Mouthwatering decor: Mumbai's top 3 restaurants

Food is a visual experience and there's nothing better than enjoying it in an extraordinary space. Serving good food is only half the job, the other half is creating an environment that combines functionality and aesthetics to create a full and flawless dining experience. This week I asked two foodies to pick a few of their favourite restaurants in the city, focusing on their distinctive interiors.

The first, celebrated food critic, author of over 30 books, television host and winner of the World Gourmand cookbook Award, Rashmi Uday Singh's name has become synonymous with good food. She wrote India's first ever city-restaurant guide in 1997, "Nightlife guide to Mumbai" and most recently, the world's first vegetarian guide to Paris. Over the past two decades she has travelled the country and the world looking for the best places to eat and experience.

'It's not just about a "pretty" or " spectacular " decor, creating a restaurant ambiance entails paying attention to the smallest details, noise levels, kind of music and ofcourse the actual décor,' she tells me.

The second, a savvy business woman, executive director of RRO, one of the fastest growing FMCG companies in India, Roohi Jaikishan. With an impeccable taste in good food and a great deal of experience in the industry Roohi has travelled the globe looking for and experiencing the best food and restaurants. An avid collector of art and design, she demonstrates a penchant for interiors and décor.

Here are their picks for restaurants in the city that have 'mouthwatering décor' on the menu.

Rashmi Uday Singh

Restaurant: Frangipani
Where: Trident, Nariman Point
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Why: Because I love the natural light
I love the high-ceilinged, daylight bathed Frangipani, the splashes of colour in the very white space, the Frangipani trees outside all lend it a charm which has stood the test of time.

Restaurant: Nido
Where: Off Carter Road, Bandra
Cuisine: Continental
Why: Because it fells like I'm in a fairytale
I love the way the fantastical weds the familiar, elegance marries coziness, the firefly like filament lamps and the fable that Nido weaves. I also appreciate the energy and buzz of the high-octane.

Restaurant: Sea Lounge
Where: Taj Mahal Palace, Apollo Bunder
Cuisine: Fusion
Why: Because it's the worlds most relaxed coffee shop
No one can match the ever changing seascape from The Sea lounge, the worlds most relaxed coffee shop.

Apart from the high end restaurants, Rashmi enjoys the smaller places around the city that take you back in time. 'Working their no frills magic equally are my "off the eaten track" family-run favourites from the first floored Shri Thakker Bhojnalayay (Girgaum) to Highway Gomantak (Kala Nagar)
I do have a longer list but cannot cram it in this short space.'

Roohi Jaikishan

Restaurant: Nido
Where: Off Carter Road, Bandra
Cuisine: World fusion
Why: Because it feels like an enchanted forest full of curiosities and mystery.
The garden full of curiosities and riveting installations comes together exquisitely with the elegant grey and white interiors. It's hard to miss the attention to detail, every corner and every element of the décor comes together to tell a story.

Restaurant: Neel
Where: Tote on the Turf, Mahalaxmi
Cuisine: Indian (Hyderabadi, Awadhi and Kashmiri)
Why: Because I love the architectural interiors
The minimal and sophisticated interiors perfectly balance and compliment the luminous greens of the racecourse outside. I love the way the architecture mimics the trees that surround the restaurant.

Restaurant: Table
Where: Apollo Bunder, Colaba
Cuisine: Multi cuisine
Why: Because it's a rare combination of contemporary meets classic
Elegant, chic, sophisticated yet subtle. I love the black and white flooring, in the right hands black, white and brown can work magic.