Mumbai gets a new mead taproom 'The Canary'

The Canary, a London-inspired mead taproom showcasing modern British pub culture, opens up in Andheri West.

It is a part of Origin Restaurants - a hospitality startup focused on niche restaurants that showcase Origin’s radical craft meads - with BKC’s Vietnamese bistro Nho Saigon being the group’s first restaurant.

Focusing on new-age London cuisines and pub experiences, The Canary delivers a contemporary affair through its food, music, interiors and Origin’s meticulously developed, experimental, and supremely drinkable craft meads.

“After Nho Saigon, we wanted to showcase our meads alongside a more Western offering. A modern British restaurant came to mind as most ‘British pubs’ in Mumbai have little in common with what actual pubs in Britain are like, and to break the mindset of British food being cold and boring,” shared Shaurya, Co-Founder, Origin Restaurants.

The Canary is Mumbai’s first truly British restaurant serving classic British pub food and desserts, such as a rustic shepherd's pie, an accurate charred leg roast, and the strangely-named British custard “spotted dick”.

All of The Canary’s vegetarian options have been inspired by veganism and vegetarian restaurants in London, where the dietary choice has taken off enormously. The bar also features cocktails named after specific areas in London after careful research to find out the popular spirits and ingredients in those areas.

Six to several Origin meads are on tap at The Canary at any time, both mainstays like Geisha and Nektar and rotational taps like East Bombay Cartel (a salted guava mead). Two taps are slotted to Monkfish Ale, Origin’s small-batch beer company, while two guest taps feature beers or ciders by local breweries. These meads can also be devoured at their other nascent Vietnamese bistro, Nho Saigon at BKC. The meads are approximately priced at INR 300 for one pint.

This one-storey pub is designed to house 105 guests at a time. Its upbeat first floor features a stage for live events and pop music. The taproom also has its own curated playlist featuring bands from London’s underground scene, such as The Kooks, and globally-popular artists like The Arctic Monkeys.

The Canary’s outdoor area is the mead garden, a pet-friendly space in a minimal setting. The group also plans to develop this area into a platform for local and small business to showcase and have interesting ideas amalgamate at this very spot; a kind of mini flea market.