The city — sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Bringing the sexy back into food
For foodies who’ve been waiting for the next popular (read: TV) chef to jump onto Mumbai’s F&B bandwagon, we have news. Chef Vicky Ratnani has joined The Korner House (below, in pic) in Bandra.
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Chef Vicky Ratnani
It will be rechristened The Korner House by Chef Vicky Ratnani, and will offer a new lunch, all-day, dinner and brunch menu. Ratnani explains the move, “The food-scape of Mumbai is dwindling. There is great revenue and little effort in the bar business; everyone is flocking there.
If you notice, you’ll see how most stalwarts are also core participants in the bar churn out scene. Every week, a new bar opens. But, who is focussing on food?” He added how back in the day, all the romance was in food. “When I returned to India and joined Aurus, I knew that my guests came to eat what I cooked. I was bringing value to the table as a chef. Food is about patience, love, creativity and quality control.
Why would I eat vada pav in a bar? If I crave for it, I will drive to Kirti or Mithibai College, right? I want to bring the sexy back into food. We don’t need a mish-mash confusion that’s a passing trend. Judge for yourself whether I am walking my talk,” suggests Ratnani. The restaurant will be renamed on the chef’s birthday, which falls on July 21.
Who’s the guy with Anushka?
Pic/Nimesh Dave
Before you’re wondering why Mr Kohli isn’t grooving with Anushka Sharma, relax. Our photographer captured this frame while she shook a leg with a male model as part of a shoot for a commercial in a studio in Goregaon last evening.
A Mumbaikar in Paris
Malad resident Ryan Fonseca (37) was among the fortunate football fans who was in Paris when Portugal beat France 1-0 to clinch the Euro 2016 title. He works with a French financial institution and was in the city on an assignment that “sweetly coincided” with the final.
Ryan Fonseca against the backdrop of Eiffel Tower
Though he couldn’t source match tickets, he was impressed and exhausted with the euphoria surrounding Europe’s premier football competition. “I don’t regret being unable to get a ticket because I had a blast at the Fanzone near Eiffel Tower. Everyone around was hugging fellow fans, and exchanging pleasantries.
It was a beautiful experience. I guess that’s why it’s called the beautiful game,” he told this diarist. “I was in the Portugal area of the Fanzone, so thanks to Eder’s championship-winning extra-time goal our party continued long after the match ended,” he signed off.
Camp out, Hakoona Matata-style
Coming up in December at an undisclosed location is a brand new music festival where you can camp like the folks in five different countries — Italy, Turkey, Mexico, Brazil and India, of course.
Indie musician My Panda Shall Fly
Called Hakoona Matata (no association with the Kenyan festival Hakuna Matata), the idea is to bring together the ‘world over the camp’. Says 23-year-old Gaurav Mistry who dreamt of this as a 20-year-old, “As we in India roast potatoes on a bonfire and sing with a guitar around the fire, Americans roast marshmallows and play hula hoop.
The idea is to take elements of five cultures in a single place and share the joy.” Expect diverse cuisines, eccentric workshops and live music by artistes like Sri-Lankan-born Londoner Suren Seneviratne aka My Panda Shall Fly. Plans are afloat to create a Human Bhelpuri too. We’d love to see it live!
Harry Potter countdown
Pottermania is back, as the release of the new title nears. It is based on an original new story, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, by JK Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne; it’s been made into a two-part West End stage play, written by Thorne. The story opens with Potter, an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-going kids.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Hachette)
While Harry grapples with a past, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse, father and son learn the uncomfortable truth. What unravels in this new title? You’ll have to wait till July 31, 6 am (IST).
Sync and sound
The theme for the sixth edition of the annual concert organised by Fazal Qureshi, in the memory of his father Ustad Allarakha is Drums of India.
(From left) Tubby, Sridar Parthasarathy, Ravi Chary, Louiz Banks and Fazal Qureshi (Tabla) jam at Banks’ home in Santacruz. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
The two-hour, free concert scheduled on July 15 will bring together percussion sounds from all over India and feature a host of artistes including Ravi Chary (sitar), Bondo Fernandes (percussion, Goa), Sridar Parthasarathy (Mridangam), Dhruv Ghanekar (guitar), Sheldon D’Silva (Bass), Tubby (keyboards), Vijay Chauhan (Dholak), Navin Sharma (Dholki), Khete Khan (Khartal, Jaisalmer), Vinod Ravindranathan (Chenda, Bengaluru), Meitei Pung Cholam Troupe (Manipur) and Louiz Banks (keyboards) along with Qureshi on the tabla.