To really know a story, you need to go back to where it started. This may be why, South Bombay is a testament to the city's romantic past in a way no other place can be. It's decaying grandeur is like a wise old woman — attractive in her prime and beautiful in her aged visage. We wade through the crowd and stench of the Lower Parel fish market on foot, a yellow cursor on our phone directing us to the destination. The distance between the station and Todi Mills is too short. The cab won't go.

The iconic mill is as much a remnant of 19th-century Bombay's industrial boom as it is an embodiment of her 21st century luxe avatar, represented in equal measure by the soot-covered walls and the beseechingly lit signage, inviting you to leisure, dine, or dance the night away. Thirsty City 127, a microbrewery and bar which stands where the Barking Deer used to, wants you to do all those things under one roof. A hanging staircase greets us as soon as we enter the art-deco-inspired space. It leads you to the mezzanine floor, a private banquet area, its ceiling bejewelled with a hundred light bulbs. The staircase hangs above a black limestone and dark terrazzo floor speckled with coloured stones in a spacious room for events and live performances.