Colaba

A place I rate right on top of the charts! Have been a regular there for the last 18 years- right from my college days when me and a bunch of my fellow foodies use to eat there at least thrice a week. A very satisfying (huge) meal would cost us all of 15 rupees back then........

Cut to the present.....new management (taken over a few years back by the Bade Miyan but mercifully, the quality of food remains more or less the same. Yes, the chicken is not as humongous as it used to be and the roti's as thinner- but i still don't complain).
The place is actually quite old and run down- reasonably clean though! Don't miss the old warnings still plastered on the walls ("Food will not be served to over-drunken persons").
Right guess- no booze here but have no fear- old faithful Gokul is right across the street.
If you are in the mood for some major hogging- start with Chicken Fry - this is piece of Fried
Chicken (you can choose the body part you want- Breast or Leg) along with a fried potato- both with a delicious light reddish batter- Yum!!
The standard order is Chicken Fry Masala with Roti. It is the same Chicken Fry but with some yummy gravy. The roti's are divine (used to be much better)
If you are a Beef eater then don't miss Beef Kanda (onion) Fry. It is not on the menu but order that instead of the regular beef fry (with tomato's and potato's). Top all this with a delicious caramel custard.
Soft drinks available. Can also try the mutton korma, biryani etc.
Can have a full meal in under 100 rupees.

Located in colaba ...very popular with foreigners...if u do go there..go to the AC section.
Some of the great dishes are:beef fried rice,sea food fried rice..beef gravy in soya sauce,prawns in butter and garlic is just amazing. shd also try the wanton soup.

Ihave visited the place more than 100 times. will go again.

My first visit to Lings Pavillion. Nice decor, two dining levels.

The service was a little slow and iffy. The steward who waited on us was a little strict, and maybe even dismissive. :)

We started with the steamed siu mai platter.. 6 dumplings of roasted/minced pork and chicken. They werent light and freshly steamed, but not chewy either. the mustard sauce was great, just a few notches less pungent that straight wasabi. Imperial Rolls were just a fancy way to sell slightly big spring rolls.

The spare ribs were great. We had a chilly stir fried, altho they also have the a honey based sauce. The ribs were well cooked, came off the bone cleanly. They were nicely grilled yet juicy. and the meat and fat peeled off each other rather well. I thought i detected a coconut oil flavoured finish to the well roasted parts, and altho that sounds disgusting, i quite liked it.

we had a mushroom pot rice, very nice. slightly oily, but non sticky. and the mushroom and some cubed vegetable lent very slight and simple flavours. had a veggie curry with a schezwan sauce, which was not too spicy, very light, not over cooked and flavorful.

didnt try the desserts, we were full. and was a dry day, so no booze.

no of people : 4
tab : 899.00

will go again.

Designed like Indigo Deli an enjoyable place, you feel like you might be in Brooklyn by the looks of it.

They have a decent selection of soups but i got a medit sandwich. Falafal was kind of hard, the hummus was tasty, the whole package worked well. Unfortunately the size isnt nearly filling.

They serve overnbaked potato as a side. However it is not the kind served in steakhouses or Arbys Stateside. It is chopped potato with spices on it. Which was super dissapointing.

The pasta was the same as the one i had last time, but i forgot to ask them to hold the olives, which dropped the taste down a few notches. It was still quite tasty but not near as heavenly as last time. The bread on the side continues to be the onion laced focaccia. I would much prefer a bread basket.

The Damage was around 800.

Henry Tham is quite a popular bar most evenings and they serve a decent lunch/dinner as well.

Most of their meals are set meals and can be priced from 300-1200 depending on time of day and extent of choices.

The place itself is very hip, very well done but it dosent seem to have a very large dining capacity. A lot of style and form, not enough function.

I opted for the set lunch which comes with a soup (hot and sour, very good) appetizer (grilled tofu, suspiciously Hakka style, very weak) main course of Hakka noodles (allright) with veggies in garlic sauce (nice, very nice but weak veggie choice) boiled veggies (excellent, top notch) and green beans in some crap (avg)

The dessert was choc mousse, something white in a big thing of ice and fruits (avg again) Overall it was a promising meal, i think dinner would be more of an experience then lunch. They do serve these peanuts which are boiled and marinated in something (EXCELLENT!!!)

Total Damage was around 800

Indigo Deli is an off shoot of the famous Indigo which is a short walk away. This is a bit more toned down less experimentive but still excellent restaurant.

Its created to be like a New York Deli and it works quite well. Equal parts casual, comfortable yet stylish.

The menu is extensive and you can choose from breakfast items Eggs,Waffles, Pancakes (150-250)Soup (200) Salads (200-250) to Pasta to Pizza.

I would highly reommend just about everything on the menu, the pasta is spectacular especially the spagetti as are the pancakes. The salads come with a balsamic vinegariette dressing which really magnifies the taste. The pizza is highly likeable but i personally dont like it very much, its almost papad like.

Drinks are just general, nothing too dramatic or new though i think 100bucks for fresh orange juice is criminal.

The desserts are varied, tiramisu, cheesecake, mousse, all excellent.

Overall, i have been here multiple times and i think the food is excellent, the menu is extensive and eclectic enough to have something for everone.

The service can be quite wanting sometimes as they can be painfully slow sometimes. Seating can also be difficult even at 4pm on a weekday. However the waitstaff is courteous and accomodating if you are nice as well.

Pricing is on the high side (not 5 star coffee shop high) i would reckon a meal for 2 without alcohol to be between 600-800.

Describe the place. As long as you want. Include some food/drink tips, what not to miss, what to avoid, etc.

A rating based on one visit might be misleading - try and keep things fact-based. Remember, we are a hitchhiker's guide to eating and drinking.

Famous for it's Ragada Pattice, this place makes excellent Punjabi snacks and veg food.

Most food I have tried here has been good. Some other dishes I would suggest here are Chola Bhatura and Punjabi Samosa which are exceptionally good.

You won't go wrong ordering any standard Punjabi dish here.

Finish it off with some Falooda with Ice Cream for a yummy whole meal.

It used to be a no fuss eatery , an interesting variety of meat preparations.From the basic kheema cutlets to slightly more exotic Dabba Gosht , all served up in an old world ambience.

My heart breaks to say this, but the food at Cafe Excelsior is horrendous. There used to be a time i would almost lick the plates clean The food this time around was plain ugly. The curry and the meat hadnt met anywhere else before than in the plate. So it was just boiled meat and thick gravy put in a dish and served up.

I would still not complain , if and only if the meat wasnt as stringy. Please dont ever go there again.

Vrindavan is a cheap quarter bar in Colaba. It has a ground floor and a mezanaine floor with a very low ceiling where you are likely to hit your head a few times.

Very noisy, always crowded and dingy. There are two AC sections one on each floor which are very stuffy.

The one advantage it has over it's next door competitor the venerable (and similarly dingy) Gokul is that it accepts credit cards.

On weekdays, if you need a parcel in the night till about 3AM you can go knock on the door and bug them until they give you a parcel.

On Saturdays it is open till 3AM.

It's easy to spot Bademiyan. When you turn the corner from the Colaba Causeway, you can faintly smell the aroma of chicken in the tandoor. Turn right again, and you can cruise straight into the restuarant.

First you see the smoke, then the bright lights and the visitors gawking at the cooks. Then you hear the sizzle of meat on tandoor, and by this time, the smoky smell of tandoor already has your tongue salivating in anticipation.

Don't loll around, I humbly suggest. Grab the nearest empty table (they're hard to find; but a ten-buck note pressed into the boy's hands works wonders), and stay put.

Order a Chicken Baida roti (egg-roti stuffed with chicken) first, and then take a look at the rather small menu-card (I wonder why they don't put the prices there!). I'll recommend that you buy Tandoor Chicken Leg, Bheja fry, and a roomali roti to go with it. I'll also suggest that you order a coke or packaged water here.

While the above dishes are the highlights, many people like the chicken roll, which is quite filling. I also like the boti kebab, chicken and mutton seekh kabab, chicken tikka and gurda (kidney) fry. The tangdi kabab is also pretty good.

The portions are not very generous, but filling all the same. The vegetarian menu is not inspiring. This isn't a place for vegetarians.

All dishes are served with tangy green and red sauces and a generous portion of onions. I never touch them - I don't like any other taste interfering with the succulent chicken!

This place is a legend on it's own. It is the only streetside joint in Mumbai city which has been allowed to exist legally - rumour has it that a past police or municipal commissioner was a regular of this place and gave it legal sanction, rather than pack them up in one of those infamous BMC trucks...