THERE is an old Mangalorean saying: you cannot come to this city and go away without visiting the New Taj Mahal Cafe and buying a kilo each of the Godi Halwa and Holige. This is true even today. The locals just won�t let you. �And if not for yourself, take some sweets for your Mangalorean friends in Bombay,� says Mr. K. Vaman Shenoy, managing director of the sweetmeat shop.

There is nothing �New� about the place. Mr. Shenoy�s grandfather, Kudpi Gopal Krishna Shenoy, started the Taj Mahal Cafe in 1926 as a hotel. The sweetshop was started later and is now 50 years old. The hotel has a large restaurant attached to it where the breakfast is most popular. �People come for our buns made of maida, and our biscuit roti,� says Mr. Shenoy.

But clearly, it is the sweetshop which is the mainstay of the business. It is big enough to accommodate 15 buyers at a time only, so chances are that you will be made to wait for service. Please do so, for the wait is worth it. The banana and wheat (Godi) halwa of New Taj Mahal Cafe are what people buy in several kilos and take out of Mangalore.

The halwas are made in pure ghee in a factory on Car Street close by. They cost Rs. 150 a kilo and have a shelf life of one year. The Holige, which is a Mangalorean Puran Poli, but a stickier version and made with coconut, you must have within few days. The coconut in it can turn the Holige rancid. �Though it is impossible for anybody to buy Taj sweets and not consume them immediately,� grins Mr. Shenoy.

The Shenoys are not the actual makers of the Holige and Godi Halwa. The sweet-makers come from another district in South Kanara. Several generations of families engage themselves in the same trade. �They are good at all sweets. Try our Rava Ladoo and Malpua at Rs. 90 each,� encourages Mr. Shenoy. �They are not as popular as the Godi Halwa and Holige, but they are also equally famous and tasty.�

New Taj Mahal Cafe (P) Ltd.
Hampankatta, Mangalore 575 001. Tel: 421 751.