City Kitchen, Colaba, Mumbai

I had first heard of City kitchen in an episode of the foodie (on Times Now) and the episode had focused on Mumbai food. City Kitchen was one of the first outlets highlighted and was said to be the place for the most authentic Goan cuisine in Mumbai.
Unfortunately closed on Sundays, and the fact that it is located in Ballard Estate makes a visit to City Kitchen require some planning but as I found out the planning is worth its while especially for lovers of Goan food.

The decor is very sparse, at the entrance is the counter where the owner sits and there are approximately 8 small tables each seating 4 people. The place is decently clean but has the feel of a low end restaurant and is not the place you would want to have a romantic dinner, fortunately however, they pass a bit of the save to the customer :P.

Now about the food. Undoubtedly the highlight has to be the Goan Pork suasages which are always good anyway. At City Kitchen they cook it exactly the way I like it, with the sweet, the spice and the vinegar combining well and most importantly, with a decent quantity of potatoes which i feel adds a lot to Goan sausages. The pork pieces are chunky and quite substantial. The dishes are served with Pao which is kept at the centre of the table. They did not seem to have or offer rice portions although to be fair we did not really ask.

We also had Pork Chilli fry which was great and the Prawns Chill Fry which was a big disappointment and smelled slightly. We rounded off the meal with the obvious order in a Goan restaurant, the Pork Vindaloo which did not disappoint and made up for the Prawns Chilll Fry. There has to be something to do with pigs and Goans, I really think the Goans, atleast within India understand how to best cook pork (atleast whatever little I have tasted)... Overall an excellent meal and I would rate this above Goa Portuguesa as THE place in Mumbai to sample some Vindaloo and Pork sausages and bring back memories of Baga beach and Brittos... Sigh!

A meal for two at City Kitchen will cost you around Rs 300/-, that is if you hog. If you eat right you can get a great meal for 2 for Rs 200/-

How to get there: City Kitchen is just before entering Ballard Estate. Take the left past CST and drive towards Ballard Estate. Take the right just after crossing the post office. City kitchen will be to your left quite a bit down the road after around 4 lanes. A tip - Chances are you will find it difficult to reach and need to ask people. Do not ask passersby, you will find it easier to ask a regular shopkeeper or a generous restaurant owner.