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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.
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Haute cuisine in Mumbai was traditionally the preserve of stuffy French restaurants tucked away in five-star hotels—until this restaurant came along and reinvented it. From a charming two-storey bungalow in leafy byway in Colaba, chef Rahul Akerkar masterminds a gastronomical revolution, deftly combining European standards with pan-Asian influences and Indian spices. Indigo is also a buzzing nightspot popular with all of Mumbai’s finest. Reservations are essential every night of the week. Consider dining alfresco on the terrace.
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Meat lovers in Mumbai must visit M. Easily the best grill in the city, M’s chefs take special care to ensure that they have the freshest and highest quality meat—the grouper is flown in directly from Florida, the free-range chicken from Pune’s famous Hybro farm, and the kingfish and shellfish directly from Cochin. While you eat, marvel at the master chefs hard at work in a steel and glass open kitchen. Fancy a cocktail? M’s bar features a marvellous martini list that’s a mile long.
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Bollywood plays Hollywood at AD Singh’s Mediterranean-themed hangout where film stars can be seen dining with their directors. At the bar, they can be seen flirting with models. If cameras were allowed, the outside patio on Sunday brunch would likely make the cover of most gossip magazines. The food, which plays second fiddle to the celebrities, is good but nothing to write home about. A cross between Californian and Italian cuisines, Olive’s menu offers middleof- the-road dishes like fresh but boring Caesar’s salad and a light but filling penne robusta. The desserts do stand out—be sure to try the fabulous shocolade. And if the overdose of glitz gets to you, grab a drink and cool off in the ice room, where the daily replenished walls are sheets of solid ice.
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