A new wing at Leopold,for extra rush since attack

“What’s most heartening is that the number of Mumbaikars visiting the café has increased manifold,” says Farzad. The footfall here,he reveals,has increased by at least 50 per cent since 26/11.

The crowd of revellers,waiting outside the café for a table,is a common sight on most evenings.

The café,which has a bar on the mezzanine,can accommodate nearly 180 guests. Since Leo’s Touch can accommodate 100 more,the snaking queues outside will be considerably reduced. “We had purchased the property nearly two years back. After the attack,its development had slowed down. However,now we can entertain more guests here. We don’t like to disappoint anyone,” Farzad says.

Leo’s Touch is owned by the Jehani brothers alone,unlike the café which has multiple partners. The new 1,500 square feet space flaunts some additional features,even though the familiar air of Leopold is unmistakable. Apart from the DJ console,it will have live music and introduce karaoke nights later. Though the menu and price remain almost same as the café’s,the live pasta and barbeque counters will offer the diners a wider choice.

The café,which used to be an oil store,got its present form in 1987. Always a favourite among foreign tourists for its multi-cuisine menu,reasonable prices and beer bongs,the restaurant’s popularity got a boost after Gregory David Robert’s Shantaram was published.

However,after the attacks the café has become a symbol of Mumbai’s famed resilience. Most visitors can be spotted taking photos of bullet marks on its mirrored-wall and stain-glass wall —which have now been given the protective cover of transparent acrylic.

“Our visitors still ask the waiters the details of how it all happened. That’s one of the reasons why we have not got rid of these marks,” says Farhang.

On the 26/11 anniversary,the Jehanis plan a minute-long silent prayer at 9.45 pm,when the attackers struck. They will light candles in and outside the café.,and remember two waiters,Peer Pasha and Hidayat Khazi,who were killed in the attack.