Luithui Kitchen

You have to squint to find Luithui Kitchen. The frosted glass facade only adds to the air of mystery. Step inside and the restaurant settles into the warm, unhurried vibe of a Manipuri rice hotel, not unlike a Maharashtrian lunch home. It's never packed, but the ones who come always come to stay awhile.

Page two of the menu alone is reason enough to keep coming back. The chicken is soft and juicy, the fish is fresh, the pork cuts are indulgently fatty (cooked until almost creamy), and the escargot – along with some of the vegetables in the Kangshoi – is brought in fresh from Manipur. The Kangshoi itself is a nutritious vegetable stew, available with or without dried fish. Bamboo mildly underlines almost every stir fry and curry, and the meats are tender and deeply flavoured.

Don't just stick to what you know. Appetisers like Bora (Manipuri vegetable fritters) and the fiery Naga Chicken Salad are fun entry points, but ask about the specials and point freely at the menu. That's how you find the Hoksa Sausage: crisp-skinned, generously stuffed blood sausages that are rich, fatty, and addictive. The Seisa (buff) salad delivers crunchy, citrus-bright bites of meat, while the Iromba (fermented, funky, available with mushroom, yongchak beans or snail) pairs beautifully with sticky black rice. The curries are light but full of flavour, and the vegetarian dishes are gems: yams, leafy greens, and vegetables you won't find elsewhere in the city.

If you order one thing, make it the Hoksa Luithui Special curry. Pork this good is rare in Mumbai. 

Time Out tip: There's no dessert, but the Luithui Special Juice, a fermented rice drink, makes for a cooling, characterful send-off.