How to be cheap like a local on Colaba Causeway

What do we do when we're stuck on the most touristy street in Mumbai, with a couple hours and Rs 1,000 to spare?

By Ajoy Advani 11 April, 2011

Colaba Causeway is lined with makeshift stalls down the entire stretch. You can find everything from export surplus garments, miniature Taj Mahal replicas, pirated DVDs and costume jewelry to flutes, maps of India, and for some strange reason that no local has figured out yet, giant balloons.

Walk past Leopold Café (made famous by Gregory David Roberts’ bestselling book “Shantaram” and more recently a terrorist shootout) to a store called Khubsons and pick up a witty Indian t-shirt by Tantra for Rs 275.

At Aga Bros at Cusrow Baug on Colaba Causeway, try the chicken Frankie (Rs 45), an egg roll stuffed with onions, spices, chicken and gravy. It is made fresh while you wait and tastes best when washed down with a chilled orange squash (Rs 15) that is so sickeningly synthetic, it’s sweet!

Arthur Bunder Road. This is where the art galleries are. Chatterjee & Lal, Volte and The Guild are all within minutes of each other and display some of the most cutting-edge Indian art and artists in the market today. They’re definitely worth taking a look at, but if we’re sticking to our budget, this is clearly a trip to appreciate the works, and not acquire them.

Woodside Inn. This cozy bar and eatery has laid-back charm, alternative music and more importantly, chilled beer by the mug and a no rush policy.

Get the table upstairs by the window for a great view of all the chaos outside as you sit and enjoy a Kingfisher Draught beer for Rs 180, and a portion of calamari rings for Rs 220. The pizzas are delicious too, as are Woodside Inn's desserts.

Theobroma. Famous for their wide range of gooey, melt-in-your-mouth brownies, Theobroma is the place to stop at for a cappuccino (Rs 100) and one of these aforementioned brownies (Rs 65).

For suburban sweet cravings Theobroma's second outlet is just off Linking Road in Bandra.

Take a real Mumbai bus ride. Get on ride, for a while, get off and spend the change on a cab to take you back to where you need to go.

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It’s hard to visit Mumbai and not spend time trolling the streets of Colaba Causeway for everything from silver jewelry and pashminas to kohlapuri slippers and fake antiques.

Walking down the Causeway, or Sucker's Mile, as I prefer to call it, is where you find plenty of bargains -- presuming you know how to haggle already. And two days' practice doesn't make you anywhere near perfect at haggling. We've been discovering the nuances of this art for years.

The larger stores, however, happily welcome Mastercard, Visa and naive tourists with a "No Bargaining" sign and a smile.

Therefore it's still best to go with someone local, who can help bring prices down by fistfuls of rupees, if you’re buying stuff off the street stalls.

Better still, do what we do when we have an afternoon and Rs 1,000 to spare while waiting for someone to finish their absolutely pointless shopping marathon.

Yes, there's beer involved. And some truly excellent brownies.

Addresses:

Aga Brothers, 16 Cusrow Baug Building, Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg, Colaba Causeway; +91 (0)22 2283 0692

Chatterjee & Lal, 01/18 Kamal Mansion, Arthur Bunder Road, Colaba; +91 (0)22 2283 0100; www.chatterjeeandlal.com

Khubsons, 49 Colaba Causeway, Colaba; +91 (0)22 2284 2942

The Guild, 2/32 Kamal Mansion, Arthur Bunder Road, Colaba; +91 (0)22 2288 0116; www.guildindia.com

Theobroma, 29 Cusrow Baug Building, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, Colaba Causeway; +91 (0)22 65292929; Read more on CNNGo

Volte, 2/19 Kamal Mansion, Arthur Bunder Road, Colaba; +91 (0)22 2204 1220; www.volte.in

Woodside Inn, Wodehouse Road, opposite Regal Cinema; +91 (0)22 2287 5752; woodsideinn.in

Ajoy is creative partner at a brand consultancy in Mumbai and a blogger.

How to be cheap like a local on Colaba Causeway

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