Eat your way through Bombay: delicious lunches and fancy salads, street-side bites, fine snackery or a full-on fiery feast.
This is a first-rate Parsi classic, a notable example of which is served in the inimitable Britannia & Co.Tender lamb is braised in a rich and flavoursome gravy then finished with crunchy salli crisp-chips. Served with buttered Roomali Roti.
Satisfyingly agreeable dishes for lunch, or perhaps part of a feast to share at supper-time.
Your choice of Grilled Murgh Malai or Roasted Butternut Squash atop pleasingly light and leafy greens, sprouted mixed beans, bulgur wheat, bright broccoli, carrot, radish and beetroot with fresh red chilli and spring onions. Toasty masala coconut flakes give crunch. Toss-toss with tarty-tangy curry-leaf dressing. (Ve, V)
Where to start? Chole (chickpeas), halwa (sweet semolina), pickles (which are pickles) and one giant, crackled, puffy puri. Satisfying morning, noon or night. (V)
Toasted pistachios and shredded mint leaves with finest, greenest broccoli, fresh red chillies, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, dates and lime. (Ve, V)
Spiced malai chicken, ripe mango, broccoli, seeds and fresh green leaves, dressed with mango, lime and chilli. Exceedingly gratifying.
Delicate handkerchief roll crisped and filled with grilled paneer, onion, peppers and green leaves. Mint chutney on the side. (V)
Flaky paratha with a fine omelette layer, wrapped all-about an abundance of chicken tikka, fresh kachumber and zingy green chutney. A most-popular street food in Kolkata. Pleasingly sating.
Much loved, humble, unifying Bombay street staple. Hot potato vada, crunchy titbits and chutneys, tucked inside a soft home-made bun. Sprinkle the red spicy masala to taste. (V, S)
The Irani café classic. Soft bun with butter inside, to be dipped happily into the hot chai. (V)
A plate of freshly puffed poppadom puffs (hexagonal) sprinkled with masala magic. Dip into home-made chutney rich with two kinds of mango. Beloved of young and old alike. (Ve, V)
Perked-up Irani café classic: earthy, aromatic minced lamb, studded with peas, distinguished with subtle dill and warming lindi pepper. Arrayed with slices of toasted, buttered pau. Buy this now and convince yourself. (S)
Some Irani cafés now aim to please with Indo-Chinese fare. A plate of crispy garlic-ginger-soy-chilli-chicken is a modern café staple. (S)
Crunchy Punjabi-style shortcrust pastry, pea and potato filling warmly spiced with cinnamon. Tamarind chutney for dipping. (Ve, V)
Gujarati filo (not Punjabi shortcrust) stuffed with minced lamb, onions and spices.
Fine lady's fingers for the fingers. (Ve, V)
A nostalgia for Bombayites. Green chillies, capsicum and garlic in Cheddar melt on white sliced loaf. (V, S)
Strips of fish in deliciously crispy batter, herbed with carom seeds. Dip happily in the fresh green chutney. This Punjabi delight goes swimmingly with a drink!
An old-time favourite with lovely new qualities, pre-eminently nicer than any you have sampled before. Buttery-spicy, mashed vegetables and home-made buns on a Chowpatty tray. No food is more Bombay. (V)
Warm-cold, sweet-tangy, moreish. Golden-fried sweet potato covered with cool yoghurt, pomegranate, beetroot, radish and carrot. Tamarind drizzle and green chutney lift it nicely. (V)
Cold and crunchy, light and lovely. Puffed rice, peanuts and Bombay Mix tossed with fresh pomegranate, tomato, onion, lime, tamarind, mint. (Ve, V)
First comes the marinade, then the open-air grill. Picture Bademiya in Colaba, a Bombay institution since 1942. A balmy night, with newspapers laid out on old car bonnets. You eat. Savour. Spill.
Chicken thigh meat is steeped overnight in garlic, ginger, coriander stems and a little cream. Slightly pink when fully cooked.
Two chops of generous proportions. They lie overnight in raw papaya, yoghurt and a plenitude of seeds and spices. Blackened on the grill and finished with a chamak of lime, butter and masala.
A family recipe, using a marinade of sweet vinegar, not yoghurt. Laced with ginger, turmeric, garlic and green chilli. (S)
Chargrilled prawns in fresh green marinade. Inspirited by the raucous fish market of South Bombay. Prise the succulence from the shell.
Minced lamb is marinated with green chilli, coriander and cumin, then grilled. (S)
Such simplicity. Pillows of paneer, marinated, charred and spiced gently. A flourish of fried cashews and pomegranate. Makhmali means velvety. (V)
The seduction is in the tumble. New potatoes are smoky-grilled, broken apart, tossed with butter, crushed aromatic seeds and green herbs. (V)
Ignite your senses! A tangy tumble of pineapple, sweet potato and Padrón peppers, charred and spiced with bright vigour. Tossed in Jaadu Masala and lime. Insist on having. (V)
A Dishoom signature dish – dark, rich, deeply flavoured. It is cooked over 24 hours for extra harmony. (V)
Tender chicken in a rich, silky makhani sauce. A good and proper curry redolent with spice and flavour.
Choicest monkfish simmered in creamy coconut, tamarind, tomatoes and kokum. Strewn with fragrant curry leaves. Most popular for its sublime balance of aromas. Think quality!
Finest mutton marinated in red chilli, ginger and garlic, then cooked with black peppercorns and whole spices. Robust, spicy and tender. (S)
A steadfast, humble and delicious vegetarian curry, beloved of Bombay families. (V)
Slow-cooked, layered and aromatic, the Biryani traces its origins to Iran – as does the old Bombay Café. A pot is to be shared, or kept as spicy contentment all for oneself.
Tempting and flavourful pot of chicken, ginger, garlic, mint, coriander and rice cooked together in the Kacchi style. An homage to Britannia’s Chicken Berry Pulao, with cranberries.
Sturdy, savoury jackfruit and delicately flavoured rice, potted, sealed and cooked the traditional way. Adorned with barberries and sultanas. (V)
First-class greens and other delectables.
Toasted pistachios and shredded mint leaves with finest, greenest broccoli, fresh red chillies, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, dates and lime. (Ve, V)
Grilled mangetout and Tenderstem broccoli with lively Bengali mustard dressing. Greens for choosing – not refusing! (Ve, V)
Corn-on-the-cob, brushed with butter and grilled over charcoal fire. Finished with chilli, salt and lime, Chowpatty style. (V)
A messy to-do of cucumber, onion and tomato. A little lime lifts the whole affair. (V)
A rare embellishment of sweet and sour and spice. “Very chatpata” (or lip-smacking), says Chef, “not ordinary.” A little goes a long way. (Ve, V)
Delicate minty yoghurt, cool as a cucumber. (V)
All breads are made by hand and baked to order.
Freshly baked in the tandoor. (V)
With minced garlic and coriander sprinkle. (V)
Cheddar is melted inside. (V)
Wholewheat flaky-buttery bread. Fresh from the tandoor, with chaat masala and dried mint. (V)
Soft handkerchief-thin bread, thrown, stretched and griddled to order on an upturned tawa. (Ve, V)
Wholewheat bread, delicately charred from the tandoor. (V)
It means “the fragrant one”. (Ve, V)
Food will be dishoomed to your table as it is prepared.
(S) Spicy (V) Suitable for vegetarians (Ve) Suitable for vegans.
Dishes marked (V) may contain eggs. We make every effort to avoid cross-contamination, but sadly can't guarantee dishes and drinks are allergen-free.
If you have any food allergies or dietary requirements please let us know. Dishes suitable for vegan diets and gluten and dairy-intolerances are available.
An optional service charge of 12.5% will be added to your bill. Every penny of this goes to the team. (Service charge is entirely optional. If you feel the service is in any way lacking, you need only ask, and the charge will be removed.)
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