Inside Gypsy Chinese, a Dadar favourite where Raj Thackeray had a ‘small Limca, large Limca’ moment

You must have watched the viral clip where Raj Thackeray recounts taking his would-be mother-in-law out for dinner, accompanied by his girlfriend (now wife Sharmila) and her sister.

The family didn’t know he drank, but the server Bapat who knew him well, understood that when Thackeray ordered a Limca, it had to be spiked with alcohol.

The twist came when he ordered his fourth Limca, and Bapat leaned in to ask: did he want a “small Limca” or a “large Limca”?

The restaurant where this transpired was Gypsy Chinese.

A favourite haunt for many in the neighbourhood, it has over the years hosted the likes of Nana Patekar, Naseeruddin Shah, Govind Nihalani and the late Amrish Puri, besides Thackeray himself.

Started in 1982, Gypsy Chinese is among the oldest surviving Chinese restaurants in the city.

Its founder Rahul Limaye, now 70, studied at the Dadar Catering College and worked at the iconic Chinese restaurant Gazebo Oriental before opening Gypsy Chinese in a tiny 250 sq ft space that could accommodate just six tables.

“It was so small that we installed a glass door between the restaurant and the kitchen, and my cash counter would open upwards and not outwards because of the shortage of space,” he recalled.

The restaurant, he says, was a hit from day one, with diners taking to dishes such as chilli crab soup, lobster pepper salt, stuffed crab and manchow soup.

“Forty years ago, it was all about Calcutta Chinese.

It had that punch which suited the Indian palate,” he said.

Gypsy, where Limaye makes his special schezwan sauce, quickly found its audience.

Reminiscing about the early days, Limaye said, “Back then, this part of Dadar, which is now a cultural adda, used to empty out.

When Rohini Hattangadi won an award for ‘Saransh’ (1984), she came here with the trophy.

This place is blessed — it has had everyone from the best doctors and lawyers to politicians and actors.”
One of the restaurant’s most regular visitors was Sharmila Thackeray’s father, Mohan Wagh, Marathi photographer, theatre producer and filmmaker.

“He used to be here 366 days a year, not 365,” Limaye laughed, pointing to a table dedicated to him.

Beneath a framed article titled ‘Rajeshahi’, a plaque reads: ‘This table no.

26 is dedicated to the late Shri Mohan Wagh.’
Demand grew quickly.

What began in 250 sq ft with a bhatti fuelling one wok and one pot expanded to a 60-seater by 1984 and a 90-seater by 1989.

Even today, several dishes keep diners coming back — roast lamb chilli, pomfret fish steak and roast chicken chilli among them.

“Our kimchi is also very popular,” Limaye said, adding that the restaurant has delivered food across the city since long before the era of food delivery apps.

“We used to deliver much beforeSwiggyandZomato.

We go full every night.”
The regulars are so familiar that they sometimes influence the menu.

Limaye recalls launching a dish called noodle bhel — crispy noodles tossed with bean sprouts, chopped spring onions, coriander and lemon, meant as a snack with drinks.

“It worked very well, but people weren’t comfortable with the name,” he said.

“So I had to rename it spicy crispy noodles.”
Interestingly, Gypsy might never have existed if not for love.

Limaye had originally planned to become an architect and had even secured admission to study it.

“But I was engaged, and the condition was that I had to start earning before I could get married,” he laughed, adding that catering college had few takers at the time, making it an easy route.

When we met Limaye earlier this week, he was on a call with a friend in Marol, trying to arrange LPG cylinders.

“I am having sleepless nights,” he said.

“On Tuesday I managed to get eight cylinders, which we have divided between Gypsy Corner and Gypsy Chinese.” His daily consumption at Gypsy Chinese alone, he explained, is about four cylinders.

“Because we’ve been in the business for so long, we have a very good relationship with the gas agency.

But they have none left.”
Chinese cuisine, which relies heavily on high-flame wok cooking, is among the worst hit in the ongoing shortage of commercial LPG cylinders across the country.

At Gypsy Corner, Limaye has already had to make adjustments.

“We have bought a charcoal sigri and are using it to cook staff meals and boil noodles,” he said.

“The number of woks has been reduced to two from three, and we are using only one kadhai for frying.”
Some dishes have already disappeared from the menu.

“Items like steamed dumplings, pepper chicken and udon noodles have been stopped for now,” he said.

“We were always making spring roll sheets in-house, but have started buying them instead.”
Asked about the future, Limaye paused.

“It is uncertain,” he said.

Heena Khandelwal is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express, Mumbai.

She covers a wide range of subjects from relationship and gender to theatre and food.

To get in touch, write to heena.khandelwal@expressindia.com...

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