Take it away, Mumbai
The Budding Gourmet is a new food blog, about to be launched in Mumbai.Take away in a city like Mumbai is vital. It is a lifeline to this city of migrants. It is how so many worker-bee tummies get filled and how most of our yuppie populace entertains at home. This is our list of phone numbers you may not have on speed dial, but should.
Harpal’s Kitchen
Harpal Singh has been in the business of catering for decades but this new millennium saw him set up his very own kitchen. Singh's kitchen deserves special merit as he does take-away as God intended it to be done.
Which means large portions come in large trays with all the required accompaniments and then some. Served in clean, respectable looking, microwave-friendly dishes that can grace your table. While the kitchen serves Chinese (read Indian Chinese) and North Indian cuisine, we highly recommend the grills.
Two or three dishes from Harpal’s Kitchen will easily feed four hungry people. The food is quite calorific, tender and well-flavored and pricey at approximately Rs 1,800 for dinner for two.
For young professionals living on their own he has also introduced the innovative half portion.
Tel. +91 99 2016 9509, +91 98 2016 9509
Sushi Spice
Tarique Rangoonwala wasn’t sure if raw sushi would be haute stuff in Mumbai's very fiery culinary trail. Boy was he wrong! Sushi has become increasingly popular, as has its bolder cousin, sashimi. The takeaway service served as the proverbial testing waters and, pardon the extended metaphor, but it has proven to be quite a full kettle of fish.
The shy, young, but assured Tarique is confident of opening a restaurant in the near future.
His popular dishes include the spicy salmon sushi, California rolls and chicken yakisoba noodles although young Tarique will encourage you to include the miso as well. If you will experiment, let the team tantalize you with the more exotic from his sushi bar.
Sushi Spice will send you a tray with the dishes and the pickes, wasabi and whatnots. If your diner is pre-planned and larger, they will come and set up for you as well. They have been quite busy with the chi-chi crowd in India's entertainment capital.
Tel. +91 98 3365 0503
Mr Chow’s
Ridiculous rents is the principle reason good restaurants come and go in Mumbai. And so Mr Chow’s central kitchen, with small counters across the city enabling seamless distributon and controlled costs, may just be the need du jour.
Chow's chicken hot garlic certainly is. Great takeaway for office lunches, and with enough notice they will make your Chinese at-home dinners more exclusive, complete with Chafing dishes, service staff and Burnt Lobster Red Pepper. We also recommend the Godly prawns with caramalised walnut and the honey chili spare ribs.
The pricing and various access points make Chow's an always-accessible option.
Mr Chow’s is in Andheri, Bandra, Colaba and Worli. Tel. +91 92 2340 0762
The Banyan Tree
The boys behind The Banyan Tree also run the old Mumbai Café Royale and they have a darling café at the Birla Art Gallery. But that is just part of the takeaway offering.
Instead of serving up surplus from the restaurants, the central kitchen serves you at work and your dinners. The interesting thing that makes this kitchen stand out is their attention to detail and willingness to cater to special menu requests based on health or other reasons.
Their sandwiches, roast chicken and cheesecakes are popular. The pricing is a little higher but still competitive.
Tel. +91 99 8765 5700
Kiki’s Deli
This posh takeaway is for your weekend getaway! Beach homes in Mandwa and Alibagh on the mainland, near the island city, has seen a boom in holiday homes where people still need to eat and entertain and Kiki's is their solution. They give you the kitchen to complete the luxury of kicking back.
Kiki's Deli caters to the well heeled and well traveled but are sensibly priced at about Rs 300 per head. Their cilantro chicken and paprika potatoes fly off their sizzling skillets.
They will also put together more experiential evenings like the pairing of Indian food with a premium Indian wine. For an extraordinary evening Kiki’s will send their cook with a par-cooked meal to plate it fresh for you. Try their roasted tomato and basil soup with oven-baked garlic and oregano pav, watermelon and feta salad with toasted pine nuts and baby argula.
Kiki’s Deli, Mandwa. Tel. +91 98 2013 2158
Natalia’s
You have got to have this cake lady’s number. She isn’t just a godsend for birthdays. She does outstanding yogurts, cheesecakes and lighter-than-air mousses as well.
Flexible hours and the liberty to customize and focus on quality makes Natalia's take-away desserts, cakes, cookies beat even the best confectionery shops with tasty pastries lying on shelves for hours.
Her cupcakes and muffins may come with a strong recommendation but Natalia also does some interesting dips and savories that complete the takeaway experience. Basil Parmesan dip with lavash, bacon and egg puffs in choux pastry and lemon kisses are also haute delights for elegant dinners and Sunday lunches.
You have to physically come to Breach Candy to take away, but it's worth the drive.
Tel +91 98 2102 6983
Pronto
Tucked away in busy areas like Tardeo and Colaba is this healthy place to order takeout. In fact, it is the perfect working lunch, with portions that are filling, but not wasteful.
The thing that sets Pronto into this list is its world cuisine. Chicken red Thai curry, sandwiches, salads, pizzas, pastas and an extraordinary garlic bun with cheese. Start off with soup and sign off with a brownie.
It isn’t just tiffins and lunches -- you can make a pleasant meal out of Pronto food at home as well or go to their small outlets. It’s a tight squeeze of tables, so we recommend placing your order from the comfort of your environment.
Pronto, Colaba, Tardeo. Tel. +91 98 9246 5650/ +91 (0) 22 2287 2008
The Budding Gourmet submitted this piece as part of CNNGo’s CityPulse section. To find out what other stories we are looking for, go to our CityPulse page.
