October in Mumbai’s culinary scene has been a successful one. The end of the monsoons, the beginning of year-end festivities and the final quarter of the year has led to a lot of change. Old restaurants brought out new menus, Indian food continued to shine in terms of cuisines and not a week went by that didn’t have the announcement of a new restaurant/bar/ delivery space.

The true flavour of the month appeared to be entirely international, standalone cuisines. Over at Bandra Reclamation, Meldan D’Cunha of Soul Fry opened New York City Diner, offering chilli dogs, tater tots, Philly cheese steaks, and Brooklyn-style pizzas. In Juhu, the team behind Tea Villa Café, Roopanshi Bhatt and Micky Panjwani have brought in some international muscle to help their newest venture, Wine Villa.

The restaurant is being marketed as having the ‘country’s first wine ATM’, found below a neon sign that says ‘Wine me, Dine me, Sixty Nine me’. The true highlight here though is that the restaurant is former MasterChef Australia winner Diana Chan’s first foray into India (and out of Australia). Her contribution to the menu has 18 signature dishes and four exclusive Malaysian creations. Go here for the Otakotak (₹695), a traditional Malaysian grilled fishcake — eaten cold and sliced — served with sago puffs. It is worth braving the ATM-obsessed crowd.

Here’s a sneak peek at some other international fare. Pro tip: expect a few Indian touches.

Packing a punch: Mexican

Loca Lucho is the latest delivery space to hit Carter Road. The Mexican joint is modeled on Chipotle and is founded by Nisarg Doshi and Vivek Jhaveri (Jitasa Hospitality). Their mascot is a masked wrestler and luckily for them, the food – served in biodegradable containers — packs a punch. This is in large part because of consultant chef Gracian D’Souza. “The idea is to keep things simple and not complicate flavours. We were adding a lot of ingredients into one burrito and had to ensure they marry well,” explains D’Souza.

An underrated favourite is the Charred B**F Burrito Bowl (₹350). The meat is roasted, cut up in small cubes and though it is a bit charred, it is cooked better than most star restaurants. On its own, it can get dry but mixes beautifully with corn, sour cream, cheese, guac and a charred tomato salsa. It was excellent when cold and hot. The Soft Shell Tacos (lamb, ₹350) have delicately rolled tacos stuffed with lamb bits, Pinto beans, pineapple and sage, corn and guacamole. D’Souza’s skill with meat is the highlight here — it’s flavourful and well-cooked and could be eaten on its own without the trimmings. Loca Lucho also serves a deliciously creamy Tres Leches Cake (₹180). D’Souza’s menu is heavy on the meat but has enough vegetarian options. Future changes will introduce a gluten-free taco, a breakfast burrito and more protein options.

Loca Lucho, Carter Road, Bandra (delivery only); call 9820007347

Will keep you wanting more: Spanish

It’s not a place you would expect to find hidden in a dark lane, behind a petrol pump in BKC. Uno Más is a Spanish tapas bar, promising to serve food that does justice to the phrase, ‘no one can eat just one’. “It is Spanish in terms of the concept, culture and vibe, but with a few Indian elements added to the food to make it relatable and familiar,” says co-founder and chef, Pallavi Jayswal.

Thus, there are Kashmiri chillies added to the sofrito base (onion, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil) of the Paella de Marisco (₹1250); and Tortita de Camarones (₹195) replaces the stodgy shrimp fritters with a delicate — ‘masala papad’ style latticed pancake.

Expect a fair amount of seafood on the menu. The paella aside, there are jumbo prawns served in a prawn head oil (Gambas al Ajillo, ₹495); fried mandeli with a garlic aioli (Pescadito Frito, ₹325) and home-cured anchovies with potato chips (Boquerones, ₹275)

The ingredients like olives, cured meats and cheese are all imported. “This restaurant is like our travelogue. We will be travelling to the south of Spain soon and the next menu will reflect that,” says chef Jayswal. The ‘we’ here includes her co-founder and marketing professional Priyanka Sharma. The duo is aided in this quest for Spanish excellence by the Bar-back Collective and Eight (by pastry chef Anurita Ghoshal).

Expect drinks like Seville (₹695) — Drambuie, white wine and orange juice) and drinking rituals like Kalimotxo (₹450) — red wine, cola, lemon; and desserts like a Torrija (₹325) — Brioche Spanish toast with cinnamon ice cream and Churros con Chocolate (₹350).

Uno Más, Inspire BKC, Next to MGL gas station, G Block BKC; call 6521155

Welcome addition: Sri Lankan

Siblings Sahil and Jai Wadhwa and chef Lakshit Shetty launched Hoppumm as a pop-up a few years ago. As Sahil says, appams and hoppers are so similar, people would enjoy both. And people did. Several successful pop-ups later, they now have their first outlet, a quick service restaurant in Bandra. The small space has cane and wood furnishing, a small menu and biodegradable bamboo tableware. Ordering here is easy: choose a staple from hopper/ string hopper/paratha/neer dosa/ kottu roti, and then pick a filling. The Egg Chilli Cheese (₹250) has become a diners’ favourite for its simplicity. For extra punch, there’s a tangy Ceylon Roasted Chicken (₹250), a creamy Prawn Moilee (₹300) and a Mutton Pepper Fry (₹300). By the side is served onion sambal and chutney. There’s even a dessert filling, Coconut Milk and Jaggery (R₹250). Keep some space for the Alam Neer (₹125) — a lemony sherbet with soothing ginger.

Hoppumm, Bandra West; open from 11.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. – 7.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m.; call 9930825268