Reality Tours and Travels Market Tour is another great Mumbai tour, with excellent local guides, taking in heritage markets like Crawford fruit and vegetable market, Mangaldas textiles market, Flower market alley, as well as Mumbadevi Temple, and Bombay Panjrapole, the old cow shelter.
Great value fun and fascination – 2.5 hours at about $Aus 15 per person.
Looking a bit like a country town cafe or old style milk bar, as Charmaine says in her Penguin Food Guide to India, the Paradise Restaurant really is an old fashioned style, waistcoated waiters, Parsi cuisine restaurant run by a charming Parsi couple’ who still remember the Aussie writer. As Charmaine says, the chicken and cheese patties are very good. It was also great to try the Sal Boti ( boneless mutton cooked with tomatoes and apricots, served with potato straws) as well as the Parsi celebration dessert, Lagan nu custard.
Not quite as much fun as a trip Britannia & Co. (frequently visited by TV and radio crews, celebrities and heads of state), but if you are staying in Colaba and short on time, it’s a convenient spot to try some classic Parsi dishes.
It’s tricky to find, so best to look for the Kailash Prabat Restaurant on the opposite side of the road. (FYI The gorgeous Colaba Sweet Mart, is almost next door too!)
Sind Chambers, Colaba Causeway
(022) 22832874
9am-2pm, 3-9pm (7days)
Brittania and Company is definitely larger than life. It has become more than Mumbai’s most famous family run, old style Parsi cafe, it’s a real experience.
Mr Kohinoor, 92 years, engages customers with his experiences of famous visitors of state and his keen mind is great fun. We left with well wishes for Mr Abbott and a re-telling of a bold letter of life advice to Julia Guillard.
We tried the famous mutton berry pulao, the Parsi dish of Chicken Dhansak, the ‘to die for’ caramel custard ( it was very good) and took a generous fellow diner’s pic of their Sali Boti (which I will have to go back for, it looked so good).
But most of all we left having had a great time.
(This three minute ABC Radio National Britannia & Co. spot says it all, well worth a listen).
Address
Wakefield House 11, Opposite New Custom House, Near To Grand Hotel, Sprott Road 16, Ballard Estate, Mumbai
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India 400038
Phone 022-22615264, 022-30225260
Hours
Mon – Sat: 11:30 am – 3:30 pm
(Can get very busy so worth booking ahead.)
1. Compare published itineraries
See where others commonly go, and why
Good sources of ideas are:
Lonely Planet Guide
Food/travel books
Easy to follow Intrepid itineraries are detailed, available online in their ‘trip notes’ and combine local ‘highlights’ with lesser known, but often delightful, spots too
2. Keep travelling times low
Don’t try to cover too much ground in one go
Consider taking some domestic flights, if cheap and easy
Local taxis (your hotel or a local travel agency can organise this when you get there) or a hotel transfer can be a good option to get between spots, if you don’t need a full time driver/guide
3. Think about what you like to do best and plan around this theme (the rest can just fit in)
Perhaps it’s heritage hotels, local markets, street food, great eating opportunities, whatever you love most
4. Check out the weather and when it’s best to go
Try the Lonely Planet Guide or just google
Often weather is best in Nov-Feb, but you may be surprised
Festivals: you might want to catch them (Holi, Diwali and the Pushkar Camel Fair are great), or prefer to miss the crowds and busyness
5. If you’d prefer a group trip try:
Intrepid’s ‘Classic Rajasthan‘ (tried and true, great value, plenty of interesting accommodation and lots of highlights) but do try to catch the Pushkar Camel Fair: or
Intrepid’s ‘Delhi to Kathmandu’ (also a great mix of highlights and special experiences)
Jalebi
This ‘don’t miss’ this Jaipur ‘institution’ that has been around for 60 years.
It has a wonderful range of traditional Indian sweets and a vegetarian menu that includes the famous Maharaja Thali (a great way to sample a range of Rajastani dishes).
The waiters are lovely and attentive, airconditioning reviving and a wonderful break from the excellent shops nearby on Johari Bazaar.
Don’t miss the kulfa for dessert too, an interesting ice-cream creation with dried fruit and nuts.
Kulfa
Amazing sweets to buy and take home
LMB Doorman
Maharaja Rajasthani Thali
Marsala Dosa is a delicious South Indian food crispy pancake filled with a spicy vegetable or potato and onion mix and often served with chutneys.
I can never go past a marsala dosa, they are so delicious. While they are actually really from Southern India, happily they are available more widely.
Here’s some from the Marsala Dosa Corner in Karol Bagh, Delhi…….and even at Delhi airport
Marsala Dosa Corner Karol Bagh Delhi
Marsala Dosa Corner
Marsala Dosa Corner
Marsala Dosa At Delhi Airport
37 Ruby Terrace
S.B. Singh Road, Colaba
Mumbai 400005
Ph: 22843174
Indian Breakfast in the sky, on the way to Mumbai this morning
Minced mutton masala with paratha , tempered potato, tomato chutney, pickle and yogurt….and plenty of masala chai!!!
Delicious!
Almost anywhere you stay in Asia will have a colourful, lively local food market, offering a free, interactive experience of local food culture.
Sellers are often more than happy to chat about their produce and how it’s used, but it helps conversations to also make some purchases (even just small purchases from a range of stalls).
Stopping for ‘street’ snacks and coffee and watching other shoppers go about their daily routines is fun too.
Keep an eye out for ‘special’ market opportunities when researching a trip like the unloading of the morning’s fish catch or an iconic ‘don’t miss’ chai stall.
All you need is good directions, plenty of small change and a spirit of adventure.
It may involve an early start but it’s well worth the effort to slip out before breakfast.
Fine Eating 