When it comes to food, Bombay has no equal. It is the best place in India to enjoy good cuisine—not just Indian, but everything else. But food here is very expensive- Rs30 for a thali, and Rs35 for a masala dosa, may be cheap by Western standards, but seasoned Indian travellers would choke. This said, few people do complain, especially those who’ve just arrived lean and hungry from spartan travels in Tamil Nadu or Kerala.
The Taj Hotel is often the first place people head for when they want good food. It has a nice choice of air-conditioned restaurants, starting with the mid-range Shamiana coffee-shop with all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast for Rs200 and buffet lunch for Rs150, working up to the sophisticated Tanjore (biriani or thali suppers 
from Rs 250, tying in with cultural dance entertainment programmes at 7.45 pm, 9.45 pm and 10.45 pm), and hitting the heights up at the Rooftop Rendezvous superb Continental dishes, notably French, from Rs300. The Menage a Trois restaurant, also at the rooftop, offers designer dining from an exciting lunchtime menu created by London’s well known chef and restaurateur, Anthony Worrall-Thompson. Wellpresented, well-priced food from Rs300 and superb views from the 21st floor.
But it’s the Oberoi Towers, Nariman Point, that has the prestige restaurant in Bombay. This is the Cafe Royal, a very select Parisian-style eatery where every item of food is specially flown in from France. Start with escargots or smoked salmon, move on to lobster, king prawn or steak for a main course, and conclude with crêpe suzettes. To wash it all down, you’ve a wide choice of vintage wines, or the speciality ‘fruit punch’. Next door at the new Oberoi Bombay hotel, the French Rotisserie restaurant offers an Executive Lunch for Rs200, while the downstairs Kandahar serves authentic North-West Frontier food (huge portions) from about Rs250. It’s a toss-up between the Kandahar and Oberoi Towers’ Mughal Room (famous tandoori cuisine) for the best Indian restaurant in a Bombay hotel. The Towers also has a Polynesian restaurant, the Outrigger, which has a good-value lunchtime buffet for Rs165 and is certainly popular. Meanwhile, the famous Samarkhand—a 24-hour coffee shop i overlooking busy Marine Drive—continues to enchant visitors and residents alike. It’s one of the ‘places to be seen’ in Bombay.
Another good-value restaurant is the Taj-run Rangoli (tel 234678) at the NCPA , Narirnan Point. Open every day with a good buffet lunch for Rs120, it’s popular with locale offices staff—reservations are needed at lunchtime and at weekends. 
Nearly all Bombay’s restaurants are more interesting than those of Delhi. This is because city residents eat out far more—their prime concern is making money, and they have little time for cooking. Bombay is not unlike New York in that people go out to be seen, and because most accommodation is so cramped they prefer the space of restaurants. If Bombayites choose a hotel restaurant, it’s usually for something of value (like the buffet lunch at Taj Hotel’s Crystal Room) or something fancy (like pizzas, home-made ice-cream, and serenading violinists at President Hotel’s delightful Trattoria). But in the main, they stick to local restaurants like the renowned shalimar in Bhendi Bazaar. This place serves cheap, delicious North Indian specialities (a whole leg of lamb for Rs60) and has a real family atmosphere. For fast nearby Sahyadri restaurant (not only burgers and hot dogs, but excellent Punjabi cuisine too). South Indian fare—local-style—is nowhere better than at Sanmans (behind Government of India tourist office) or Sadkar (opposite Churchgate station) restaurants.
Many travellers prefer to stick to tried-and-tested favourites. Places like Talk of the Town, 143 Marine Drive (top of Veer Nariman Rd), with its popular lunchtime buffets (Rs75) and breezy open-air section, overlooking the seafront. Or for the best Chinese food in town the China Garden (tel 8280842) at Kemp’s Corner, 131 August Kranti Marg, offering hot ‘n’ spicy Szechwan cuisine for about Rs150 per head in a it beautiful setting of cultured trees, greenery and marble. It’s the place for spotting Bombay’s glitterati and reservations are recommended. Or (for cheaper Chinese fare) amling in Veer Nariman Rd and the ever popular Nanking (tel 20205940) near the taj —opposite Cottage Industries.
but it’s Colaba that has the best cheap restaurants. At lunchtime, people still pack friendly Martin’s for Goan specialities like grilled fish and fiery pork vindaloos. _ mat Hotel’s Silver Plate has a good reputation for cheap, reliable vegetarian 1—continental and Indian—and is well-patronised by locals. Dipty’s Juice Bar opposite Rex Hotel has delicious lassis, juices, ice-creams and snacks. There’s a line of popular eateries running up Shahid Bhagat Singh Rd, starting with Food Inn (a Catch and Carry’ fast-food place, serving cheap North Indian, Hyderabadi, Chinese and Japanese fare); moving up to Leopold’s (English breakfasts, chilled beer and dropouts—very seedy now, so watch your money); Laxmi Vilas (down alley past pold’s, for good-value thalis); Kamat (opposite Leopold’s, good for ice-cream and etarian snacks); and Delhi Durbar (best mid-range Indian restaurant in Colaba, ialising in tandoor dishes and Indian sweets). A surprising number of backpackturn up in Taj Hotel’s Shamiana lounge—word’s got around that you can have ited coffee here.
An excellent booklet—Flavours was published in 1988 and available from alanda, the bookshop in the Taj. Although a few years old, this book is still a at guide; it not only lists 84 restaurants by cuisine and locale but gives details of the menus.
