The legendary Colaba Sheesha Cafe Restaurant 'Koyla' franchises out.

Koyla, the legendary open-air rooftop sheesha restaurant in Colaba has opened its second outlet in the city in Andheri. The original Koyla, which is situated near the Radio Club, opened in 2000. It was started by Farhan Azmi (28), who’s father Abu Asim runs the Gulf Hotel in the same building, Kamal Mansion. Aged 18, Azmi started running a canteen at his father’s hotel, offering room service to guests. “I thought that’s a good business. Why not do a small café on the terrace and see the response?

Although the restaurant opens at 7 pm, the staff at Koyla, Andheri, put on their starched uniforms an hour in advance and go about their daily chores. Arrangements are made to grill kebabs, which is the restaurant’s specialty. There is a general movement of pots and pans while we wait for the owners Farhan Azmi and Ayesha Takia to arrive. As soon as they do, Takia greets us with a warm smile. And Azmi—who owns the Colaba outlet of Koyla and both the branches of Café Basilico in Colaba and Bandra—makes it clear that this one’s a franchise outlet run by his family friend Hasan Gaffar and he is only a stake holder.

Inspired by the popularity of sheesha cafés in Dubai, where he had lived for a while, he started inviting friends to smoke sheesha on the roof terrace, sitting at plastic tables and chairs. Then, eight months later, at the end of 2000, he opened Koyla, an 18,000 square feet café seating 600 to 800 in thatched Goan-style canopies. “It was the first official place in India to serve flavoured sheesha,” he states. “At that time there were no CCDs, Mochas and Baristas and very few places to chill, apart from at the Irani cafes.”

Nevertheless, Takia, whose Bollywood career has taken a backseat after their marriage last year, and Azmi are very particular about this outlet, which opened a week ago. And that’s precisely the reason they took as many as 10-years to open the second outlet of Koyla in the city. “Before we start an outlet, we wanted to be sure that the other person involved is on the same wavelength and respects the brand as much as we do,” says Azmi. Takia, who is accompanied by her mom, seconds the thought. “Farhan is very picky about who he wants to do business with. And he wanted the new Koyla on a terrace just like the original one.”

Apart from the location, Azmi is happy with the neat décor of the new eatery. “The Colaba one is more rugged and rustic while this one has clean lines,” he says. The Colaba outlet started in early 2000 as a small hangout joint, with plastic chairs sponsored by Pepsi and a sigdi to make kebabs. “It was in October 2000 that we officially called it Koyla and worked towards building it up as a brand,” says the restaurateur-turned-politician.

The new branch, which has opened on New Link Road, Oshiwara, is smaller at 5,000 square feet, seating just 130 Situated on an open-roof terrace of a former office block, it is a franchise, being run by Hasan Gaffar, a family friend of Azmi. Franchise outlet It is Azmi’s second franchise experiment.

He had opened one in Hyderabad, but it closed down two years ago. “I know franchising has risks, but luckily I have found a guy I can trust. I can’t expand if I try to control everything,” he says. The new Koyla has a separate sheesha section, seating 30, which serves the Al-Fakher range of tobaccos, in the usual flavours of double apple, mint, and strawberry, as well as cappuccino.

Like the Colaba branch, it specialises in north Indian cuisine, such as Dum Pukht, and Murg Malai Kebab, cooked on coal by chefs from the Garhwal region. It too has hut-like canopies, bamboo chairs, lanterns. There is also a low seating area to give diners a feel of the traditional, Indian style of eating. Explaining why he didn’t expand earlier, he says: “I didn’t have the funds, and for several years the rents were ridiculous.

Also, in the interim I opened Café Basilico in Colaba and Bandra.” He admits he spent three years looking for the venue. “It’s not perfect, but it’s the best I could find. I couldn’t hold off expanding just because I was waiting for a location.” He adds he chose Andheri as the middle classes living there now have higher disposable incomes and eat out more frequently.

“Most big companies have shifted out of town and many of our customers in Colaba travel from Andheri. New Link Road is where it is all happening.” He is also planning to start a brand new chain, Chai and Coffee, and to open up a third Café Basilico in Andheri.

Koyla occupies a special place in the lives of Takia and Azmi. The 24-year-old actress met Azmi for the first time at Koyla. They started dating soon after. “Years later, he even found my comment card which said, ‘Fabulous food, fabulous ambience’,” she smiles. Azmi calls Koyla a place for “happy relationships”. “There are so many people who started dating there and now come back with kids,” he says. The 28-year-old plans to open the next franchise outlet in Delhi by this year end.

Although the couple are major foodies, they don’t consider themselves good cooks. “I can’t cook to save my life,” laughs Takia. But her doting husband is quick to praise her culinary skills. “She does a mixing of dahi and mirchi which is very good. But then, there are people to cook. So I don’t expect her to be in the kitchen.” This statement makes Takia blush endlessly.

The proud husband reveals that Takia will soon be launching her lone venture Chai Cofi in Yari Road. “She has the capability to become a great business person and she always has brilliant inputs,” says the restaurateur. Takia is all smiles and states that owning a café had always been her dream and this one will be a perfect setting with varieties of tea, coffee and accompaniments like kheema pav, vada pav, brun maska, khari, toast and nankhatai. But Azmi has one complaint. “For five years, I was praying that we would get married and I would be spared of driving to Ayesha’s home in Yari Road. But now she is going to set up a restaurant there.” But Takia insists that Andheri is buzzing and most of her industry crowd is there.

However, the couple’s most ambitious venture is the Basilico House in Candolim, Goa. “This was something that we planned three years ago. This year, we were fortunate to find a 200-year-old Portuguese villa. The property should be ready by next January

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Source: Naomi Canton , Hindustan Times, Mumbai, May 13, 2010
Priyanka Pereira,Expressindia, Gourmet Couple,May 18, 2010