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Travelling - either for business or pleasure- cannot be done on an empty stomach. In fact, even if you have to travel long distances within the city you reside in, then the worrisome question of - ‘Where to eat?’ - often arises. I often face this problem. When I am alone I not only find it awkward eating alone at a restaurant, there is also the problem of large portions, which are good enough for two people. On the other hand when I am in a group, although I can share the food there is the problem of varied tastes. I, for instance, do not like chilies while some of my friends find food without chilies insipid. I have found the answer to all these problems in the food courts at malls.
Reasonably priced, the food courts offer a wide choice of cuisines- what is most important they are scrupulously clean with spotless washrooms. In Mumbai where I live, I have had the opportunity of eating at the food courts of three malls -Infiniti Mall, Mega Mall and Inorbit Mall and believe me you are spoilt for choice. All the three malls are located in North Mumbai. In almost all
Malgudi
Infiniti Mall the malls in Mumbai you will find all the well-known brands like, KFC, Subway, McDonald’s, Café Coffee Day, Wraps & Rolls ,Pizza Hut and Natural Ice -Cream (one of Mumbai’s popular ice-cream brands and as the name suggests there are no artificial flavours added to the ice-cream- at least that is what the company claims).
Whenever I visit a food court particularly at lunch or dinner time I usually ignore the brands for what it is available at these outlets is essentially snacks- --tasty no doubt- but it does not fill my stomach. I make a beeline for the outlets which offer Indian cuisine. For instance at Infiniti Mall (located at Link Road, Andheri, North Mumbai), I usually head for Malgudi which serves south Indian cuisine. I usually order their special Thali. Those familiar with Indian cuisine will know that a Thali is a platter containing small bowls which have several dishes in them. In some restaurants the Thali is unlimited which means you can go on replenishing your bowls at no extra cost. At Malgudi it is a limited Thali and at approximately Rs 90/- it is a steal. There is rice, choice of either parathas (flat Indian
The Special Thali
Malgudi at Infiniti Mall unleavened bread) or neer dosa or appam (the latter two are south Indian pancakes) a vegetarian dish prepared with potatoes and capsicum (green bell peppers) another vegetarian dish which changes each day, pickle, yoghurt, dal (lentils )and a sweet dish prepared with vermicelli and milk. Let me assure you, this Thali is light, tasty, not at all spicy and will definitely not give you an upset tummy.
While on south Indian cuisine there is Dosa Diner at Inorbit Mall (located at Link Road, Malad in North Mumbai) which serves delicious Appams---- a pancake made with fermented rice, it is a speciality of Kerala in south India--------with chicken or vegetable stew . For approximately Rs 150/- you get three large Appams with a fairly good quantity of the stew.
There are a number of outlets selling delicious North Indian cuisine. In fact outlets like Only Parathas and Kailash Parbat appear to have made their presence felt in most of the malls in Mumbai. Only Parathas has reasonably priced meal combos and their jalebis are deliciously juicy. Kailash Parbat is well-known in Mumbai for its Indian fast food like, Bhel Puri, Paani Puri, Sev Puri and so on. There is
Chinese Meal Combo
Flavours of China at Infiniti Mall Sanskriti at Inorbit which has a nice village like appeal. It is vegetarian and I have tried two dishes from here which were just perfect; not excessively spicy but quite tasty.
For non-vegetarian Indian food there is Shamiana (at both Infiniti and Inorbit Mall and perhaps other malls too ). I have not tried any of their dishes but they do have a wide selection of tandoori dishes and kababs. For some melt in the mouth kababs there is Kakori House ( Inorbit Mall). Their signature dish the Kakori Kabab and the Murgh Malai Tikka are yummy.
If you have had enough of Indian foods then do not worry; there are a number of outlets selling Chinese, Thai, Pizzas, Pastas, and Sizzlers. I particularly found the Thai meal combo at Sala Thai ( Inorbit Mall) very economical---for Rs 130/- you get a portion of rice, a non-vegetarian dish , a vegetarian dish and a spring roll.
Though my favorite Sizzler restaurant in Mumbai is Yoko Sizzler, it however not only sets me back by approximately Rs 400/- but I am also saddled with a tummy which is ready to burst for they serve quite a large quantity.
Inorbit Mall
View of Dosa Diner stall At the malls the sizzlers are reasonably priced and the quantity is just right. I like the sizzler available at Mega Mall (also located at Link Road, Andheri West, and North Mumbai). Here they serve the Middle Eastern delicacy- Chicken Shawarama- on a sizzler plate with rice, French fries and so on. It is different and well quite delectable.
All this is just the tip of the iceberg. I have still to try out all the outlets at these malls. In fact I am eager to step into the plush restaurants which are within the food courts. Here you can get away from the crowd of the food courts and enjoy a quiet meal. At Inorbit Mall there is Rajdhani (Indian vegetarian food) and Ruby Tuesday ( western cuisine). At Infiniti Mall there is Panchvati (Indian vegetarian cuisine) and TGIF (western cuisine).
So the next time you visit Mumbai (Bombay), do drop in at the food courts. I have a suggestion; if you happen to be visiting the Sanjay Gandhi National Park ( located at Borivali East in North Mumbai), then you could try the malls located nearby or go to Goregaon East and drop by at Oberoi
Kakori House
Inorbit Mall Mall located on Western Express Highway. I have just had a glimpse of the food court here and I found it quite tempting. You could also take the flyover to the west and go straight to Inorbit Mall. If you are in South Mumbai, at Worli, for instance, visiting either the Nehru Planetarium or the Nehru Centre then drop by at Atria Mall located close by. You will definitely enjoy this food trip.
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