During my recent visit to mumbai i had a pleasant outing with a couple from Poland . They were on a world tour and though a foodie and a mini travel freak i was suddenly worried . My worry was where will i meet them? . I represented india to them and my spicy yoko sizzler may put a hole in their stomach and make their india experience a visit to the emergency room .
But with a little thought our evening was a great one with holes neither in their stomachs nor on our purses . The day started at 3 pm in the evening . It being a sunday and it being mumbai the 3 pm in mumbai is equivalent to the morning of any other city . I suggested Leopold Cafe at Colaba . In this way they could at least be at home in this place which has non spicy things in their menu . This cafe which was started in 1871 is iconic of Colaba of south mumbai . It serves predominantly continental food and the ambience suits people visiting from abroad where they feel comfortable before plunging into the great indian masala ...And true to the great cafe culture there is no time pressure to clear the tables for the next guest
Since we had all had lunch we had chocolate cake and banana lassy which was really tasty . And we spent almost an hour there talking about their world tour . Towards the end of the talk , i scared them , for i told them this was the cafe where the terrorists did their shooting many years ago . And to prove it i asked the doorwoman to show the bullet markings still preserved on the walls .
We walked to the gateway of india the spectacular monument just 5 minutes away and in the pleasant weather saw so many ships anchored in the port . Even a naval destroyer ship was on site and it was great . We took a taxi to the marine drive or the queens necklace . They were amazed at the taxifare of 1 dollar from colaba to marine drive---yes mumbai taxis are cheap . I also told them about the iconic yellow and black taxis of mumbai which the drivers were not ready to give up though 30 years old . (most repairs they could do by themselves) . After photos with the iconic car of mumbai we strolled through the beautiful marine drive with all the huge buildings which would become the shining gems of queens necklace at night . We sat at the beach and here they were very happy , for it was less tourists and more of the local people . And there were people selling chai for a few rupees and lady with monkey , and the friendly locals asking where they are from etc .The road nearby had flashy bmws with guys sticking their heads out through sunroof and for the first time i saw even a bullock cart in south mumbai . They were very happy to see the india with the mixture of east and west . Soon the sun , was setting and it was a lovely sight . And soon one by one the buildings started switching their lights on and within an hour the gems in the queens necklace was dazzling . This place is truly the best part of mumbai .
We walked back past old gothic churches and the airline offices and reached colaba again and i showed them the Eros theatre . We were soon at Bade Miya the famous roadside foodstall in colaba . They mentioned that they liked spicy food . So no stomach holes to worry we went to bade miya and had an awesome dinner of sheek kabab , mutton boti and rumali roti . The guy making rumali was throwing the roti in air like a shawl . They enjoyed the meal very much .
We spent another hour at the colaba which was now lit up showing south mumbai in all its glory . Soon we parted ways with memory of a nice evening . So next time you are in mumbai , take a cab and go to Colaba and think about all the filmstars who might have come here in the years before .
But with a little thought our evening was a great one with holes neither in their stomachs nor on our purses . The day started at 3 pm in the evening . It being a sunday and it being mumbai the 3 pm in mumbai is equivalent to the morning of any other city . I suggested Leopold Cafe at Colaba . In this way they could at least be at home in this place which has non spicy things in their menu . This cafe which was started in 1871 is iconic of Colaba of south mumbai . It serves predominantly continental food and the ambience suits people visiting from abroad where they feel comfortable before plunging into the great indian masala ...And true to the great cafe culture there is no time pressure to clear the tables for the next guest
Since we had all had lunch we had chocolate cake and banana lassy which was really tasty . And we spent almost an hour there talking about their world tour . Towards the end of the talk , i scared them , for i told them this was the cafe where the terrorists did their shooting many years ago . And to prove it i asked the doorwoman to show the bullet markings still preserved on the walls .
We walked to the gateway of india the spectacular monument just 5 minutes away and in the pleasant weather saw so many ships anchored in the port . Even a naval destroyer ship was on site and it was great . We took a taxi to the marine drive or the queens necklace . They were amazed at the taxifare of 1 dollar from colaba to marine drive---yes mumbai taxis are cheap . I also told them about the iconic yellow and black taxis of mumbai which the drivers were not ready to give up though 30 years old . (most repairs they could do by themselves) . After photos with the iconic car of mumbai we strolled through the beautiful marine drive with all the huge buildings which would become the shining gems of queens necklace at night . We sat at the beach and here they were very happy , for it was less tourists and more of the local people . And there were people selling chai for a few rupees and lady with monkey , and the friendly locals asking where they are from etc .The road nearby had flashy bmws with guys sticking their heads out through sunroof and for the first time i saw even a bullock cart in south mumbai . They were very happy to see the india with the mixture of east and west . Soon the sun , was setting and it was a lovely sight . And soon one by one the buildings started switching their lights on and within an hour the gems in the queens necklace was dazzling . This place is truly the best part of mumbai .
We walked back past old gothic churches and the airline offices and reached colaba again and i showed them the Eros theatre . We were soon at Bade Miya the famous roadside foodstall in colaba . They mentioned that they liked spicy food . So no stomach holes to worry we went to bade miya and had an awesome dinner of sheek kabab , mutton boti and rumali roti . The guy making rumali was throwing the roti in air like a shawl . They enjoyed the meal very much .
We spent another hour at the colaba which was now lit up showing south mumbai in all its glory . Soon we parted ways with memory of a nice evening . So next time you are in mumbai , take a cab and go to Colaba and think about all the filmstars who might have come here in the years before .
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