To live to eat -I

There are those who eat to live and then those who live to eat. I definitely belong to the latter category. One of the first things my partner and I did after landing in Mumbai was to invest in a Mumbai Times Food Guide. For foodies such as me, this book is a must-have and a treasure! Not only does the Guide have a budget- and cuisine-wise index, but it also has an area-vise index. Though we like to make our own reviews, those of Rashmi Uday Singh are quite helpful as well! It’s become our weekend project since then to tick off the ones tried and to try the ones we haven’t ticked yet. I do not think we shall cover all (till we are here), but we shall definitely give our best shot.

Recently I discovered this amazing little joint: Café Churchill. It’s located on the same side as Leopold, but within a good walking distance from here on, quite near Bata, in fact. You can almost miss it, it’s that small. So do keep your eyes open as soon as you reach Bata!

Consider yourself lucky if you don’t have to wait. But it's a small price to pay, believe me. I was working too the particular day I visited and I could see the pleasant surprise in people who didn’t have to wait! The décor is average. The food is simply to kill for. The food is awesome (I don’t care if I sound repetitive). Pastas, sandwiches, soups, grills: the menu is quite endless! The vegetarians too shall not be disappointed. No doubt, this place is so popular with the locals.

My colleague and I ended up sharing a Chicken Hawaiian sandwich and grilled chicken with peppered sauce (served with steamed veggies and mashed potato). A word of advice: do save the place for the dessert. The pastries (that is the only thing they serve) are to die for! We decided to go our separate paths, where the desserts were concerned. It definitely was a good decision. My Irish Cream Coffee Cake was absolutely exquisite and my colleague took a Lemon Cheese cake. And this place is quite decently prized too. A meal for two can cost you about 600 bucks.

Food is an integral part of the Mumbai culture. Be it the street food (a separate post's coming soon) or the neighborhood joints, the 5-star palates or unique restaurants, most are quite an eclectic mix of creativity, service and entrepreneurship. They will charm you and make you come back for more.

I know I can’t wait to go back to Café Churchill. They have me hooked for sure!