India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (64 page)

Masala Kraft
CONTEMPORARY INDIAN Now famous as
the
place Hillary Clinton chose to dine when she visited Mumbai mid-2009, this is one of the city’s finest dining experiences, made memorable by the many unique and special dishes. Uncomplicated decor helps focus your attention on the task at hand—to choose from a tantalizing selection of dishes that take the best of Indian cuisine and bring them up to date for a more international palate. To savor a range of tastes, ask for a Mumbai lunch featuring various local specialties, served in stacked metal lunchbox containers—you’ll get an assortment of tastes and flavors (prawns, chicken curry, Malwani fish curry and minced lamb
keema,
all with rice and
roti
) that echo a typical home-style meal (a vegetarian version is also available). If you’d prefer to choose from the a la carte menu, you’d best ask your waiter for assistance: the
galouti kebab
(minced lamb) is divine; so too the water chestnut and pea curry;
sarson ke phool
(broccoli florets in mustard and pickled spices); newspaper fish
(paper walli machi);
and an absolutely perfect dal makhani (black gram and red kidney beans simmered overnight and finished off with butter and homemade cream). Finish off with a masala chai
kulfi,
and then ask for some
paan
.

Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Apollo Blunder, Colaba.
022/6665-3366.
Reservations essential for dinner. 5-course meal Rs 1,550–Rs 2,100. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 12:30–2:45pm and 7–11:45pm.

Souk
MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EASTERN Plenty of light, flavorful dishes accompany the full-on, close-up views of the Gateway of India. At lunch, be sure to reserve a table at the window, and prepare for a long, languid experience in the company of society women trading gossip. At night, the venue is predictably romantic. The menu carefully showcases an array of flavors, from traditional Lebanese
sharvarma,
Turkish
kebab istanbuli,
and Athenian-style grilled lamb chops, to Casablancan lamb shank
(lahm barkook),
Moroccan prawns
chermoula,
and Greek chicken stew
(dijaj stifatho).
Kick off with a selection of hot and cold mezzes: Syrian
kibbe,
cigara boregi
from Damascus, Egyptian
fattir,
and
sambusek
from Beirut—the combinations are endless. There’s also a popular mezze buffet offering the usual suspects (hummus, salads, baba ghanouj, tabbouleh, falafel, and assorted olives), together with meat- or seafood-based salads and delicious, hot pita bread. And between morsels, you can sit back and take in the views, and contemplate the mains. We’d opt for a tagine—lamb for meat-eaters, and green beans, artichoke and
fassulia
for vegetarians. There’s also an interesting variation of Moroccan
b’stilla,
made with asparagus. Finish with rose petal ice cream and a cup of Moroccan mint tea.

Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Apollo Blunder, Colaba.
022/6665-3366.
Reservations highly recommended. Mezzes Rs 475–Rs 625, mezze samplers Rs 950–Rs 1,050; main courses Rs 695–Rs 1,550. AE, DC, MC, V, Daily 12:30–2:45pm and 7–11:45pm.

Thai Pavilion
THAI This beautifully designed, sophisticated restaurant at the Taj President in far south Mumbai was the city’s first Thai restaurant and still its best. Although it’s over 15 years old, a design update has injected a dose of cool, too, so you can stare at the stunning textured walls (made from hundreds of panels of sculpted wood collected from across the country) or you can hop onto a barstool around the big, busy open kitchen and watch as chefs churn out dish after delectable dish. It’s hard to know where to start, so order a maparoo mojito while you decide between
miang kham phak
(wonderfully creamy tofu wrapped with betel leaf, served with plum sauce), stir-fried morning glory flavored with yellow bean paste, stir-fried sea asparagus with raw mango, or soft-shell crabs with pomelo. The grilled lamb comes with a lovely mint and cucumber sauce, and the steamed John Dory is perfectly flavored with lemon and garlic. Save room for
fok thong sankaya
(steamed custard served in a baby pumpkin) or, just as delicious, spiced crème brûlée with sun-dried rose petals. If you want a table on a weekend night, you’d better book—you’ll be among the city’s flashest foodies.

Taj President, 90 Cuffe Parade.
022/6665-0808.
Reservations highly recommended. Main courses Rs 550–Rs 760. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 12:30–2:45pm and 7–11:45pm.

Trishna
SEAFOOD Another restaurant frequented by the who’s who of Mumbai, Trishna is considered one of the best in the world (although many Mumbaikers prefer better-priced Mahesh Lunch Home, reviewed below). Butter pepper garlic king crab is Trishna’s signature dish, but you’ll also find jumbo pomfrets and tiger prawns (done in any style) cooked to perfection. Despite its reputation as a somewhat snobbish restaurant, Trishna isn’t about ambience (it’s a very ordinary white interior with old-fashioned banquets)—everyone is here for the food. Recommended dishes include pomfret Hyderabadi—barbecued with black pepper, it’s a true masterpiece; pomfret
hariyali
enveloped in green masala and baked in a tandoor; fish
sholay
kebab; Kolhapuri prawns (spicy, so steel yourself with a drink); or squid expertly prepared with butter, pepper, and garlic. Service borders on snooty, and if you ask for suggestions you’re sure to be recommended the most expensive items on the menu. Don’t expect to get in any night without a reservation, unless you’re willing to arrive by 7pm and be out by 8pm; getting in at lunch (when you’ll probably overhear air-kissing housewives scandalizing loudly at the adjacent table) may be easier.

Birla Mansion, Sai Baba Marg (next to Commerce House), Kala Ghoda, Fort.
022/2270-3213
up to -3215. Reservations essential for dinner. Main courses Rs 150–Rs 620; fish sold by weight; crab/lobster/prawns Rs 550–Rs 2,500. AE, DC, MC, V. Mon–Sat noon–3:30pm and 6:30pm–midnight; Sun noon–3:30pm and 7:30pm–midnight.