As Mumbai’s most popular commercial super hub, the Bandra Kurla Complex—or BKC to use its trendy moniker—is a vertiginous warren of glass and steel buildings where business booms all day long. Interestingly, it is also one of the city’s premier dining destinations, offering a plethora of options for those after work dining and partying needs. We bring you a serving of BKC’s top 10 hot spots.
By Raul Dias
O Pedro
Fast becoming the go-to place for some fun, fusion-forward Goan nosh and imaginative
drinks, is this whimsically decorated bar-cum- restaurant. Here, one can expect drinks that
bring back the fun of tropical living along with simple, yet sophisticated food that reflects
Goa’s stunning culinary diversity, going back to its Portuguese influences and further
beyond. The food at O Pedro sidesteps Goa’s touristy flavours to evoke all this rich, complex
culinary history. But that’s not to say that a meal here is a meat lover’s feast alone. The menu
includes a host of vegetarian renditions of Portuguese and Saraswat classics. So, expect to
dive into a stuffed charred cabbage foogath and the breadfruit rawa fry with as much gusto as
a serving of the sublime chicken baffad curry or Aunty Braganza’s crab rissois!
Unit #2, Ground Floor, Jet Airways-Godrej BKC Building, BKC
Tel: 022-26534700/01/02
Nara Thai
Think flavourful Bangkok-style street food—über reasonable price et al—in a jazzed-up
setting and this elegant restaurant, replete with an al fresco sitting area, pops into mind. Done
up with hints of royal Thai purple with carefully manicured topiaries and flower beds, this
place is a calm spot amidst BKC’s humdrum. Perfect for a quick lunch is the express business
lunch that gives you a brief sampling of the authentically Thai menu. Here, you can expect to
tuck into everything from dishes like crispy fried morning glory and the refreshing yum som
o pomelo salad to gai tord samunprai (crispy fried chicken and Thai herbs) and an authentic
north-eastern Thai spicy chicken salad called larb gai. But save space for Nara Thai’s
signature dish like the khao phad samunprai that’s made with the brilliantly blue butterfly pea
flower that also finds itself in drinks like the butterfly pea sour.
Ground Floor, Raheja Towers, Opposite SIDBI, BKC
Tel: 022-61378080
Masala Library
Responsible for bestowing a certain classy cache on to Indian cuisine thanks to the brilliantly
conceptualised and plated out dishes on its menu, Masala Library by the legendry Jiggs Kalra
has been at the very vortex of the whole BKC dining scene for a few years now.
Experimental, yet retentive of the traditional technique and flavours that go into making the
perfect Indian meal, here equal emphasis is placed on both substance and presentation. And
though the a la carte offerings represent the restaurant’s food philosophy perfectly, it is the
16-course degustation menu featuring dishes like the wild mushroom chai and the charcoal
bhajia that take fine dining to a whole other level and that truly makes dining here a highly
recommended indulgence.
Ground Floor, First International Financial Centre, G Block, BKC
Tel: 91-8454900900
Toast & Tonic
The easy, languid vibe that this restobar projects is perfect for a post-meeting unwind session
over well-made drinks and sophisticated food, in a setting that is effortlessly chic and refreshingly minimal with its Scandi-chic décor accents. It borrows heavily from the East Village, in the south of Manhattan which is easy going and irreverent. At Toast & Tonic expect to find small plates like lightly poached kokum shrimp in a kokum and coconut broth, prawn pickle and prawn crackers and the tuna tataki tostada with jalapeno cream, ginger and sesame oil. Sip on a host of tonic-based drinks like the spiced vanilla tonic, the flower power tonic (jasmine, elderflower and grapefruit) and the yummy star anise and pear tonic.
Unit #1, Ground Floor, Jet Airways-Godrej BKC Building, BKC
Tel: 022-26534722
CinCin
This trattoria-style Italian restaurant’s approach is stylish yet casual where you can enjoy a
post-work drink with some cicchetti or small plates that are typically served in a traditional
Venetian bacari. Featuring arched windows connecting the main dining area with the al
fresco section via an open bar, this is the place to grab a table or sit by the bar and enjoy the
lemon trees and shrubbery. CinCin draws inspiration from the potent flavours of regional
Italy to deliver seasonal, ingredient-driven plates of food like strozzapreti, a slow cooked
chicken ragu. But for those who prefer to graze, you can choose from 30 odd cicchettis to
hand rolled pastas, meat specialties and Napolitan style pizzas. And for dessert, don’t miss
the tre latti, a luscious milk-saturated cake.
Ground Floor, Raheja Towers, Near Dena Bank, BKC
Tel: 022-69956666
Hello Guppy
This cute and whimsical restaurant offers a range of Japanese food in an easy-to- eat format,
within an approachable, friendly space. Packaged perfectly to appeal to the office-going
crowd seen in the BKC area, the menu includes soup, salads, sushi, soba and udon noodle dishes, donburi rice bowls and yes, the ubiquitous Japanese favourite ramen as well. The space is an explosion of Japanese pop culture with every corner of the compact space covered with vintage robots, Japanese transistors, wall art and posters. But once the sun sets, Hello Guppy undergoes a transformation, with neon lighting, a crazy disco ball, and an emphasis on innovative drinks, as it becomes time to let loose and party the night away.
Ground Floor, Jet Airways-Godrej BKC Building, BKC
Tel: 022-26534720
SodaBottleOpenerWala
Despite this zany eatery clocking in almost three years of existence, it is still a die-hard
favourite of the BKC crowd. And why not? SodaBottleOpenerWala is your quintessential
Bombay Irani Café and bar with all its idiosyncrasies pat in place. It truly is a modern tribute
to the dying legacy of a Bombay Irani Cafe bringing with it typical Parsi cuisine, some Irani
specialties and Bombay street food in a fun, quirky and contemporary avatar. Nostalgia
warms your heart as you navigate through the menu that has on it specialities like dhanshak,
paatra ni macchi and their version of the famous berry pulao. Drinks like the iconic raspberry
soda and Parsi ‘choi’ infuse a bit more nostalgia and fun into your post business meeting-
saturated day.
02, Ground Floor, The Capital Building, G Block, BKC
Tel: 022-40035678
Hemant Oberoi
As perhaps Mumbai’s only restaurant that’s named after a person, Hemant Oberoi is the
culmination of 40 years of culinary mastery by chef Hemant Oberoi. Perfect for a celebratory
dinner with the team, the large, 3,000sq ft property is done up with plenty of rich golds, reds
and dark wood. The menu is primarily European fine dining, but one can often find bursts of
whimsy like in the Asian style Chilean Sea bass served with orzo pasta and spinach. For
those on the go and desirous of a quickie, the 2- and 3-course lunch menus offered here are a
perfect way to get a glimpse into the mastery of the legendary chef. But for those with time
and yes, money, do indulge in the super-indulgent a la carte dinner service and thank us later!
Unit #5, Ground Floor, Jet Airways-Godrej BKC Building, BKC
Tel: 022-26534757
Taftoon
Inspired by the food that can be found along the Grand Trunk Road, that runs from
Chittagong to Kabul, this bright and airy restaurant offers up an exotic taste of everything
from Kashmiri to Rampuri cuisine. Named after the leavened, milk, yoghurt, and egg-
redolent Persian bread that has a mere whisper of saffron anointing it, we see Taftoon paying
homage to it in myriad ways across its vast menu. Try it in the taftoon pe harissa, which is a
mix platter of three, coin sized harissa-smeared taftoon disks—each topped with different delicacies like a divine mushroom paté and a spicy pulled chicken. This is also the place to sample the more robust Bihari cuisine staples like litti chokha that’s best chased with the fragrant Kashmiri kahwa tea, or with a saffron cocktail, perhaps?
Unit #2, Ground Floor, Naman Centre, G Block, BKC
Tel: 022- 26530253/65656100
The Good Wife
Ignore its borrowed-from- a-TV- show name and hang out with your colleagues on a Friday
night at this buzzing hotspot that’s somehow always packed to the rafters. But there’s a good
(pardon the pun!) reason for that. Famous for its reasonably priced drinks and food, a night
out at the wood panelled and be-chandeliered restobar won’t put in a dent in anything… least
of all your wallet! Taking its business district location very seriously, The Good Wife’s
signature drink is called The Wolf Of BKC. Team this one with a host of nibbles like the
three-peppercorn grilled chicken and the soy ginger prawns and kiss the past week’s blues
away.
Ground Floor, The Capital Building, G Block, BKC
Tel: 022- 40109433
(An edited version of this article first appeared in the May 2018 issue of Jetwings International in-flight magazine of Jet Airways http://www.jetairways.com/EN/IN/jetexperience/magazines.aspx)
By Raul Dias
O Pedro
Fast becoming the go-to place for some fun, fusion-forward Goan nosh and imaginative
drinks, is this whimsically decorated bar-cum- restaurant. Here, one can expect drinks that
bring back the fun of tropical living along with simple, yet sophisticated food that reflects
Goa’s stunning culinary diversity, going back to its Portuguese influences and further
beyond. The food at O Pedro sidesteps Goa’s touristy flavours to evoke all this rich, complex
culinary history. But that’s not to say that a meal here is a meat lover’s feast alone. The menu
includes a host of vegetarian renditions of Portuguese and Saraswat classics. So, expect to
dive into a stuffed charred cabbage foogath and the breadfruit rawa fry with as much gusto as
a serving of the sublime chicken baffad curry or Aunty Braganza’s crab rissois!
Unit #2, Ground Floor, Jet Airways-Godrej BKC Building, BKC
Tel: 022-26534700/01/02
Nara Thai
Think flavourful Bangkok-style street food—über reasonable price et al—in a jazzed-up
setting and this elegant restaurant, replete with an al fresco sitting area, pops into mind. Done
up with hints of royal Thai purple with carefully manicured topiaries and flower beds, this
place is a calm spot amidst BKC’s humdrum. Perfect for a quick lunch is the express business
lunch that gives you a brief sampling of the authentically Thai menu. Here, you can expect to
tuck into everything from dishes like crispy fried morning glory and the refreshing yum som
o pomelo salad to gai tord samunprai (crispy fried chicken and Thai herbs) and an authentic
north-eastern Thai spicy chicken salad called larb gai. But save space for Nara Thai’s
signature dish like the khao phad samunprai that’s made with the brilliantly blue butterfly pea
flower that also finds itself in drinks like the butterfly pea sour.
Ground Floor, Raheja Towers, Opposite SIDBI, BKC
Tel: 022-61378080
Masala Library
Responsible for bestowing a certain classy cache on to Indian cuisine thanks to the brilliantly
conceptualised and plated out dishes on its menu, Masala Library by the legendry Jiggs Kalra
has been at the very vortex of the whole BKC dining scene for a few years now.
Experimental, yet retentive of the traditional technique and flavours that go into making the
perfect Indian meal, here equal emphasis is placed on both substance and presentation. And
though the a la carte offerings represent the restaurant’s food philosophy perfectly, it is the
16-course degustation menu featuring dishes like the wild mushroom chai and the charcoal
bhajia that take fine dining to a whole other level and that truly makes dining here a highly
recommended indulgence.
Ground Floor, First International Financial Centre, G Block, BKC
Tel: 91-8454900900
Toast & Tonic
The easy, languid vibe that this restobar projects is perfect for a post-meeting unwind session
over well-made drinks and sophisticated food, in a setting that is effortlessly chic and refreshingly minimal with its Scandi-chic décor accents. It borrows heavily from the East Village, in the south of Manhattan which is easy going and irreverent. At Toast & Tonic expect to find small plates like lightly poached kokum shrimp in a kokum and coconut broth, prawn pickle and prawn crackers and the tuna tataki tostada with jalapeno cream, ginger and sesame oil. Sip on a host of tonic-based drinks like the spiced vanilla tonic, the flower power tonic (jasmine, elderflower and grapefruit) and the yummy star anise and pear tonic.
Unit #1, Ground Floor, Jet Airways-Godrej BKC Building, BKC
Tel: 022-26534722
CinCin
This trattoria-style Italian restaurant’s approach is stylish yet casual where you can enjoy a
post-work drink with some cicchetti or small plates that are typically served in a traditional
Venetian bacari. Featuring arched windows connecting the main dining area with the al
fresco section via an open bar, this is the place to grab a table or sit by the bar and enjoy the
lemon trees and shrubbery. CinCin draws inspiration from the potent flavours of regional
Italy to deliver seasonal, ingredient-driven plates of food like strozzapreti, a slow cooked
chicken ragu. But for those who prefer to graze, you can choose from 30 odd cicchettis to
hand rolled pastas, meat specialties and Napolitan style pizzas. And for dessert, don’t miss
the tre latti, a luscious milk-saturated cake.
Ground Floor, Raheja Towers, Near Dena Bank, BKC
Tel: 022-69956666
Hello Guppy
This cute and whimsical restaurant offers a range of Japanese food in an easy-to- eat format,
within an approachable, friendly space. Packaged perfectly to appeal to the office-going
crowd seen in the BKC area, the menu includes soup, salads, sushi, soba and udon noodle dishes, donburi rice bowls and yes, the ubiquitous Japanese favourite ramen as well. The space is an explosion of Japanese pop culture with every corner of the compact space covered with vintage robots, Japanese transistors, wall art and posters. But once the sun sets, Hello Guppy undergoes a transformation, with neon lighting, a crazy disco ball, and an emphasis on innovative drinks, as it becomes time to let loose and party the night away.
Ground Floor, Jet Airways-Godrej BKC Building, BKC
Tel: 022-26534720
SodaBottleOpenerWala
Despite this zany eatery clocking in almost three years of existence, it is still a die-hard
favourite of the BKC crowd. And why not? SodaBottleOpenerWala is your quintessential
Bombay Irani Café and bar with all its idiosyncrasies pat in place. It truly is a modern tribute
to the dying legacy of a Bombay Irani Cafe bringing with it typical Parsi cuisine, some Irani
specialties and Bombay street food in a fun, quirky and contemporary avatar. Nostalgia
warms your heart as you navigate through the menu that has on it specialities like dhanshak,
paatra ni macchi and their version of the famous berry pulao. Drinks like the iconic raspberry
soda and Parsi ‘choi’ infuse a bit more nostalgia and fun into your post business meeting-
saturated day.
02, Ground Floor, The Capital Building, G Block, BKC
Tel: 022-40035678
Hemant Oberoi
As perhaps Mumbai’s only restaurant that’s named after a person, Hemant Oberoi is the
culmination of 40 years of culinary mastery by chef Hemant Oberoi. Perfect for a celebratory
dinner with the team, the large, 3,000sq ft property is done up with plenty of rich golds, reds
and dark wood. The menu is primarily European fine dining, but one can often find bursts of
whimsy like in the Asian style Chilean Sea bass served with orzo pasta and spinach. For
those on the go and desirous of a quickie, the 2- and 3-course lunch menus offered here are a
perfect way to get a glimpse into the mastery of the legendary chef. But for those with time
and yes, money, do indulge in the super-indulgent a la carte dinner service and thank us later!
Unit #5, Ground Floor, Jet Airways-Godrej BKC Building, BKC
Tel: 022-26534757
Taftoon
Inspired by the food that can be found along the Grand Trunk Road, that runs from
Chittagong to Kabul, this bright and airy restaurant offers up an exotic taste of everything
from Kashmiri to Rampuri cuisine. Named after the leavened, milk, yoghurt, and egg-
redolent Persian bread that has a mere whisper of saffron anointing it, we see Taftoon paying
homage to it in myriad ways across its vast menu. Try it in the taftoon pe harissa, which is a
mix platter of three, coin sized harissa-smeared taftoon disks—each topped with different delicacies like a divine mushroom paté and a spicy pulled chicken. This is also the place to sample the more robust Bihari cuisine staples like litti chokha that’s best chased with the fragrant Kashmiri kahwa tea, or with a saffron cocktail, perhaps?
Unit #2, Ground Floor, Naman Centre, G Block, BKC
Tel: 022- 26530253/65656100
The Good Wife
Ignore its borrowed-from- a-TV- show name and hang out with your colleagues on a Friday
night at this buzzing hotspot that’s somehow always packed to the rafters. But there’s a good
(pardon the pun!) reason for that. Famous for its reasonably priced drinks and food, a night
out at the wood panelled and be-chandeliered restobar won’t put in a dent in anything… least
of all your wallet! Taking its business district location very seriously, The Good Wife’s
signature drink is called The Wolf Of BKC. Team this one with a host of nibbles like the
three-peppercorn grilled chicken and the soy ginger prawns and kiss the past week’s blues
away.
Ground Floor, The Capital Building, G Block, BKC
Tel: 022- 40109433
(An edited version of this article first appeared in the May 2018 issue of Jetwings International in-flight magazine of Jet Airways http://www.jetairways.com/EN/IN/jetexperience/magazines.aspx)
