Hunger (inc) is The Best Sauce

Iash Bhanage and Sameer Seth, the co-founders of the 11-year-young hospitality company behind The Bombay Canteen, O Pedro, Veronica's, and Papa's–some of the most celebrated dining destinations of Mumbai, and Bombay Sweet Shop–along with Executive Chef Hussain Shahzad, dish out secrets of maintaining iconic brands

- By Ananya Ghosh | Photographed by Hemali Limbachiya

If you are from Mumbai, this would be your comfort restaurant; and if you are visiting the city and you are a foodie, a meal at Bombay Canteen would definitely be part of your to-do list.

For me, it is a place that opened up my palate to some of the Mumbai's most famous local delicacies. Having tried bheja fry, a dish endorsed by the late Anthony Bourdain, for the first time in the famous Bohri Mohalla, I was averse to the idea of ordering it a second time—I didn't like the texture and the gamey smell, and it is an acquired taste anyway. But The Bombay Canteen's take on it, which I had to be coerced to sample, had simply blown my mind. Devoid of the grease and grime, it was fresh and smelt glorious; and most importantly, the texture this time didn't irritate my tongue.

That is the charm of The Bombay Canteen—its innovative menu (that they keep upgrading) is known for incorporating street food in a way that enhances the original flavours and spotlights the freshness of local and seasonal ingredients; it is exquisite fine-dining where each dish, rich in story and perfectly balanced in flavours, feels like the warm and comforting hug of a fresh homecooked meal.