Mumbai Seen Through a Different Lens

Sometimes, the best way to understand a city is not through its monuments or history books, but through its food. Old restaurants, crowded counters, steel plates, family recipes, and tiny eateries often tell stories that buildings cannot. Three places in Mumbai that I always find myself going back to are Pancham Puriwala, Badshah Cold Drink and K. Rustom & Co.. The story of Pancham Puriwala began in the 1840s when a young man named Pancham Sharma left his village in what is now Uttar Pradesh and walked all the way to Mumbai. The journey took him around 39 days. At that time, trains had not yet started in India. There were only long roads, uncertainty, and hope. When Pancham finally reached Mumbai, he started a small poori stall. That small stall slowly became what we now know as Pancham Puriwala. There is something very poetic about its location. The stall stood near what later became Victoria Terminus, now called Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. The same city that Pancham had once walked to would later become the centre of India’s railway movement. Pancham served five pooris on every plate — a small reference to his own name, since “Pancham” means five. Even today, more than 150 years later, the sixth generation of his family continues the tradition of serving five pooris with every meal. What I love most about Pancham Puriwala is how unchanged it feels. There are no fancy interiors or modern reinventions. Just fresh pooris puffing up in hot oil, sabzis cooked every morning, steel tumblers filled with chaas, shared seating, and the comforting noise of people eating together before rushing back into Mumbai’s chaos. A few lanes away stands another iconic South Mumbai institution — Badshah Cold Drink. If Pancham Puriwala is where Mumbai comes to eat, Badshah is where Mumbai comes to pause. For decades, office-goers escaping the afternoon heat, tired shoppers from Crawford Market, students, tourists, and railway commuters have all stopped here for milkshakes, faloodas, fruit creams, and fresh seasonal fruit drinks. Badshah is especially famous for its falooda — cold milk, rose syrup, sabja seeds, vermicelli, ice cream, and dry fruits all coming together in one glass. On hot Mumbai afternoons, it feels less like a dessert and more like relief. The place is also known for seasonal specials — fresh mango during summer and sitaphal when the fruit is in season. Like many old Bombay establishments, Badshah carries the legacy of the Irani community. It began around 1905 near Crawford Market, during a time when migrants from Persia were opening cafés, bakeries, tea houses, and refreshment shops across the city. These places slowly became part of Bombay’s cultural identity. Even today, stepping into Badshah feels like stepping into another era. The steel bowls, syrup bottles, fruit counters, and overflowing falooda glasses still carry the feeling of an older Bombay — one built by migrants who came to the city with little more than hard work, recipes, and ambition. Outside, South Mumbai never slows down. CST is crowded every minute, trains rumble endlessly, horns fill the streets, and people move in every direction. Lastly, my third favourite place also holds a special place - K Rustom Ji and Co. It is a legendary ice cream shop located in Churchgate, Mumbai holds the prestigious title of being the oldest ice cream parlour in the city. It has a rich history spanning several decades, K Rustom has earned a reputation for serving signature ice cream sandwiches that have stood the test of time. K Rustom was founded in 1953 by Mr Khodabux Rustom Irani, fondly known as K Rustom, who had a passion for creating delectable ice cream. The shop originally opened its doors as a shop selling everything from medicine to cotton wool but the family soon realised that their beach-adjacent location brought a lot of tourists and ice cream would be a popular attraction. From the very beginning, K Rustom was committed to crafting premium quality ice creams using traditional methods and the finest ingredients, setting the stage for its enduring success. The star of the show is their crispy wafers, sourced from Pune and Hyderabad and responsible for capturing the love of many generations. Over the years, K Rustom has managed to retain its timeless appeal and authentic ambience, drawing in generations of ice cream enthusiasts. The shop's simple yet elegant decor, reminiscent of a bygone era, has a charm that transports patrons back in time. K Rustom's menu boasts an array of distinctive flavours that have been cherished by patrons for decades. From evergreen classics like creamy vanilla, rich chocolate, and refreshing strawberry to unique offerings like rum and raisin, mango lassi, Choco almond crunch, Guava (Peru), Walnut Crunch, Coffee and Paan. each scoop represents a burst of delightful nostalgia and culinary craftsmanship. Although the passage of time has seen various changes in Mumbai's landscape, K Rustom has stood tall, weathering the storms and upheavals. K Rustom, the oldest ice cream shop in Mumbai, is not merely a dessert stop; it is a living testament to the city's history and its love for timeless indulgences. As the years pass, K Rustom remains a cherished destination for those seeking a taste of the past, offering a delightful journey through flavours that evoke memories and emotions. The story of K Rustom is a reminder that some things are meant to last forever, and its place in Mumbai's heart is firmly etched as an enduring symbol of joy, tradition, and deliciousness. These places are more than restaurants and desert parlours. They are reminders of the people who built Mumbai — migrants, families, workers, and dreamers who turned simple food into part of the city’s identity. And that is what makes them so special.