Thursday, September 10, 2009

India Jones!

India Jones at Trident MumbaiIndia Jones. How could I resist a name like that? I was at the Trident Hotel in Mumbai - yes, one of the three hotels that were attacked on that fateful night. The story behind the name? Bharat (India) Joyent (Jones), born in August 1947 on Independence Day created this culinary experience. His extensive travel and gourmet experience from his journeys to the Far East has been distilled into the creative menu here. The menu, in the form of an old traveler's map and diary, is an eclectic selection of dishes from Burma, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and India.

The restaurant itself is very contemporary and decorated with artifacts that - I suppose - are from India Jones' adventures abroad. Many items on the menu can only be ordered for two, which limited my options. I started with the Trilogy of Prawns: steamed laksa prawns, wok-fried salt and pepper, and braised with lobster sauce. I liked the prawns; they were crunchy, fresh and the combination of sweet and sour, spicy and crunchy varieties made for a great starter..

India Jones at Trident Mumbai
India Jones at Trident MumbaiThe Kai Gaeng Phed, Thai red curry made with red chilli, lemongrass and coconut milk was not very spicy and pretty good with the steamed rice.

I ended with a Thai dessert of water chestnuts and coconut milk. Soothing and cool after the spicy red curry. The service was excellent throughout. They also have a bar called the Opium Den adjoining this restaurant that continues the India Jones theme.

Thai Red Curry at India Jones
Thai Dessert at India JonesWhile India Jones is a good place for a business lunch or dinner if you are staying at the Trident, I didn't find anything extraordinary about this place. In a city that is home to the excellent China House at the Grand Hyatt and Pan Asian at the Grand Maratha, India Jones doesn't seem to merit a special visit. However, I must point out again that I couldn't try some of the best items on the menu because I was dining by myself (and those dishes can only be ordered for two).

India Jones at Trident MumbaiTen years back when I last got my B1 visa, I couldn't have anticipated I would make over 40 trips to the US before my visa actually expired. After a decade, I was visiting the American consulate in Mumbai to renew my visa. Pune airport seemed dead: very few passengers, the airline girls chatting away or keeping yawns in bay as they killed time between flights.

The flight was only a third full too. Was it the economy or H1N1? Probably the recent helicopter crash and Air India 747 that caught fire that something to do with this too. Well, I wasn't complaining. It is a rare pleasure to be in an airport where you can choose a seat of your liking and have the flight attendant's complete attention when on-board. :)

I drove over the new Bandra-Worli Sealink on my way to the Trident, but due to the gloomy, rainy day, I could barely see the cityscape across the sea. However, the Trident in Nariman Point was an hive of activity with bus-loads of Japanese businessmen entering the hotel.

Sweet Endings at India JonesIncidentally, while browsing through the spa menu at the Trident, I discovered a rather interesting option called the Mumbai Masala which includes a 'fire massage' - a hot lava shell massage, whatever that means. If you try this and survive to tell the tale, please do share!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Shantanu,

Sometimes I wonder if you ever have food at your home, and if you do have, I am your wife must be having a hard time to get you eat something that is as tasty/delicious as you eat in the many restaurants/hotels that you visit.

Just a thought ;)

As always well written, and described.

Shantanu said...

@anon: Home-cooked food has its own charm, especially since my wife is a good cook too! As for eating at home, I average one post per week; where do you think I eat for the rest of the week? :)

Aathira Nair said...

The prawn trilogy looks yumm... there is such a great dearth of sea food in Bangalore :(

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GMG said...

Hi Shantanu! You make me hungry; I'm going to grab some breakfast... ;))

Sorry for the long absence, but after one year work, I got my official week off and, as always, the week before was terrible and the return awful... ;). Furthermore, there was 09.09.09, which for me was a bit depressing, as I entered a Club 60 I would prefer to postpone the joining... ;))

Blogtrotter is now in Turkey. Enjoy and have a fabulous weekend!

Nagesh's Blog said...

I want some of them to eat.

Work From Home

Shantanu said...

@Aathira: Thanks. Good to see you here again!

@IMCurtain: Thank you; I will visit your site soon.

@GMG: Turkey? Cool!

Anonymous said...

The Thai red curry looks yummy!