Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Going live again

We had reported in these pages earlier this month that live gigs at Lower Parel venue AntiSocial were being stopped due to rising COVID-19 cases in the city, after a state government advisory stating the same. That situation remains, but Khar Social, another outlet of the same chain in the suburb, is hosting a gig on April 1 featuring EZ Riser (in pic) and debutant Rehh Rehh. Mayank Bhatt, brand head of Social, explained that they have police permission for it since it’s a large venue with an outdoor section, meaning crowds can be managed better. “It has a capacity for 200 people, but we will keep it at 50 per cent,” he shared.

Fun memories with Floyd

Floyd Cardoz (centre) with Sameer Seth and Yash Bhanage (right), co-owners of The Bombay Canteen, O Pedro and Bombay Sweet Shop

It was on March 25 last year that the pandemic claimed one of the giants in the Indian foodscape — Floyd Cardoz. The celebrated chef was a global icon who headed the kitchen at Tabla, a fine-dine in New York, and launched Paowalla, later redesigned as Bombay Bread Bar, in the same city. In Mumbai, he was one of the brains behind popular eateries The Bombay Canteen (TBC) and O Pedro, and dessert hotspot Bombay Sweet Shop. Tributes poured in for Cardoz on his first death anniversary, considering the shining legacy he has left behind. Speaking about it, Sameer Seth, co-owner of TBC, told this diarist, “Chef was such a prankster, he had this naughty smile after each prank and it was always a fun time working with him. We miss his warmth and the ability to make everyone feel comfortable.” 

Rahul goes to Goa

Foodies in Goa are in for a treat next month. Rahul Akerkar of Lower Parel fine-dine Qualia will be hosting a 10-day pop-up starting April 2 at Ahilya by the Sea, a boutique hotel in the sunshine state. The event will witness the hotel opening its doors for non-resident guests for the first time. They will start their meal with sundowner drinks and nibbles set against a backdrop of the sea. After that, Akerkar will serve two seatings daily of his set menu, which partly draws inspiration from Akerkar’s own familial connection to that part of the country. “My father’s family is from a village called Sawantwadi, just north of Goa. And the kind 
of cooking they do is similar to the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin cooking common to Goan households,” the celebrated chef-restaurateur shared.  

Digging a well of hope

Water shortage is one of the biggest crises that the adivasis at Chinchwadi village near Neral face. An initiative called Vanfeva decided to address this issue recently, when its volunteers joined forces with locals to dig a well there that’s equipped with water-harvesting solutions. Dilip Jain of Vanfeva told this diarist that the process involves blasting rocks on one day, villagers clearing the rocks the next day, and a JCB boring holes on the day after that, with the entire process being repeated till the well is ready. “We will have it functional before the monsoon,” Jain (in pic) said, adding that the aim is to help women who have to walk around four km a day to fetch water.

And the award goes to...

Organised by Margao-based publishing house CinnamonTeal Publishing, the Publishing Next Industry Awards were instituted to recognise the efforts of publishers, big and small. The winners and runner-ups for the 2020 edition were announced yesterday. While Rahul Soni was declared Editor of the Year, Vishnu M Nair won Illustrator of the Year. Veteran actor Pankaj Kapur made quite the splash as his debut novel Dopehri won two awards: Cover of the Year (Indian languages) for designer Bonita Vaz Shimray, and Printed Book of the Year (Indian languages). Ruskin Bond added another laurel to his kitty as Words From My Window was voted Illustrated Book of the Year. It was also refreshing to see diverse narratives in children’s literature receive recognition; Nagaland-based artist Canato Jimo’s Snip won in the Ages 0 to 8 category, while Inside a Dark Box by Ritu Vaishnav emerged as the winner for eight-plussers. 

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