Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Pic/Shadab Khan

Curtain watch

Peering through an opening in the makeshift walls, two kids watch on as people go about their work at Dhobi Ghat in Mahalakshmi

Fresh off the boat

While it's heartening to witness a mix of cultures, a confluence of influences excites this diarist in particular. For a city that has a long-running love affair with the sea, creative opportunities inspired by the blue waters are special. And this weekend, chef Gregoire Berger - who helms Michelin star restaurant Ossiano in Dubai - will bring his progressive French menu to Mumbai. "The tasting menu, to be hosted at Worli's San:Qi, includes dishes such as looking through the prism of the past - featuring Roscoff onion, buckwheat koji and apple cider marshmallow, and life starts at the end of your comfort zone that contains sweet shrimp, yuzu and dry miso. I am delighted to present our uniqueness to the people of Mumbai, who cherish their bond with the sea," Berger told this diarist.

Also read: Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

India shines amid Asia's best

Niyati Rao at her Fort restaurant

Whenever a list of global renown is published, we scan for Indian names and cities. And that's how our heart jumped in joy to spot Indian restaurants four times on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list of 2023. Delhi's tandoor-special offering, Bukhara, opened the series for outposts such as Americano, The Table and Ekaa in Mumbai. Have homegrown flavours - and more importantly, our micro-cuisines - made it to the world stage? Niyati Rao, head chef at Ekaa - the youngest restaurant in the series of winners, said, "We are overwhelmed. There are no words to express what we feel. We are happy and grateful to have bagged the 93rd position on the list, and it just motivates us to do better. I have always believed that the restaurant strives to make India proud through its food. And this win is dedicated to each and every Indian." Does the space have any specific local ingredient in mind to celebrate their win? To that, Rao mysteriously added, "We are working on our fourth tasting menu and you will have to wait for it."

Sea-ze the day with art

The Bombay Gypsea sets sail with 20 to 22 attendees every weekend

Do you, like this diarist, see Mumbai as a time-strapped city flumped by the sea? Or, does the city's proximity to the sea add to its appeal? Organisers at The Bombay Gypsea - a community focused on making sailing easy and accessible - think as much. "When we started, we were more into organising private sailing experiences. But thankfully, we now host both private and public journeys.

The idea is to connect more people to the act of sailing, and we think that can be done best through performance-oriented activities," founder Shaun D'Souza (below), told this diarist. Identifying the long-standing connection between art, artists and the sea, the initiative is set to hold an adventure of sorts in the last week of March. "The vastness of the Arabian Sea has inspired artists over the decades. And so, the platform tied up with chronicler Alisha Sadikot and art writer Nishita Z for a trip to highlight modern and contemporary artworks that were inspired by the sea. For more details, check out @thebombay-gypsea on Instagram.

A home for the dreamers of art

Van Gogh's The Yellow House

Those who closely observe Mumbai's community art scene, are familiar with the Dharavi Art Room and Fluxus Chapel. Built with the intent of exploring art, the former has stood the test of two decades. The latter, has spurred public attention towards independent artists. Founder-artist Himanshu S reckons that having seen both of these spaces sustain, it's time for them to realise Vincent Van Gogh's The Yellow House (in pic, below) - his unfulfilled dream of a common area where creators can make, learn and practise.

"We require a space, in the heart of the city, where kids from economically difficult backgrounds can indulge in art. A part of it can also formally train teenagers. But, a community kitchen is a must for this space," the zine-maker, who's working on a corpus fund, said.