This article is by Lee Jian and read by an artificial voice.



MUMBAI, India - Indian food abroad is often reduced to clichés - chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken and butter naan. But these represent only a sliver of the country's cuisine, primarily from the north, which includes the country's capital, New Delhi.

On the west coast is Mumbai, India's financial capital, its most populous city and home to the multibillion-dollar Bollywood film industry. Nicknamed the "City of Dreams," it draws people from across the subcontinent. Its diversity is reflected in its eclectic food scene that mirrors India's diverse geography, colonial past, layered religions and rapidly modernizing present.



What follows is not a checklist of classics, but a wider glimpse into Indian food, from Mumbai's local seafood, fine dining and Indo-Chinese fusion to the nostalgic dishes of southern India and the tropical Goa.

As in much of India, eating here is about discovery - but not just of flavors that surprise the taste buds. It is also of what those flavors awaken: a sense of aliveness that rekindles the forgotten joy of eating.

Gourmet, but make it fun: Homey fine dining at Papa's



Ever feel a yawn coming on mid-course at a fine dining restaurant? The luxury dining world's biggest enemy is often itself - the food may be elegant, but the atmosphere can feel tedious, even soporific.

At Papa's, however, the mood is as memorable as the meal. Tucked away in Mumbai's Bandra district, its vibe is unpretentious and convivial: tables are dotted with fidget spinners and origami, conversation flows left and right among friends and strangers, and music chosen by the evening's guests booms in the background. Its intimacy feels effortless rather than exclusive, as if diners are invited to a house party hosted by a serious Indian foodie.



Helmed by chef Hussain Shahzad, some of the standout courses include the Indrayani rice served with a crisped bottom layer, echoing the chef's childhood memory of scraping burnt rice off the pan; and the cool and creamy yogurt rice, a humble comfort food in southern India, reimagined with beetroot, Spanish goat cheese and a side of crunchy shiso tempura. The meal ends playfully with potato chips topped with lemon ice cream, champagne and honey - a cheeky and indulgent twist that embodies the overall spirit of Papa's.

Yet, beneath the casual air lies meticulous and thoughtful service of a typical fine dining venue. Dishes arrive at a good pace and right temperature. It is food and hospitality that feel serious without ever taking themselves too seriously.

The art of eating crab



In the coastal port city, trying the seafood is a must. But like all good things, patience is required. The signature mud crab at Trishna, Mumbai's staple seafood restaurant, arrives at the table sitting inside a hot, golden pool of butter and garlic. Diners can almost taste the dish through the smell as they scrape and tease apart the crab's armored exterior, until a snowy mound of meat gathers. One spoonful of that, and you know it will follow you into your dreams.

Someone at the table recalled how their father always picked out the crabmeat for them. Once they'd left home, the work of prying it out themselves seemed too much, and so they had stopped eating crab altogether. Trishna's crab is good, but would it be as enjoyable if it were to be served outside of its shell? Perhaps, this can be a lesson to all of us on the topic of crab: what we savor most is not the ease of arrival, but the process and work it takes to get there.



Gobi FTW

In a country where dietary restrictions have shaped one of the world's most inventive vegetarian cuisines, it should be no surprise that cauliflower could taste this extraordinary. Still, gobi Manchurian deserves its own mention.

An Indo-Chinese dish, it takes the florets, fries them and then tosses them in a soy-based glaze spiked with garlic, ginger, ketchup and green chilies. The flavor profile - spicy, tangy and g...