Aanand Bhog

You have to go up to the 1st floor to find us. We are located on 1st Main in Mumbai. Being upstairs means we do not get the random foot traffic from the sidewalk like other shops. People usually come to Aanand Bhog specifically to see us and eat. The stairs are a bit steep and narrow. We carry boxes up and down them all day long. It is good exercise I guess. The kitchen area is where we spend most of our time. Mumbai is very humid so it gets quite sweaty inside near the stoves. We make traditional food. The recipes are just things we learned from our parents and grandparents. We do not write them down much. We just know how the food is supposed to taste by looking at it. The 1st Main road is always loud with taxis and scooters. From our window we can see the tops of the buses passing by. We do not have a big sign outside just a small one by the door. The tile on the floor is a bit cracked in the corner but we put a mat over it. It is a lived-in space. We do not try to look like a corporate chain. We are just a small team of people. Some of us have been working together for ten years. We know each other’s habits. We drink a lot of tea while we work. The smell of frying oil is everywhere. It is a busy life.