| |
A chic deli and gourmet café, Basilico is worth visiting at any time of day. Step in here for a quick cup of coffee and a fresh pastry or pudding. Or swing by at lunchtime for some thai curry or a Mediterranean boullabaise. Good for business lunches and light dinners, the modern and airy Basilico also features a solid Sunday brunch.
|
The Parsis are Zaroastrian Iranians who fled a Muslim invasion of Iran and landed up in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Their cuisine is a curious cross between Persian and Gujarati, and can be found nowhere other than in this part of India. Daily specials are chalked up on a blackboard and the regular Parsi menu features dishes like chicken, mutton or vegetarian dhansak—a lentil stew thickened with pumpkin and served over rice fried in ghee (clarified butter), optionally topped off with a kebab. No alcohol is served and the place is not air-conditioned.
|
Celini may be a home-style Italian restaurant, but don’t expect ‘home-style’ prices. Do expect magnificently light and airy pastas, an extensive wine list and pizzas that are to die for. If you’re not drinking, or even if you are, wash down your meal with the one-of-a-kind cold coffee milkshake. Celini doubles up as the Hyatt’s after-hours coffee shop, so the decor isn’t terribly bold or exciting, but the restaurant does feature a showkitchen and watching chef Franco at work is almost as delightful as the scrumptious tiramisu, but not quite as divine as the eggless panna cotta.
|
This chain is famous for unpretentiously delicious malvani, Mumbai’s local coastal cuisine, and Maharashtrian seafood dishes like bombil fry (the tiny Bombay Duck whitefish in batter fried to a crisp), a stunning garlic crab and fried tiger prawns. Wash it all down with the hot and spicy kokum and coconut-flavoured sol kadhi drink. The Andheri restaurant always seems a cut above the rest, and the Phoenix Mill’s location is a little pricier than the other two.
|
Indian restaurants [name]d Gaylord can be found as far afield as Hawaii and Hong Kong and the inspiration for them all is this restaurant in Churchgate. The Mughlai cuisine here stands out. Sample the usual kebabs and biryanis as well as specialities such as the murgh kali mirch (pepper chicken) and murgh achari (chicken in aachar, or pickle sauce). The Gaylord also has a fantastic ‘Indian continental’ menu featuring chicken a la Kiev, chicken chasseur and lamb bourguignon.
|
| |
|