3 Mumbai eateries you can head to, to read to your heart's content

In JD Salinger’s short story A Boy in France, the author writes, ‘I’ll read my books, and I’ll drink coffee, and I’ll listen to music, and I’ll bolt the door.’ Salinger’s words sure find resonance with bibliophiles, for whom it’s all about finding that perfect book and curling up in a comfortable chair with a cuppa coffee (and maybe a bite or two!). In a city starved of public libraries, it’s a delight to walk into an eatery to find shelves upon shelves of books lined up to just walk over, pick up one and give in to the need to read. Here’s a look at some city eateries that offer more than food for the soul...

Door No 1, Bandra

“We truly believe that music and drinks and food are great, but sometimes books make the best company,” says Mihir Bijur, the co-founder of Door No 1. Going by this philosophy, the Orange Library at the retro bar is equipped with more than 300 titles, including music biographies by Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins and Michael Jackson, etc to the entire Calvin & Hobbes collection, Tinkle Digests, Archie, Tintin and the Asterix & Obelix collection, to Indian music and musicians, to legendary authors like Paulo Coelho, Leo Tolstoy, Oscar Wilde, Harper Lee, Ernest Hemmingway and more. “Our initial intent was to educate people on music and the stories behind musicians and their songs, but we then added more to our collection. In the age of Kindles, iPads and other e-readers, it only made sense for us as Mumbai’s only retro bar to bring paperback back,” says Mihir. The books have been chosen through crowd-sourcing efforts on social media, and patrons, who felt the Orange Library deserved a particular book. “We have a lot of people who walk in just to read. We’ve even had people who are tucked in a corner with a book even on a Saturday night!” says Mihir with a smile.

Fable, Juhu

Owner of Fable in Juhu, Ankit Anand says that they started the restaurant because they were inspired by books and authors from around the world. “While creating the book-themed café with comfort food, adding the little library was a unanimous decision — one that we hope inspires our patrons to read and write more,” he says. A collection comprising of around 100-150 books, there is something for everyone, right from children’s books, to fiction, sci-fi and non-fiction around various themes. “Some of the notable titles are Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami, Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle Suzzanne, The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton, The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond and Mrs FunnyBones by Twinkle Khanna to name a few,” he informs. While the staff takes care of the library, a number of their regular patrons contribute books. The collection is updated every few months, so there is always something new to look forward to. “We have a lot of scriptwriters and story writers in our café who stay for hours, engrossed in their books and that makes us very happy,” Ankit adds.

MockingBird Cafe Bar, Churchgate

Its pizzas and pastas aside, MockingBird Cafe Bar is also frequented by young bibliophiles, who want nothing more to do except curl up with a coffee and a book in the reading alcove. Owner Deepak Purohit informs us that it’s his private collection of more than 1,500 books which has found its way to the cafe. “I read a lot and I have just shared my collection with those who love reading, too. I meet a lot of young readers, who get thrilled when they see a book they want to read,” he says. Books by authors such as Salman Rushdie, Terry Pratchett, TC Boyle, Jonathan Franzen among others, adorn the bookshelves. “There are all sorts of titles, mostly fiction. We keep adding to the collection, so it’s pretty huge,” he says. And does he allow them to take a book back home? “I get asked that a lot,” he smiles, “But each book has a memory attached to it, so I have to say no. They can always go and buy the book from a store if they like.”