Mumbai is a chaotic mishmash of people, three wheeled rickshaws, incense, colourful jewellery, soft pashmina shawls, shouting touts, and – most of all – a thousand scents of food simmering everywhere in the street.

Copyright: Aske Munck

Street kitchens are an Indian institution that will always beckon empty stomachs. Fresh naan bread, stir fried vegetables, skewers filled with beef and chicken soaked in sauces and tasty spices as well as juice stalls with every possible fruit freshly squeezed into liquid thirst quenching vitamin explosions.

Appealing for the budget traveller, no doubt, but every order comes with the inevitable side dish of fear that you'll spend a certain amount of time in your hotel restroom regretting your careless spontaneity. For the hygiene is far from always adapted to western tummies and the consequences can be sad and long lasting.

However, your anxiety seems to vanish in the haze of spicy fumes from the bustling kitchen of the confidence inspiring Bademiya. This well established food stall is situated on a small scarcely lit alley, adjacent to the always congested and busy commercial street, Colaba Causeway, that provides a constant flow of market merchants, tourists, and shopping locals.

Copyright: Aske Munck

Only a few yards away lies the renowned restaurant Indigo that has earned a reputation as one of Mumbai's top culinary spots, where uniformed chauffeurs drop off men in bespoke suits and stiletto clad women strutting their glitzy saris and Gucci handbags.

But that's Mumbai's contrasts in a nutshell.

At Bademiya there are no uniformed ushers, no table waiters, and no reservations. Just a small guy with a huge heap of white paper, used for jotting down the relentless stream of orders coming from the hungry crowd scattered around the smoke filled kitchen in a seemingly uncoordinated queue.

In the midst of the raucous six grill chefs juggle the orders through whitish smoke from a grill teeming with tandoori chicken and skewers of minced beef and heavily seasoned kebabs.

The pavement is clotted with a small armada of plastic tables, filled to the brim with people. Masticating and chatting cheerfully, as they watch the skilled bread chef baking fresh naan on the ball oven with one hand whilst preparing the dough with the other.

Copyright: Aske Munck

We opt for the chicken rolls as that seems to be the dish of choice amongst the locals who don't even glance at the seemingly incomprehensible menu. To skewers are meticulously imbibed in marinade and thrown on the grill, and we enjoy a 'Thumbs Up'-coke while waiting.

Around us people from all layers of society are tucking into the delicacies of Bademiya. A street sweeper with fingers covered in dry dirt is hawking down an oversized veg-roll, and next to him a middle class family has spread out an entire buffet on the hood of their shiny white BMW.

In a matter of minutes our chicken rolls appear from the grill, wrapped in The Hindu Times newspaper.

Copyright: Aske Munck

The food is a revelation, even for two die hard kebab enthusiasts as us. The chicken is well grilled and perfectly seasoned and the bread is still steaming hot, and although the roll contains nothing more but spicy onion rings the result definitely ensures the Bademiya chicken roll a medal spot on our world kebab hit list. On top of this the delicious meal only set us back around 100 rupees (approximately 2 dollars). Surely, this cannot be done cheaper, better or more charmingly.

In the below mouth-watering video you can find out more about Bademiya.

BADEMIYA; Tulloch Road, Apollo Bunder, Behind Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai, 400039, India. Open from 19 to 01.

GO FURTHER: Also Martin Selsoe has a soft spot for kebab. Find out here where in Istanbul he goes to eat giant kebabs.

Copyright: Aske Munck

When you’ve had it up to your neck with smog, noise and traffic log jams, there’s only one suitable refuge in India’s most bustling metropolis: The Dome rooftop terrace bar.

The taxi beeps its way through the endless and disorderly queue of three wheel rickshaws, bikes, and scooters along Marine Drive in midtown Mumbai.

After an entire day of sightseeing and trawling through the city’s numerous antique shops we’re beat, dirty and thirsty. And as our nerves have been worn wafer thin by the city’s millions of death defying drivers, we head for the best safe haven Mumbai has to offer: The Dome rooftop terrace bar of The Intercontinental Hotel.

Copyright: Aske Munck

As soon as we’re dropped off by the driver the door is opened by a bellhop greeting us with a sincere smile. Our bags are immediately searched, and we’re both frisked (ladies by ladies behind a discrete curtain, of course) by guards who offer a dozen excuses for this troublesome procedure. No need to apologize, however. Everybody wants to be safe these days in Mumbai after the terrible terrorist attacks that hit two of the city’s landmark hotels The Taj and The Trident Oberoi, and all around Mumbai security has been beefed up. You can’t have a coffee, go to the cinema or even shop for groceries without first going through a thorough bag search, which is very reassuring.

As soon as the elevator reaches the 8th floor the surroundings seem to undergo an instant transformation, and we’re almost blinded by the light of the Dome bar. The décor is bright and subtle, yet distinctly luxurious, with pristine white cloudlike couches, and transparent barriers, blocking sudden windgusts, but allowing the light breeze from the ocean below to reach the bar above.

And then of course there’s the view. Nothing less than phenomenal. Slow moving silhouettes of friends chatting in the shade of the palm trees, and couples taking a romantic stroll along the sea shore whilst enjoying the last rays of sunshine as day turns to dusk.

From this altitude the traffic below fades to a constant, but distant and pleasant afternoon buzz.

Copyright: Aske Munck

If Mumbai’s traffic, hustle and bustle is a disease, this is surely the cure. We order a couple of local Kingfisher beers, served immediately in tall chilled glasses, accompanied by a bowl of chilly crisps and some casual conversation from our extremely polite waiter.

The laid back and airy ambience eases the build up of big city tensions, and instant relaxation occurs after very few moments, as our hair catches the breeze. The seats around us quickly fill up. At one table three aussie girls with huge Grace Kelly shades are sipping champagne cocktails, and at another a young hindu couple is enjoying the best Dome has to offer: a table at the very edge of the ledge, comfortably seated in two off white armchairs, flanked by a chilled bottle of French chardonnay with front seats to the sun setting in the metropolitan haze.

The menu carries everything from bite size snacks to full fledged Indian cuisine, and behind us three sushi chefs are standing guard in the open kitchen, ready to commence roll rice ad cut fish at our command.

Some may claim that this is not a real Indian experience. On the contrary, the mixture of foreigners and the local jetset heading out for the first sundowner is typical of Mumbai’s cosmopolitan air.

It’s expensive, for Mumbai that is, which means that almost all Western budgets will suffer no serious damage from a local draught and some freshly cut sashimi or a plate of chicken tikka masala.

HOTEL INTERCONTINENTAL MUMBAI (MARINE DRIVE-MUMBAI); 135 Marine Drive, Mumbai.

Go further: Read Mashup Culture's guide to the best rooftop bars in Istanbul and about Louise enjoying life at Hotel de las Letras rooftop bar in Madrid.