A taste of Bombay for those visiting Bombay

Rejoice O' young man, in thy youth.
- Dialogues of Cimon

I get a lot of mails asking about what to eat once in Bombay if you have limited time. So for all those visiting Bombay for the first time or looking for tips on a jolly good time here are a few things you should do while you have the time. The point is to try and distill the food and beverage scene down into a few choice alternatives so you get some good food.

Drinks
Drinks at the Dome - The Dome has the best view of any bar in this city. the place is beautiful and a truly Bombay experience. Jot down there around half past 6 and stay past 8ish and trek some place for dinner. A must do. Gin and Tonic would be around 600 ($15) Beer 350 ($8.50)

The Dome
Intercontinental Marine Drive
135 Netaji Subhash Road
Marine Drive, Mumbai
Phone 39879999

Cocktails
The best cocktails in this city are available at the Pan Asian at the ITC Grand Maratha by the airport. Slightly out of the way if you dont live in the suburbs, its not a separate bar but they do the meanest mixes this part of the city, country, world.

Pan Asian
ITC Grand Maratha Sheraton & Towers,
Sahar Road, Andheri (E), Mumbai
28303030

Pav Bhaji
Pav Bhaji at Santosh Sagar
Pav Bhaji is a signature Bombay fast food dish. It can be had just about anywhere in the city. Mashed veggies studded with butter and spice served with a side of some more buttered bread. In my opinion the dish that defines Bombay. The best example of this is of course at Santosh Sagar. Wash it down with some Orange or Cocktail juice. Meal for two 200 ($5)

Santosh Sagar
Shop No 6, Matru Ashish
Nepean Sea Road, Mumbai
Phone 23631199, 23640099

Sushi
Sushi at Wasabi - I am not a big Sushi person, the place itself serves more than just Sushi. However even if you arent i reckon you should hop on down and eat here because its a restaurant helmed by Iron Chef Morimoto (formerly of Nobu as well as head of Masa both in the apple) A meal here would be around 5000 for two ($120) However a comparable meal in NYC would cost about $600 for two (24,000)
So go here and revel in how much money you just saved and yes the food is pretty on the money...

Wasabi
Taj Mahal Palace & Tower
Apollo Bunder, Mumbai
Phone 66653366

North Indian
North Indian at Kebabs n Kurries ITC is for me the best North Indian option in either part of the city. they serve good kebabs and their entrees are fabulous. You get an opportunity to dine at a place which serves the best dishes from signature ITC restaurants like Peshawari and Bukhara (consistently in one of the worlds best restaurants list) Meal for two would be around 3500.

WG's Kebabs n Kurrys
ITC Grand Central Sheraton and Towers
Dr. Ambedkar Road
Parel, Mumbai
Phone 24101010

Indian Chinese
Is a variation of traditional Chinese turned on its head by us Indians. Its becoming a cuisine in itself with numerous outlets offering the same in New York City.
Chinese at CG 83 - When you walk into China Garden go in expecting a very Indianised version of Chinese food. The food is spicy, tasty and crunchy. There are quite a few restaurants that serve better Chinese but CG- 83 is the only one that does it Indian style.
Meal for two would be 2000 ($50)

CG-83
Om Chambers
Kemp's Corner, Mumbai
Phone 23630841, 23630842

Thali
A thali literally means plate. Its a big round steel plate, with about 7 little bowls. The style is buffet but it comes to your plate rather than yo getting up to go and pick what you want. The food is usually in the Gujarati, Rajasthani style and in some cases South Indian. However the food is usually very tasty, home style and not very expensive.
Quite a few options in this case, try Joshi Club, Samrat, Status, Golden Star. Meal for two should be around 400 ($10)

Chaat
Pani Puri at Charni Road, there is a small not very glamorous tikki wala who makes some glorious North Indian fast food. Its near Hinduja College. Non descript place but worth the hunt. Take in the pani- puri, the dahi puri and the aloo tikki. Meal for two 120 ($3)
Near Hinduja College opposite Golden Star Thali.

Falooda
Is a dessert you drink, fairly popular in India but of middle eastern origin. Its made using, milk, rose water, vermicelli and tapioca. Sometimes also served with Vanilla Ice Cream of Kulfi. It comes in plenty of variations but begin with the traditional version. Best tried at Badshah who specialize in this.

Badshah
152/156, LT Marg
Opposite Crawford Market, Mumbai
Phone 23421943, 23449316, 23425950

Kulfi
Is an Indian dessert made with boiled milk, cooked to the point where it turns red. It is also served in different flavors (pistachio, saffron, almonds and plain being the best) It is served fairly cold but is apparently not an ice-cream in the western sense but a frozen dessert. It comes in different forms, served on a stick, in a clay cup. However the best way to eat this is to try from any one of the vendors that serve it on Chowaptty Beach in South Bombay.

Vada Pav
Is a bombay staple, a patty of potato and peas and onions served with garlic and green chutney. Available almost everywhere you turn but Jumbo serves a hygenic version with brown bread and many other variations.

Dosa
Dosa is another fairly popular snack, available almost everywhere in this city. however if you want the best dosa trek down to breach candy in south bombay and find the large parking lot right before (or after depending on where you come in from) the US Consulate. Get the mysore masala and have it with his red garlic chutney and forget about anything anyone else has said.

Gujarati Eats
Gujarati snacks though fairly popular are not always as widely available as the South Indian and the North Indian snacks. To try some of these head down to Soam near Chowpatty of Swati near Bhatia Hospital & the various Rajdhani outlets. Make sure you try the pankis with different chutneys, the khichadis, the misals.

Sugarcane Juice
A lot of Europeans & North American visitors find the mention of this fairly odd as its not the most widely available beverage in the world. Being more popular in South East Asia, it can be found in plenty of places and is fairly cheap. If you see this some place, stop by and get a glass. Its sweet, refreshing and if you have never had one before, bound to blow your mind.

Gola
A gola literally means ball or bomb. Its made of ice (much thicker than a slush puppy) and this ice is then dunked in a syrup or juice made of any number of things (orange, pineapple etc etc) the juices are actually flavored syrups and not fresh made with fruit. Make sure you stop by and get one of these, pick the Kala Khatta (black sour) flavour with the pepper garnish. Again, blow your socks off.