With its storied palace hotels and temples, buzzing arts district, and burgeoning restaurant and nightlife scene, navigating one of the world’s largest cities is no small feat. Sarah Khan reports. Photographed by The Morrisons Our Definitive Guide to Suitcases on display at Bandra 190, a collection of boutiques in Mumbai’s Bandra neighborhood. TRAVEL+LEISURE OCTOBER 2014 171 MUMBAI N JUHU BANDRA ARABIAN WORLI SEA LOWER PAREL Left: A Superior Luxury room BREACH at Abode. Below: CANDY Overlooking the lobby at the Oberoi. SOUTH MUMBAI 0 4 MI (6.5 KM) Clockwise from left: Outside Bandra 190; browsing the Shop collection at Filter; shorts and tops at Obataimu. Lay of Our picks of Mumbai’s standout boutiques. the Land OBATAIMU décor brand Charcoal Project (massive marble lions; a silver- East meets farther East at the and jeweler Maheep Kapoor’s and- teak four-poster bed), Bandra/Juhu Japanese-influenced design statement baubles (ornate Big Door is the ideal resource You’ll find the city’s studio Obataimu, a showcase chandelier earrings; kundan for aspiring decorators seeking hippest restaurants and for founder Noorie Sadarangani’s necklaces). Savanna Court, 190 to outfit their home like a boutiques—as well as made-to-measure line of Turner Rd.; 91-22/ 2645-1151. Rajasthani palace. thebigdoor.in. Bollywood stars—in these minimalist peplum blouses, two posh suburbs. impossibly soft unisex tees, FILTER ENSEMBLE and layered dresses inspired At Filter, you’ll find an eclectic For nearly three decades, Breach Candy by origami. obataimu.com. mix of souvenirs—framed stylish Mumbaikars have This upscale residential vintage concert posters, been flocking to Ensemble for area is known for its historic Stay BANDRA 190 handmade notebooks, and shimmering saris, classic landmarks, such as the Three Bollywood wives teamed tomes on specialized topics lehengas (long embroidered 18th-century Mahalaxmi Eight hotels we love, from a stylish boutique property up to open one of Mumbai’s such as typography and city skirts), and churidars (cotton Temple and the colonial-era to a lavish mansion fit for royalty. hottest shopping destinations, trains. filtershop.in. trousers) by India’s top labels. Breach Candy Club. whose striking red-and-cobalt- Look for pieces by New Delhi– TAJ MAHAL PALACE worthy views over Marine Drive rooms (oak floors; original art) blue façade conceals seven BIG DOOR based designer Rohit Bal South Mumbai An icon of Mumbai’s skyline, and the Indian restaurant Ziya’s and 22-foot-long pool share stories of mini-boutiques A shrine to traditional Indian and British-born Manish The atmospheric enclaves this 1903 Edwardian palace has acclaimed chef, Vineet Bhatia. vistas of the city or the Arabian including Sussanne Roshan’s housewares and accessories Malhotra. ensembleindia.com. of Colaba, Fort, Churchgate, a revamped lobby incorporating oberoihotels.com. Sea. tridenthotels.com. Kala Ghoda, and Nariman $$$ $$ vaulted ceilings, silk carpets, Point make up the city’s onyx columns, and etched financial heart and house THE LEELA TAJ LANDS END glasswork. Upstairs, the Palace some of its most striking Among 11 acres of landscaped Bollywood royalty live in Bandra, Four spots to get Wing’s 285 rooms are filled with architecture. gardens and waterfalls, the Leela and this slick waterfront hotel your art fix. period furniture and antiques. is a tranquil oasis in central is the suburb’s most glamorous See Do tajhotels.com. $$$$ Mumbai, with a large business address. Public spaces are + Worli/Lower Parel Many of the colossal mills center and a prime location near decked out in dark wood and New galleries are vying for space along Kala Ghoda’s crowded lanes, and warehouses in these ABODE the airport. theleela.com. $$ white marble. Don’t be surprised but Jehangir Art Gallery (jehangirartgallery.com) has remained former industrial areas Tucked away in Colaba, the if you run into the starlet du jour a fixture since 1952. Its three airy rooms display works by Indian 20-room Abode hotel pays at the new 4,930-square-foot have been turned into glitzy TRIDENT, BANDRA KURLA artists such as Jatin Das and Manish Sutaar, and the Samovar Café malls and luxury hotels. homage to retro-Bombay kitsch. Oberoi’s business-focused Jiva Spa. tajhotels.com. $$ There are old-fashioned light brand brings its tech savvy to is a local favorite for lunch. • The country’s premier gallery for Getting Around switches and locks, handmade Mumbai’s burgeoning financial PALLADIUM 20th-century Indian art, Delhi Art Gallery (delhi art gallery.com), Taxis are the best and wicker chairs, and colorful Bharat center (LCD TV’s; electronic Mumbai’s gleaming Palladium recently opened a Mumbai outpost in a renovated four-story safest way to navigate the tiles. abodeboutiquehotels.com. $ blackout blinds). Don’t miss the is bringing even more prestige to heritage building. Rotating shows highlight masters including city. Luckily, they are Mediterranean fusion restaurant the Lower Parel neighborhood. M. F. Husain and Krishen Khanna. • For the best of emerging 022, with its 1,500-bottle wine ubiquitous and easy to hail; OBEROI The lobby’s grand staircase is contemporary artists (Sharanu Alloli; Pradeep Nerurkar), head services like Uber (uber. It’s hard to match the Oberoi for library. tridenthotels.com. $$ flanked by gilded mirrors, the 344 to Gallery 7 (gallery7.com), a chic, white-walled space in Kala com) and Meru Cabs (meru impeccable service; press the call rooms and suites have Rajasthani Paintings by Ghoda. • Artisans Centre on Gandhi Marg (artisanscentre.com) cabs.com) are also useful button in your room and a butler TRIDENT, NARIMAN POINT artwork, and international DJ’s Pradeep Nerurkar for calling a reliable car. will be at your door in minutes. In the 35-floor tower on scenic rotate through the 37th-floor at Gallery 7. exhibits a wide range of Indian crafts, from Maheshwari saris and Other highlights: postcard- Marine Drive, the 555 spacious club, Exo. palladiumhotel.in. $ colorful Kashmiri shawls to hand-painted textiles. TRAVEL+LEISURE OCTOBER 2014 173 MUMBAI Clockwise from far left: Chef Sinclair Pinto in the open kitchen at Nico Bombay; jalebi caviar with saffron glaze and pistachio rabri at Masala Library; lunch hour at Café Zoe. Eat Six hot tables across the city. CAFÉ SUNDANCE a sophisticated Italian-inspired band serenading diners. Try the Sundance was a city landmark menu that includes wood-fired mini- lamb burger or house- made Art on in the 1980’s before falling into pizzas and saffron risotto with pappardelle. cafezoe.in. $$ disrepair. Then, in 2012, a team calamari and clams. 105 Apollo Arrival of restaurateurs revamped St., Bombay Samachar Marg; PALI BHAVAN Thanks to the new Terminal the space and menu. What to 91-22/2262-4466. $$ The latticed wooden windows and 2 at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati expect? Comfort dishes such as balconies, vintage chandeliers, Shivaji International the “Sundance Sasquatch,” a MASALA LIBRARY and colonial-era photographs at Airport (csia.in), visitors 20-ounce tenderloin beef burger Renowned chef Jiggs Kalra’s the spacious Pali Bhavan evoke can see world-class art as with crisp bacon, pickles, fried Masala Library in Bandra East is 1950’s Mumbai. Start with a soon as they deplane. The egg, melted provolone, and an ode to molecular gastronomy chutney martini, followed by place is filled with some guacamole, served in a dining with inventive takes on traditional Indian staples such as galaouti 5,000 ancient artifacts, room with wooden tables and Indian dishes: a “chai” infused kebab or paneer tikka. 10 Aadarsh plus contemporary works by retro curios, including typewriters with dehydrated mushrooms; Nagar Pali Naka, Bandra West; Indian artists (such as New and Archie comics. Eros Cinema ghewar cheesecake with 91-22/2651-9400. $$ Delhi–based mixed-media Bldg., 42 MK Rd., Churchgate; pistachio dust and almond chikki. talent Vivan Sundaram and 91-22/2202-6212. $$ masalalibrary.co.in. $$$ THE TABLE painter Nilima Sheikh) that San Francisco chef Alex Sanchez together comprise a nearly NICO BOMBAY CAFÉ ZOE came to Mumbai three years two-mile-long art walk. Stylish Nico Bombay wouldn’t You never know what to expect ago to open this elegant bistro be out of place in New York or at Belgian owner Jérémie in Colaba. The result is fresh, Paris, but it’s at the forefront Horowitz’s lively European-style simple home cooking with a of a recent revival in the trendy brasserie in Lower Parel. One distinctly West Coast sensibility: Kala Ghoda neighborhood. night, you might find Wile E. warm chèvre salad; Swiss-chard Chef Sinclair Pinto is an alum of Coyote cartoons projected on ravioli; truffle fries with tomato Chicago’s Alinea; here, he serves the walls; the next, a live jazz jam. thetable.in. $$ 174 OCTOBER 2014 TRAVEL+LEISURE MUMBAI From left: Topiary inside the Hanging Gardens; vegetable chive dumplings at Yauatcha; the lounge at Blue Frog. Read more about Local Take Mumbai at tandl.me/mumbai_. Get the scoop on the city from three insiders. MASABA GUPTA KELVIN Fashion designer MALINI AGARWAL CHEUNG at House of Celebrity blogger, Chef, Ellipsis Masaba missmalini.com “I try to avoid the restaurant tourist “The area around Mohammed Ali “If you’re looking for trinkets and traps, which is why I love King of Road is predominantly Muslim. gifts, Colaba Causeway is your best Iran (Shop #9, Yusuf Chambers, During Ramadan, I like to wander bet—the market sells everything Jijabai Marg; 91-22/2375-5769), in the street at night, when it is from Kolhapuri sandals to incense Byculla. A hidden gem that’s been illuminated with lights. For and jewelry. Blue Frog (bluefrog. open for over thirty years, it serves dinner, I adore the Chinese food at co.in) is one of Mumbai’s top simple Mughlai dishes; order the Yauatcha (yauatcha.com; $$), in music venues and hosts frequent mutton keema with parathas.