34 Spotlight 10/2019 TRAVEL
Illustration: Kida/Shutterstock.comyou. In seconds, it will be decorated with
vegetable curries, flatbreads, poppadoms,
rice, sambar (lentil vegetable curry), ras-
am (spicy tomato broth) and payasam
(rice pudding). Priced at under €2, you’ll
know why this simple, soulful meal ap-
peals to all types of people from Mum-
bai’s busy workforce. Like Irani cafes, the
number of Udupi restaurants has rapidly
declined over the years, making institu-
tions such as Kyani & Co. and A. Rama
Nayak a precious heritage.6 p.m.
Take a taxi to Dadar, a popular residential
and shopping area and Mumbai’s first
planned suburb, located in the centre of
the island city. If you get here at 5 a.m.,
you’ll see a wonderful flower market. The
action then moves to Shivaji Park, Mum-
bai’s largest public park. On Saturdays,
you’ll see the Athavade Bazaar, a market
with fresh organic vegetables and fruits
sold directly by farmers.
It’s also a great place to people-watch.
Expect to see joggers, senior citizens so-
cializing on their walks, and cricket and
football matches in full swing. Shivaji
Park has witnessed much of Mumbai’s
chequered history, from the indepen dence
struggle to massive political demonstra-
tions in the 1970s and 1980s; it also pro-
vided a home base during the growing-up
years of the country’s finest cricketing
talent, including Sachin Tendulkar.
If you’re lucky, you’ll see young boys
and girls practising mallakhamb, a tradi-
tional sport in which gymnasts perform
aerial yoga postures and wrestling grips
on a wooden pole or hanging rope. If you
have worked up an appetite, hop over to
Aaswad restaurant for a misal pav. This
spicy dish — a sprout curry with chopped
onions and tomatoes, topped with
crunchy farsan, tiny chickpea flour crisps
and served with soft local buns — at this
very restaurant was voted “The World’s
Tastiest Vegetarian Dish” at the Foodie
Hub Global Awards held in London in- Then walk to Ashok Vada Pav, one
of the city’s oldest and most famous street
food stalls, to get yourself a hot vada pav, a
spicy potato patty in a soft bun with gar-
lic and coriander chutneys — wrapped in
newspaper. Enjoy this tasty treat as you
make your way through the crowds of
people. Congratulations! You’re now a
true-blue Mumbaikar.
ATM (automated teller
machine) [)eI ti: (em]
, Geldautomat
boutique hotel
[bu:(ti:k hEU)tel]
, kleines Luxushotel
brash [brÄS]
, frech, dreist
broth [brQT]
, Brühe
bun [bVn]
, Brötchenchickpea [(tSIkpi:]
, Kichererbsen-
decline [di(klaIn]
, abnehmen
delicate [(delIkEt]
, hier: empfindlich
flatbread [(flÄtbred]
, Fladenbrot
hail: ~ a cab [heI&l]
, ein Taxi rufen
knick-knacks
[(nIk nÄks]
, Krimskramsovercharge
[)EUvE(tSA:dZ]
, zu viel berechnen
patty [(pÄti]
, Plätzchen, Pastetchen
poppadom [(pQpEdEm]
, Papadam (Fladen aus
Linsenmehl)
posture [ˈpɒstʃə]
, Stellung, Haltung
precious [(preSEs]
, wertvollresidential [)rezI(denS&l]
, Wohn-
sprout [spraUt]
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three-wheeler
[(Tri: )wi:&lE]
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wrestling grip
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Getting there
Lufthansa operates a non-stop flight from Munich to Mumbai (8 hours, 20
minutes). British Airways and Air India operate non-stop flights (9 hours, 15
minutes) from Heathrow to Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Interna-
tional Airport (csia.in).Getting around
South Mumbai districts like Colaba and Marine Drive are easy to navigate on
foot. For the more crowded suburbs, hail a black-and-yellow cab. Uber is a popu-
lar option, as are its local competitors Meru Cabs (meru.in) and Ola Cabs (olacabs.
com). Three-wheeler auto-rickshaws are the go-to public mode of transport for
short distances in the suburbs, but drivers may be brash and overcharge you, so
cabs on hire are recommended.Stay
Abode (abodeboutiquehotels.com), a boutique hotel in the heart of Colaba in South
Mumbai, is beautifully designed and offers chic accommodation that pays
homage to Mumbai’s heritage and bohemian past. Its 20 rooms have vintage
furniture, knick-knacks brought in from the city’s second-hand markets and
original artwork.
For accommodation closer to the airport in the northern part of the city, Ibis
Mumbai (accorhotels.com) is near both the international and domestic airports,
while Sun and Sand (sunnsandhotel.com) in the elegant suburb of Juhu is a great
seaside option.Eat
Mumbai’s food landscape offers a wide range of fine-dining restaurants, hip
bistros and cafes. Olive (olivebarandkitchen.com), Indigo (indigodeli.com), Social
(socialoffline.in) and Cafe Zoe (cafezoe.in) are some of the hotspots for the city’s
young and stylish people.
For a luxurious meal, book a table at Wasabi by Morimoto at the Taj Mahal
Palace, Masque (masquerestaurant.com) or San- Qi at the Four Seasons Hotel.
Locals love the street food, and plenty of street stalls maintain good hygiene. But
if you have a delicate stomach, it’s best to enjoy vegetarian street-style snacks at
well-known restaurants like Swati Snacks (swatisnacks.com) in Tardeo, Prakash
Shakahari Upahaar Kendra in Dadar, and Kailash Parbat (kailashparbat.in), which
has several addresses in the city.
ATMs accepting international credit cards are available all over the city.More information
See http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in and incredibleindia.org