China Express

You can find China Express at Shop No 11 in the Haji Ismail Gani Building. We are right on Dr B Ambedkar Road in Byculla. Being opposite the Byculla Railway Station means there is never a quiet moment here. You can hear the trains pulling in and the crowds of people rushing to get to work or heading back home. The building we are in is quite old and has that typical Mumbai feel to it. Our shop is tucked away on the ground floor. It is a tight space, so we have to be very organized with our pots and pans. Usually, the morning starts with the sound of the metal shutters going up. We spend a lot of time dealing with the humidity, which is always high near the station. People pop in while they are waiting for their train or after they get off. It is a fast pace, and we spend most of our shift standing up in the small kitchen area. The walls have some old calendars on them, and the lighting is just basic fluorescent tubes. We don't spend money on fancy things because we are just here to do a job. The street noise is constant, but you stop noticing it after a few weeks of working here. By the time the last train leaves, we are usually exhausted and ready to go home ourselves. It is just honest work in a busy part of the city.