Qualia

The Coimbatore pork chops

Rahul Akerkar has made a comeback with this new restaurant on the block. European food thrown in with surprises best describes the food at Qualia. If you’re a meat lover, the yellowfin tuna loin and Coimbatore pork chops will leave you wanting for more. And, if you’re vegetarian, Qualia has much to offer from burnt lemon risotto to charred broccoli with pumpkin hummus and pickled apricots. Finish your meal with some charred chocolate cake or cucumber and lime dessert.World Crest, Ground floor, Lodha, 402, Tulsi Pipe Rd, Lower Parel. 22 6849 0000

Toit

‘The Veg Thali’, ‘The Chicken Thali’, ‘The Seafood Thali’ and ‘The All Meat Thali’

One of Bengaluru’s most popular breweries made its way to Mumbai last year, bringing six different types of brews. Pair it with comfort food like chicken wings, baked nachos, mac-and-cheese balls, beer-battered prawns and ghee roast prawns. Zeba Centre, 242, Tulsi Pipe Road, Lower Parel West, Mathuradas Mill Compound. 9324555223

Café Zoe

With its cast-iron pillars, frosted-glass windows and brick walls, Café Zoe housed in a renovated warehouse in Lower Parel has a warm, cosy vibe that transitions well from day to night. But it’s not just the ambience that makes you feel at home. The menu, too, offers comfort food, including dishes such as mac and cheese, chicken meatball linguini and chicken schnitzel. They also have an extensive breakfast menu that includes a variety of eggs, waffles and pancakes and well-curated set of live jazz gigs on certain days of the week. Mathurdas Mills Compound, NM Joshi Marg, Lower Parel. 24902065

The Bombay Canteen

The ground-breaking restaurant is known to change its menu every few months to incorporate seasonal ingredients and regional recipes. However, what stays the same is the quality of the food and the warm service. You can easily credit chef Thomas Zacharias and the TBC team for changing the way diners perceive Indian food. He has travelled across the country to study India’s culinary heritage and bring lesser-known ingredients that inform regional cooking to your plate. Dishes range from Goan pulled pork vindaloo, eggs Kejriwal, ghee roast chicken on toast, banana leaf wrapped fish and more. Unit 1, Process House, SB Road, Kamala Mills, Lower Parel; 22 49666666

KOKO

Upscale yet inviting, KOKO has won the hearts of many diners over the past two years. Helmed by the Tham brothers, the pan-Asian restaurant’s repertoire includes Japanese as well as Cantonese cuisines. Try the Hamachi ceviche, wild salmon truffle roll, edamame and truffle dumpling, duck dumpling, crispy crackling pork belly and edamame black rice flavoured with burnt garlic. Wash them down with the star cocktail of KOKO—the tom yum cup, a chilled vodka version of the Thai soup. C 2, Trade World, Ground floor, Kamala Mills, SB Road, Lower Parel. 7715963030

Kode

Kode is the brainchild of restaurateur of Zorawar Kalra, the man behind some of the popular restaurants in the city such as Pa Pa Ya, Masala Library and Farzi Café. The ‘freestyle kitchen’s’, tasting menus come with different cocktails paired to each course. Expect dishes such as warm lobster rolls, grilled halloumi steak, zucchini linguini and sous-vide lobster thermidor. Kamala Mills Compound, Ground floor – 11, Oasis City, Entrance #4, Lower Parel. 7718882924

POH

Progressive Oriental House is known for its oomph factor with its jade lanterns and wooden accents. The drama carries on to your plate with elaborate spin-offs of authentic Asian food from the kitchen of chef Vikramjit Roy. On offer are mushroom dim sums brushed with chilli powder, eel avocado sushi, lobster togorashi, artichoke red curry and more. Kamala Mills Compound, Gate 4, Lower Parel. 7045696102

212 All Good

GOJI BERRY CHICKEN CURRY WITH BLACK RICE PILAF AND SAUTEED BROCCOLI- SWEET POTATO

There’s a substitute to everything at this clean-eating restaurant, from ketchup to cola. Home-grown produce and preservative-free ingredients form the main focus at 212 All Good. So, instead of coke, there is a home-made cola churned from raw sugar caramel and palm jaggery. Alongside your burgers, you will be served fermented carrot ketchup and tofu mayo. But in spite of the substitutes, you can rest assured that the food does not sacrifice on taste. Ground floor, High Street Phoenix, Senapati Bapat Marg. 3015 1002

Foo

Charcoal har gow dim sum at Foo

Another baby of the Tham brothers, Foo is a celebration of some of the finest Asian ingredients and Negroni cocktails. The highlight, though, is the wide array of Nikkei dishes—Japanese influence on Peruvian cuisine—in the city. The dim sums, sushi and rice also get a makeover with ingredients such as butterfly pea flower and activated charcoal. What’s more? Award-winning mixologist Dimitri Lezinska will leave you spellbound with the well-presented cocktails. Settle in for a hearty meal at this family-friendly restaurant. Phoenix Mill Compound, High Street Phoenix, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel. 8657407778

Pa Pa Ya

Pa Pa Ya by restaurateur Zorawar Kalra reinvents Asian cuisine with molecular gastronomy like never before. Its exhaustive menu is a fusion of influences and food from Thailand, China, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Korea. Expect prawn dim sums doused in Thai curry, sushi burger, sushi pizza, grilled chicken and avocado tacos, edamame and chickpea sliders, and more.
Level 3, Palladium Mall, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel. 8828031900

The Wine Rack

Inside The Wine Rack, Lower Parel

This restaurant in the heart of Phoenix Mills boasts over 300 labels of wine at wholesale prices. TV chef Sarah Todd, who runs Antares in Goa, helms the kitchen at The Wine Rack that offers multi-cuisine nosh such as haleem samosa, soft shell crab bhajia, snapper ceviche and Goan pork sausage. 8B & 8C, Ground floor, High Street Phoenix,  Lower Parel
Contact: +91-8452833377

Shizusan Shophouse & Bar

Replicating a traditional family-run Asian shophouse right in the middle of a mall could be a difficult task, but Shizusan does a pretty good job at it just like it does with its food. With its expansive menu of sushi, dim sums, baos, Asian tapas, curries and more, Shizusan takes your taste buds on a trip through South east Asia. Don’t miss out on the edamame dim sums, lobster moneybag dumplings, rainbow maki, fish and chips sushi and hibachi-style Japanese sticky rice. Skyzone, High Street Phoenix, 462, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel. 22 62373536. ENDS