Middle

Summer Park
+91 22 24934437 or 24934439
Opp. Poddar Hospital, Worli Sea Face Road, Mumbai
Run by Shetty Charan, a guy I met at a cricket match in Bombay last Nov. He plays professional English county cricket during the summer otherwise he’s running this place. No idea if it’s any good, but it is Indian/Mughlai cuisine.

Hard Rock Café
Bombay Dyeing Mill Compound
Pandurang Budhkar Marg
Worli, Opposite Kamala City Mills Studio
+91 22 24382888
Next to Shiro
Now, normally, the Hard Rock Café can go and ‘hard rock’ itself as far as I’m concerned. However, after three weeks, anyone that serves a beefburger made with beef and not buffalo is pretty attractive. Then put a slice of bacon on top and I’ll put up with any amount of American wank and shit music. You can always pop in here for your sins of the seared flesh and then go next door to Shiro.

Shiro
Bombay Dyeing Mill Compound, Pandurang Budhkar Marg
Opposite Kamala Mills City Studio, Worli
+91 22 2438 3008
Next to Hard Rock Cafe
A heaving place on a Friday and Saturday with some great music. It also does (I think), Thai food. The disconcerting proportions – it’s taller than it is wide, are filled with massive statues and a water feature, on top of which, there is private dining.

Blue Frog
Mathuradas Mills Compound, NM Joshi Marg, Lower Parel

+91 22 4033 2300
Now, this is probably one of the best live music venues I’ve ever seen anywhere… as long as the music’s good. It had literally just opened the night I went but they had a fairly impressive international line-up for the coming month. It is a bar, restaurant and stage of the jazz club ethos but in a very contemporary style.

Zenzi
Mathuradas Mills Compound, NM Joshi Marg, Lower Parel… i.e. Right next to Blue Frog

A new version of the Bandra Zenzi, this place was rammed when I went on a Friday night. Partly because it’s popular but mostly because the central bar takes up 50% of the floor area. Really. It’d be great if everyone wanted to do the conga but otherwise the evening was spent rubbing up against people in a circular corridor. Good for a little frottage. Bad for the claustrophobic. There’s a restaurant upstairs which I’m told serves awful food but probably has a good atmosphere. The major plus point is that they don’t allow large parties of single men in, so the gender ratio is nicely ballanced. Again, good for the atmosphere, which is probably Zenzi’s strongest point.

Magic
I can’t find any address details on this place and it may well have closed down. It is / was opposite the Nehru Centre in Mahalakshmi underneath the Lotus Court apartments. It’s more of a night club than a bar and a good one. Nicely decked out.

Saltwater Grill – CLOSED… Oh no, just moved to Bandra. See North.
Seaface, Marine Drive, Chowpatty
+91 22 2368-5459
Now, the Saltwater Grill is a bit of an institution and probably the place to go if you only have a short amount of time. It’s at the north end of Marine Drive and it’s on the beach, straw huts and all. I like it very much. It’s more of a restaurant but they’ll let you sit and drink as well. Call and book and ask for a table on the sea face. It’s closed during the monsoon.