Journal

Short dispatches, area guides, and the odd correction when a place we loved has changed hands, closed, or gotten worse. This is the part of the site with an actual person behind it.

Onam 2026 · 16–30 August 2026

Where to get Onam Sadya in Mumbai this year

23 places, from Matunga-style Kerala kitchens to hotel dining rooms, doing the full leaf this Onam. Most need a booking.

11 July 2026

Why 'South Indian' was never one cuisine

Ask anyone outside the four southern states what "South Indian food" means and you'll get one answer: dosa. Ask someone from Coimbatore, Udupi, Kochi and Vijayawada the same question and you'll get four different meals, four different mother sauces, and at least one mild argument.

Mumbai has quietly built one of the most complete cross-sections of southern Indian cooking outside the south itself — largely thanks to waves of migration going back a century. This journal exists because that story deserves better than a single Google Maps pin category.

4 July 2026

The Matunga primer, for first-timers

If you're new to this whole thing, start at Matunga. It's not the only neighbourhood that matters, but it's the one where the density of mess halls, sweet shops and filter coffee counters per square foot is highest — and where the tradition is oldest. Go hungry, go before noon, and don't fill up on the free chutney.