FORT. Popular for business lunches, Ankur offers a full range of Mangalorean seafood dishes in quiet, calm surroundings. The wood-lined interior looks vaguely Scandinavian, but the food has all the rich, spicy flavours you would expect from the west coast of India. There are also some meaty Mughali dishes for those who don't enjoy seafood. It's generally quieter in the evening and at weekends.

There are half-a-dozen restaurants in the narrow alleyways of Fort serving full-flavoured curries from the coast near Mangalore, and Apoorva is one of the best. Treats to look out for include gassi (rich fish curry drenched in coconut milk) and appam (fermented rice flour pancakes). In season, mud crabs, squid and prawns top the menu.

COLABA. Every evening, hundreds of diners gather on a narrow side-street behind the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower to enjoy spicy kebabs and curries served fast and furious from a tiny hole-in-the-wall kitchen. Some people eat in the street, others in their cars, and others in the informal dining room on Tulloch Road. To order, find a table and grab one of the passing waiters ­ the menu is written on a laminated card on each table.

FORT. North of Horniman Circle, close to the old port district, this restaurant has a split personality: upstairs is the air-conditioned Excellensea; downstairs is the fan-cooled Bharat Lunch Home. Both serve tasty Mangalorean seafood dishes to crowds of hungry office workers. Fish, crab and prawns come in a variety of fragrant sauces. Try the fish tawa: slices of pomfret or surmai, fried in a crust of spices.

This home-grown Mumbai restaurant chain serves Indian favourites ­ dosas, vadai, paneer kebabs ­ with a modern twist, plus imported dishes from as far afield as Italy, Mexico and North America. It's bright, contemporary and family-friendly, as you might expect from the team behind Copper Chimney and Cream Centre. There are several branches around Mumbai, most with attached gelato ice-cream stands.