There are some things about Tea Centre that made me feel that I had entered a time machine and was transported to an era gone by. Well, I will illustrate how:
1] It is located at a 5 minute walking distance from Churchgate railway station, on an equally crowded and busy road. Yet when you step inside this restaurant, the world around you lulls down to a very slow pace; quite a contrast to the hustle-bustle happening outside at that very moment.
2] The entire ambience belongs to a time gone-by. The chairs, the table, the table cloth, yellow lighting. They even have single seat sofas, which are no longer seen anywhere around, but very uncomfortable to sit and eat. They are good if you wana relax and chat. There are wall hangings about tea.
3] The decibel levels are pretty low as compared to any other restaurants, much like when the Sahibs were around. An occasional group of ladies may still be indulging in the latest gossip but not in a manner to disturb others.
4] Now comes the most important feature, if you want to place your order or call for attention from the steward or ask for your cheque, a small bell has been placed on each table. You are required to pick it up and ring it and you will be attended to. Again a very British like tradition where noise level are kept to the least minimum.
5] Service is slow compared to the outside world, another old-world tradition where time was not a luxury as it is today. People preferred to spend good amount of time of eating and chatting. Word of caution; please drop in if you have ample of time on hand.
I walked in here within an old friend for lunch. We ordered Samosas [huge ones], Chowpatty Grilled sandwich [nothing great about it] and Basilico Pasta. The pasta was nice and saucy but was a bit over cooked, it wasnt made Al-Dente.
We started off with a Pudina chai which was ooh-so nice and concluded our binge with the Buttered Apple tea which was a revelation. In fact the first 6 pages of the menu have only various types of tea that are served here.
The damages came to Rs.610 for 2 persons which is a decent considering the experience it was. This institution is almost 60 years old and is run by the Tea Board of India.
I wont say that I had the best food here but certainly the variety of tea served here and the experience will surely make me come back for more.