Mumbai - Indigo
Spring 2008
Frank's view 
'the roof terrace is the place to eat'
We fell through the door to escape the beggars.
The desperation of poverty on the street outside is a tragic contrast to the opulence of Indigo, a glamorous bar and restaurant, which could be in any contemporary city in the world.We opted to sit outside, upstairs on the roof terrace, a split level, wooden decked floor area, with large plants in pots. The inside bar and restaurant downstairs looked equally attractive and were buzzing as the evening progressed.
The menu was very extensive, with local produce and expensive imports such as New Zealand lamb chops (1,750 rupees) and Chilean Sea Bass (1735 rupees). Other interesting options included Kerala oysters, tandoori chicken with burnt garlic and oyster sauce, all for around 550 rupees.
Chargrilled hoisin quail with raw papaya salad, to start, followed by a main course of soya roasted breast of duck with rhubarb chutney and wine green peppercorn sauce, was excellent.
The service was incredibly attentive, as if the waiters had a sixth sense psychic intuition.
Indian restaurants and hotels are obsessed with customer feedback. You are not permitted to depart without completing a questionnaire. We learned an instant lesson here when the camel’s companion, tried to helpfully suggest that the serving of the starter might have been better had there not been a continuous lunging of arms over the table, filling water glasses, wine glasses, placing bread, and…oops, here’s the butter etc.
Our completed questionnaire was received as would be the local health inspector, if he condemned an establishment to closure. I looked on apprehensively for the chef to rampage through the kitchen door wielding a cleaver, as we were surrounded by waiters and the manager called. Having convinced them that this was indeed the world’s finest restaurant and we were simply trying to offer a little constructive help, everyone smiled and we left.
US Conde Naste Traveler voted this one of the World’s Top Restaurants, but that was in 2000.
The restaurant is very good and well worth a visit if you are in Mumbai, especially if you are staying at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, which is two minutes walk.
Indigo
4 Mandlik House
Colaba
Mumbai
+91 22 5636 8999
Be Frank: agree or disagree? What do you think?
