Mumbai is
a shopper’s paradise. The shops and
bazaars offer a truly amazing diversity
of goods, as well as being worth a visit
in their own right. Mumbai sells
everything from expensive European
antiques to local spices by way of
electrical goods and silks. In
particular, it is the centre of the
Indian clothing trade and caters for all
tastes and budgets. ‘Fashion Street’, on
M Gandhi Road between Cross Maidan and
Azad Maidan, is a row of market stalls
where some very good bargains can be
found. At the other end of the spectrum,
Mumbai is also home to a number of
tailors who will make clothes quickly at
a reasonable cost. For the more
adventurous shopper, there is a large
amount of Indian furniture for sale in
Mumbai, both at dealers and in the
bazaars. Caveat emptor is very much the
rule and the age or worth of purchases
cannot be guaranteed – visitors should
trust to luck and their eye, haggle
fiercely and hope to be rewarded with an
exceptional bargain. Likewise, Mumbai is
a major centre of the diamond trade and
for those with strong nerves and long
pockets, who know what they are doing,
it is possible to pick great bargains.
For inexpensive yet attractive wooden
and other presents, the Central Cottage
Industries Emporium, Shivaji Marg,
between Apollo Bunder and Regal, is open
Monday-Saturday.
For those who like to shop in comfort,
the Oberoi and Taj Hotels both boast
air-conditioned shopping malls with an
interesting range of boutiques. No trip
to Mumbai is complete, however, without
a visit to the bazaars – Chor Bazaar,
Mutton Street, near Sir JJ Road, for
bric-a-brac, furniture and junk, Zaveri
Bazaar, off Abdul Rahman Street, for
jewellery, Dhaboo Street Bazaar, Dhaboo
Street, for leather goods and Crawford
Market, Dr D Navroji Road/Carnac Road,
for fruit and vegetables. Markets are
generally open from 0900-1900. In most
shops and bazaars, bargaining is the
norm, particularly for more expensive
items. For shoppers of a more literary
bent, there are a number of open-air
second-hand bookstalls on the streets
near the university, around Chowk
Fountain, where a persistent search may
reveal interesting volumes among the
pulp thrillers.
Generally, shops do not open until 1000
or 1030 but tend to remain open until
about 1900. Sales tax varies between
4-15%.
Shopping Downtown
Most of the Handicrafts emporia and
bazaars are located in the downtown
area. Crawford Market, famous for
flowers, fruits, meat and fish, is
certainly a place worth capturing on
your camera; its sheer colour and
variety will not fit into one screen.
The main areas for bargain clothes are
around Colaba Causeway and Fashion
Street, which stretches along the Cross
and Azad Maidans. More trendy and costly
shopping is found at Breach Candy and
Kemps Corner, down the hill from the
Hanging Gardens. Chor Bazaar is an
antique-hunter's delight, while nearby
Zaveri Bazaar is famous for its diamond,
gold and silver jewellery.
The shopping arcades of almost all
five-star hotels such as the Oberoi and
the Taj Mahal offer a good variety of
up-market shops. In central and suburban
Mumbai, the Dadar, Bandra-Linking Road,
and Juhu Road areas are good spots to
shop.
Shopping Arcades Of The Hotels
If one wants to take the leisurely
option for your shopping trips, go for a
stroll around the air- conditioned
shopping arcades of the main hotels, the
Taj, the Oberoi Towers and the new
Oberoi, all in south Mumbai, and shop
for clothes, shoes, leatherwear,
jewellery, and good quality handicrafts.
Prices will be higher than outside, but
the choice in these shopping arcades is
excellent, and if one is a canny
shopper, one can always window shop
there, before heading off to the
markets.
Some shops however are exclusive to the
hotels in the Oberoi Shopping Centre,
for example, there is a wonderful shop
called "Christina", selling bags,
purses, scarves and silk blouses.
Designs are never repeated, and one has
to be quick off the mark if one sees
something one likes, for the little shop
is always busy, often with airline crew.
Chor Bazaar
Its name literally means "thieves
market," as this was where stolen goods
were once sold. Today, it is best known
for antique furniture and quaint
collectors’ items sold at throwaway
prices. Daily from 10 am. Between Sardar
V. Patel and Grant Road, Mumbai.
Crawford Market
Built in 1871, and also known as Mahatma
Phule Market, this is where you'll find
the best Alphonso mangoes in the city
along with hundreds of varieties of
fruits and vegetables. The flower market
is a riot of red, yellow, pink, marigold
and purple. Less pretty is the nearby
meat market: It's fascinating but
definitely not for the squeamish.
Bargaining is expected, and you can take
home most items at 50% of their quoted
price. Daily from 10 am. Lokmanya Tilak
Road and MRA Road (north of Victoria
Terminus), Mumbai.
Mangaldas Market
A massive indoor market selling every
conceivable type of cloth. Look for the
bolts of beautiful Indian silk and
cotton. The key to success there is
patience and astute haggling. Daily from
10 am. Off Sheikh Memon Street, Mumbai.
Zaveri Bazaar
Primarily a retail outlet, this is the
epicenter for most of India's jewellery
trade. Visit the glamorous shops if you
are looking for gems, gold or diamonds.
Daily from 10 am. Sheikh Memon Street,
Mumbai.
Fashion Street
For shirts, tee-shirts and wonderful
cotton clothes for children, all at rock
bottom prices, visit "Fashion Street" a
street market opposite one of Mumbai's
exclusive clubs, the Bombay Gymkhana,
but known to everyone as the Bombay Gym.
Fashion street sells export rejects, and
export "over-runs" which are often
excellent quality clothes at knock down
prices. Bargain very hard, and with any
luck one can reduce the sales man's
opening offer down to a more realistic
price.
Colaba And Flora Fountain
Colaba and Flora Fountain (Hutatama
Chowk) in the heart of south Mumbai and
at walking distance from Bombay VT and
Churchgate railway stations are full of
shops of all kinds, mainly ethnic
artefacts and departmental stores. It is
a good place to find shoes, cotton
clothes, Kaftans and children's clothes.
Dadar
Another major shopping area is around
Dadar T.T, and if you go there in the
evening, the place is packed. Good
cotton clothes, saris, children's
clothes galore and a general atmosphere
of fun shopping. Given the space
constraints in Mumbai, the further one
goes from the over crowded southern tip,
the bigger and better the shops become.
Departmental stores are virtually
unheard of in south Mumbai, whilst just
a short drive away, uptown, are large
complexes.
Bandra
Bandra, the so-called "Queen of Suburbs"
is the residential abode of film stars,
industrialists and the likes, of Mumbai.
Linking Road joins Bandra to Khar and is
lined up on both sides with showrooms
for the elite. But the striking contest
here is the pavement selling, a world of
contrast from a posh showroom.
Shopping At Eternia And Shopper's
Stop
Two mentionable places to shop in Mumbai
are Eternia at Breach Candy and
Shopper's Stop on S.V. Road in Andheri.
Eternia is indeed an international
shopping experience for women - a part
of the Premsons Bazaar, one of the
trendiest addresses in Mumbai. Eternia
caters to the growing demands of the
contemporary women and stocks everything
she could ask for. Shopper's Stop has
burgeoned into a 75,000 square feet
shopping experience, covering three
floors. It has every thing that women,
men and children could ask for. In fact,
the kid's section is an experience by
itself.
Shopping For Books
For the book lovers, there are several
excellent bookshops, and street stalls
galore, many of the latter concentrated
around Flora Fountain. "Crossword" on
Warden Road sells books, magazines,
records, CDs, greeting cards - the lot.
One of Mumbai's most popular bookshops
is the tiny "Strand Book Stall" which
has helpful knowledgeable staff, a
comprehensive range of books, and if
they don't have something, they will
order it within a day or so. It is quite
an achievement to leave the shop without
buying something!
Shopping For Handicrafts
Very close to Gateway of India, there is
the main government emporium, Cottage
Industries, which is reasonably well
stocked with a cross section of
handicrafts and clothes, and prices are
fixed. In the little streets immediately
opposite to the government emporium,
there are lots of handicraft and silver
shops, and a couple of good, but pricey,
antique shops.
Eating Out
Mumbaikars love food. Combine
this with the city's history of
immigrants, and you have the most varied
cuisine offered anywhere in India. Thus,
eating out is a good way of exploring
the culture of the city and the country.
Though you'll find Western fast-food
restaurants in all areas, in this city
fast food still means bhelpuri, pav
bhaji or panipuri. Bhelpuri is a sweet
and spicy combination of puffed rice,
onions, boiled potatoes, puri,
coriander, mint, chililes and chutney.
Pav bhaji is a potpourri of cooked and
spiced vegetables such as peas, peppers,
tomatoes, potatoes and onions
accompanied by a bread bun. Panipuri are
lightweight puffed semolina or flour
cakes, eaten with a filling of boiled
pulses (lentils), spices, tamarind
chutney and spicy water. Though these
distinctly Mumbai delicacies are
available from street vendors at every
corner, we recommend trying them in good
quality restaurants only.
Restaurants are scattered throughout the
city, with the more upmarket ones
generally located near the city centers
of Colaba, Nariman Point and Marine
Drive or in Bandra, Andheri and Juhu.
Intense competition keeps prices in
check. The commercial area of Fort
offers mainly functional food for office
workers who need to eat and run. Most of
the budget restaurants are open early
morning until 11:30 pm. More upscale
restaurants usually serve only lunch and
dinner.
Here are some of the resturants we have
reviewed:
Little Italy
Located in Juhu, Little Italy is a
charming little place specializing in
all authentic Italian fare. It is also
surprising since it is purely
vegetarian. So all the vegetarians out
there, have no fear go and sink your
teeth into the heavenly pastas,
lasagnas, pizzas and tiramisus. And let
me add here that there is no compromise
on taste.
Trattoria
This one comes with high
recommendations. Obviously since it is
the Italian restaurant of a 5-star
hotel, The President. You will no doubt
find all the affluence associated with a
5-star. If you have the pastas here you
will know why they have become sich a
rage. Cannelloni stuffed with cheese and
spinach, and gnocchi, fusils with all
their accouterments are all mouth
watering. Another high point is that its
open 24 hrs of the day so if the
gastronome bug bites you at 2 A.M you
know where to head. Its located in Cuff
Parade, only remember not to land there
in your nightgown.
Thai me up
Well none other than our very own Sunil
Shetty owns the place. As the name
suggests the food is all Thai. In fact
why just the food even the ambience is
meant to be Thai… the object d'art,
decorations et al. It is spread over a
couple of floors, located in Lamington
road and a must visit place whether you
live in Mumbai or are there for a brief
period. The food is good, seems to be
bona fide and the portions munificent.
Barista coffee Bar
Coffee in all its avatars is becoming
hugely popular. Café mocha to Cappuccino
to Irish coffee to Café Latte you will
find it all here. This one has several
branches in different parts of the city,
Bandra, Lokhandwala, Cuffe Parade,
Chowpatty and Juhu. It is a place to go
if you have some time to kill, for there
are magazines, board games and the like.
Of course you can take away your coffee
if you want in plastic cups too. Oh and
not to mention the munchies and desserts
which are incredible too.
Not just Jazz by the bay
This one has quite a name for a
restaurant. It opened with some hype
couple of years back. Well music is one
thing you can't help but appreciate; it
even has a perfect location in Marine
Drive. If you have been looking for a
place to take your friends well this is
the place. The food is good and like all
up market places in Mumbai, expensive
too.
Kandhar
Also located at Marine drive in, it is
one of the outstanding 5-star
restaurants of The new Oberoi
specializing in Mughlai cuisine. The
ambience is bright and comfortable. The
view of the marine drive is coupled with
good food, which surprisingly isn't
heavy either. Especially recommended for
business lunches more so for those who
have offices at Nariman point.
Mainland China
The popularity of Chinese food in India
remains despite the invasion of Thai,
Italian, Mexican etc. Though what we eat
perhaps is not authentically Chinese but
it does suit our palette quite well.
Seafood is the high point here and
definitely not something to be missed.
The place is quite big and doesn't give
a cramped feeling unlike many others.
Indigo
Good music and informal ambience is the
hallmark of this hugely popular place.
Its major attraction is perhaps the
feeling of being trendy and young that
is associated with it. The food that is
served is mainly European and an
excellent place for your European guests
i.e. if they don't want to eat Indian
food any more. The cost is on the
steeper side though but the food and
everything else makes up for it.
Only fish
This one is typically Bengali in its
character. The food is of course
Bengali. Your Bengali guests will no
doubt be gladdened at having their Doi
maach and Rasogulla so far away from
their home
Well I haven't been fair at all to
Mumbai's gastronomical offerings because
I have left out so many places that
could have and should have been
included, Signature, Ling's Pavilion,
Ambrosia…In fact this list could go on
but I have to stop. What's stopping you
though? Go ahead and explore them all. |
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