India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (65 page)
VongWong
THAI/CHINESE A scented elevator couriers you up to yet another visually appealing Oriental restaurant in Nariman Point. It’s the love child of the eponymous chefs Vong and Wong, one Chinese and one Thai—both masters—and together they’ve put together over 300 dinnertime items (and a fine dim sum selection at lunch) on a menu that’ll more than likely overwhelm you. Try steamed red snapper, grilled Chilean sea bass, chicken
sui mai,
or for something different, the fragrant egg curry. Dishes are masterfully flavored (although some say too subtly spiced) and inevitably excellent. VongWong is a seriously pretty, very stylish venue, and has made a big impression on a certain crowd, but you might have issues with the size of the portions—they’re in inverse proportion to the size of the menu.
Express Towers, First Floor, Nariman Point.
022/2287-5633
through -5635. Main courses Rs 450–Rs 1,200. AE, MC, V. Daily 12:30–3pm and 7:30pm–12:30am.
Moderate & Inexpensive
A survivor since 1973,
Delhi Darbar
(Holland House, Colaba Causeway;022/2202-0235;
daily 11:30am–12:30am) is a Mumbai institution serving rather standard (and oily) Mughlai and Punjabi food. It has several branches in Mumbai, but we recommend only the one at Colaba. No one comes here for the ambience or service—most come for the tandoori dishes or the mutton or chicken
biryani.
Ignore the Chinese menu, and don’t expect any alcohol to be served. No booze at
Koyla
either; a popular rooftop hangout above the Gulf Hotel (Apollo Bunder Rd;022/6636-9999;
www.koylaethniccuisine.com
; Tues–Sun 7:30pm–12:30am), it’s recommended for its leisurely ambience and setting: a candlelit, canopied terrace with Arabian music playing in the background. The most popular item on the menu is not food, but the
sheesha
(hookah or pipe), with fruity flavors like green apple and strawberry. The food is mediocre, but order some kebabs just to enjoy the cool evening breeze, or come after dinner to relax, sit back, and linger over a “mocktail.” The atmosphere is laid-back and no one will hustle you out—but service can be painfully slow. Reservations are recommended; even then, expect a wait. The cover charge will be redeemed against your bill.
The Skinny on Street Food
Mumbai is probably the world capital of street food. Thousands upon thousands of workers commuting through this vast megalopolis each day need to stave off their hunger before dealing with crushing public transport, and you’ll see an endless, thrilling array of places to snack on everything from bhel puri to vada pav (pronounced “pao”), which is the ultimate Mumbai street snack—basically a bun (pav) sliced open and packed with a fried mash potato ball and a spicy concoction of chili and garlic. Street food is something you should be careful about experimenting with anywhere in India. The spots we recommend are not on the street; they serve sanitized (yet authentic) versions of what is available on the street. One place where you can safely try street food—and it’s one of our absolute favorite spots to snack—is
Kailash Parbat
), which serves authentic Sindhi food brought to Bombay by the Mulchandani family when they moved here from Karachi following Partition. Pay first, and then approach the relevant counter with your receipt. Ask for a portion of pani puri (you’ll get six for Rs 25) which are like little mouthful-size explosions of flavor. The puri is a round hollow pocket of deep-fried flour; the puri wallah pokes a hole in it with his thumb and stuffs it full of chickpeas, sprouted mung beans, and mashed potato. Then he dips it in a vat of tamarind chutney to add a hint of sweet, and then into cold pani (water), flavored with mint and chilies. He’ll plop it on your plate and you pop the entire thing in your mouth—it’ll be the start of an addictive relationship. After you’ve had your fill, march back to the cash register and order a kesar pista lassi. It takes awhile to prepare—elegantly topped off with a layer of thick curd and a sprinkle of saffron—but your patience will be suitably rewarded with one of the most delicious drinks you’ve ever tasted.
You get to eat real Mumbai-style street food under very sanitary (if busy and noisy) conditions at
Swati Snacks
or 022/2352-4994; daily 11am–11pm), where there’s inevitably a (fast-moving) queue for the restaurant, but you’re also able to buy from the take-away window. They too have excellent pani puri, but are famous for panki chatni, thin pancakes steamed in banana leaf, and superb peru nu shak (spiced guava eaten with Indian bread). Locals come here more for the traditional Gujarati dishes not found anywhere else. You can also sip a soothing glass of hygienic sugar cane juice and round out your meal with homemade fruit-flavored ice creams.