The Causway: Cheap and Cheerful day in Mumbai

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.

Corporate Downsizing reflected on my Plate: Sea Lounge

One of my fondest memories of my childhood was going to the Sea Lounge to have what my mother called 'high tea'. All I remember is sitting by the window and looking at the boats bob up and down in the Arabian Sea. When I first returned to Bombay last year a few things cheered me up as much as friends who visited from overseas. And so it happened that one such friend dragged me to the Taj and re-introduced me to the Sea Lounge.

From the second I walked in there I knew I had found a space I would love for however long I find myself in India. The decor was just to my taste - simple and elegant. The baby blueish powdery paint and white mouldings went a long way to add to the very relaxed energy and the sounds of the grand piano drowned out everything that was chaotic. Although I have been there many times in the last few months I am unable to describe anything else about the place, my attention is on every visit has been focussed on getting a table by the window. If, like me you are not a “spa person” and you want to treat yourself to some peace and quiet I can't think of another such peaceful luxurious sanctuary in Bombay.

The Sea Lounge is a treat I am not a great bill discetor but I am aware that the bill would be in the general viscinity of ‘I am spoiling myself’. It is a nice place to share with a close friend or a special date. However, a word to the wise, the Taj has a lot of security checks and at times the entire street near it is cordonned off by the police and is not accessible even if you are going to the Taj. So if your date is someone who will be irrate about waiting for the car, walking a bit in the sun or going through the secuirty checks and handbag searches perhaps the Sea Lounge is not the most appropraite place on that occassion.

The staff at the Sea Lounge are always polite and welcoming. There was an occasion once though when a friend of mine and I walked in and we could not find a single member of staff. After waiting a while the pianist gallantly showed us to a table. As my grandmother would say the service at the Taj is not what it used to be like in the good old days.

Then there was the occasion that my friend ended up having her pani puri and chutney served to her on her dress. It was an accident we understood that. The staff were very apologetic but they made no effort to get my friend’s clothes laundered which I felt is the least they could have done through their in house laundry. An establishment of similar standing in another country would have offered to compensate my friend for her laundry bill or they would have given us a complimentary meal or simply taken something off our bill. That was not an enjoyable lunch as we spent most of it in the ladies room trying to clean all the food off my friends dress. On a positive note though the lady who works in the ladies room was exceedingly helpful and kind.

I have to admit that I am not a chaat fan. I do not like Indian snacks and I have never tried chaat at the Sea Lounge. However I know lots of people who visit from overseas to like to go there and pay a heafty permium for what I like to call "street food served posh". However I would like to point out that the chaat is served so exquisitely that the food presentation can compare to any fine restaurant in the world.

I am a tremendously fussy eater. I have a wide ranging palette but I loathe food that is not upto the mark. On all my visits I have always stuck to munching down the tenderloin sandwich. I really liked the generous bit of avocado (hard to get in Mumbai) a sprinkle of scallions and one is always pleased with chips by ones sani.

A tip to those who are not very clued in on Indian beef, when one orders beef in India one must never have high expectations to the extent that one must really expect to be served beef. It is a fact that more often than not you will be served buffalo meat, which if prepared well can taste quite pleasant.

Now when you order any beef or whatever is served masquerading as beef beware Indians only eat overcooked meat! In my opinion it is a total waste if you can actually manage to get a sliver of decent beef in Bombay to have it cooked till its a shade of something positively unattractive and has the texture of chewing gum. So all those who risk ordering beef and want it cooked rare, medium rare, medium or medium well is to describe it by colour of the meat so simply request  "Please make sure the middle is ..." "bloody red","red no blood", " light pink" etc.

The Sea Lounge unfortunately is not an exception to overcooking steak. I have complained about the meat in that sandwich almost every time I have eaten it. On my last visit my friend a usually very kind and mild lady had my sandwich returned when the staff mumbled an apology and said they would inform the chef. So another Bombay lesson learned, do not complain subtly in about the inadequacy of the preparation or quality of your food simply state "Please take it back and repalce it"!

Now as I waited for my replacement sandwich I was hungry, hot and wanted a pep me up so on a whim I ordered a cold coffee with ice cream. I am aware it is not anyones choice for a pre-lunch aperatif but I am thrilled I did for all I can say about it is that it was outstanding.

My overall verdict on the the Sea Lounge, ditch the lunch, have a few cold coffees and if your brave try a snack.

PS - I visited the Sea Lounge last week and have a post script as a result...if you order the Tenderloin Sandwich it is not the same as described above ...do NOT expect more then a few sparce slivers of avocado in the sani and forget the chips they are not included with the sandwich anymore. What can I say... apart from beware the effects of corporate downsizing on your plate!

Kala Ghodha: a discovery in of culture and art

If you find yourself in South Bombay and have some time to kill just head straight to the cultural hub of the city, Kala Ghodha. Whatever budget you have will do for an afternoon in Kala Ghodha having money is optional, unless your driving then you will have to pay for parking.

I can’t suggest a better place to start then the museum and its majestic grounds. A walk from the museum to the Jehangir Art Gallery is laden with street art and it’s called the Pavement Art Gallery. It is a place of great interest to me you never know when you will discover there and its an opportunity to invest in a maybe great artist. My mother swears that when she was a young girl this bearded man used to chat with her and ask her to buy his artworks there. I assure you if she did so today we would have sold his art work and I would be self publishing my own books if not own a publishing house! That artist today if the legendary MF Hussain!!!

If your walking through the Pavement Art Gallery you will end up at the Jehangir Art gallery and for those who like cutting edge art by the Museum Art gallery in the Max Muller Bhavan building. Great news to all those on a very low budget outing, its all free. If your hungry there are loads of stalls from time to time on the streets to grab a budget snack.

If your hungry and want a nice meal cross the street to find a wide range of restaurants ranging from Joss which has a good spread to the Bombay Blue franchise which is the epitome of reasonably priced food. There is a snacky place on the road and a Chinese place but I have never had the chance to try either. I am told that Chetna does decent vegetarian food but the fact that the bookstore behind it is a treasure trove of spiritual books and they have some other cute nic naks I can vouch for. The staff at Chetna bookstore is very educated on all the publications and if you have time to spare you can discuss a few spiritual and mythological topics with them who knows you may add to your knowledge from a chat, again great on a low budget as its free.

After lunch you may want to pop into Rhythm House and browse through CD’s, movies, magazines and nifty accessories. In the days before you could download movies and music of the internet it was a place swamped with college students. If the thought that when you were a teenager you had cassettes gets you feeling old and down cross the road and visit the Art Entrance, which in my opinion has a steady stream of really nice artists exhibits. Westside is next door and they are very proud of their new deli so peak in there for dinner ingredients if you have money to spare and do not mind tampons in close proximity to your food. As the tampons were in packets and obviously unused it did not bother me but if you’re a fussy about segregating sanitary wear from food heads up.

One of my favorite people watching places in Bombay is the trendy but way too healthy for a meal Kala Ghodha café. I do love to go there but it contradicts my if your going out forget your diet at home rule. If your lucky on the way to the Kala Ghodha café which is tucked in a by lane behind Rhythm House there you may be able to get permission of the dozen or so police officers hovering about to get a peak inside the beautiful synagogue. By now if for some reason if you have not had your fill of art there is a tiny gallery next to the Kala Ghodha café and if you walk back to the Museum and cross the road you will be assaulted by the Modern Art Museum.

A must visit for all foreign tourists is FabIndia which is a bit off the Kala Ghodha square. When I lived overseas I used to buy loads of things from my house and for my friends from there. Its three floors of clothes, house accessories and it also has a small organic section for a few select edibles.

If you just want to potter and chill out without OD’ing on culture you can grab lunch or coffee and go to the movies a few minute away form the Museum of Modern Art. A word to those who have never watched a movie in India it can be a slightly jarring experience. I am still not used to the fact that every single time I manage to engrossed in the film it shuts down abruptly, the lights will flicker on the screen flashes intermission and everyone will vanish to pee and eat.

So as you may have guessed in the next few weeks I will be sharing my adventures in Kala Ghodha with you.