McDowell’s and Madras
Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal’s latest venture, Ehaab, features ready-to-stitch creations for men and women
umbai’s vibrant culinary scene, dotted with new restaurants, Instagram-friendly dishes and trendy pop-ups, could not steal the thunder of Gaylord, a 67-year-old restaurant located in Churchgate. Unlike many iconic restaurants in the city, which are considered touristy, Gaylord commands attention for its delicious food, aable sta and convivial atmosphere. Its nostalgic charm has not just allowed it to survive in the business of hospitality, but also made it prosper. Dhruv Lamba, the third-generation owner of Gaylord, says, “We hadn’t renovated in nearly 40 years. So the idea was to elevate the space with modern oerings while keeping its legacy and history intact. We want the current generation that used to come with their father and grandfather to Gaylord, to now visit with their friends.”
MGrand beginnings
Gaylord was launched in 1956 by Delhi-based Pishori Lal Lamba and Iqbal Ghai, who had also established the Kwality restaurant chain in Delhi in 1947.
It quickly became the go-to place for Bollywood legends like Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, BR Chopra, Lata Mangeshkar, Rajesh Khanna and Asha Bhosle. While sitar virtuoso Pandit Ravi Shankar conducted most of his meetings here, music director duo Shankar-Jaikishan would visit the restaurant nearly everyday for their evening tea. Interestingly, Gaylord became the venue for most Bollywood castings. “Big-time directors visited the restaurant to hangout and discuss scripts. So, the patio would always be full of Bollywood aspirants hoping to catch the eye of famous directors,” says restaurant general manager Ashley Pires. hen actor Richa Chadha got married to Ali Fazal in October 2022, she chose to wear a custom Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla kurti for their ceremony in Lucknow. The o-white chikankari kurti with a heavily embroidered yoke and borders was worn with a net dupatta accented with Swarovski crystals. “It was my hat tip to the city of Lucknow and to the culture of the family in which I am married into,” says the Fukrey actor.
That small gesture on her part has grown into a full-edged tribute with the Bollywood couple’s sustainable fashion brand Ehaab Couture. The label — formed in collaboration with designer Yasmin Saeed — aims to work with local artisans from Lucknow celebrating the centuries old art of chikankari and helping them preserve the legacy of this intricate art form.
The rst drop comprises pure tissue, chanderi chikan kurtis for women and chikankari kurta sets for men in summery shades of peach, apple green, o-white as well as in darker shades of blue, purple and mauve.
The seeds of Ehaab — which means a gift, and is derived from the Arabic word ‘ehb’ — were sown during the pandemic. Ali, whose
WTill the early ’80s, Saturday and Sunday mornings at Gaylord were reserved for jazz, with performances by musicians like Ken Cumine, India’s sole jazz violinist, and his daughter, vocalist Sweet Lorraine.
History meets contemporary chic
Gaylord, in its new avatar, is almost unrecognisable. The time-warped (read jaded) interiors have given way to a sleek, dark wood and glass dining room festooned with opera style curtains and crystal chandeliers. Plush booths are decked with ambient lighting, sepia-toned pictures of Mumbai’s landmarks like Gateway of India and Rajabai Clock
Tower, and Gaylord regulars (the rst man to summit Mount Everest with Tenzing Norgay, in 1953, Edmund Hillary, and the lead guitarist of British band The Beatles, George Harrison). A saxophonist serenades guests with jazz classics while a pianist matches his tunes. There is also a bar with rattan chairs.
Along with the décor, Gaylord’s menu too family has known Yasmin for many years, came forward to ensure that the artisans working in the latter’s production unit in Lucknow do not lose their livelihood. However, while charity is beautiful, it eventually runs out and they were only too aware of that. The duo then decided to come up with something sustainable and intrinsic got an upgrade with 15 new dishes being added. Old favourites, like chicken ala kiev, prawn cocktail, vegetable au gratin, chicken cecilia, Kwality chana batura and dal sukhi, now sit in the company of newcomers like kasturi kabab, Lucknowi galouti, khatte meethe baingan, Japanese egg sandwich, Caesar salad, mushroom cappuccino and others.
Testing the taste
Masala lamb chops, a new starter, has four chunky chops marinated in ginger and garlic. Grilled to perfection, the meat falls o the bone with the gentlest of prodding. Half a lime adds acidity, whereas coriander brings fresh aromatics to the party.
The rst thing you want to do when the lobster thermidor arrives is post the beauty on Instagram. Dressed in a decadent cream sauce and baked in its own shell, the succulent crustacean is showered with dainty nasturtium owers and some good, crusty bread to mop up all that delicious sauce at the bottom of the plate. After the palate-tickling foreplay, come the full-blooded avours of the Rampuri taarghosht. This Awadhi specialty of slow-cooked mutton blanketed in a rich gravy hits 9.9 on the umami scale. Liquid pleasures come in the form of refreshing gin and tonic and smoked bourbons.
The menu also roams Italy and France with pasta and buttery pomfret meuniere. However, you cannot come to Gaylord and not give in to the chicken ala kiev — a continental classic that the restaurant is best known for. Happy to report that the deep-fried llet of chicken still detonates with a gush of melted cheese when pierced with a fork or knife. Despite being stued, it is impossible to leave even a morsel of the judiciously sweetened custard, which comes in a lake of caramel sauce.
The service is still laid-back but on point — it is peppered with the comfort of familiarity. And while new experiences are great, old things can be so much more comforting, as long as they are done with commitment and panache.
A meal for two costs ₹2,200 without alcohol and ₹3,000 with alcohol at Gaylord, located Mayfair Building, V N Rd, Churchgate, Mumbai. For reservations, call 8657280340. to the culture of Lucknow and make it more accessible to the world. Thus, Ehaab was born.
With the brand, Ali and Richa aim to support the artisans who they believe are the true custodians of India’s handcrafted legacy. Says Richa, “For us, Ehaab is more than just a fashion label or a business endeavour. We have oriented it
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(Top) Richa Chadha with Ali Fazal; (right) an outfit by Ehaab. SPECIAL
ARRANGEMENT
The brand is named after Angus McDowell, a Scottish businessman who built a warehouse at Fort St. George, close to Madras (now Chennai) and, from 1826, served the British expat community with imports of groceries and spirits. In 1959, McDowell’s & Co established its first distillery in Cherthala, Kerala, marking the genesis of the McDowell’s No.1 brand, launching brandy, then whisky and rum. In 1968, the brand launched McDowell’s No.1
Whisky, marking the inception of the world’s largest selling whisky, born out of India. entirely in terms of the artisans,” she says. Ali, on his part, believes that creating systems, even if they are on a small scale, and bringing in people who are talented to those systems, can add value to their lives. “Today, these karigars are following our vision. Eventually, we want to open our manufacturing line where they can have a stake in it,” he says. Although there are many brands in the market including traditional Lucknow labels and NGOs as well as fashion designers retailing elaborate creations, the couple says they are trying to focus on the gap in between. “These ready-to-stitch fabrics that are perfect for our hot climate, can be worn for special occasions. The fabric is delicate and so is the work,” shares Richa, whose latest outing on screen is Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s
Heeramandi.
A look at Ehaab’s website, which is where they are retailing the clothes from, also gives a glimpse into the history of chikankari.
It reects how the tradition came to India as part of the cultural exchange with Persia along with the Mughals, and how delicate needle embroidery came to be known as chikankari. “All that information is written by me,” Richa reveals.
Upwards of ₹12,000 on ehaab.in