Mumbai, as they say is the ‘city of
dreams’
Mumbai, as I say is ‘every foodie’s
paradise’
Two and a half long months in
Mumbai, quite a long period I wondered to myself before leaving from Bengaluru.
This wasn’t the first time I was visiting Mumbai! I’ve been here several times
before, but this was the first time I was staying here for so long and alone!
I had made a list, actually several
lists, no surprise there. These lists were all about things I wanted to do to
the places I wanted to visit to the restaurants I wanted to dine at; it was
quite an extensive one that I can guarantee you. Was I able to mark off everything
on my list? Well, let’s say I covered a lot places and there were some which I
couldn’t due to time or money constraints. Yes, I was a tad bit disappointed,
but I knew I would be coming back to the city hence I could continue my
exploits then!
Mumbai
has a very vibrant food culture, there is just so much to eat and savour! If
there is something I’ve thoroughly enjoyed here it's the street food! If you are a sucker
for street food, Mumbai is the place to be, and explore the street food
culture! From dosa to sandwiches to chaats and oh how can I forget the ever
popular vada pavs, these were part of my weekly diet! Heading to a popular
street food area and eating to my heart’s content is what I did every Sunday!
My
favourite was the dosa and Bombay sandwich! Loaded with cheese and butter,
these dosa’s were part of my Sunday morning breakfast! Each stall boasting of
having more than 51-100 varieties on their menu, I usually spent first ten
minutes on deciding which one I wanted to eat! No, I couldn’t try out all the
51-100 varieties but I did try something different every time. Mysore and
paneer dosa topped the list. Not
only was it flavoursome, but just one plate of it was so filling!
Bombay
sandwich is something I always treat myself to every time I visit this city.
This time was no different! Apart from shopping and gorging on cupcakes, I used
to pamper myself to these scrumptious Bombay sandwiches! You know like they say
in Hindi, ‘arrey iski toh baat hi kuch alag hai’, these lines used to run in my
mind every time I had a bite of these sandwiches! Again, variety excites and confuses
you, but I would suggest start off with the age old classic one, veg toast
sandwich! It might be the simplest one to prepare, but it is rich in flavours!
When
it comes to chaats, pav bhaji, pani puri and sev puri remained as my
favourites! Of course apart from this, the classic Mumbai special misal pav and
usal pav is a must have! There were times when I had just this for dinner and
later complained of not being able to move because I was so full!
Vada
pav, more than enough has been said by people about it, however during this
trip I realized that they are a bit over rated. Yes, I have had some delicious
ones, but I have had many bad ones as well. Almost every street in Mumbai has a
vada pav stall, and sometimes when you have too much of something it kind of
gets to you!
So here is the first of things to
do in Mumbai!
- Enjoy your Sunday breakfast having dosa’s in Malad (chincholi bunder) or in Vile Parle. The one in Bandra linking road is another option. Treat yourself to Bombay sandwiches at Vile Parle again. Yes, there are many places, but the one in this area has remained my favourite for years now! For chaats, go to Juhu or Chowpatty, the best chaats are experienced and tasted by the beach! Who said that? Me! :D
- For vada pav, Bansi vada pav stall is one option, but honestly till this date the best vada pav I’ve had was in Kalyan, you will grab another one just to relish the taste of the chutney!
Mysore dosa
Moving
onto a different segment, namely restaurants and Café’s! If there is one café
you must dine at in this city is Café Moshe’s! Having several outlets spread
across the city, this place is known for its Mediterranean food and desserts!
Recently this café introduced a whole new menu, which is more extensive and
caters to a wider taste! Unfortunately, I couldn’t get an opportunity to
experience the new menu, but the old one wasn’t bad either. After a long day if
you are looking for a relaxed ambience and some comfort food, this is your go
to place!
#nomnomnom at Cafe Moshes
Oh
and Café Leopold! Café Leopold is to Mumbai, what Koshy’s is to Bengaluru. More
than enough reason to head there, isn’t it?
Chinese being my favourite cuisine was something
I didn’t really enjoy here! It was
good yes, but nothing more than that.
For the love for Chinese
A special mention for Mamagoto for their
excellent service though! While dining here, as I was relishing my meal, by
mistake I ended up eating a chilli, and my god I was teary eyed! Seeing this,
not only did the waiter get me some sugar and honey, but also got a bowl of
ice-cream just so that I can feel better! Oh and they didn’t bill me for
ice-cream! This kind of attention and service will always make you want to go
back to the place again! Mamagoto recently opened in Bengaluru as well,
although haven’t tried it out yet!
Finger
food is another segment which quite a few restaurants here offer! If you are
looking out for just something to munch on and enjoy your drinks, there are
places like He Said She Said to experience! A bit pricy, but the experience is
worth it!
So the next thing to do in Mumbai
is –
- Go café hopping in Colaba. This area is oh so British and the café’s here reflect that culture. There are a number of café’s which offer just not food, but also beer, what more can one ask for?
- Go restaurant and pub hopping in Andheri and Bandra. Yes, it’s going to be an expensive affair but you wouldn’t want to miss out on all the food and fun! There are plenty of restaurants in both the areas, hence shortlist the ones which cater to your taste.
At one of the cafes in Colaba
Probably
something which I missed the most while I was in Mumbai was Nachos. Crispy,
yummy nachos! My cravings led me to try nachos at several places but nothing really made me go ‘Oh my god, this is so
good’! Most tasted like bingo chips and the others were devoid of
toppings and/or sour cream! From pubs like British Brewing Company to café’s in
Colaba, none impressed me and all I could do was wait, wait to get back to
Bengaluru and satisfy my craving.
Coming
to my favourite, desserts! You can’t go to Mumbai and not try out the cupcakes
from Theobrama and LSD (Love Sugar Dough), like you just can’t! After Glen’s Bakehouse
the finest red velvet cupcake I’ve had was at Theobrama. Oh the thought of it
gets me mouth-watering! The best part about the cupcakes here is that the taste
lingers in your mouth for a long time, making you crave for more. LSD again is
a very popular dessert café in Mumbai. Soft and glossy, these cupcakes are a
shortcut to happiness!
So yes, the next in things to do
list involves,
- Visit to LSD and Theobrama to get a sugar rush!
Red velvet cupcake, picture says it all, doesn't it?
I love breakfasts! I consider myself to be a very breakfast person hence exploring the breakfast outlets in the city was on my list as well. Mumbai isn’t short of breakfast places; I couldn’t pay a visit to all, but tried my best to visit a few of them.
Hence, the next in things to do
list involves,
- Visiting some of the popular breakfast spots in the city. Most of them are situated in Colaba, but there are some small cafe's located in other areas of the city too. My favourite was Le Pain Quotidien in Powai!
Happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast, right?
Also,
roadside tea! This is something Bengaluru lacks and what I miss about Mumbai.
Trying out the roadside masala chai is a must! Standing/sitting on the footpath
as you drink your chai while you watch the traffic in front of you is an
experience in itself!
So, add this on your list as well,
- Roadside masala chai!
Coming to the other things you
should do while you are in this city –
- An evening walk in Marine Drive followed by eating chaats at Chowpatty
- Shopping at Linking road in Bandra and Colaba causeway
- Drive through Bandra Worli Sea link, its magnificent!
- Spend the evening walking or sitting on the benches on the promenade facing the Arabian Sea! It’s the most romantic place in Mumbai if you ask me!
- Travel by local train
- And go for a late night walk
Beautiful, isn't it?
There
are several things which you can do in this city, however these top my list!
These are probably some of the ways you can best enjoy the culture of the city
and soak into it. Crowded yet empty, noisy yet calm, tall buildings and slums,
this city has everything!
For
a foodie, Mumbai is a place which pampers your taste buds. You can be on a
tight budget yet enjoy a lavish meal, something we all look forward for, don’t
we?
Yes,
there were few things which I really wanted to explore, like dine at an Iranian
café, enjoy a traditional Maharashtrian meal, etc. It’s definitely on top of my
list when I visit this city again.
Someone
asked me, what I liked about Mumbai the most apart from food of course! I said,
“The
tall skylines! Because every time I looked outside my bedroom balcony, seeing
those tall skylines made me realize how far I’ve come, and the fact that you
can be alone yet never lonely! It’s a very strong emotion, a feeling which made
me feel so comfortable, a feeling which perhaps filled the void in me!”
P.S - Apologies for the lack of pictures for this post! Unfortunately, lost a lot of them!
