What: Soul Food Chinese and Thai takeaway/delivery, Silver Croft, shop no 7, 16^th and 33^rd Road, next to Mini Punjab, Bandra (W), call 26004520 / 9819145558, Rs 170 for a chicken appetiser.

Why: Allow “half an hour” for home delivery of Shanghai chicken that has nothing to do with China, and you still won’t be disappointed. If you ignore the typos in Taipei at Bandra’s pokey new Asian eatery (don’t opt to dine at one of the three tables), you’ll find that it works well for quick delivery/takeout of yum and inexpensive fare. We got Thai grilled chicken - succulent pieces of flattened lemony, chilli-rubbed chicken – and Malaysian rice, but didn’t have the stomach to try the Hot Red Prawns. Mighty shellfish of us, haan?

When:  You yearn a yang.

The second act of the upstairs bar at Tote on the Turf highlights the best parts of the original – luxuriously long bar, clusters of red roses on every table, Ferrero Rocher walls – and addresses some of its pain points, turning what used to be an awkwardly long and narrow floor plan (remember how getting to the restroom from across the room would take half an hour?) into an open, welcoming space. The split-level floor has been flattened, the deck taken out and replaced by leather seats and barstools. There are kebabs on the menu now, attentive wait staff. All good changes.

Ruby Tuesdays

We went on a rainy weekday for cocktails and a post-dinner snack, and were heartened to find that Tote’s super deal on shots – a rack of six for Rs 1,800 plus taxes – had survived the revamp. This made for a more debaucherous Tuesday that we had planned, but the hangover was (mostly) worth it.

Our batch of cocktails included Ruby, a vodka, pomegranate and cranberry concoction that tasted unpleasantly greasy and seemed to coat our throats with a thin layer of plastic –  must be avoided at all costs, despite how highly your server recommends it. Try instead Juvenile, a happy mix of orange juice, orange liquor, mint and vodka, or even Tic Tac, which can best be described as an unusual but appealing apple caprioska. Sangria here is delish too, smoky and spicy and laden with fruit.

Open Plate

What to eat at Restaurant Week

Chefs from participating eateries recommend their favorite dish on the Restaurant Week menu. Read the entire story on CNNGo.com:

Shadab Khan, chef de cuisine, Saffron
Vegetarian: Tohfa e zameen
Non-vegetarian: Siya mirch ka murgh
JW Marriott, Juhu Road, Juhu, +91 (0) 22 6693 3000

Alex Sanchez, executive chef, The Table
Vegetarian: Herb gnocchi à la Parisienne with mushroom ragoût and fines herbs
Non-vegetarian: Provençal lamb ragoût with pappardelle pasta (available at dinner only), chicken quesadilla with sweet pea guacamole, sour cream and salsa fresca (available at lunch only).
The Table, G/F, Hotel Suba Palace, next to Indigo Deli, Colaba, +91 (0) 22 2282 5002

Clinton Cooper, executive chef, San-Qi
Vegetarian: Crispy ginseng squash with wasabi mayonnaise
Non-vegetarian: Yuzu baked salmon with edamame mashed potato
Four Seasons Hotel, 114 Dr E Moses Road, Worli, +91 (0) 22 2481 8000

Paul Kinny, executive chef, Koh by Ian Kittichai

Sight Seeing

So you’re looking at a pile of nachos, but smelling Curry Laksa while tasting peanut butter on bread. You’re feeling rustic-Italian vibes, but listening to ABBA. Your senses will indeed be bewildered as you dine at the newly opened Hometown, a jumbled phenomenon that as a friend pointed out, is a ploy to divert attention from the fact that the food isn’t as good as it should be. Olfactories act!

Recently replacing delItalia in Juhu, Hometown (a China Gate property) is an all-day cafe that serves a bunch of snacks and Asian food, including a selection of Malaysian fare (disappointingly no roti canai) not usually seen on Mumbai’s menus. The large, clean wooden space here houses an upstairs section, two open kitchens, bar, and dining area embellished with stained glass lamps, wicker chairs, and huge canvas painted with a village scene that strangely boards up the beach view.

Belgian bakery Le Pain Quotidien (Dhanraj Mahal, opposite Indigo Deli, Colaba, call 66150202) just launched its new menu and you want a recipe. We're on it. See D-I-Y red bean tartine instructions.

Red Bean Hummus Tartine

Ingredients

4 wheat bread slices
12 cucumber slices
20 gms scallions
200 gms refried beans
200 gms red beans
30 gms ricotta cheese
30 gms tahini paste
20 gms mesclun (mix of young salad leaves, including lettuce, arugula, spinach, endives)
15 gms harrissa paste
5 gms parsley
30 gms roast peppers
12 red radish
20 gms butter

What: Kuchh Nai Scotch whisky, available at wine shops including Topmost Wines and Juben Wines, visit www.kuchhnai.com, Rs 1,950 for 750 ml.

Why: What can we get you this fine Friday morning? Say “Kuchh Nai” and you’ll receive a tumbler of full bodied whisky with a trace of smoke, that recently travelled from Scotland to Mumbai. This giggle-inducing golden liquid is just the sweet nothing you want on a balmy night.

When: You’d like an offer you can’t refuse.

The stir fried beef with chilli, garlic and basil is one of the first dishes that chef Nikhil Chib (see picture) cooked up at Busaba. On September 22 the dish and the Colaba restaurant it lives in, turn ten years old. Ahead of the birthday celebrations, we get Nikhil to fill out our Fussy Eater’s Guide to Food (the first of many), where he finds fare for every fuss – whether you’re vegetarian, allergic to soy sauce or don’t like Asian food, plus the most potent cocktail at his restaurant and an-off-the-menu dessert you’ll get if you’re extra nice to him.

The best dish to get if you’re vegetarian: Thai green curry or the vegetarian khao suey

If you’re allergic to soy sauce: Stir fried morning glory with crispy garlic.

If you don't like Asian food: Sliced tenderloin or the stir fried duck in orange sauce.

Best value for money (one dish): Chicken momos at Rs 300.

Riding along the right flank of Royal Garden Hotel in Juhu is Opa, a new Mediterranean restaurant that serves up angular wooden interiors (think geometric ceilings and slatted panelling at Indigo Deli), delish cocktails and cuisine that is ambitious but not always successful. Our group of four went on opening weekend in party skirts and starched collars to find that we were the only diners there, surrounded by eager wait staff and strange, lounge-y music. All dressed up?

Open For Business

The superiority of the wait staff, rarity in Mumbai, deserves a second mention: they were efficient but didn’t hover, knowledgeable about the food and quick to inform us that the reason for the restaurant’s desolation was that most of their tables were booked out for a party of 28 who would be arriving later in the evening.

They also started us off with pretty cocktails, pomegranate martinis sweetened and garnished with long sticks of cinnamon, whisky concoctions tamed by apples and peaches, a mean (but alas, egg free) whisky sour. Ice tea was pretty good too, offered the one teetotaller at our table.

Opa Cabana

These were accompanied by a platter of hummus; smoky, garlicky baba ganoush; and muhammara that was sweet but still awesome, tasting of walnuts and sesame paste and serving as a nice counterpart to the intensely salty feta cheese in our Greek salad, which also yielded fresh bell peppers and neat triangles of spanakopita. The latter were slightly underdone, and could have used a few more minutes in the frying pan. Also try Opa’s interpretation of the Caprice salad, shells of mozzarella filled with feta cheese, doused in dressing and perched on rings of tomato. They might look like shrunken versions of the boiled eggs forced upon us every morning before school, but taste much better.

It's that time of the year again, when bpb comes out to support reservations. Starting September 19 (until 25), Restaurant Week India begins, bringing with it three-course prix fixe meals from high-end restaurants at discounted rates. Participating restaurants this year include Hakkasan, Ziya (The Oberoi), Neel, Olive Bar & Kitchen, Indigo, Saffron (JW Marriott), The Table and others.  

Reservations starting September 10, can be made on the official website, Rs 1,000 per person and Rs 2,000 with wine pairing.

The fun thing about Restaurant Week this year though, is that it comes bearing additional gifts - a prequel Chef's Table Week, where from 12 - 18 September, chefs at swanky restaurants will cook up an exclusive seven course meal just for you and your crew - they'll even customise based on your dietary preferences, allergies, etc. Asking price? Rs 3,000 plus taxes for vegetarians, and Rs 3,500 for non-vegetarians. These include only a glass of Prosecco, but alcohol inclusive menus are offered as well. We like!

Bookings for Chef's Table Week open on http://www.restaurantweekindia.com/.

If you want to get more intimate with the chef, sign up for Kitchen Party. To be held at Olive Bar & Kitchen (Mahalaxmi) on September 21, this event allows gourmands to hang out with Olive's head chef as well as two other guest chefs in the restaurant kitchen. You can annoy them with your questions about the right consistency for pizza sauce, swap recipes or even grab the ladle and have a go.

Tickets for Kitchen Party are available at Olive outlets starting September 10 for Rs 1,500 (includes entry and food).

Getting there: Visit http://www.restaurantweekindia.com to make a reservation (starting September 3) or visit the Facebook group here.

What: Opa at the Royal Garden Hotel, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu, call 66919800.

Why: After many delays the Mediterranean restaurant finally opens this week, complete with warm, wooded interiors; eleven signature cocktails (tamarind margaritas, pomegranate-cinnamon martinis); and a menu featuring figs poached in red wine and baby lamb chops. Full bpb review out soon!

When: You want to be G(r)eek chic. Open for dinner only, lunch to start soon.