The Trident Hotel, Bandra Kurla Complex

I have been a Taj loyalist all my life. Unless I’m staying with a friend or a members club, I will inevitably stay at a Taj Hotel whenever I travel on work. Everyone tells me that the Trident and The Oberoi are even better but I have always disagreed, maybe unfairly because of memories of two lousy stays at The Oberoi, Nariman Point 15 years ago which really is a different world and not just a different time ago (and I must admit I did really enjoy my stay at Uday Vilas a few years ago).  

I ended up staying at The Trident BKC recently because it was located centrally between the suburbs and town. And I ended up eating there all 3 nights because of Mumbai’s 4 pm curfew. As a result of these coincidental circumstances, I have ended up discovering a new home to stay in when I travel, just like my hundred plus stays at the Taj Mansingh. 

At the outset, let me clarify that this isn’t a paid or PR piece. I booked on Booking.com and I didn’t know the hotel management or team. I am guessing that the team knew that I live a life of food and drink and travel and went out of their way to look after me. But that’s not because I asked for it but the result of an efficient team that knows their guests and their preferences. 

From the room I was given to to the degree of personalisation at every hospitality touch point, I was amazed by the attention to detail as well as the quality of service. Despite being in an eyesore of a city, my top floor room had stunning nighttime views, with BKC lit up through the glass windows that made up one entire wall. The in-room welcome snacks went far beyond the usual nuts and fruits or stale chocolates. Medjool dates stuffed with chocolate mousse and chocolate chips and brushed with coffee dust, kaya with brioche toast, turmeric and ginger latte, ementhal and caraway crisps, and a really decadent chocolate vanilla ganache. 

They prepared three meals representing three different cuisines for me under the leadership of Chef Ajit Raman. I’ve written and posted about all three meals separately but I did want to highlight a few things. 

While I have always loved the Italian food at Bottocino, I was astounded by the Indian and Asian meals I had. The Indian food was modern in a way that felt current and relevant, bringing together a few elements in a way that created a balance of textures and flavours instead of multiple elements competing for attention. The plating was elegant and minimalist with no gimmicky spheres or foams, and everything about the meal demanded that I pay attention to taste above all else. 

The Japanese inspired bento box also blew me away because those dishes cannot be found in any other Japanese or Asian restaurant in the country. At a time when every 5 star Japanese restaurant effectively does the same menu (black cod miso, tuna pizza etc) it was stunning to see a hotel that doesn’t even have an Asian restaurant demonstrate a path forward for Japanese food that is more fun and more contemporary, that doesn’t feel weighed down by the looming shadows of Chefs Masaharu Morimoto and Nobu Matsuhisa. The Trident BKC need to either open an Asian restaurant or create some sort of a dedicated Asian menu because this will stand along Izumi and China House as one of the three best Asian offerings in the city. 

I have always thought of the Trident BKC as a business hotel rather than an indulgent or exciting one. But something has clearly changed.    It now has everything I look for in a city hotel. Great service. Great rooms. Great food. An incredible degree of personalised hospitality. This is what a great city hotel should be.