One of my top choices for things to do if you ever find yourself with a bit of time to kill in South Mumbai is Colaba Causeway.
It offers the perfect blend of entertainment, cheap buys to quell any retail therapy urges and it is a great to buy gifts for people who want something "Indian" or "antique-ish". Colaba Causeway can be described as part roadside Bazaar, part tourist trap and part Oxford street type (cheap to mid) range high street shopping.
So what exactly is the Causeway? well at one point and time, it was a stretch on land only accessible during low tide which was reclaimed to form a structure which connected the stretch of land between Colaba Island and Old Woman's Island the Southernmost of Bombay's 7 islands (for those who are unfamiliar Bombay consisted of 7 islands). Till this day Colaba Causeway is a significant road that connects the southernmost tip of Mumbai with the rest of the city.
To those who do not frequent Colaba the Causeway is just the road behind the iconic monument hotel Taj. A once beautiful avenue of buildings dating back more then a century bear their scars and stretch marks of old age. Many are in dire need of renovation and you really have to be patient and try to see their beauty these days. Most of the 4 and 5 storied buildings have been invaded by vendors who have encroached on ever spare bit pavement space under their turn of the century porticoed entrance arches.
At first glance the entire street looks like a shabby roadside bazaar a blight on the beauty of the splendor of grand old buildings. Then you notice that all the building owners at some point must have given up on trying to evict the vendors as every building has let out its road facing ground floor to commercial tenants. Today if you look past the vendors on the outer side of the porticoes you will find Benetton, Levis, Lees, Bodyshop, Nike, Reebok and other mid range high street shops.
Odd exotic shops bearing strange names with the words Arab and African thrown in, pharmacies, tailors, wholesalers, laundries, toyshops and florists. There are shops selling import-export rejects, the kind of labeled clothes sold in the UK and US which did not pass the mark to be shipped but look almost unto par with those that made it across the seas. So if labels matter to you the export rejects may be your thing, as they tend to have a very slight flaws that you cant usually tell. The vendors specialize in fake everything so if you want a fake T-shirt or watch I am told the causeway is the place to be.
Obviously there are also lots of touristy wears on display with touristy prices. However can convince the vendors that you are Indian (which I find very difficult) they tend not to quote unreasonably high rates to you. If you are an experienced bargainer the Causeway is definitely the place for you to test your skills.
If you need to buy gifts in bulk for friend’s abroad this is the place. My favorite gifts to give are beautifully carved wooden incense holders, faux antique compasses, faux antique early 19 century telephones, funky thick colorful resin bangles and multicolored glass bangles (both of which are so trendy these days) and so many bits of really good quality semi precious jewellery. If your into Indian clothes you will find cheap salwars there, the very popular harem pants, tie die everything (there are many kaftan shops which are very popular), huge cloth ethnic bags, inlay marble boxes and Rajisthani style mirror work cholis and skirts.
The Causeway is full of restaurants to suit every pallet. You can choose from North Indian to Chaat (roadside snacky cuisine), Parsi and Irani, Indian Chinese, Sandwich places, Coffee shops and Patisseries. My top tries are Delhi Darbar for Indian the must have is not a main but the roomily root its fantastic but I feel claustrophobic so I usually do a take away form there. Another place where you can have nice Indian kabobs is Cafe Leopold, which is quite a landmark as it was popularized in the book Shantaram. Unfortunately it was also the first location the terrorists struck in Bombay a few years ago fortunately the place survived and thrives more then ever.
If you want the best sandwich in Bombay head to the end of the Causeway to Paradise Restaurant a hole in the wall but clean and hygienic. Their mayonnaise is to die for. The chicken mayo sans and rolls are outstanding. Their chutney sans is super too. As far as patisseries and bakeries go Theobroma is legendary for their brownies. My favorite is something a dietician’s nightmare is made of the chocolate cookie brownie...so it’s actually a chocolate chip cookie topping on a decadent brownie. Theoborma also does a good smoked chicken roll and a good iced coffee.
If you are looking for a posher meal then you need to turn off the Causeway and walk a few minutes. The most expensive option is the Taj. Although this ones a hotel and not a monument it is steeped in so much history that I would describe it as a monument. It does has many nice restaurants and super ambience but it also the most expensive venue for a meal in the city.
Indigo is a restobar with a huge fan following. Its cuisine is Western Nouvelle/ Fusion. Busabar, right next to Indigo is a Pan Asian Restaurant, which has a good reputation though I cant, vouch for it. In all fairness my date for that meal was someone who is very allergic to nuts and I could not sample most of the dishes on the menu so its a must try again. If you want a good authentic Chinese meal I cannot think of a better place then Lings Pavilion. Words to the wise please do tell them what you expect from your meal. Indians tend to love their Indianised Chinese food so if you do not specify that is probably what you will end up with. Do note the drawback is the decor and general atmosphere of the restaurant its dingy and noisy they really need to do up the place.
The one place I can recommend for a nice meal, or just a quick bite, if you can get a table is the Indigo Deli. In my opinion it’s the shining star of the off Causeway restaurants with a great ambiance and a super menu. It deserves whole blog to itself but if you want a great sandwich, pasta or nicest ice cream with the nicest palette of flavors in Bombay that’s the place to go.
All in all who ever you are wherever your from and whatever your budget you will find something to do at the Causeway. If your a visitor to Bombay its one of those must not miss places.
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