global kitchen. - Taste

global kitchen.
mad on
mumbai
India’s commercial capital of Mumbai moves at a dizzying pace.
Matt Preston tries to keep up as he samples the colour and
spice of the city’s food scene, from street snacks to Colonial
grandeur and the slick bars where Bollywood stars party.
words MATT PRESTON
Photography CATHERINE SUTHERLAND
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global kitchen.
Exhilarating, infuriating and occasionally
stinky, Mumbai is unlike almost any other
city in the world. Live there and you’ll
call it “mad Mumbai”. Visit and – after
the culture shock recedes – it emerges as
a vibrant and fascinating city.
As the top end of India’s economy
booms, the country’s commercial capital of
Mumbai has never been hotter. And with
direct flights from Sydney available,
Mumbai is ideal for Aussies looking for a
different stopover to Europe, or a holiday
spot that isn’t South-East Asia.
The city has its challenges. Its grandeur
is a little chipped and faded, and the traffic
is woeful – the 35km journey from the
airport to the city centre can take three
hours! This means Mumbai is very much
split between North and South. The South
is home to the old money, who still call the
city Bombay and often belittle North
Mumbai as nouveau riche due to all the
Bollywood stars and models living and
partying there. This division does mean,
however, that there’s a high concentration
of trendy clubs and bars in northern
suburbs such as Juhu and Bandra, and of
the 15 new five-star hotels scheduled to
open in Mumbai over the next few years,
the majority will be in the North.
As well as the mega-wealthy and an
emerging middle class, Mumbai is home to
Asia’s biggest slum. It’s a measure of the
poverty of the very poorest here that for
them a place in a slum could be a step up
from sleeping, literally, on the street. Official
figures put the city’s population at about
16 million, but there are estimates of another
five million living there unofficially. What is
dizzying is that Mumbai covers an area
about a quarter the size of Melbourne or
Sydney, making it the most densely
populated city in the world. In spite of this,
Mumbai has a reputation as a comparatively
safe city, although this should not impact
on the care you take when there. Mumbai
also has pockets of idyllic calm, such as the
ancient, temple-fringed Banganga Tank
(Walkeshwar Rd, Malabar Hill), where you
would believe you were in a rural village, if
not for the towering skyscrapers lurking
behind the crumbling old buildings.
Many Indians are drawn to Mumbai by
better work prospects, and the city’s role
as a magnet for people from across the
country means that Mumbai’s restaurants
reflect a broad cross-section of cuisines.
This ranges from the vegetarian food of
Gujarat to the coastal Mangalorean cuisine
from south of Mumbai, which exists
alongside North Indian and the city’s own
rather limited Maharastrian cuisine. The
city’s culinary map is further complicated
by distinct religious or cultural groups,
including the Parsis, the Jains and the
Muslims (more specifically, the Boris).
Eating well in Mumbai can cost from
40 rupees ($1) to 4000 ($100) but locals love
all points on this scale. What follows is a
free-wheeling guide to where Mumbaikars
like to go. Some tourist-friendly places
make it in, but only if you’re more likely to
meet a Mumbaikar there than someone
from Manchester or Mosman!
indian finery
Many of the smartest restaurants in
Mumbai are in big hotels and few do Indian
food as well as The Taj Mahal Palace &
Tower’s Masala Kraft (see Where to Stay,
+91 22 5665 3366). Snack on spiced pigeonpea
cakes with tamarind and curds,
followed by morel mushroom curry or
pureed mustard greens with corn bread.
There’s the added plus of maybe bumping
into the Indian or Australian cricket teams!
For North Indian dishes in similarly
smart surroundings, try Kandahar (The
Oberoi, Nariman Point, +91 22 5632 5757),
or push past the jungled exterior into
Khyber (145 Mahatma Gandhi Rd, Kala
Ghoda, Colaba, +91 22 2267 3227), a Western
celeb and fashionista hangout. Less swanky
is Copper Chimney, a modern chain with
branches in Kala Ghoda, Worli and Bandra
that does good kebabs, breads, palak paneer
(creamed spinach with paneer cheese), and
pomfret (a local fish) in rich tomato curry.
coastal cuisine
With antique wooden bowls festooning the
walls, the unpretentious décor at Konkan
Cafe (Taj President, Cuffe Pde, Colaba, +91
22 5665 0808) makes the wonderful food
even more of a surprise. Specialising in the
fresh, light cuisine found along the coast
south of Mumbai, Konkan offers seafood,
Goan mango rice, and dishes laced with
pepper, coconut, garlic, ginger and spices.
Winners include prawns with garlic and
pepper; pomfret steamed in tamarind
leaves; and a dizzying array of vegetable
dishes. They also have a decent wine list
dotted with a few drinkable Indian wines.
Mahesh Lunch House (8B Cawasji Patel
St, Fort, +91 22 2287 0938) is also a popular
haunt for seafood, but for more adventure,
head north to Gajalee (Kadamgiri Complex,
Hanuman Rd, Vile Parle, +91 22 2611 4093).
Have a candy-pink drink made from a
sweet-sour fruit called kokum, and gorge on
crispy fried bombil (lizardfish or ‘Bombay
duck’) with green chilli and coriander, and
One of the many vendors
at Juhu Beach. Opposite,
from top: the opulent
Tsar vodka bar at the
InterContinental; making
marigold garlands at
Colaba Market.
succulent giant prawns cooked in the
tandoor. Choose between air-conditioned
or the cheaper ‘no air-con’ room. Once this
far north, you might as well also visit the
bars of Juhu and Bandra.
As Mumbai covers seven islands, it’s not
surprising that seafood is big news here.
In the early morning, go to Ferry Wharf in
Mazagaon to see the fish land: pomfret,
bombil, lobster, prawns or surmai (a bit like
kingfish). It’s a crazy, heaving, technicolour
maelstrom of people. Fish pour from boats
onto the slurry of the dock where manic
bidding ensues. Three tips: don’t wear
thongs; be careful what you take pictures of
(as this is a sensitive naval area); and if you
hear hissing behind you, it’s a porter’s way
of saying they’re coming past – at speed!
The city’s most loved seafood restaurant
is dinky little Trishna (Sai Baba Marg, Kala
Ghoda, Fort, +91 22 2270 3213). Book a
crammed padded bench, order a Kingfisher
beer, then move on to Hyderabadi tikka of
pomfret, a justified bestseller. As with most
places in this city, a dish of onions and fresh
limes is on hand to freshen the palate.
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global kitchen.
vegging out
Another must-do is a Gujarati thali (a large
tray with bread, rice and a variety of side
dishes) from the vegetarian state that
lies north of Mumbai. The long-running
Rajdhani (361 Sheikh Memon St, Fort, +91
22 2342 6919) is a narrow shopfront lost
among the hubbub of fabric sellers. A sign
declares they’ve served more than 5.5
million thalis. Here, a metal tray is loaded
with little pots of pulses, spiced cauliflower
florets, or a sweet yellow sauce full of
drumsticks (a green seed pod) which are
chewed with the stalky casing, then spat
out. Everything is constantly replenished,
courtesy of the manager communicating
through finger clicks. Other venerable thali
choices are Golden Star Thali (330 Raja
Ram Mohan Roy Rd, Chowpatty, +91 22
2363 1983) or Chetana (34 K.Dubash Marg,
Kala Ghoda, +91 22 2284 4968).
Also, explore Mumbai’s warren-like
Crawford Market to see the local produce,
then visit the 100-year-old BadShah
(152/156 LT Marg, opp. Crawford Market,
Fort, +91 22 2342 1943) for hand-churned
kulfi (ice cream) or falooda, a slippery,
slurpable vermicelli dessert in flavours
such as rosewater or saffron.
a taste of persia
With a history of philanthropy far
outweighing their numbers, members of
Mumbai’s Parsi community have also
contributed culinary gifts to the city.
Zoroastrians, who left Persia 1000 years
ago, have a cuisine that hints at
their geographic past. The 90-year-old
Britannia & Co (Wakefield House, 11
Sprott Rd, Ballard Estate, Fort, +91 22
2261 5264) is one of only a few so-called
Irani cafes left in Mumbai, and is widely
regarded as the best. Try patrani machchi
(steamed pomfret with spiced coriander
paste), or mutton dhansak with berry
pulao – a mutton rice dish with tart
Iranian barberries. Wash it all down in
true Parsi fashion with a raspberry soda.
Afterwards, wander over to Yazdani
Bakery (11 Cawasji Patel St, Fort, +91 22
2287 0739) to complete your feast with fiery
ginger biscuits and bun maska, a buttered
fruit bun that’s perfect with milky chai.
street bites
Mumbai loves to graze, as you’ll discover if
you join the thousands ambling along
Chowpatty and Juhu beaches. Along with
balloon sellers, neon-pink fairy floss and
man-powered fairground rides, you’ll find
gaudy stalls offering tasty snacks. The best
is pani puri (crispy pastry with potato,
spices and tamarind water), but it’s even
better as dahi puri topped with curds and
roasted vermicelli. Another favourite is pav
bhaji – a mess of diced vegetables cooked
on a huge, thick metal chargrill served with
a sweet bun and a lashing of melted butter.
Eating from street stalls can be a risk for
Western stomachs given the different
standards of hygiene, refrigeration and
water quality. There are no hard and fast
rules for not becoming sick, but the basics
are to eat where loads of locals go
(preferably with a local as a guide); eat food
that’s cooked at a high heat and cooked
through; and avoid eating at dirty places.
Dahi puri, a pastry street
snack with potato, spices
and yoghurt. Clockwise
from below: colourful
vendors at Chowpatty
Beach; bustling traffic
at Crawford Market; the
gothic architecture of
Victoria Terminus station;
a boy takes to the stove
at a Juhu street stall.
A safer option for visitors is to dine at the
swag of cafes serving street favourites.
A kilometre north of Chowpatty Beach,
queue for a table at pav bhaji pioneer Sardar
(166B M. Malviya Marg, Tardeo Rd Jct,
+91 22 2353 0208). For Gujarati and South
Indian snacks, try Soam (Sadguru Sadan,
opp. Babulnath Mandir, Chowpatty, +91 22
2369 8080) or Swati Snacks (248 Karai
Estate, Tardeo Rd, opp. Bhatia Hospital,
Tardeo, + 91 22 2492 0994). With its newish
industrial look of stainless steel, Swati is
the least swank but nonetheless loved by
office workers and lunching ladies alike.
This 40-year-old veteran is famous for its
panki, a steamed banana-leaf pancake with
spicy green chutney. First thing each
morning, they also make syrup-soaked,
deep-fried batter squiggles called jalebi.
The quintessential Mumbai breakfast,
however, is vada pav (a fried potato fritter
served in a roll with spicy chutney).
Invented 35 years ago by a street seller at
Dadar station, locals now argue about
whether the best comes from Panshikar’s
(2 Govardhandas Building, JSS Rd, +91 22
2386 1211), Krishna Vada Pav near the
station, the vada pavwallah at Kirti College,
or from Prakash (Gokhale Rd, Dadar).
The most famous street stall in
Mumbai’s south is the buzzy Bade Miya
(Tulloch Rd, Apollo Bunder, +91 22 2284
8038), located in a dingy alley behind the
Taj Mahal Palace, where its charcoal
barbecues line the pavement. Each night,
a jam of cars pull up to order kebabs of
ground mutton or beef with swathes
of ‘handkerchief’ bread.
One powerful culinary icon that is
slipping from the streets of Mumbai is the
dabbawallah. This extraordinary, intricate
network of lunch delivery men used to
bring over 200,000 lunches from suburban
housewives to their working husbands in
the city, but with more dual-income
homes, the number of takeaways is
increasing and the number of women
cooking lunches for their spouses is
waning, together with employment
opportunities for dabbawallahs. They’re
not gone yet though, so you can still see
them at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus at
11.30am every weekday.
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global kitchen.
the melting pot
Affluent Mumbaikars love foreign food as
much as any other big city urbanite, with
Japanese and Italian being the flavours of
the month. US celebrity (and Iron Chef)
Masaharu Morimoto was consulted in the
opening of the sleek Wasabi (Taj Mahal
Palace, Colaba, +91 22 5665 3366), and its
sharp, modern Japanese menu. Stylish
Vetro (The Oberoi, Nariman Point, +91 22
6632 6215) stays at the top of the Italian
pack with its walls of swivelling coloured
glass panels and dishes such as San Daniele
prosciutto with rockmelon and Amarone (a
dry Italian red wine) reduction; and squidink
tagliolini with baby lobster.
The city has also had a long-running love
affair with Chinese food. Try the ornate,
split-level Ming Yang (Taj Lands End, Band
Stand, Bandra, +91 22 6668 1234) with its
sea views, or Henry Tham (Dhanraj Mahal,
Apollo Bunder, +91 22 2202 3186) for quirky
mod furniture and seven-course banquets.
(It turns into a bit of a nightclub later).
Another for the itinerary is Thai Pavilion
(Taj President, Cuffe Pde, Colaba, +91 22
6665 0808), which has a sexy new look
from Japanese design firm Super Potato,
combining minimalist lines with walls of
intricately-patterned purdah (screen) panels
and a slatted patchwork of carved beams.
Expect precisely worked Thai dishes of
whole fish baked in clay or pomelo salad.
If design is your god as much as modern
food, then the cool off-white interior of
Pure (Taj Lands End, Bandra, Band Stand,
+91 22 6668 1234) might also be your thing.
With a focus on organic ingredients, young
US chef Joshua Kemper whips up grilled
Himalayan trout on mango wood, or
tender sous-vide (vacuum-cooked) lobster.
In Colaba, chef Rahul Akerkar has become
an Indian celebrity for his take on modern
cuisine and décor at Indigo (4 Mandlik Rd,
Colaba, +91 22 5636 8999) with its rooftop
lounge, cocktail bar and menu of modern
international flavours.
restobars rising
Restobars (restaurants that morph into
bars), like Indigo, are big news for young
Mumbaikars. In Colaba, couples go to Taxi
(Jony Castle Building, 92 Khatau Rd, off
Wodehouse Rd, Colaba, +91 22 2218 4904),
with its intentionally disheveled old Euro
interior, to smoke hookahs (water pipes),
drink beers or snack. Other options include
the notorious knock-about travellers bar
Leopold Café (Colaba Causeway, + 91 22
2287 3362) for icy cold beer and a menu
that ranges from chicken tikka to steak
and eggs, or hanging out at the far cooler
Busaba (4 Mandlik Rd, Colaba, +91 22
2204 3779), with its Thai-tinged food.
After visiting Chowpatty Beach, or as
a break from the mayhem of the cricket at
The ornate interior of
Thai Pavilion. Above,
from left: Modern Italian
Vetro stands out from
the crowd; a dabbawallah
ferries lunch to office
workers in tiffin boxes.
nearby Wanhkede or Brabourne stadia,
try Dome (InterContinental Hotel, 135
Marine Pde, +91 22 3987 9999). This white
rooftop oasis attracts a swish crowd for
sushi, a strong list of imported whiskies,
and a stunning dusk view of the lights
that form the Queen’s Necklace around
Marine Drive. Downstairs there’s Tsar, a
lushly decorated vodka bar that attracts a
younger crowd. If you’re extra peckish,
nip upstairs to Kebab Corner – the hotel’s
family Indian restaurant, which grew up
from a street stall like Bade Miya.
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global kitchen.
For a more raucous time, head up to the
suburb of Worli and go to the Bombay
Dyeing Mill Compound on Pandurang
Budhkar Marg. Here you’ll find supercool
bar Shiro (+91 22 2438 3008), with its
monumental sculptures, day beds for
lounging on and a light, Chinese-accented
menu. Next door is the far daggier but
pumping Hard Rock Cafe (+91 22 2438
2888), where it’s a slightly intoxicating
cultural disconnect to find yourself
punching the air to Eye of the Tiger with a
room full of 300 drunk locals.
Further north, join the cricketers, celebs
and Bollywood types at Juhu beach’s
restobars, such as Vie Lounge (102, Roop
Leela Bungalow, Juhu Tara Rd, Santa
Cruz, +91 22 2660 3003) or Aurus (Nichani
Kutir, Juhu Tara Rd, Juhu, +91 22 6710
6666). While you’re in Bandra, there’s the
mod-Med menu of the rather slick Olive
Bar & Kitchen (14 Union Park, Khar, +91
22 2600 8248) or the Japanese-inspired
look of Seijo and the Soul Dish (206,
Krystal, Waterfield Rd, Bandra, +91 22
2640 5555), which has an Asian-tinged
Pacific Rim fusion menu.
cafe fare
For a light meal or something earlier in
the day, call into Rahul Akerkar’s
extension of his Indigo concept, Indigo
Deli (Pheroze Building, Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharshi Marg, Apollo Bunder,
+91 22 6655 1010). This modern, produceled
cafe wouldn’t be out of place in Surry
Hills or South Yarra. If nothing else, come
for their chorizo pizza with its crisp,
wafer-thin base, or the lime tart. For a
similar cafe-cum-wine bar feel, visit
Moshe’s (7 Minoo Manor, Cuffe Pde,
Colaba, +91 22 2216 1226).
For coffee, try Barista with its branches
in Bandra, Cuffe Parade and Chowpatty,
although the swish and rather old-school
Sea Lounge (The Taj Mahal Palace &
Tower, see Where to Stay) is a far calmer
experience. Gloss over 23 single-origin
coffees in favour of a pot of tea from a
selection of 41, ranging from Assam and
Darjeeling to high-grown Nilgiri. And
keep an eye out for aristocratic youth out
on parentally sanctioned first dates.
where to stay
With its unrivalled history and tradition
matched to an impeccable location next to
the grand Gateway of India arch, the The
Taj Mahal Palace & Tower (Apollo Bunder,
Colaba, +91 22 6665 3366, tajhotels.com)
is one of the few hotels in the world whose
architecture has become part of the
iconography of its city. This opulent hotel,
with its luxury shopping arcades, garden
and pool, is a Victorian oasis. If you can
afford it, stay in the far more atmospheric
old wing, rather than the modern tower.
Slightly less regal but still very
comfortable, the Taj President (90 Cuffe
Pde, Colaba, +91 22 6665 0808) boasts a
funky cocktail bar, Wink. It’s home to two
of the city’s best places to eat (Konkan Cafe
and Thai Pavilion) and high-flying Indian
chef Ananda Soloman, a leading expert on
India’s regional cuisines. The English
cricket team is known to be partial to the
Trattoria’s pizzas, too.
Lastly, Mumbai’s addresses can be tricky,
as every street has a colonial and an Indian
name. For a great map, visit: hoteltravel.
com/india/mumbai/central_map.htm. If
in doubt, ask your concierge or a local to
check the address and convey it to the
driver of a black and yellow taxi. d.
Thanks to Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces and
Qantas Airways for assistance with this story.
Qantas flies Sydney to Mumbai three times
weekly, tel: 13 13 13, visit: qantas.com.au.
A Victorian oasis at The Taj Mahal
Palace & Tower. Above: the minimalist
white interior of organic fusion
restaurant, Pure, at Taj Lands End.
110 delicious.