Food tour with my friend in Mumbai

To my excitement, my friend Xin from college visited me last month here in Mumbai. Since she takes great photos with a manual camera while I just press a button on my point-and-shoot, I’ve decided to use mostly her photos for this entry (with her permission of course). 😛 Whenever we have guests, special delicious food is provided at Priam’s parents’ apartment. Below is the breakfast we were given (obviously more than enough for two people):

This South Indian spread consisted of dosas (thin white soft pancakes with a slightly tart taste), idlis (soft fluffy white savory cakes), and vadas (deep-fried savory donuts), which can all be paired with various curries. The omelettes, bread, and butter can be eaten together as well.

I had read online that both Soam and Swati Snacks serve popular Mumbai street food in hygienic conditions; I opted to take Xin to Soam for a pure vegetarian lunch. The first thing that I found interesting was that the placemats were made from leaves:

Later after showing my photos to a teacher in school, I learned that these leaves came from a Peepal (sacred fig) tree, and Peepal is considered holy among Hindus.

I ordered a guava panha while Xin ordered a mango lassi:

I did not like my drink because while I normally like guava, the salt, pepper, and spices mixed into it made it taste really strange (I suppose it’s an acquired taste). Xin seemed to like her lassi.

While there was a good variety of Mumbai street food options on Soam’s menu, ultimately we ordered Gujarati food because the descriptions sounded more appealing. For example, “shrikhand puri & batata nu shaak” is described as “the weakness of any Gujarati; saffron kissed sweetened yoghurt is balanced by a savoury, subtly spiced potato preparation and golden puris fresh out of the frying pan.” This dish did live up to its claim:

I ate the potatoes, sweet yogurt, and puri (Indian bread) in different combinations (potatoes + puri, potatoes + sweet yogurt + puri, sweet yogurt + puri). Xin liked this dish too and said that it made a great dessert so she doesn’t need dessert afterwards. The potatoes tasted like high quality potatoes (the texture was great, similar to fingerling potatoes), and they were spiced just right. I couldn’t really make out the saffron in the sweet yogurt, but it was still good nevertheless in small quantities (in bigger quantities it’s a bit too sweet).

The second dish we ordered was bajra methi dhebra (millet flour with fenugreek leaves and fried, served with yoghurt):

The yogurt was tart and paired nicely with the Indian flatbread, which tasted healthy in an appealing way (it had a great texture from all the sesame seeds and other ingredients embedded into it).

For dinner, we went to a cute little cafe in the Kala Ghoda district called The Pantry:

 

I had taken a school staff member to The Pantry before, and it made her nostalgic because it reminded her of her beloved boarding school (specifically the designs of the tables, chairs, and electrical outlets).

First, I ordered the winter special thandai (traditionally made with nuts, seeds, saffron, sugar, and cold milk, although this was The Pantry’s own take on it):

I’m not sure what the dark brown stuff in my drink was, but whatever it was, it was sweet and delicious. In fact, my whole drink tasted delicious. I haven’t had a drink like this before.

We shared a mushroom and edamame pie with white sesame rub (sorry no picture provided) and a Champion (roasted chicken breast, mum’s mayonnaise, arugula, country loaf):

The combination of mushroom with edamame tasted strange to both of us; it was a little bitter. The chicken sandwich tasted great, which was what I expected from my last visit. The tomato and mustard sauces on the side went really well with the sandwich.

For dessert, we ordered “grandma’s winter berry torte” (not pictured). I remember it being good but can’t remember the details of how it tasted, so basically it’s not that memorable.

On the second day, I took Xin to The Yoga House (click here for my description in a previous post) because I find it eye-appealing and serene:

Since we were pressed for time due to a massage appointment, we just ordered drinks:

Xin said that her drink tasted very good and healthy, which is what I expect from a drink that is green. I think she had “The Pure: lemongrass, cardamom, lime, and black pepper”, although it could have also been “The Detox: cucumber, cabbage, celery, and lime”. I had a frappe with jaggery and milk, which tasted like an average frappe.

For our last meal together, we went to Candies, a hugely popular mixed cuisine restaurant in Bandra with a Goan ambience (Portuguese tiles, hanging potted plants, and garden outdoor seating):

Typically Priam’s mother sends the main caretaker of her apartment to get takeout from Candies, so I was already aware that almost everything from Candies is delicious. However, eating on the rooftop was a completely different experience, and I was really glad to be able to share it with Xin. She seemed most impressed with how Candies is able to keep their costs low without compromising on food quality or ambience. Their website states that they’ve been in business for 25 years, and I can easily see why.

Xin found the minions and one angry bird with a Santa hat picture-worthy:

This was our meal:

We ate macaroni, popcorn chicken, a mutton roll, two mysterious meat rolls, fish, salad, mashed potatoes, cheesecake, and an angry bird.

This smart cat knew that hanging around Candies would result in getting tasty food:

Initially it was begging food from us, but eventually it went to the table next to us to pig out on the leftovers.

Soam Restaurant

Address: Ground Floor, Sadguru Sadan, Opposite Babulnath Temple, Chowpatty, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400007

Phone: 022 2369 8080

The Pantry

Address: B Bharucha Road, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

Phone: 022 3015 1349

The Yoga House

Address: Nargis villa, Sherly Rajan Road, Pali Hill, Near Rizvi, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050

Phone: 022 6554 5001

Candies

Address: ONGC Complex, Bandra Reclamation, Near Lilavati Hospital, Bandra(W), Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050

Phone: 022 2642 3513