A short visit to Bread & Chocolate, one of the most famous cafes in Pondicherry turned into a 3-day affair, only because Mr. Dorji said “Come again, ma’am!”

Usually, when one goes to a new city/town, there’s an entire checklist of cafes, places and things to do, that drives the trip. Visit this place, eat at that cafe, the list is endless. And sometimes, quite frankly, overwhelming. Add to it, the scorching heat of May, and you’ll be happy sipping on coolers and iced lattes in a cafe, with a book for company, and a wholesome vibe surrounding you.

And if you’re very lucky, you’ll be greeted by the widest, most genuine smile you’ve ever seen, making you want to return again, for real. Meet Mr. Dorji a.k.a Mingma Dorji Gurung, a half-Bhutanese, half-Nepali man from West Bengal (Jai Gaon), who has made Pondicherry his chosen home since 2016.

The eldest among 4 brothers, he first dabbled in cooking when his mother taught him the basic process of making food, to make him self-sufficient. He says “when I was a kid, she taught me how to cut onions, fry them, add masalas, water, and vegetables.” This basic knowledge transpired into a full-blown career that has taken him to places like Srinagar, Delhi, and Chennai, before he laid anchor in Pondicherry.

Coming from a hard life back home, he knows his family responsibilities like the cafe’s daily specials. Despite having studied only till class 6th, he wants to make sure he gets his brothers settled, even as one works in the restaurant Dilliwaala 6, which is right downstairs! Talk about keeping your family close. It was Dorji who brought his brother here to work, while his two younger brothers are still back home – one studying in high-school, while the other is helping with the family shop.

Not one to just serve plates of food and disappear, he makes a lasting impression by talking to his customers in the most nonchalant manner, often revealing his funny side. I remind him of a joke he cracked last night with a Tamil actress, telling her “All my friends tease me by calling me darji-darji, because they can’t understand Dorji.” The straight face with which he delivered the joke had us all in splits. He says “Agar dusron ko hasayenge nahi, toh khud kaise hasenge.” I nod, thinking about how he wears his responsibilties seriously, and yet so lightly.

Talking about customers is what gets him going, as he dishes out one funny story after another. He remembers that one time when a customer ordered a sourdough sandwich and told him that “mere daath se khoon aa gaya yeh khaa ke.” I asked him how did he handle the situation, to which he says “I offered them to cut the sides of the bread and made them a new sandwich.” But, even as he said all this, he couldn’t stop chuckling. Even his co-workers miss him on days when he isn’t around, as they tell him often “tu nahin aata toh humara time nahi pass hota.”

While having fun seriously on the outisde, you see that there’s a serious worker inside, who knows his every regular customer’s favourite drink/food. He adds that seeing customer’s table without glasses makes him mad at his staff sometimes, knowing that the customer must feel thirsty. Often regulars just enter the cafe and have to point a finger in the air, to let Dorji know what they’ll be having. Such is his connection with them. He tells me how some customers want to even take him along to meet their friends, to parties, or just roam around. I can’t help but know why. He’s just too funny!

His positive attitude, and attention to every customer made him one of the fastest workers in his previous workplace, Dilliwaala 6, leading to a more prominent role in the place he works now at, Bread & Chocolate, owned by Daniel Trulson in partnership with Mr. Dabas’s Dilliwaala 6. And that’s not all. He tells me the real reason he’s been here for this long is only because of the owner, Mr. Saurabh Dabas, who treats him like a friend and family, often calls him home to eat, and refers to him as ‘beta’ or ‘bhai.’ He says “Woh humein paise bachane ko bolte hain, ki save karo, baad mein kaam ayega.” No wonder there’s low attrition in this place, as compared to many big companies.

Dorji further adds that he loves it here because of good work timings too, his shift being 12:30 pm – 9:30 pm, a good slot that gives him flexibility to attend to his own tasks in the morning. In sharp contrast, he tells me of his time in Srinagar, back in 2014, when he worked at Hotel Hillview’s houseboat – Ajanta Palace Queen of Lake. His work entailed rowing small boats to-and-fro the houseboat, and listening to the owners tell him “Yahan kaam karne aaya hai ya ghoomne?” whenever he would ask for a day off.

Not one to dwell on negativity, he loves coming to work, because the moment he enters, all his worries are left behind the gate, the metaphorical Laxman Rekha. I ask him what are some of the best moment during his work, to which he replies “weekends are the best, as there’s a lot of rush, and I get to meet new people.” And Pondicherry, being a huge tourist attraction as well, has offered him his fare share of celebrity sightings too! From Prachi Desai, Ritika Singh, to seeing Vishal, our conversation veers to his love for movies. We bond over Allu Arjun, and his movie DJ, a classic action comedy. He tells me how the Nepali movies have fake fights, as compared to the south action movies. Without mincing words, he says “mukka laga nahi, pehle hi gir jaate hain.” I almost fell off my chair the way he said it.

I ask him a few rapid fire questions –

Your favourite food is?
Datchi.

Your favourite things about Pondicherry are?
The beaches, dragon fruit juice (pink, not white), and a blue drink made with soda, lime and blue syrup.

Your dream is to?
Open my own momo stall.

What is the thing you miss from your hometown?
My mom’s dry fish achaar.

He lets me in on a secret, while telling me about his love for dragon fruit, that how he eats some from the kitchen whenever he feels like. He says “the owner doesn’t mind. He says eat whatever you want, just don’t waste.” Before we wrap up, as customers start filling the cafe, I ask him if he has a girlfriend. He shares another funny story, of how his ex ran away with another man from the restaurant below, where he had got her a job. He ends the story with a line that made me laugh out loud –

“Main itna chalaak hoon, lekin woh mujhe ullu bana gayi.“