The cosmopolitan financial hub of India also boasts glamour with society faces and Bollywood stars. The culinary scene is broad and exciting with a fusion of Chinese, Thai, Mexican and Italian restaurants. The city also has a wide array of authentic regional restaurants where the artier Mumbai crowd assemble. Most main restaurants will accept credit cards. Credit card application in India is extremely popular. Food shacks are scattered across the city and can offer some culinary excitement however remember to have cash for these and to practise “safe eating” to prevent upset stomachs. Do not eat anything cold street food, avoid condiments with raw vegetables and, carry probiotics with you to help our stomach to build immunity to food/spices/germs.

Culture Curry offers food from the southern Indian regions. It’s a vibrant and an award winning restaurant traditionally decorated with antique carvings on wood. The menu includes fresh coconut, tropical vegetables and seafood.

Viva Paschim is a higher end restaurant co-owned by one of the city’s biggest food personalities. Decorated with folk art, the ever changing menu includes rare dishes from western India including colocasia green and cashew nut curry and clams simmered in smoked coconut masala.

Khyber specialises in Punjabi and other northern Indian cuisines and some of the city’s best. It’s extremely meat centric with a variety of kebabs, curries, biryanis and raan. The interior is moody and burnt orange.

Basilico is a European style bistro which serves fresh pasta and salads. It’s particularly popular with vegetarians with recipes including combinations of lettuce, corn, asparagus and sprouts with feta and lime or homemade mushroom and goat-cheese cannelloni. There is also a bakery so the delicious aromas of freshly baked breads carry through the restaurant.

There are also a number of dishes you will have to try when you visit Mumbai. Akuri on toast a breakfast meal is one of the great Parsi dishes. The ingredients debated however it is usually made by scrambling eggs with onions, tomatoes or raw mangoes when in season, red chili powder, and green chilies and topped with fresh coriander. 40 Mumbai foods we can’t live without Baida roti is spiced meat with whipped eggs and fried onions, in a square shaped dough and then pan-fried. Batata Vada is enjoyed for breakfast or dinner! This is a dumpling made by mashing potatoes with green chilies, ginger, garlic and lime.

The Bombay sandwich is a side street invention that you must try. It’s buttered bread with beetroot, potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, onion rings and mint chutney. Random but the taste is tangy and refreshing.