I stopped chasing the best restaurants in India. Now, I aim for second best

There is something magical about accidentally finding a new place, song, book or artist when you were clearly looking for something else. As if the universe is trying to send you a message about loosening your grip on life and going with the flow instead of stewing in your­ disappointment. Every person vying for a reservation at Papa’s, chef Hussain Shahzad’s 12-seater ‘counter restaurant’ in Mumbai, knows the feeling of being rejected by something you were looking forward to. In protest of not having managed to secure a reservation at Papa’s yet, I have made my home at O Pedro, the other restaurant where Shahzad runs the kitchen. I’ve been there at least seven times this year with different people, and their food has been consistently delicious. I would argue they make the best chocolate mousse in the city.

As someone whose entire day gets derailed if things don’t go according to plan, I now have a list of backup restaurants I rely on so that a bad day doesn’t get worse. The first time I went to Mumbai’s Benne, which went viral for its eponymous Bengaluru-style dosas a couple of years ago, I travelled from Lower Parel to Bandra on a weekday after work to meet my friends. Hangry and tired, I was furious to learn that we had to queue for half an hour to get in and wolf down our food while standing. I had been a regular at Banana Leaf on the Juhu-Versova link road for years, rattling off my order before being handed the menu. Once, wanting to break routine, I accidentally discovered their benne menu. Now, whenever I crave a benne dosa, I simply walk to the nearest Banana Leaf, get a table and enjoy my meal, seated comfortably and yapping nonstop, as God intended.