ITP Indian Travel Places: Food, Travel, Tourism Business Events and Trade Shows
Address: Hotel Highway View, Opposite Railway Station, Mumbai Pune Road, Sanpada, Navi Mumbai Mumbai India
Time: 11 AM to 12 Midnight
Meals for two: Rs. 1,200
Cuisines: North Indian, Mughlai
Facilities: Home Delivery, Full Bar Available, Wifi
It’s brand new. It’s all colour. It’s hardbound. It serves up a ‘banquet’ of delicious options. It is the definitive — easy to navigate, usable, user-friendly — Times Food and Nightlife Guide 2018 to Mumbai. For the first time ever, it parades in its colourful glory. But as always, I have personally tried, tested and tasted (always paying my bill) and carefully shortlisted the “Best of the best” restaurants for you.
Here’s a sneak peek… For starters, we distil local flavors and iconic eateries of each city. We serve up practical tips and guidelines — be it how to host a party, set up a home bar or recipes to cook. Especially for restaurateurs, we share “success mantras”, too. Ever wondered about your favorite superceleb’s last meal? Turn the pages, you’ll find it. We look back to recap our glittering, prestigious ‘Times Food and Nightlife Awards’ and look ahead to forecast the future food trends, too. You can order it online http://timesfoodguide.whatshot.in And in this guide, I track the evolution of our restaurant scape… having had the good fortune to have written India’s first ever city restaurant guide. I salute the entrepreneurial spirit of the city. Once again, in today’s review, I do that.
Shikara, Sanpada, Navi Mumbai: DECOR
Kashmiri houseboats floating in a tiny artificial lake? An air conditioned one, too. Picturesque and detailed, these are open only for dinner and come alive with fairy lights, et al. In the afternoon, you get the same menu in the gleaming, small, handsome, marbled first floor restaurant.
Shikara, Sanpada, Navi Mumbai: FOOD
Kashmiri (obviously), Chinese and Indian on the menu. Kashmiri tea kahwa soothes. We enjoyed the softness of the Paneer Chaman, the slight bitterness of Methi Maaz. However, while the Tabak Maaz was tasty as were the spongy meaty balls of Goshtaba, they were not cooked to authentic recipes.
Tuned to the Indian palate, vibrantly spiced Chicken Chilly, the chef’s robustly spiced North Indian creation of Doaba (two gravies, cheesy and tomato base in one dish) is recommended. Firni, set in an earthen pot, had the perfect creaminess and sweetness.
Shikara, Sanpada, Navi Mumbai: MINUS POINTS
Houseboats open only for dinner. Some of the Kashmiri dishes disappoint. The hard and difficult to cut Seekh Kebab, mish mash Rogan Josh and Rajma. Lacklustre Maaz Pulao.
Shikara, Sanpada, Navi Mumbai: MY POINT
A destination for family entertainment! Dine in the houseboats anchored on a tiny patch of artificial water. Magician, astrologer… you name it. Ghazals, too. A fully stocked bar, attentive service. Tuned to the Indian palate, Chinese, North Indian and tasty, though not always authentic, Kashmiri fare. Kudos to the sheer entrepreneurial gusto and the brilliant detailing of Shikara!
Pierre Barthes from France who helms this icon also very strongly believes in traditional Chinese medicine and its belief in the connection between food and health. That this hotel gives equal importance to its constellation of ten fabulous restaurants (three with Michelin stars) and a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, speaks volumes for this global renowned icon.
