Well-renowned in the area for its dal pakwan, chole bhature, pattice, and a variety of stuffed naan and lassi, the 75-year-old eatery started as a small 6×4 feet stall serving only three items.

“My nanaji (maternal grandfather) Sevaram Sanjaram started this eatery in 1949, offering three items – pithi puri, dal pakwan, and sheera,” said Ravi Arora, 53, who runs the business along with his brother Praveen Arora, 51.

Ravi (53) along with his father Ajundev Arora (75).

Late Sevaram Manjujam, like many others in the area, had migrated from Sindh to Chembur – where camps were built to lodge refugees – during the Partition. Their ethnicity earned the area the name of Sindhi Camp. Many of these migrants started small businesses to sustain themselves, and among them was this landmark eatery.

“In those days, for one anna, you could buy a plate of dal pakwan and get sheera complimentary,” recalled Ravi Arora, who learned this tale from his mother who also spent significant years helping her father out at this eatery.

When the patriarch passed away, many tried their hand at managing the eatery but none succeeded. Ravi Arora’s father, Arjundev Arora, who had in the past helped his father-in-law in the business, took over the reins in 1970 after compensating his brother-in-law and sisters-in-law. He renamed it to Vig, and slowly introduced chole bhature, pattice, and kulche.

“They all are served with one common dish – chole. Our chole is made from a spice mix that carries about 57 masalas, which my father would hand-pick and we would grind in-house, a practice we follow till date,” shared Ravi Arora, who joined his father after his Class 10. “I was weak in Maths so a teacher suggested my dad take me to his shop, hoping that I would learn addition and subtraction. It soon became the obvious choice,” he added.

(Photo: express photo)” srcset=”https://indianexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Chole_Bhature_and_Chole_Pattice-rotated.jpg 4284w, https://indianexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Chole_Bhature_and_Chole_Pattice-rotated.jpg?resize=338,450 338w, https://indianexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Chole_Bhature_and_Chole_Pattice-rotated.jpg?resize=450,600 450w, https://indianexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Chole_Bhature_and_Chole_Pattice-rotated.jpg?resize=768,1024 768w, https://indianexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Chole_Bhature_and_Chole_Pattice-rotated.jpg?resize=304,405 304w, https://indianexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Chole_Bhature_and_Chole_Pattice-rotated.jpg?resize=1152,1536 1152w, https://indianexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Chole_Bhature_and_Chole_Pattice-rotated.jpg?resize=1536,2048 1536w, https://indianexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Chole_Bhature_and_Chole_Pattice-rotated.jpg?resize=900,1200 900w” sizes=”(max-width: 4284px) 100vw, 4284px”/> Chole bhature and chole pattice served at Vig refreshments.
(Photo: express photo)

Slowly, the menu was further expanded to include pulav, pav bhaji, rajma chawal, and a host of other dishes. “We would keep on adding new dishes. Those which were liked by our customers were retained, and those that weren’t were discontinued,” shared Ravi Arora.

The restaurant, which opens at 6 am and shuts at 10 pm, is also a popular breakfast joint. We visited the eatery on a weekday afternoon and it was filled with people of all age groups, most of whom had come in groups of three to five. Talking about his customer base, Ravi Arora shared that while initially it was largely local residents, now customers are coming from nearby areas like Ghatkopar to try their chole bhature.

(Express photo)” srcset=”https://indianexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Dal_Pakwan.jpg 5712w, https://indianexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Dal_Pakwan.jpg?resize=450,338 450w, https://indianexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Dal_Pakwan.jpg?resize=600,450 600w, https://indianexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Dal_Pakwan.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https://indianexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Dal_Pakwan.jpg?resize=540,405 540w, https://indianexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Dal_Pakwan.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w, https://indianexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Dal_Pakwan.jpg?resize=2048,1536 2048w” sizes=”(max-width: 5712px) 100vw, 5712px”/> Dal Pakwan at Vig refreshments.
(Express photo)

“In fact, back when RK Studios and other studios were in Chembur, we would cater to a lot of people on the sets including celebrities,” he said. When prodded for names of celebrities, he shared that Rajiv Kapoor, Daler Mehndi, Rajkumar Santoshi, Suresh Oberoi, Veeru Devgan, and Raza Murad frequented Vig multiple times; some would step inside and eat while others would order from their cars.

Going forward, the plan is to offer the same indulgence with comfort, in alignment with which the brothers have recently set up an air-conditioned sitting area on the first floor.

Just last month, the restaurant and its owner Arjundev Arora, now 75, were acknowledged by food expert and author Rashmi Uday Singh during the first edition of the Hospitality Hope Awards, for consistently serving quality food at affordable prices.

While the dal pakwan’s flavor remains predictably consistent offering the right amount of nostalgia for local residents of Chembur, Vig is also a testament to the ambitions of countless Sindhi migrants who journeyed from afar to build a name for themselves, while staying rooted in their culture and cuisine.