Guest Blogger, Mom Jacqueline Soloman Writes About Best Eats in Mumbai

By Jacqueline Solomon

After reading and going through the article and the luscious high resolution pictures…I am STARVING.  Each category being better than the other and worst of all – not being able to relish the same until my next trip to India which I don’t see in the near future, I can’t help but remove this frustration positively by thinking to myself “How about writing about the best places to eat out in Mumbai on my blog”. Well I am not sure how much justice I can do to this article but would like to make it clear that this list is my personal favorite, from my periphery and all that I know from my few visits in Mumbai in the last decade. Some of the places may sound out-dated but I still have the taste of the same from my childhood and hence on the list… so without any more ado…here goes the list:

Best Vada pav:  Well this had to be the first on the list, pau wada the food of the common man the poor man. So delicious…. especially freshly fried getting out from the kadai (deep frying pan) on the broad slotted spoon. OK so my favorite vada pau stall is the one at Dhake colony, Andheri, near Apna bazaar. We used to have that one right from our school days and I know that today jumbo vada pau centers are more hygienic and the one opposite mithibai college, vile parle is more famous but all my votes go for my child hood favorite stall.  Even today when I go back to India I don’t miss having a couple of vada pavs there with lots of “ghati chatni” and the delicious pav melting in your mouth.

Best Pav Bhaji: Well I guess no shiv sagars and other pav bhaji stalls can break this The best pav bhaji can be had in Appointment, the small restaurant, one of the oldest in 7 bungalows can be counted for the consistent quality of pav bhaji. The paus overloaded with butter coming to you with the plate full of red colored bhaji, sprinkled with ample coriander and a big plop of butter. The only thing is order extra paus beforehand, the size of the bread is just too small and 2 are never enough!

Best Pani Puri –  I love hogging on pani puris at sweet palace in lokhandwala. They make it just perfect with the chilled water and the correct tanginess. One plate has only 6 pani puris which are gobbled up in no time, 2-3 plates at a time is a treat at this place.

Best Bhel – I love the spicy bhel from the local bhelwala standing right next to high point, lokhandwala. Just love the Bhel he prepares as per our taste. A fantastic cheap option. I seriously think chaats can be enjoyed more on road side rather than sitting in an A/c environment.

Best Chinese restaurant : I had been introduced to Chinese food in Gazebo, Bandra about 2 decades ago and today there is every second restaurant serving indo Chinese . After having Chinese at 5 spice, Legacy of china, china gate, and my favorite is Mainland China. I love the authentic Chinese food there. My favorite being none other than the Toffee Lychee — one of the best desserts ever had. This is certainly fine dining.

Best Dosas: During my recent trip to India, Bhavesh, my brother in law took me  to Sankalp restaurant, Kandivili, which  serves the  most varied dosas and certainly the best dosas I ever had. Crispy, dark, delicious and the sambar, chutney, rasam made to perfection. This chain of restaurant also holds the Guinness record for making the world’s biggest Dosas.

Best Golas: Yes, yes Gogol is the gola of today’s time, hygienic gola made with mineral water but again, my all – time favorite is the Gola from juhu beach. I don’t think any gola can taste equally good and I think the sand that gets mixed with the water and juices makes the difference. Well did some one scream hygiene…well can be taken care of next time…let me just continue enjoy this delicious ice lolly 🙂 Today these stalls at Juhu Beach along with the Dark Green (khas) and Deep Sea blue (Butter scotch) Golas also offer Parcel and Milk-maid Golas but I prefer my all time favorite “Kala Khatta”.

Best Fish : No one can beat my Naomi Aunt for preparing fish dishes. No restaurant in the world can make the fish the way she makes it. Be it Fried Bombay ducks, Spicy Mackerels, Tandoori  Pomfret or Indian Salmon (Ravas) fish Biryani….she is the best at it. Every thing is just perfect and one can not stop but just ask for more and more.

Best Guajarati Thali: I love and totally enjoy the gujrati/rajasthani thali at rajdhani chain of restaurants. I like the aura there (when its not crowded), the waiters forcing you to eat more and more and getting offended if you refuse. I also like the way the waiters interact with each other – not talking to each other at all, just through signs and taking special care of every customer in the restaurant. Love the way they shout “aau jo” when the customer rings the bell at exit, expressing his satisfaction and gratitude to the lovely meal had

Best Sandwiches: Spicazza, Santacruz has the best sandwiches in Mumbai. The place is bustling from 10-9, offering a variety of sandwiches from simple Bombay sandwich, to aloo masala toast, activity toast and veg.grilled sandwich (costing a whopping 80 Rs.). this place also sells good masalas which are a must in the kitchen for that chatpata weekend food.

Well the list can go on with the best biryani, best moghlai, best south Indian dishes in Mumbai….with a vast variety available in Mumbai. Would like to know your best eats around for my culinary adventure.

This article was originally published at : http://jackmick.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/my-best-eats-in-mumbai/

About Jacqueline Solomon

Jacqueline is a mother of two 2 daughters 8 year-old Noa
and 3 year-old Naama who has been living in Israel for the last 14 years.

She currently works as a Systems Analayst, with a passion for reading, writing, cooking and networking.

For more articles from Jacqueline, you can visit: http://jackmick.wordpress.com/

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