnuts,
muffins
Seating capacity
30
Alcohol
Not available
Address Ambedkar
Road; call 25480401 / 9223260835
Oceanic
Opened when
10 years ago
Specialty Veg
and non-veg sizzlers
Seating capacity 72
Alcohol Available
Address Ambedkar
Road; call 25216765 / 66
Soul
Opened when Two
months ago
Specialty Chicken
Shashlik and veg and non-veg pastas
Seating capacity 20
Alcohol Not
available
Address 16th
Road, Ambedkar Udyan, near Chembur station; call 9819041075
Cafe Coffee Day
Opened when Two-and-a-half-years
ago
Specialty
Large variety of cold and hot coffees
Seating capacity 60
Alcohol Not
available
Address Opposite
Chembur station, near Grand Central Hotel; call 30908673
Barista
Opened when Nov
2002
Specialty Espresso,
Latte
Seating capacity 30
Alcohol Not
available
Address Opposite
Diamond Garden, Sion-Trombay Road
Rs
550 crore
The total cost
of the SCLR project
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