A Passage to Mumbai

India’s gastronomic capital has millions of people, tens of thousands of restaurants—and one hugely famous food critic named Rashmi Uday Singh. On a day-long eating spree, she takes writer Monica Bhide to her favorite spots.

By Monica Bhide

We’re going where Mumbai’s bachelors hang out," my guide announces. Visions of a noisy, ultratrendy nightclub pop into my head. Our car pulls into a winding lane lined with 100-year-old bungalows. I look around for packs of young men streaming out of a doorway with attractive women on their arms. Instead, all I see is an old house with a sign that reads ANANT ASHRAM.

I turn toward my guide, but before she can react, the owner stops us at the door. I assume it’s because he knows her: A picture of her was in the morning daily, which named her one of the most influential women in the fashionable South Mumbai area. "No food left," he bellows. "Leave please, lunch over." "Can we just come in to see the place?" she pleads, and he finally lets us in.

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Restaurants covered

Masala Kraft