Monsoons are a season to indulge in, with many dishes culturally only made during this season. Luxebook takes you through some of the special menus that the kitchens of some of our favourite restaurants of Mumbai are dishing out in honour of the rains.
By the Mekong
Photo Courtesy: Hakkasan
Blending home-style cooking with traditional ingredients, By the Mekong has an all-new menu featuring delicacies from regions bordering the namesake Mekong River. Expect specialities like the Chiang Mai style seabass with chilli and green pepper corn sauce, Singaporean chilli crab and golden mantou bao, Vietnamese rice noodle soup and vegetable dumplings, Mongolian lamb chops, and more. Pair your meal with fresh Asian craft cocktails like Thailand, a vodka-based concoction with oriental leaf, cranberry, and hazelnut; or the Golden Triangle also made with vodka, blending with fruity flavours of grapes, passion fruit, cranberry, ginger, and vanilla. For gin lovers, there’s the Manila Sunshine made with malibu, triple sec and pineapple; or a sweet and sour concoction of TheMekong Bowl made with oriental lime, cranberry, star anise, freshly squeezed lime juice fresh fruits finished with flamed Cointreau. Round off your meal on a sweet note with pandan custard, cacao 64, thap tim krob, and ice cream coupe.
Mumbai’s favourite French cafe, Cafe Noir has the weather in mind with a special curation of french tea, hot chocolate, and liquor chocolates for a sweet kick. Tea at Cafe Noir has traditional flavours like the Darjeeling Assam tea with floral flavours, earl grey tea for a richer tea experience, ginseng oolong jasmine tea and for the love of India – Epise which is a masala tea. Pair your favourite teas with an indulgent liquor-enrobed dessert like an Irish Cream Bar, Bailey’s cigars, or the more special Baileys tiramisu and gooey brownie in baileys sauce.
Address: World Crest, Unit no.1A & 1B, Lodha, Upper Worli, Lower Parel, Mumbai, 400013
Time: 10 am to 11 pm (Monday to Friday) 8 am to 11 pm (Saturday and Sunday)
Café Panama
Photo Courtesy: Café Panama
Café Panama’s new Latin menu perfectly complements the tropical vibe of the restaurant. Designed by Culinary Director Chef Sushil Multani, the menu exhibits the restaurant’s vision of constant innovation with food, depicting everything from tropical ingredients to artisanal condiments. The very diverse menu is packed with colourful and flavourful combinations like the Puerto Rican jackfruit jibarito, yuca bravas, avocado toast and wild mushrooms, Peruvian chicken with barley and cucumber soy salad, slow-cooked Mexican tinga chicken with Mexican rice and pineapple, soy braised pork belly with barley risotto and charred broccoli, and more. The desserts are a special favourite, with treats like the treche leches with roasted pistachio, biscoff cheesecake with dulce de leche, bourbon and belgian chocolate cigar with berry ice cream, bitter chocolate mousse with orange and apricot.
Brush off the monsoon gloom with Cin Cin’s vibrant lemon-infused menu. Inspired by the flavours of Italy, Resident Chef Dayamani Singh curated this special menu using locally sourced homegrown ingredients, with Amalfi Lemons as the star of the course. Start your meal with some fresh salads like Insalata Spinaci, Carpaccio and Pollo al Limone, and make your way through some delicious pastas. Mezzelune which is a half-moon-shaped pasta from Northern Italy, filled with green peas, ricotta cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano and drizzled with a light lemon butter sauce, or go for traditional spaghetti like Chitarra Gamberi e Limone paired with prawns, pistachio and lemon sauce. End your meal with a light and creamy Sorbetto Di Limone, served in a whole Amalfi Lemon or the Crostata Al Limone, a creamy, sweet, and tangy lemon curd layered on a short pastry base.
Address: CinCin, Raheja Towers, Near Dena Bank, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East.
Hakkasan
Photo Courtesy: Hakkasan
Hakkasan’s limited-edition five-course Hakka Monsoon Lunch Menu offers a striking ensemble of seasonal delicacies with classic Cantonese twists. The menu features signature specials like soup, dim sum, stir-fry with rice or noodles, and dessert paired with a glass of Prosecco Bellini. The small eats section is a wholesome selection of hot dim sums like har gau, spicy chicken dumpling, crystal dumpling and vegetable chive dumpling, and signature wok specials like stir-fry chicken in Szechuan peppercorn, sanpei chicken clay pot or a stir-fry sugar snap and waterchestnut in black pepper. Sweet treats like apple and vanilla crème brulee and dark chocolate mousse are the perfect end to the meal.
Seasonal Thai signatures make an appearance in Nara Thai’s delicious new dim sum menu. Bringing in the best of dim sum from Yauatcha, the menu features specials like asparagus & water chestnut dumpling, vegetable crystal dumpling, chicken shu mai dumpling and prawn har gau dumpling, along with Nara Thai’s signature Tom Yum soup, fresh papaya salad and more. Conclude your meal with a unique creation, the Thai coconut ice cream with condiments, a house favourite, as you pair your meal with refreshing Nara signature cocktails like the Satahip bar and Colio.
Address: Amar Chand Mansion, Madame Cama Rd, Dr Ambedkar Statue Chowk Area, Colaba, Mumbai 400001
Time: Monday to Saturday 12pm to 7pm
Poco Loco
Photo Courtesy: Poco Loco
Another cosy Spanish spot in Mumbai, Poco Loco curated a monsoon special exotic Mexican menu. Bringing in the best of South American cuisine, the menu features specials like tostadas – pepper, black bean, roast chicken, and smoke lamb tostadas along with other delicacies like empanadas, pizzas, quinoa risotto, cilantro rice and more. Savour your meal with refreshing cocktails like Kokum Gaseosa, Mango Verde Y Jalapeño, Tamarindo Chile, Fruta Estrella, B’nB and more.
Address: Ground Floor, Off Sangeet Samrat Naushad Ali Marg, 21st Road, Khar, Mumbai 400052
Shanghai Club, ITC Grand Central
Photo Courtesy: ITC Grand Central
ITC Grand Central’s Shanghai Club launched a new menu celebrating the culinary journey through the provinces of China, that is Sichuan, Hunan, Canton, Shanghai and Beijing. Each dish on the menu comes from one of these regions, capturing the very flavours and characters that define the respective regions. The menu presents a cuisine philosophy that combines simplicity with contemporary interpretations. The meal has a very smooth flow, giving guests one dish from every province, which includes soups, mains, staples and of course dessert.
Address: 287, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Rd, Parel East, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400012
Toast & Tonic
Photo Courtesy: Toast & Tonic
A fun and unique take on the season, Toast & Tonic introduced a special ‘Monsoon Moodboard’ menu, a fun version of a food mood board inspired by the weather. The menu celebrates biodiversity by featuring global cuisines drizzled with local and seasonal ingredients. Start with small plates including dishes like monsoon mushroom buns, Nashvillefried hot chicken and miso and mushroom coconut broth, or dig into hearty big plates such as T&T enchiladas stuffed with Uttarakhand black and red beans, local cheese, and minced vegetables; or the lush green chicken marinated with fresh, coriander pesto with a side of goat’s cheese mash and sautéed vegetables. Round off your meal with Peachy Feelings, a warm and sweet peach pie.
