I don't think so...
Agreed. It did. At a point of time, in an unforgettable era, where every morning, the city of Mumbai would welcome the opening of a new stall or 'thelas' as we call them. Sardar may have been the only pav bhaji place at the time serving out of a concrete structure. However, over the years, most of the thelas have been shut down by the authorities of our city and what remained formed the 'khau gallis' or food streets that we frequent today for cheap,delicious and absolutely unhygienic foods. The profit margins grew due to the closing down of the remaining thelas in the city and many more concrete structures came up among these khau gallis that are mentioned later on. I think Sardar got famous for its generous portions of butter, not to mention its location, between Mumbai Central Station and the famous Haji Ali Mosque. In today's world, Sardar's pav bhaji has become an absolute flavourless affair with the lack of pav bhaji masala and enough quantities of salt. Its portions of butter which have now doubled in recent times could explain the exorbitant prices but I don't think people like paying so much any more just to consume mashed vegetables and fat. To the people of Mumbai, and the lovely tourists who visit our city, do be daring enough to venture out from the well known. The khau gallis, I'm sure are unhygienic but definitely not as much as consuming about a 100 grams of butter in one serving. If you do get the courage to venture to these places, the tastiest ones I suppose would be Cannon Pav Bhaji bang opposite CST station and Lenin Pav Bhaji between Marine Lines Station and Churchgate station. For a safer option you could even visit Badshaah opposite Crawford Market. These places are definitely worth a visit and chances are you will mostly survive. As for Sardar, however hard it is for me to admit this, having so many memories attached to this place, its the end of an era.