11 Mumbai restaurants that serve comfort food; but are not on award lists.

I eat so that I can tell you what to eat. And where to eat.

“The food that you get in restaurants in Mumbai is nowhere as good as what we get in Delhi,” said A who is a Delh-ire and has lived in Mumbai for the past 8 years.

“How can you say that? What about the variety you get here? Delhi is all about Punjabi food,” I sprung to the defence of my adopted home of 25 years, Mumbai.

“You get variety in Delhi too. You have very good South Indian food, Chinese, pasta and pizza. Not just Punjabi”

“But we are way ahead in terms of cutting-edge restaurants in Mumbai. Look at the recent Conde Nast India Top 50 Restaurant Awards. The top 10 has been dominated by Mumbai. Vir Sanghvi made a similar point in his Brunch column in HT,” I proudly countered.

“Yes, but one does not go to restaurants in the Conde Nast list every day. Those are expensive places. You don’t get comfort food over there. Once in a while is okay,” said A who is in the same age band as me.

I saw his point.

“What’s an acceptable per-person rate when a group of 4 eat out,’ I asked. I said 4, as this allows for sharing plates which normalises the per-dish cost 

“I’d say Rs  500 per per person,” said A. 

My conversation with A got me thinking. I decided to create a list of places for him that he could try.

The following are the yardsticks that I used. The restaurant should be a sit-down place. Ideally air-conditioned with easy access, parking and a clean toilet. I chose restaurants where the price of mains ranges between Rs 300 to Rs 600. Taxes and tips extra.

I have defined ‘comfort food’ as food that people are familiar with, not avant-garde food. Wholesome food. Where the portions are liberal.

The selection is based on restaurants I have personally visited and is not exhaustive. There is a locational bias and the list centres around south Mumbai and Bandra. The restaurants in the list are ten years plus old. They run packed (some have a low seating capacity). None make it to restaurant award lists.

Here’s the list. The order is as per genre and not preference.

1. Candies, Bandra: I am partial to Candies and have been going there for years. The service makes us feel at home. The food is consistently good. It’s a self-service restaurant with multi-cuisine offerings. It is more of a deli than a ‘restaurant’. It is not open for dinner. You get breakfast dishes here and a mix of North Indian, (Goan) continental, old-school Italian mains and pizzas. The food is kept on display and reheated on order. The food is made in small batches and is refreshed continuously. There are add-ons such as butter chips, salads, and bread rolls as accompaniments. They have old-school Western desserts. The crowd here ranges from toddlers to grandparents, courting couples to working professionals. I would sum it up as a happy place. My favourites: Chicken sandwich, mutton potato chop, mutton pattice, roast chicken (leg piece), Afghani/ pepper chicken with rumali roti, and macaroni salad. Add: 5AA Pali Hill, Bandra (W), next to Learners Academy School, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050

Chicken sandwich cappuccino, Candies

2. Ling’s Pavilion, Colaba: Ling’s Pavilion is a good, if not best, option to enjoy classic Chinese food (as we know it) in Mumbai. The crowd at Ling’s consists of folks whose families have been dining here for generations. Or at its predecessor, Nanking. And of folks like me, who came here once and then kept going back. You get Indo/ Chinese dishes (of the ‘sweet and sour’ variety) as well as dishes that are more ‘authentic’ (Cantonese). Try to look for the brothers, Baba and Nini Ling, who co-own the place and ask them for menu suggestions. If you want to go beyond the norm then ask the brothers about the day’s specials. These are meant for Chinese guests. The produce used at Ling’s is local and not imported. My favourites: pork soupy dumplings, salt and pepper prawns, chilli garlic spare ribs, stewed pork with tofu and shitake, special roast pork (Sunday special) steamed chilly garlic snapper/ pomfret, pan-fried noodles, mixed fried rice. Add: building number 19, 21, MB Marg, regal cinema Apollo Bandar, Apollo Bandar, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

   Pork soupy dumplings, Ling’s Pavilion

3. Cafe Churchill, Colaba: I found it difficult to think of a good Italian/ Continental place where the average dish price is in the Rs 500 range. That’s when K reminded me of Cafe Churchill. The family favourite of those who live around Colaba. Our favourite when we were dating. You would find international tourists dropping in too. It’s a small place run by a quaint elderly Parsi couple, with the even more elderly sister of the wife helping them. There used to be a long queue to get in back in the day. It runs full still. It has a seating capacity of around 20. No washroom. Crowd favourites include pasta (don’t expect al dente or non-saucy ones), garlic bread, old-style pizzas, hearty roasts, indulgent cheesecakes and pastries. Add: East West Court Building, Colaba Causeway, Apollo Bandar, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

   Garlic toast, penne marinara, iced tea, gooey chocolate cake, firecracker sausage, Cafe Churchill

4. Aaswad Upahar & Mithai Griha, Dadar: You can’t talk of Mumbai restaurants and not speak of Maharashtrian restaurants. Aaswad is my pick when it comes to Maharashtrian vegetarian food. Other popular ones are  Prakash (I love their puri bhaaji and sabudana vada), Vinay Health Home, Gypsy Corner, Ladu Samrat and Mama Kane and each has its loyalists. My recommendation for Aaswad is based on the fact that the food is good and the fact that the owner, Suryakant Sarjoshi, has done his best to make the ambience suited to a more cosmopolitan audience. My introduction to vegetarian Maharashtrian food happened here and this is where I take guests who want to experience local flavours. My Favourites; misal pav, sabudana vada, puri bhaaji, kothimbir vadi, khapoli vada pav, puri bhaaji, pohe, varan bhaat tup (dal rice ghee), pitla/ zunka bhaakri. It is a two-storied place, air-conditioned with a small elevator and has a washrooms. The staff is courteous. The queue to enter can get pretty long so be patient. Add: Sanskruti Building Gadkari Chauk, 4, Lady Jamshedji Rd, opp. Shiv Sena Bhavan, Dadar West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400028

   Misal Pav, Aaswad

5. Chaitanya & Nav Chaitanya, Prabhadevi, Versova: Mumbai has a rich tradition of Malvani joints in central Mumbai. These were small and spartan eateries called khanavals. They were frequented by mill workers who had come to work here from the coastal Malvan region. They lived alone and would look at these places for succour. The mills have become malls and many new Malvani restaurants have come up in the last couple of years. These are more posh than the original khanavals. Chaitanya is my favourite Malvani place. It was started by Surekha Tambe who runs a restaurant under the same name in Malvan. She was aghast at what she saw served as Malvani food in Mumbai and decided to open a restaurant to serve ‘authentic’, homelike Malvani food in 2012. She started  Chaitanya as a delivery place with a couple of tables at Shivaji Park and it became a runaway hit,. Moved to a larger premise at Prabhadevi where the queue to get in is still long. They now have a new outlet in DN Nagar, Andheri. Both are air-conditioned. The Andheri one is more spacious and grand. My picks would be any of the thalis as you are unlikely to go wrong. Do try the kolimbi bhaat. Prawn pulao. Add: Chaitanya Hotel 33, Raobahadur SK Bole Rd, Dadar West, Prabhadevi, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400028, Nav Chaitanya 6-B, Andheri Link Road, opp. Barfiwala school, Wing B, New LIC Colony, D.N.Nagar, Andheri West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400053

   Kolimbi bhaat, Chaitanya

6. Soam, Babulnath: Soam is my favourite Gujarati restaurant. The menu here is a la carte and I prefer this over a thali. Gives one a chance to savour dishes rather than being overwhelmed by a melange of dishes as it happens with a thali. The service is very good.  Owner, Pinky Chandan Dixit, operates quietly from the background to see everything is going fine. The staff and cooks have been here for a while. They have seasonal specials to go along with their regular meals. In keeping with trends, they have health-focused dishes too. I had avoided Soam for ages as it is a vegetarian place, but fell in love with it when I first went there. My family loves it too and we keep going back. My favourites: bajra dhebra, sukha alu puri bhaaji, gatte ke sabzi satpadi paratha, masala khichdi, vegetarian dhansak (masala dar chawal), bhel/ sev puri, sugarcane juice and the jalebi. It has a clean toilet and is air-conditioned. There is usually a queue to get in but they keep chairs outside for elderly guests. Add: Sadguru Sadan, Ground Floor, Babulnath Rd, Babulnath, Chowpatty, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400007

   Bajra dhebra, Soam

7. Shri Thakkar Bhojanalaya, Kalbadevi: My favourite Gujarati thali place is Shri Thakkar Bhojanalay.   The food is top-notch. Each dish has a distinct taste. The produce used is very fresh. They make my favourite version of the Gujarati winter dish, undhiyu. The service is warm. Waiters keep coming up with refills in the best traditions of thali places. You can politely turn them away and eat at your own pace. It is located at Kalbhadevi and is a bit of a pain to reach given the narrow, crowded lanes that one has to navigate through. Try the Dadiseth Agiary entrance. The air conditioning offers solace. They have a clean toilet. There are no windows, but the bright colours and lights add a cheerful touch to the restaurant. Add: Building No, 31, Dadiseth Agiyari Ln, Marine Lines East, Gaiwadi, Kalbadevi, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400002

   Undhiyu, Shri Thakkar Bhojonalaya

8. Ideal Corner: It is tough to recommend a Parsi restaurant in Mumbai which meets the parameters I have set as very few have kept up with the times. Most are not air-conditioned. Are shut at night. Do not have toilets. Jimmy Boy is an aberration and has good food but my vote would go for Ideal Corner. As would most Parsis I know. My favourites: mutton dhansak, mutton cutlace, mutton kheema, akoori, ateli margi. Few things to keep in mind. They are only open for lunch. The menu is different for each day of the week. There is no air-conditioning or toilet. There is a big window and you should try to sit beside it and watch the world pass by while you take in some good nosh. The Yezdi there belongs to owner Parvez Patel. He is an avid biker and ran a motorcycle repair shop at the same spot before he turned it into a restaurant. Add: 12/F/G Hornby View Building Rustom Sidhwa Marg Near Fort fire brigade, near post office, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

   Dhansak, Ideal Corner

9. Khane Khas, Bandra: ‘Indian restaurant means north Indian/ Punjab,’ is a statement made to stress that there is much more to Indian food than this. Yet I was a bit conflicted on what to choose as I could not think of too many good options in Mumbai. Remember I could not choose Punjab Grill, Gallops of Copper Chimney as they are way above the budget that I had set. I followed my heart and went with KK even though it is not air-conditioned. Nor does it have toilets. The tables and chairs are made of plastic. The generosity and honesty of the owners, Hardeep Chadha and Atul Sahni have made Khane Khas a Bandra favourite. They have an open kitchen and what you see is what you get. I used to go there with my colleagues during my early PG (paying guest) days in Mumbai. K and I would go there to eat when were were dating, but we have not done so since we got married. We call in for the food instead. I have taken people on my Bandra food walks there and they loved it. My favourites: tandoori chicken, jeera chicken, Afghani chicken (leg piece), kali dal, Punjabi chicken curry, tandoori & rumali roti, the stuffed rolls. Add: Shop No. 4, Ground Floor, Silver Croft, T.P.S. 3, Junction Of 16th, &, 33rd Rd, West, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050

   Tandoori chicken, kaali dal, Khane Khas

10. Lucky Restaurant, Bandra: Mumbai has several Mughlai restaurants. I am partial to Lucky Restaurant. It is literally a landmark as people know that they have entered Bandra when they cross Lucky. It is a family-run business. The founder had come to India from Iran. His grandson, Sayed Mohsen, runs it today. The involvement of the family shows in the excellent quality of the food. I would know as I have been visiting it since 1997! It took me a while to get used to the Mumbai biryani as it is different from that of Mumbai. I love the biryani at Lucky now. The kheema and anda bhurjee that you get at breakfast. They do lovely kebabs and gravy dishes. Lucky has valet parking and is partially air-conditioned. I prefer the vibe in the non-ac section.  Add: 9, Hill Road, Swami Vivekananda Rd, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050

    Biryani, Lucky Restaurant

11. Tanjore Tiffin Room, Bandra, Versova: I know that this is a controversial recommendation but my vote for South Indian food is TTR, and not the Matunga restaurants that one would expect to find. It offers food from Tamil Nadu, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. The food is wholesome. While the dishes are Tamil Nadu centric, many are available across the other southern states. The restaurant has a certain liveliness to it which makes it appealing to a wider age spectrum. This is the only restaurant on the list that serves alcohol. My favourites: Railway mutton/ roawn curry, veg/ chicken stew, gun powder idli, mutton ghee roast, mutton cutlet, karaikudi fried prawns., pork ribs, appams. Add: Versova: JEWEL MAHAL, Jewel Mahal Shopping Centre, Bungalow Rd, Ratan Kunj, Aram Nagar, Versova, Andheri West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400058, Bandra: JEWEL MAHAL, Jewel Mahal Shopping Centre, Bungalow Rd, Ratan Kunj, Aram Nagar, Versova, Andheri West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400058

    Railway mutton curry, chicken stew,  appam, Tanjore Tiffin Room

The Conde Nast list. I was part of the 100-member jury.