BarChick didn't really know what to think when arriving through the door into a dingy Indian restaurant offering all sorts of undesirable food like fish and chips and Chinese and other "local specialties" but it seems the staff knew exactly what we were in need of and quickly escorted us past the kitchen and through a suspicious looking door into a dark "deluxe AC" room full of noisy locals all smoking (legal? BarChick didn't care).

Sit at the table under the TV against the wall and you won't get blasted by the air conditioning. Not a foreigner on site apart from two weathered Europeans who were probably travellers once but are locals now. Four big bottles of Kingfishers later and a packet of Wills Gold Flake (BarChick doesn't even smoke) we fell back into the humid bustle of the back end of Colaba satisfied that we'd found one of Mumbai's local treasures.

Oh, and it turns out the kebabs are the best in town (don’t forget the famous green chutney) – BarChick recommends getting one on exit away from the fag ash and smoky surroundings. Maybe the ban is not so bad after all?