Permit & Co. is a Lower Parel bar that takes its cues from Bombay’s old Permit Rooms, the casual drinking spaces that became part of the city’s food and nightlife culture from the 1960s onwards. Conceptualised by restaurateurs Aditya and Adesh Hegde with creative partner Laksh Fomra of Holy Duck, the space mixes that old Bombay history with a more contemporary food and cocktail programme. The 120-seater bar leans into the nostalgia with retro-inspired artwork, wooden fixtures and subway tiles, while its menu reworks familiar Bombay flavours into cocktails, snacks and comfort food.

This September, place takes a trip east with The Eastern Express, a month-long menu inspired by the food, ingredients and landscapes of the Northeast and Eastern Himalayas. Running from 1 to 30 September, it travels through flavours from Nagaland, Manipur and Tibet, with ingredients like bamboo shoot, axone, bhut jolokia, timur and black rice appearing throughout. The menu takes inspiration from winding mountain roads, misty valleys and regional kitchens, keeping the character of these cuisines intact while giving Permit & Co. room to play around with familiar formats.

The food starts with Fumbi, steamed green gram cubes served with young turmeric, timur and tomato chutney, alongside Char-Grilled Wild Mushroom Choila with roasted tomatoes, timur and mustard oil. Tibetan Phaley and Momos make an appearance too, with the latter served alongside a sesame-peanut sauce. Pork gets plenty of attention, from Pork Shapta wok-tossed with peppers, ginger and soy to Smoked Pork Tacos, which put Naga smoked pork, bamboo shoot, bhut jolokia and pickled beans inside a soft taco. The mains keep moving between regional comfort food and Permit’s playful approach: Kala Chicken with Sticky Rice, Kewa Datshi with potato and onion hash browns, Naga Dal Khichdi with bamboo shoot and Naga chilli sauce, and Thukpa available with vegetables, chicken or pork.

There’s also Smoked Pork Curry with Sticky Rice, layered with Naga pork, axone and bamboo, followed by Black Rice Phirni Brûlée, which gives chak-hao phirni a torched sugar crust. The Eastern Express extends into the bar too, with cocktails including a Ziro-inspired Picante and a Kaziranga-inspired Old Fashioned. The curated menu turns Permit & Co.’s Lower Parel bar into a month-long stop for anyone curious to eat their way through the Northeast and Eastern Himalayas, with the restaurant’s culinary sensibility making its way into every part of the journey.

Follow Permit & Co here.

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