I entered just past 8 in the evening, and blinked in dismay when I saw the inside: people were packed like sardines. The jukebox, which I’d forgotten, was belting out everything from The House of the Rising Sun to newer hits, the walls were ablaze with the most amazing caricatures ever (more on this later), and beer was flowing. The manager, a greying and kindly gent called Huxley, took me under his wing immediately, and sent a waiter off to escort me to a table in the second room, which is slightly quieter, slightly less crowded- but as much fun as the main room.

Waiters in green and yellow T-shirts emblazoned with the `Mondy’s Crew’ logo (Mondy’s T-shirts can be bought for Rs 200) scurried around, dispensing everything from kababs to burgers, bruschetta, chowmein, grills, sizzlers- the works. The menu is eclectic, and after a bit of thought, I ordered a Pomfret Cardinale, followed by an Irish coffee. The food was a disappointment; the fish was overcooked, and smothered in a cloyingly sweet, bright orange sauce. The fries on the side were limp and oily, the sautéed vegetables (carrot, beans and broccoli) sadly overdone. The Irish coffee, though the cream had a faint tinge of sourness, was good and strong, and came with a hefty dose of whisky. Almost certainly not Irish whiskey, but heartening nevertheless.

I paid my bill (Rs 290 in all; if I’d had a glass of beer, it would’ve cost an additional Rs 80. A medium pitcher of beer is Rs 300; most dishes are Rs 100-150), and then I headed out- only to be accosted by Huxley, who spent about ten minutes chatting with me and telling me all about Mondy’s.

Mondegar began as a tea-coffee-and-bun shop where Huxley and his schoolmates came to play `table football’; about 30 years back, it was converted into a regular café, but with an emphasis on beer. Around the same time- in the 70’s- the famous cartoonist Mario Miranda painted Mondy’s interiors. The pictures, predominantly in black and white, are evocative of Goa (Miranda’s home state), and are one of the biggest draws of Mondy’s. As, of course, are the beer, the friendly staff, the crowd, and the music. If not for the food, come here for all of that- and for the fact that this is really nothing short of an institution as far as Mumbai is concerned.