Top 5 International Restaurants in Mumbai
Author of the article: Anusmita Dutta
Photograph courtesy: Anusmita Dutta
Tell me what you eat, I’ll tell you who you are. ~Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Living to eat or eating to live is a personal choice. Cooking is a creative and rejuvenating process. A well-cooked dish presented before one’s loved ones shows the loving thought, effort and time one can spend on making someone happy. Without being addicted to food in an unhealthy manner, one can love food and explore this interest by learning about them and trying out new recipes.
Food is also a yardstick to know one’s city and culture especially in a country like India that’s rich with its cultural and economic diversity across states, cities, and towns.
I have been particularly interested in finding out international cuisine available in Mumbai. The fetish soon turned into an item on my bucket list of ‘To-do’ things. Spread over weekends, I set out to try out new cuisines, some incidentally during special occasions in my family.
Here is a rundown on few dining experiences that tickled my taste buds and which I would like to share with food lovers.
1. Meating Joint- Imbiss
The small eatery “Meating Joint- Imbiss” tucked non-descriptively in two prominent areas of the city-Colaba and Bandra is a great discovery for hard-core non-vegetarian food lovers. The restaurant specialises in German cuisine and has on offer couple of good Spanish and continental dishes as well. Though there are many eateries in Mumbai that offer continental and European food, this joint stands out because the dishes served here are distinctly German with a generous use of potatoes and meat. The quaint eatery is a gastronomical delight especially for meat lovers because it serves beef and other exotic meats like Turkey, Emu, Quail, Guinea Fowl amongst others. The name of the restaurant with the prefix” Meating joint” is, therefore, apt. Some of the dishes that I sampled are “Hunter Chicken”, “Grilled Chicken with mashed potatoes” and the popular Spanish dish “Chorizo Rice”.
Coupled with pints of beer, one can certainly have a feel of German food in Mumbai at an extremely affordable price.
2. Imbiss -The Meating Joint @ Colaba
Next, was my tryst with Spanish Cuisine on my birthday. I had little knowledge of Spanish food in general the availability of authentic Spanish food in Mumbai was doubtful. My search for Spanish cuisine landed me in ‘Arola’ in the high-end JW Marriot hotel in Juhu. The highlight of this fine-diner is world renowned Chef Sergi Arola’s signature dishes. Spanish cuisine is cooked with a lot of garlic and has a smoky taste. The liberal use of garlic is evident in the main course and also the ‘Tapas’, for starters.
The most striking part was to see raw garlic pieces served to be rubbed on the bread slices, instead of the ready-made garlic bread in the side dish.
3. ‘D’crepes Café, Mulund
The next discovery ‘D’crepes Café, is a tiny informal eatery that was started in Thane and Bandra. Last month, a new outlet opened in Mulund. I would call this eatery a real gem better than some of the more famous but overhyped eateries. Whoever I recommended the place to, such as friends and family have unanimously given it a thumbs up. The food options here are equally good for vegetarians and non-vegetarians. That is why when recently I wanted a caterer for my daughter’s 1st birthday, D’crepes was my first choice. It is also my first choice for ‘mommy only dates’ with my female buddies.
Coming to the outlet, it is quite small and hence easy to miss it. However, what stands out is the high-quality food with a heart-warming variety offered at a reasonable price. The eatery doubles up as a café where people can sit for a leisurely coffee and snacks while reading a book, working on their computer or simply indulging in chit-chats with friends and therefore can easily give competition to the more famous and expensive options like Starbucks and Coffee Café Day in the vicinity.
The speciality of this outlet include the French crepes stuffed variedly, burgers, pasta, pizzas, sandwiches etc.
4. D’Crepes Cafe-The Thane Outlet
The crepes here are a speciality that are ladened with cheese, meat, vegetables, sauce and are very filling if one wants to have a proper meal for lunch or dinner. BBQ crepes and the Mexican crepes are some personal favourites. The Austrian mudpie, a dessert is also very popular with the eaters here.
5. Souk,Taj Mahal Hotel, Colaba
Lebanese cuisine finds its place in Mumbai restaurants’ menus’ in bits and pieces. But for a full-fledged experience of flavours of Lebanon and Mediterranean region, the fine dining experience at Souk, Taj Mahal hotel Colaba tops the list. Though, definitely on the expensive side, the plush restaurant with a panoramic view of the towering Gateway of India, made for a special dining experience especially since it was our marriage anniversary.
All in all, it was fun discovering the unique flavours churned by Mumbai restaurants. There are still many more cuisines and flavours to be tried and tasted – Japanese, Korean and Greek, Tibetan to name a few. The good news is that there are outlets in Mumbai catering to these taste buds, just that we need to be interested in finding about them. For food lovers in Mumbai, it is a great time to be in.
Author of the article: Anusmita Dutta
Photograph courtesy: Anusmita Dutta
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