I was in Mumbai from Jan 1st till the 5th this year, right after a crazy New Year’s eve at ISB. The fact that I barely made it to Mumbai is a story in itself, but this is not about it. This time in Mumbai, I decided to track every single meal I ate out (and some at home), and I realized what an awesome epicurean journey I embarked on.

What followed was four days of varied, awesome and delightful (if somewhat filling) meals, which I have faithfully catalogued. And so I wanted to share some of the awesomeness, and the places where you could find the same if you were ever in Mumbai. Each and every place comes highly recommended!

Koolar & Co.

Known to many people just as “That Irani Cafe at the corner of King’s Circle, Matunga”, Koolar is an artifact of times gone by. A quaint little corner cafe at King’s Circle, it is an Irani Cafe to beat all Irani Cafe’s. The decor is early 20th century, with newspaper clippings of the titanic and what not gracing its walls. A few small tables and even more uncomfortable chairs grace the place, with nary a place to squeeze by to get to those last few spots… But despite all this, it has a cozy feel to it.

A misty day outside Koolar

The place is famous in its own right, both due to heritage and its food. Its been featured in a bunch of movies and ads, from Vaastav to Coke Ads with Gambhir.

The menu itself has not changed in over a dozen years (and most likely more from what I have heard from regulars). Their omelettes are to die for. Two egg omelette, with onions and chillies,nicely fried over a grill and served well done on a plate. This greasy delight is heavenly, especially after for hangovers . And you can wash it all down with some brilliant chai and burun maska. And if you are feeling truly adventurous (or ravenous), I dare you to try and finish their wrestler omelette (5 eggs!!!). Lip smacking food, especially early in the day as a pick me up.

   

A nice, super yummy Masala Omelette

Of course, a word of warning to people. The place is cozy, but only until you spend less than 10 minutes in the place. After that, the place is R-Rated… The odds then drastically increase that you will encounter (or atleast hear from) the Parsi owner of the place. Now, if you are imagining a nice old parsi uncle who will have a word of advice or a kind ear, think again. You will encounter one of the most foul-mouthed, ever-grumpy and loud parsi owner I have ever seen or met. Your meal will not be finished before he chews out the waiter or calls out the cook, either for verbal or literal bashing. Only the Kaka, the stalwart, old-timer waiter is exempt from his wrath (You’ll immediately know who Kaka is, you can’t miss him).

That said, if you don’t mind an occasional loud curse (or a series of them) along with your food, or if you consider that entertainment, then Koolar is a must-try for anyone visiting Matunga or its whereabouts!

Copper Chimney

Ah Copper Chimney. How I love your delectable, finger licking delicious buffet. But this time, I didn’t visit the buffet Copper Chimney in Worli. No, instead, I visited the Copper Chimney in Phoenix Mills, Parel. They serve Ala carte for lunch, and what a lunch it was.

I went in, hungry and starving, ravenous for some tasty delights. We ended up ordering some soup, a starter that I’ll get into in a little bit, Kadai Paneer and Dal Makhani. At the end of it all, I felt like a beached whale, and had rarely felt as satisfied, fat or happy

Masala Papad + Crisp Roomali Roti = ???

The first starter that arrived was the behemoth above. It was recommended by the waiter when we asked for a Masala papad and they said they had this instead. Instead of a papad, they serve the masala on a crisp roomali roti. A very interesting and delectable dish I must say.

This was followed by a hot, savory tomato shorba, that had little cream but awesome flavor. And of course, the main course of butter roti’s, Kadhai Paneer and Dal Makhani. Now if you haven’t heard about this before, then you really need to get out from under that rock. but Copper Chimney’s Dal Makhani is to die for. Creamy! Aromatic! Flavored just right, with oodles of makhan. I could just gorge on the dal alone for days at end.

The savory tomato shorba

Dal Makhani + Kadhai Paneer + Butter Roti = Satisfied Shyam

Of course, after that meal, all I wanted to do was find the closest bed and hibernate for the next year or two. But sadly, that wasn’t an option. But if you like great punjabi food, great ambience and just want to have a good time, Copper Chimney is something you should definitely consider at the top of your list.

I’ll save the other for another post… Till the next time!