Bhavana, Abhishek and I go out for dinner every other week or so. Because of three constraints – vegetarian restaurant (when possible), availability of Jain food options, and my taste buds (no experimentation with exotic food preparations) – our choices are limited. But across these restaurants, we have a wide variety available. Here are our favourites. (As a reference point: we stay at Kemps Corner, so all of these are in about a maximum 20-minute driving distance.)
- Swati: This is our favourite whether it is for dine-in or ordering. They have two locations: Tardeo and Nariman Point. The latter is less crowded on weekends and a short walk from Inox CR2 (the multiplex). What I love about Swati is the speed of service. The last time we were there, we were out with filled tummies in 20 minutes! The taste has remained the same through the years, and that’s what a good restaurant offers – like Mom’s cooking, a constant in a changing world.
- Status: Also at Nariman Point, I have very fond memories of this restaurant from the IndiaWorld days when my office was also in the same neighbourhood. Meeting someone for lunch meant Status. Service is quick and the staff is friendly.
- Cream Centre: Also an old favourite and known for its Chole Bhatura, Cream Centre is a place closer to home to take visiting relatives or friends to.
- Spice Klub: This one (at Lower Parel) is closer to my office, so it is where I do my business lunches or dinners. The food presentation is different, and if there are many diners, then there’s good variety for everyone. They have recently started a functional business lunch (thali types) which is quite good.
- All-in-1 Pure Jain: This is a new one (at Opera House). The entire menu is Jain – probably the only one of its kind, outside of Jain dharamshalas. They have almost every kind of food, so plenty of variety.
- Sahib Room: This is where I do formal long lunches and dinners. It is at St. Regis in Lower Parel. Their Jain preparations are very well done, especially the Dal Maharani. The tables are set far enough to afford privacy.
There are some other ones which we used to go often earlier, which also have excellent food. Dakshinayan at Walkeshwar (South Indian food), Quattro (next to Spice Klub, for its veg Italian and Mexican options), Soam and Govinda (at Babulnath), Samrat (at Churchgate), New Yorker (next to Cream Centre), and Gustoso (pizza, walking distance from home).
There is one I miss: Maharaja Bhog. It was near the office, and I used to go there often for their thalis. But it shut down during the pandemic. As did Grapevine which is in my office complex. The one restaurant I wish would be opened in Mumbai: a veg Pizza Hut serving Jain pizza, like the one in Surat. (It used to be there a long time ago at Chowpatty, but it shut down.)
So, no shortage of good Jain eating options in South Mumbai. Each of them ensures that you don’t really need a second big meal during the day!
