Mumbai airport has recently gone through a renovation, and it’s really become an impressively modern airport. Totally not what I was expecting flying out of India, but it was a pleasant surprise and I found the trip to be that much more comfortable.
I was scheduled to fly business class on Singapore Airlines A380 from Mumbai to Singapore. The airport actually has centralized lounges for all airlines which made me a bit unsure what to expect. Upon the check in process I scored an invite to GVK West Business Lounge which is located just past duty free as you enter the main terminal.
I had a little tough time finding it then out of the corner of my eye I spotted a little entrance and made my way to the lounge.
As you as you enter the lounge you notice how big it is, which is expected for a combined lounge.
The GVK business lounge in Mumbai airport had plenty of seating in the main area, and was divided into multiple parts with a food station on one side and lots of space to relax on the other.
I particularly liked the plant wall and the amount of life that it gave to the lounge. I arrived at 10pm, which helps to explain the emptiness of the lounge, but it didn’t last long. Mumbai airport actually has a lot of flights that leave in the middle of the night, so the lounge only got more and more crowded throughout the few hours I was there.
As I got settled in I made my way over to the bar and food area.
Along the way I spotted this little Chandon cart. It didn’t look functional or like it was being used, but I still thought it was a nice touch.
The bar area here was pretty spacious and note this was only one of the two bars of the same size.
The food area looked busy at the time so I decided to make a pit stop for a glass of wine. I didn’t get a chance to check out the menu here, but I did get a nice Cabernat Savignon that was pretty good.
I made my way over to the food, and as always I got a start at the hot bar.
This lounge had plenty of fresh food options. I spotted both Indian and Asian cuisine which looked pretty appetizing.
Being in India there was plenty of vegetarian options. In fact, it was almost all vegetarian aside from a dish or two. I always appreciate a good variety at a hot bar since I like to sample a little bit of everything.
Each of the dishes available were well presented and were replenished often. This is one of the advantages of being in a business lounge, the food is always fresh.
After gathering my plate of hot food and setting it down at my table I made my way back to check out a few cold options as well.
They actually had a good selection of salads, wraps, and dips available. Being in India for 2 weeks prior to this you tend to not eat that many greens, so I was happy to pile to some of these onto my plate.
I’m a huge fan of Mediterranean food, but the themed dips here were pretty good. I also made sure to grab one last dhokla which was freshly made. I’m usually not a big dessert fan but I needed to at least see what they had.
They had standard cakes and pastries that didn’t tempt me much.
If you know anything about Indian desserts this definitely will catch you eye. They had two types of gulab jamun, which is basically an Indian donut in a sweet sauce. It is a must try. It’s a super rich dish, and not something I normally finished, but I always enjoy a few bites.
I sat down with my plate of mostly Indian and Asian food. It was very well spiced and actually all paired nicely together.
I couldn’t make out everything that I was eating, but I didn’t really complain. It all tasted delicious. I’m a huge fan of spicy food and while this wasn’t too high up on the spice spectrum, heat level was perfect for lounge food.
Mumbai has done a great job of creating a centralized lounge that actually works out better especially if you are on airlines that don’t usually invest in this. While I’m sure Singapore Airlines would have a nice lounge, as you can see in my review of Changi Airport Business Lounge, I was more than satisfied with the GVK lounge at Mumbai airport, and left ready to board my A380 to Singapore.