This summer season, visit these restaurants in Mumbai to try out regional dishes

Ditch the usual summer fare to try these regional delicacies from eateries across the city

Main course

Flavours from the other bay

Aam kashundi kakra. Pic/Satej Shinde

Think of Bengali food, and one of the first ingredients that come to mind is the pungent, heady aroma of mustard. A seasonal twist on the ingredient, aam kashundi kakra is where tender crab meat is cooked in a spicy, mango-mustard gravy and paired with fluffy rice for that perfect afternoon lunch. Chef Srimant Sahoo shares, “This pairing [crab meat with mango and mustard] is very close to every Bengali’s heart and a celebration of the state’s coastal bounty.”
AT Oh! Calcutta (multiple outlets; Andheri, Tardeo, Vashi)
TIME 12.30 pm to 3.30 pm, 7 pm to 11 pm
CALL 9320478301 (Andheri outlet)
COST Rs 675

A Kashmiri delight

Chicken gushtaba. Pic courtesy/Folk Kalaghoda

Part of the Kashmiri wazwan (a traditional multi-course feast), chicken gushtaba has succulent chicken meatballs dipped in a flavourful yoghurt-based yakhni that is as light as it is flavourful. Chef Jasleen Marwah explains, “Though the dish is traditionally made with mutton, the chicken variation is popular among the office goers because of how light it is on the stomach, especially in the summer.”
AT Folk, 14, New Bake House, Maharashtra Chambers Lane, Kala Ghoda, Fort.
TIME 12 noon to 11 pm
CALL 9820453001
COST R525

SEE PHOTOS: Indulge in these mango-based food menus in Mumbai this summer season

Season’s best

Dal puri and aam ki launji. Pic/Kirti Surve Parade

If you haven’t already started on the season’s most loved offering, we have one more mango dish for you to try. Crispy, puffed dal puris (left) with a spiced moong-dal stuffing along with aam ki launji (raw mango relish) is the savoury cousin to aam ras and puri that will win you over with its tangy and spicy flavour profile.

AT Soam, Sadguru Sadan, Babulnath, Girgaon Chowpatty.
TIME 11.30 am to 10.30 pm
CALL 2223698080
COST R450

Beverages

Gulp it down

A sweet and spicy blend of green chillies, basil seeds, and sugar syrup, Kulukki Sharbath from Kerala is a refreshing cooler for the sweltering weather. This outlet serves the drink in two summer special flavours; pineapple and lime.
AT Kerala Cafe (Chembur, Vasai)
TIME 8 am to 12 midnight 
CALL 9136622645
COST Rs 75

Sweet sips from Nagaland

Mulberry ferment

Here is a seasonal alternative to kombucha that you need to try. Made from foraged wild apple that grows once in a year, the wild apple fermented drink is a specialty from Nagaland. Co-chef Aren Longkumer explains how the natural fermentation of the drink gives it a characteristic sweet-sour taste. This outlet also has a bunch of other summer-special offerings like the mulberry ferment, roselle flower ferment and rice ferment which are equally refreshing.
AT Naga Belly, Shop No. 24/A, Hubtown Premier Residence Commercial, Mudran Kamgar Nagar, JP Road, Four Bungalows, Andheri West.
TIME 12 noon to 4 pm, 6.30 pm to 11 pm
CALL 9321987470
COST R295 (wild apple drink)

Protein punch

Wild apple fermented drink. Pics/Ashish Raje

This classic, traditional drink from Bihar is a nutrient-packed beverage that will cool you down without burning a hole in your pocket. Made with roasted gram flour and infused with chillies, cumin powder, black salt and other spices, sattu sharbat is a must-try in this heat.
AT Desi Khao Champaran Meat House, Oshiwara Garden Inn Co.Housing Society LTD, New Link Road, Adarsh Nagar, Jogeshwari West. 
TIME 11 am to 12 midnight
CALL 9939998001
COST Rs 60

Dessert

When chaas met sorbet

Masala chaas sorbet. Pic courtesy/Lost and Hungry Studios

If you are also thinking about how something as tart as chaas ended up in a sorbet, you must try this unique, summer-special intervention. Layers of yoghurt in the texture of a sorbet spiced with roasted cumin powder, ginger and rock salt is where your craving for something cool will be satiated as Chef Saloni Kukreja tells us, “We wanted to do something apart from the usual creaminess of ice creams. The chaas sorbet is where we are going back to two of the most loved flavours of the summer season and our childhood.”
LOG ON TO Indu Ice Cream on Swiggy, Zomato 
TIME 11 am to 11 pm
COST Rs 170 (for 100ml ceramic matka)

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!