India�s Best Restaurants

MY list of favourite restaurants in India is very personal and reflects the element of chance, of travel, of time, of circumstance, which made a particular outing memorable. I love informal, unfussy places where the accent is on good food without frills. Or I love a classy location that multiplies the sensuous enjoyment of food. Take a chance with my list, but remember, it also has a lot to do with mood and ambience.

BOMBAY
Gajalee: This is an unpretentious box of a restaurant in the eastern suburbs of Bombay. But it offers the most heavenly coastal seafood at affordable prices. The Tandoori Crab has a special juicy taste that is unparalleled. Ask for it less spicy so as not to kill the taste. The Surmai Fish Curry, the Prawn Pickle, the Golden Fried Pomfret and the Crisp Bombil or Bombay Duck is absolutely the best in Bombay. Take my word for it.

The Boulevard: There is something about the Orchid Hotel's 24-hour coffee shop that stirs romance and affection. It's got to do with the waterfall of raindrops cascading 70 feet from ceiling to floor that passes through the centre of the first floor coffee shop. The airport location where travellers meet like ships in the night (sorry, bad joke!). The steaming hot buffet and menu supervised by Master Chef Sanjay Malkani. The coffee bar serving 23 varieties of coffee. The Orchid really pampers you. At the Boulevard if your lightning order doesn't arrive in 12 minutes, you can have it free.

Sidewok: This is a restaurant of generous size. I love its space, its energy, its optimism, its innovative decor. Yohann Setna, who runs the Sidewok, tells me that as the night gets older, the crowd gets younger! There is a great bar and music (hits of 70s and 80s) which is not deafening. The service bay designed like a street market offers juices, coffees, soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, stir-fries, grills and desserts and stretches to infinity. Executive Chef Hemant Oberoi has toured restaurants in Asia, the Middle East and America to evolve the Spicy Prawn and Papaya Salad, the Vietnam Crab Cakes, the Lemon Grass Pomfret, the inspired Balinese Prawn Curry and the incredible value for money stir-fries, served to you steaming in your personal mini wok with a brazier, right on your table. And every now and then the waiters burst into a lively choreographed dance in front of the counters, or sing happy birthday to a celebrating group. Yes, let me tell you, Sidewok is a real happening restaurant.

Thai Connection: I just love this elegant wood-finished Bandra restaurant. It is cosy, comfortable and serves the best Thai food in Bombay's suburbs. Specially recommended are the Seafood Salad, the Papaya Salad, the Larb Kai and Shashlik Prawns with their ingenious sauces. There is a jolly Thai chef in the kitchen. The green and red curries are authentic and my favourite veg here is Morning Glory! Incidentally, upstairs is Memories of China for die-hard Chinese fans. Yes you can order a sweet corn soup and then get on with a superb Thai meal. As for me, I'd never give up the searing hot, Tom Yum Koong (Prawn Tum Yum Soup) which as the name suggests is yum!

Bay Of Bombay: This elegant, new wood-panelled restaurant designed like a ship's interior, near the Metro Cinema in the Bombay's business area, is absolutely the best place offering oysters of gigantic size. And you can have them raw with a little lime juice, steamed in their broth, or gratinated. Besides they have an outstandingly presented series of Continental seafood including Red Snapper, a great Lobster Bisque, Crumb-Fried Calamari and Wok-Fried Veg. Even traditional items like neer dosa are presented wrapped in a bamboo ribbon! Oh yes, this is one classy place with a great ambience.

KERALA
The Bubble Cafi, Kochi: This is a lovely air-conditioned glass dome, a bit like a transparent atomic power station overlooking the Kochi harbour. It is a marvel of design and engineering. You can sit under the dome all day and watch the light changing on the dome and on the cascading central fountain. Particularly spectacular are the sunset colours. It is magical at night with its arches of tiny jewel-like lights. There is an excellent fusion menu reflecting Oriental, Mexican and Kerala influences which hasn't really taken off with Kochiites, but then you can always settle for their elaborate buffet and neat salad bar. This is one restaurant which would have been famous if only it had been at the Taj Bombay, overlooking the Gateway of India, rather than at the Taj Residency in downmarket Kochi.

Coconut Lagoon, Kumarakom: About an hour away from Kochi (and about three enchanting hours away by boat) is the Coconut Lagoon, an idyllic resort of traditional wooden Namboodri houses (fully air-conditioned) at the edge of the great Vembanad Lake which empties out into the sea. Take an overnight cruise in a converted Kettuvellam (traditional cargo boat) which has a bedroom and toilet on board and experience the joy of cuddling and karimeen. Waterfowl wheel and scatter before you. You can buy the karimeen (pearlspot) and other fresh water fish and shrimp right from the fishermen on the lake. Your personal cook will rattle up a feast of fiery Meen Vevichattu, Beans Thoran, garlic pickle and pappadums with boiled and salted tapioca in place of rice. As the moon glistens on the rippling waves, there is chilled white wine in the ice box just for this occasion. I can't think of a more romantic way to dine.

DELHI
Pindi Restaurant: At Pandara Road, near the Old Fort, is one of Delhi's most famous culinary landmarks where the proprietor used to cook Brain Masala in a tava on the pavement and conjure up crisp hot naans and succulent Tandoori Chicken on a glowing sigri for college students like me at rickety tables. Now Pindi has bought up all the shops behind it, space and prices have quadrupled, but the flavour of the Fish Tikka, the Tandoori Chicken and the Brain Masala or Brain Fry is unequalled. Other, smarter restaurants have sprung up in the quadrangle around it, but believe me the old magic still works.

West Side: This is a spacious quiet, elegant rooftop restaurant in the Maurya Sheraton, opening out onto a herb garden. There is live music but not deafening so you can talk. West Side is manned entirely by women (sorry, another bad pun). The chefs (headed by Manisha Bhasin) are all women and so are the waitresses. There is an excellent selection of wines and you can choose your own combination of fresh meats, seafood and vegetables from the counter (including a soup, salad and pasta from a central food island if you are in a hurry) and see it expertly grilled to your liking right in front of your eyes. The selection is fresh and changes everyday. West Side combines the grace of fine dining with the warmth and friendliness of a western country kitchen. It is contemporary and sexy. My choice definitely whenever I'm in Delhi.

GOA
The Riverside: The Riverside is one of the most exquisite restaurants I have ever visited anywhere. It is part of the Leela Beach Hotel, in South Goa, about an hour and a half away from Panaji. Nestling on the banks of the River Sal - you can sample the most delicious Italian menu by candlelight while a Goan chorus entertains you. The river flows by silently while the occasional country craft slips through the night. The restaurant manager shows you the fresh catch of the day and you can make your selection. On offer is Agnolotti di Verdure e Erbe con Pomodoro Secchi, Rotollo di Spinaci e Pollo or Risotto al Granchio, exquisitely presented. There is also a spectacular Calzone Double Pizza, which is rather like a huge stuffed naan, cooked in an authentic wood-fired oven using mango instead of olive wood to impart a special Indian fragrance. This is one restaurant which should be open for lunch as well as it offers one of the best views of Goa on the river.

GUJARAT
Vishalla: Vishalla is one of my favourite rustic restaurants. Situated on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, it is like fairyland in the evening, lit up by hundreds of lanterns. You get to sit on the mud floor with the pure veg food served on low tables. Folk dancers, singers, acrobats and magicians from interior Gujarat entertain you as you sip your chaach or jeerapani. Service is on traditional leaf plates and cups with a fascinating variety of achars, chutneys and best of all a wati (clay cup) of fresh white homebrewed butter and dahi (curd). This is Gujarati and Kutchi food at its best with Undhiyo, traditional Gujarati vegetables, achar, potatoes, salads, jelebies, rotlis, bajre ki roti and kadhi, followed by my favourite steaming hot khichadi with a spoonful of hot pure ghee. Pure delight under the stars.