Mumbai Food 2016: Best and worst of the year

Overlooking Carter Road promenade the venue is lit up solely by candles inset restaurateur Zorawar KalraBest Bar in the City MasalaBarA bar lit up solely by candles wouldve been a farfetched idea if it werent for restaurateur Zorawar Kalra Overlooking the Carter Road promenade MasalaBar not only offers one of the best views of the Arabian Sea through its magnifying glass encrusted windows the work of The Busride Design Studio but also a menu that guarantees a high with potent concoctions like Mumbai Matinee topped with sattu fizz and Malabar Point infused with vodka apple and camomile With bar bites such asLitti Chokha Profiteroles a visit here makes for the perfect boozy nightoutTIME 12 pm to 3 pm 5 pm to 1 am AT Level 1 Gagangiri Apartments Carter Road Bandra W CALL 67701793Chicken Dum BiryaniBest VFM Delivery The 99 Kitchen2016 saw a spurt of delivery joints with interesting concepts whether it was Chilli Flakes a venture by the folks behind Charcoal offering gourmet halfpizzas or Paleteria that delivers quirky frozen popsicles including a Red Wine Sangria variety However the BKC takeaway launched by BTP Hospitality scores for its valueformoney deal where you pick options from a wide menu pizzas pastas Indian meals soups and biryanis for Rs 99 It has often been our saviour in these demonetised timesCofounders from left Ajinkya Naik Narender Singh Atwal Gaurav Menon and Atul Srivastava PicPoonam BathijaLOG ON TO wwwthe99kitchencom DELIVERY AREA BKC Bandra e Santacruz e VakolaCALL 8080410000Philly Cheese Chicken SandwichBest Concept The Boston ButtAs the citys first bar smokery and charcuterie it recreates the vibe of a Southern American diner right in SoBo Deriving its name from a wider cut of the pig shoulder traditionally used for pulled pork recipes the restaurant sticks to the theme with its plaid corner couches Prohibitionera drinks and smoked fare in a menu curated by Siddharth KashyapSiddharth Kashyap chef and partner at The Boston ButtTIME 1230 pm to 1 am AT Rampart Row Building K Dubash Marg Kala Ghoda CALL 9892447669Dishy BartenderMixologist Myles Carroll who flew down from Philadelphia as part of the 1 Tippling Place craft cocktail popup at the Olive Bar amp Kitchen won us over with his theatrics and superb bartending skills Helps that hes a looker noStreet Snack of the year Twisted PotatoThis monsoon Mumbais rasta food scene was hit by the Twisted Potato tornado when 42yearold businessman Bharat Nisar adapted a popular snack from South Korea and Thailand at a stall in Irla lane in Vile Parle W Priced at 50 it features thin and crispy deepfried potato spiral sprinkled with peri peri masala It is topped with a variety of mayo sauces served on a long stick No wonder even six months later queues here refuse to die downTIME 11 am to 930 pm all days AT Shop No 4 and 5 Irla Society Road Vile Parle WCeviche Classico with cubes of seabass and sweet potato confitExciting new Cuisine LimaIn a year crowded with Asian offerings a Latin American lounge bar that too from the stable of Michelinstarred chef Atul Kochhar came as a breath of fresh air Deriving culinary inspiration largely from Peru Lima Peruvian lime introduced Mumbais palate to the regions robustflavoured cuisine through ceviches a popular appetiser featuring cubes of fish cured with the zesty leche de tigre tigers milk and Pisco cocktails besides signatures like Churrasco GrillsTIME 1230 pm to 1230 am AT Maker Maxity next to NRI Bandra Kurla Complex Bandra eCALL 30005040The spread at the popupTastiest Firang Popup Paowalla brunchchef Floyd CardozCelebrated homegrown chef Floyd Cardoz flew down from USA to tease our tastebuds with a twoday Paowalla brunch hosted at The Bombay Canteen The New Yorkstyle affair offered a delectable spread from his latest venture in Manhattan From Kokum Solkadi Ceviche to Ghee Roast Benedict Charred Sweet Potato Parantha and Dosa Waffles the smorgasbord of flavours left us in food coma Were still drooling over those sponge soft piping hot Bacon and Cheddar Cheese NaansBasus Pork with Bhut JholokiaHome chef find Subhasree BasuIn the cauldron of home chefs brimming with a variety of flavours the one that stood out was Subhasree Basu The exmedia professional began offering porkladen popups at her Wadala residence via her homerun venture Hungry Cat Kitchen The musthaves include Pork Pot Pie and Pork with Bhut Jholokia She was also roped in by Cafe Zoe for a One Night Stand Chef popupLOG ON TO wwwhungrycatkitchencomMushroom Galawat with sourdough breadBest vegetarian menu GourmArt KitchenThough vegetarian menus have expanded their girth to cater to the boredofpaneer folk Mumbai lacked a stellar allveg offering that would appeal to carnivores too Until Ranveer Brar in pic decided to open GourmArt Kitchen within the premises of TAG The Amateur Gallery that is While we loved most of the dishes from a range of worldinspired options from Japanesestyle Konyakkuyaki to an Awadhistyle palm heart and jackfruit biryani the most memorable one was Mushroom Galawat umamiflavoured meltinyourmouth kebabs that would make one forget their nonveg counterpartsTIME 7 pm to 1 am AT Kamala Mills Compound SB Marg Lower Parel CALL 24972424 only by reservationChicken A La KievGolden oldie salute GaylordWhile many oldtimers have bitten the dust due to the inability to cope with inflation or changing tastes of Mumbaikars Gaylord continues to hold fort by pleasing palates with a melange of contemporary and classic Indian and Continental fare These include signatures like Chicken A La Kiev which used to be a favourite of Yash Johar along with modern fare like Kulhad Ka Kukkad a dish presented in a pressure cooker A month back the iconic landmark on Churchgate turned 60 with aplomb in the presence of its owners the Delhibased Lambas and its loyal guests Cheers to thatGaylords loyal staffers 88yearold retired CeO AN Malhotra with manager Noel DSouzaTIME 930 am to 1130 pm AT Mayfair Building Veer Nariman Road Churchgate Call 22821259Best cocktail experiment We have a tieLiquid Som TamA unique take on the Asian salad the vodkabased Liquid Som Tam Rs 350 at Mr Baozi is a delicious spicysour medley of raw papaya juice and lime juice infused with coriander and bird eye red chilli The concoction offers a crunchy flavour too served in a glass rimmed with crusted peanuts with a cherry tomato skewer and sweet jaggery on the side Trust us its as soothing as a Thai massage TIME 12 pm to 4 pm 630 pm to 1 am AT Mr Baozi Kamala Mills Lower Parel CALL 7666569300Hickory BongThe Hickory Bong Rs 850 at Theory Kamala Mills newest baby is made using tomato water Scotch black pepper sauce hot peppers brine coriander and black salt Closest to a Bloody Mary in terms of ingredients this savoury cocktail is however far more complex with an umami flavour It also swaps out the vodka for a refined Scotch giving you a Bloody Mary thats all grown up TIME 6 pm onwards Mondays closed AT C Wing Trade World Kamala Mills Lower Parel CALL 66666506Tea Centre ChurchgateblueFROG Lower ParelCafe Nemo Worli