With its Chinese-style sloping green roof, orange lanterns hanging from the ceiling, and striking paintings on the inside walls, one of Mumbai’s oldest Chinese restaurant, Flora, has long served scores of loyalists who’ve grown up amidst the hustle and bustle of Worli—one of Mumbai’s southern localities known for its exquisite sea-facing promenade. But like everything that tends to wither away with time, Flora too has come to its natural end as its location, the Khanna Apartment has been declared unsafe by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, forcing this iconic landmark to shut shop after 51 years of serving mouth-watering Cantonese food to the residents of Mumbai.
Flora first opened its doors to the public in 1967 under the leadership of Anthony Leo, fondly known as Tony, who introduced delicacies like hand-pulled noodles and honey noodles served with vanilla ice cream to the Bombay of ‘60s, much before the city would witness the influx of multi-cuisine fine dining experiences. It was only at the grand age of 85, that Tony decided to hand over his legacy to a young man named Rahul Limaye—the face behind Dadar’s Gypsy Chinese restaurant. While much has changed ever since this transfer of ownership, the food has somehow still managed to retain its original flavour.
Although it might seem like the end of an era, considering how there is a bus stop named after the restaurant, it really is not. In a report by Midday, Aditi Limaye Kamat, daughter of Rahul Limaye, said, “When uncle was around 85 years old, one of his old associates left the restaurant. He requested my dad to continue running the business even after him. Uncle passed away three years ago. We do not have any legal agreement with the Leo family to run the place. His wife, Doretta, has been supportive, and my father has fulfilled a promise to a friend. The building is now with the court receiver. We aren’t shutting, just moving out,”
From being featured in Basu Chatterjee’s Choti Si Baat to being a regular rendezvous spot for many, Flora was once also known for serving the likes of Om Puri and restaurateur Vithal Kamat. Its closure will leave behind not just a culinary hole in the culture of Worli but also the erasure of decades worth of memories that have kept the neighbourhood afloat. We only wish we could hear the stories that the walls of this landmark establishment hold.
Feature Image Courtesy: Justdial.com