Spending Time in the Corners of The Bakerie and Maikada at Kemps Corner of South Bombay!

The upmarket neighborhood in South Bombay, Kemps Corner boasts of a lot of offerings. From old shops to many high-end stores now, on the ups and downs of Malabar Hill, this locality also houses the heart of bibliophiles, Crossword bookstore. While walking down this locale, and past these charms recently, this time, however, we saw the Kemps Corner through a different lens; one of the common names for lodging and, now, also a hotspot for leisure activities, The Shalimar Hotel. Though, our afternoon was spent among the two of its popular labels: The Bakerie and Maikada.

The Bakarie is all About Old-school Charm

Sitting at The Bakerie, we were transported back to our school days, when we would spend time in food outlets that allowed for quick hangouts amidst aromatic bakery items and coffee. Housed on the ground floor of The Shalimar, The Bakerie is small yet quirky, vibrant, and nostalgic. The place is decked out with artificial wooden windows, wooden benches, and a few quirky decorations and lines on the walls that made us wonder if the creativity has existed since 1998, the year it became operational!

Almost sniffing the aroma of this in-house bakery, we looked outside at the quaint lane, with quick, fine Chicken Tikka Croissants, Café Latte, and Cold Coffee in hand. Yes, the two contrasting variants allow you to get the best of both worlds of coffee here! While the coffee could be gulped down with ease and fondness for the caffeine, the Lotus Biscoff Cake was the cherry on top. Talking about the best sellers at The Bakerie, we also made sure to try the Lemon Tart, which, true to its name, was very tangy, and the Dutch Truffle, which, even though it had a usual taste, provided a satisfying finish to our tasting experience!

The Sophistication Reflects in the Pastels of Maikada

Contrary to The Bakerie, we entered the aura of elegance at Maikada. With the grey, black, and blue shades highly reflecting through the decor, Maikada houses a luxury bar setting with heightened tables, and chairs, separate spaces for large groups coming into the place with the TV sets at multiple corners. Hence, for us, it was an evening watching the ongoing Cricket World Cup as it was too early for the bar to get into its usual mood! Even with the limited Pan Asian food here, what sets it apart is the glazing and giant bar offering a variety of drinks!

Talking about drinks, we went with the recommendation for the Butterfly Pea Gin Cocktail, a Butterfly Pea Tea-infused gin. Although we missed the essence of gin as per our expectations, it paired well with the Prawn Tempura Sushi. The mundanity of the sushi was next balanced with Chicken Gyoza, Japanese pan-fried chicken dumplings with spicy ponzu. If nothing else, this provided a fine complement to the drinks, which also included recommended mocktails (not mentioned on the menu). The Chicken Yaki Udon Noodles also complemented the meal well, tossed in tonkatsu with chicken and assorted vegetables, giving it a perfect sweet tint.

Apart from the locals of Malabar Hill, these two outlets might go unnoticed by travelers and folks from the suburbs coming to town. However, the brands have been maintaining their market presence through social media lately, which might be working in their favor. All in all, while they might not hold the potential to entice travelers to the place, they are worth a one-time try when you are around the corner, here, at Kemps Corner.