266048 Thu May 12 10:43:58 -0700 2005 12 44 South Asia 0 1403837 So I've just returned from a ten-day trip to Bombay and Goa. Normally, when I'm at home in New Jersey, I eat from cheaper Indian restaurants with street food, but on this trip I tried to keep me stomach at low-risk and go to nicer places (the exchange rate definitely helped, too). In Bombay, I followed many of the tips I read here on chowhound, so I'll add some more comments to what we've already got here... Unfortunately I didn't take any notes while I ate at any of these places, so my knowledge of dish names isn't so complete. What can you do. So, first, Bombay: - Jimmy Boy Cafe (11 Bank St., south of Horniman Circle, 022 2270 0880) -- this was the only Parsi meal I had in the city and in my life and it was great. The place looks like it's from the 70s, like many of these nice yet not recently redone restaurants in the city. To second the recommendation of another poster, the khara bhendi, or stewed okra in a tomato sauce, was so flavorful and different than other Indian okra dishes I've had. The okra was still firm on the outside and gooey on the inside. The lamb dish I had might have ever been better (its name started with a 'J' and was three words) -- it was a small pieces of lamb in a sweetish curry with small stewed apricots. Again, unlike anything I've had before. I loved this dish because it was so soft, both the lamb and the apricots. The lagan nu custard, an egg-based custard with cardamom was just alright -- too much cardamom for me. My meal cost me about 250 rupees. - Chetana (34 K. Dubash Marg, near Jehangdir Art Gallery, 022 2284 4968) -- this place has been hyped up as one of the best vegetarian Gujarati thalis in the city. I really enjoyed it, but it didn't blow me away. The only stand outs were the rasam, the most complex broth that I've ever had, and the samosas. The lunch thali ran about 250 rupees. - Khyber (opposite Jehangdir Art Gallery, near Chetana, 022 2267 3227) -- the most highly rated North Indian and Mughlai restaurant in Bombay (and most expensive, outside of the hotel restaurants). Trying to be hip in its overdone "oriental" decor, but it's at least comfortable. I had a huge dinner for one person here with great renditions of navratan korma (the vegetables weren't soggy like they almost always are), the house lamb specialty (don't remember the name, but the meat was really nice and tender), naan (had a strong sesame flavor), and some other things that don't come to mind. Amazing rasmalai for dessert, though I wish the gajar halwa had been in season. Expensive, about 1200 rupees for three main dishes, dessert, tea, etc. - Trishna (7 Ropewalk Lane, a block from Khyber and Chetana, 022 2267 2176) -- everyone raves about this Mangalorean seafood place. The food I ate was excellent, from fresh crab in lemon and garlic (supposedly the restaurant's specialty) to a Hyderabadi fish tikka with a special curry... A dessert of the now-in-season Alfonso mangos from southern Maharasthra were some of the best I've had in my life (more on that in the next entry). Can't say anything negative about the food, again different from anything I'd had in the US before and everything prepared well (no piece of the seafood was tough, for example). Dinner for two was 1200 rupees. - The Sea Lounge (first floor cafe/lounge in the Taj Mahal hotel) -- this place is really European, in typical luxury hotel style. It works, surprisingly, helped by the great view of the Gateway to India and the bay from its window tables. I spent a few hours here one afternoon drinking tea, reading, and, best of all, eating lots of mango. I can't remember ever liking fruit more. They had a nice looking tea-time buffet as well, pricey for sure. - Bademiya (Tulloch St., behind the Taj Hotel in Colaba) -- super-famous street stall for its kebabs and roti wraps. It is just an outdoor stall, no place to sit inside (though it seemed like its vegetarian subsidiary had some seats on the inside). The scene is the best part, packed with tons of locals, at least on Sunday evening, some eating at the haphazard array of tables that have been put out wherever there's any vacant room on the street. Many people seem to be driving far, as not many people from this area drive SUVs, which were littered everywhere, filled with families eating away. I had two separate roti sandwiches, one with chicken in a curry sauce (forget the name) and another with a lamb kebab -- both were fresh, moist, and spicy. I ate both right there on the spot. An expensive dinner, 90 rupees. - Kamat (Colaba Causeway on the east side) -- great south Indian lunch thali, though not as good as Chetana. A good cheap place if you're in the area. 65 rupees for lunch. I also had drinks at Indigo one night (a ridiculous ex-pat scene, felt like another world relative to the rest of these places) and drinks at sunset at the newly opened Dome, an outdoor bar on the roof of the Intercontinental Hotel on Marine Drive (there is a small area inside the little dome). The view there was gorgeous (in all directions, not just toward the sea) and it wasn't crowded at all. Most comfortable atmosphere of any place I'd been. Overall, I enjoyed what I ate in Bombay, though I wish I'd been with someone else so I could have ordered more at all of these places. I regret not being a bit more adventurous and trying places more off the beaten path -- this isn't to say what I ate wasn't amazing, but other than the meal at Jimmy Boy, I wasn't floored by new flavors and styles of cooking. It was great, but it was something I'd experienced before. Now, in Goa, much more quickly: Here I was with someone else... I had great, yet expensive meals at the Indian restaurants at the Taj Exotica hotel in Benaulim and at the Leela Palace hotel a bit farther south. At the Taj, I recommend the Hyderabadi lamb biryani, some of the Gujarati veg dishes, and, no contest, the fig kulfi and the andoori rabri (soft, moist cheese balls in various sauces). Those two desserts might have been the eating highlight of the whole trip. At the Leela restaurant, again the desserts were the biggest highlight -- amazing kulfi and rasmalai. The service there was also the friendliest I experienced (and also managed not to be overbearing as the five separate waiters who watch over you tend to be at these expensive restaurants). Both restaurants ran about 2500 rupees for two people for dinner. We ate lunch two days on the beach in Benaulim at Johncy's Beach Shack, which was very good when we ordered the right dishes. The fish tikka was stunning -- coated in a spicy, flavorful curry and very tender. The goan fish curry rice was also the best we had (better than at the Leela and Taj). We tried the bebinca, the famous Goan dessert, and it was terrible. I don't know if it's the dish in general, since this was the only place we tried it, but it might just have been the restaurant. Some other veggie dishes tasted like bland British food as well. It's a perfect place to spend some time in the hot PM heat, very lazy, with a sand floor and dogs sleeping under many of the tables. Lunch for two was around 250 rupees. In Panjim, we ate lunch at Satkar, a south Indian veggie joint on 18 June Rd. near the central square. The best thali I had in India, much more interesting than the places in Bombay. Recommended... In Margao, we ate dinner at Banjara (De Souza Chambers, 0832 272 2088), the nicest restaurant in town. Great North Indian food in the basement of an ugly building with decor to match in that trying-to-be-classy kind of way. The waiters were a little too pushy, but the food was good. Aloo papri chaat to start was not good (I've had better in Edison and Iselin in New Jersey and in Jackson Heights in Queens), but the different vegetable dishes we had were all excellent. Mediocre dessert. For two it cost about 700 rupees. I hope that's useful for anyone who's heading out to these areas soon. If you've been to any of these places and have other opinions, please post -- I'd love to hear what other people thought about these places and other ones, especially in Bombay. I'm sure there are so many small amazing local joints that haven't been discussed yet on these boards, so if you're a local, speak up. I'm especially interested in finding out where to eat more specific cuisines in Bombay (local Marathi dishes or ones from other regions in the country)... Thu May 12 10:43:58 -0700 2005 0 alex tol 1 1403842 U don't mention the exchange rate, which is probably hovering around $1=INR 45. Therefore: Rs. 250 ~ US $6; Rs. 1200 = US $30 or so. Thu May 12 19:42:27 -0700 2005 1403837 0 Suvro 1 1403845 I really envy you - I haven't been back to Mumbai in 2 years or so, ut I used to eat almost every week at kyber. I miss good indian food a lot. Fri May 13 08:43:38 -0700 2005 1403837 0 zach 1 1403866 first of all - congratulations. you hit good spots, and obviously had local advice. that you even figured out about local maharstrian cooking shows that you had stellar local advice. btw, i'm maharastrian - and it bugs me no end that THE stellar vegetarian cuisine of india has no restaurants worthy of the name in bombay. "The lamb dish I had might have ever been better (its name started with a 'J' and was three words) -- it was a small pieces of lamb in a sweetish curry with small stewed apricots." thats jardaloo ma gosht. next time, see if you can get an invite to the ripon club (next to elphi college in kala ghoda) ... your local contacts should be able to arrange that. for thali - rajdhani express by crawford market or thakkers club on dadaseth agiary road. punjabi - for variety, try copper chimney (get chicken bhartha for a sexy version of butter chicken). or try gaylords in churchgate. or even delhi darbar on the causeway (though the original bombay central one is the way to go). trishna is good mangalorean, and the sea lounge is fun. alphonso mangos (aphoos to us maharastrians) is my favourite fruit in the world. my diabetic dad would get off his very strict diet in mango season and scarf down aphoos ... try the masala zone in the taj (where the tanjore used to be). very close to home cooked food, amazing that you can eat like that in a 5-star. do NOT miss. as for bade miya, he lost his soul a long time ago ... he went mainstream in the mid-eighties and became an institution .. and while i admire his business acumen, i regret that the kabab rotis became boring. an alternative: get a frankie. thats a roti wrapped sandwich thats one of bombays best creations. my favourite location is in breach candy, but theres bound to be one in the fort area (where you seem to have stayed). and dont miss the pav bhaji next time, nor the vada pau. Fri May 13 17:41:01 -0700 2005 1403837 0 howler 2 1403887 Thanks for all the added info... Now I've got many more things to check out on the return. One question, though, where do you recommend eating pau bhaji? I looked everywhere I went to find some, but I never knew if my foreign stomach could handle the stuff cooked at some of these really filthy places. It was my favorite food growing up -- my best friend when I was in elementary school was from Bombay and his mom would always make us pau bhaji for breakfast when I spent the night there. I would love to eat it the next time I go, but I also want to be sure that I'm eating at a clean place... Thanks a bunch. Sat May 14 11:04:54 -0700 2005 1403866 0 alex tol 3 1403917 pau bhaji is almost always safe to eat, since both the bread and bhaji come to you piping hot. i eat at tardeo and nepeansea road, since those are the closest locations to me... but check with me before you go and i'll ask my town pals where they recommend going. and dont forget the (mutton) frankie! Mon May 16 04:13:28 -0700 2005 1403887 0 howler 1 1403912 I am thrilled that someone took my okra recommendation at Jimmy Boy and liked it as much as I did!! Great report. Wish I had been able to use this Goa knowledge last time I went there (Taj Fort Aguada). In case anyone is looking at this post for more reco's on Bombay, I never did report on my last trip in Feb-March, when I went to a Malvani place called Sindhudurg (Sita, R.K. Vaidya Road). This restaurant is in the Dadar neighborhood and is located a few blocks east of Shivaji Park, near the Sena Bhavan off Gokhale Road (North). This cuisine is very focused on fish, and I found it to be a little lighter than Keralan or Goan food, although similar. Along with fish curry (in a coconut and tamarind sauce), spicy grilled prawns, fried mackerel, potato chaat, puris and chapatis, there was one dish I hadn't had before: kokum kadi, also called solkadi. This was sort of a thin sauce made from a berry or seed called kokum, coconut, green chilis, cilantro, curry leaves, and a LOT of garlic. This was served warm in a glass, to drink, which was a new one on me. It was a little weird to have it that way, and to me tasted better poured on my rice! Sun May 15 21:04:57 -0700 2005 1403837 0 Julie 2 1403918 fyi, solkadi is made from maharastra to goa, and you can certainly pour it over rice - or even dip your puri in. just for fun, here's a busybee article which mentions solkadi (right at the end). Link: http://www.mumbainet.com/eatinout/portuges.htm Mon May 16 04:23:02 -0700 2005 1403912 0 howler 2 1403935 It's amazing that sometimes you get validation on the effects of your posts here... Thanks a lot for the tips on Jimmy Boy -- I walked inside with a printout of your post in hand. The okra really was something special... Do you know if there's anywhere else where you can find that dish in the city? Mon May 16 19:25:15 -0700 2005 1403912 0 alex tol 3 1403937 I've never had okra that way (or that good) anywhere else. It would have stuck in my mind! BTW if you are looking for a little higher-end dining and don't mind heading to the middle of nowhere to get it, I can also recommend the restaurant at the new-ish Hyatt (Santacruz). I was trapped at a conference there for five days in February and found, to my shock, that the food (mostly Northern) was really excellent. Mon May 16 21:53:28 -0700 2005 1403935 0 Julie 1 3188941 LOL i used to go to goa often... but i dont think i spent 2500 rupees in a month, much less a meal but that was a different sort of travel.... Fri Dec 07 13:56:08 -0800 2007 1403837 135229 thew 1 3747850 Goa : i had lovely meals at Curly's (falafal and stuff) in Anjuna. Impressive breakfast spread at the Marriott in Miramar. Shalom in Baga was a great Mediterranean restaurant as well. Bombay my favorite restaurants are Moshe, Indigo Deli, Kebabs n Kurries, Oriental Blossom. You can read more all my restaurant visits at http://eatingoutinbombay.blogspot.com Wed Jun 04 03:59:31 -0700 2008 1403837 197807 skinnylizard 1 4639026 I'm shocked there aren't more posts on Bombay. I searched the boards for some recommendations before a recent trip and there are really not many considering what an amazing city it is for eating. For anyone else who's looking, other than the old faithfuls of Trishna and Khyber, we like: Kailash Parbat (KP's), Colaba: a new discovery for us. Has the type of street food I wish I could eat at Chowpatty. Amazing dahi potato puri, pani puri, chole batata, etc. Shiv Sagar, near Nariman Point: their pav bhaji is the first thing we eat when we get off the plane. Simple lunch-canteen type of place. Status, near Nariman Point: another new discovery. You wait outside on plastic chairs with 150 locals and their families until you are called in for your veg thali. Mini pav bhajis (served on toothpicks like little sliders) amazing. People rave about Olympia's chicken biryani (Colaba) but when we went it was a severely disappointing pile of cold rice with a few meagre, bony chicken pieces. Wed Apr 29 09:59:21 -0700 2009 1403837 36075 abryan