The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Sameer Markande
Seas of change
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The ocean serves as the perfect backdrop at Bandstand in Bandra for a group of young women posing for a photograph, as an idli vendor looks on
Going global
The virus might be playing spoiler to your travel plans but a restaurateur is planning to offer diners culinary getaways to several global cities, without leaving Mumbai. The folks behind Diablo in Lower Parel are working on opening Interurban, a series of high-energy luxury gastropubs across India, starting with the maximum city. Managing director Abhimanyu Jakhar (in pic) told this diarist that the plan to launch a 10,000-to-15,000-sqft space in SoBo is in the works. “Instead of restricting ourselves to specific cuisines, we’re bringing to the table fusion world cuisine,” he explained. The SoBo outpost will be themed on New York City. “Interurban was a train that ran during World War 2 to carry goods between the Allies. Each outpost will be themed on global gastronomical cities, encapsulating that vibe and its culinary culture. We’re aiming to open in the second half of the year,” he added.
A fresh taste of Japan in Lower Parel
Lower Parel can now boast of a slice of Japan after a restaurant and bar called Taki Taki opened its doors in the business district. The menu has sushi offerings including yasai green uramaki and other Japanese staples like tuna tataki. There are also some Pan-Asian options such as massaman curry. Dawn Thomas, CEO of V&RO Hospitality that’s behind the venture, shared, “We drew our inspiration and the core of the project from dining destinations that mesmerised us from across the globe.” Kon’nichiwa 2022!
A museum in a game show
This diarist learnt that the popular television game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, recently collaborated with Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum for questions on a folio from The Textile Manufacturers of India, and an early pagoda from China.
The collaboration will be featured in episodes 16 and 43 of the show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan. When asked what this means for the future of the repository, museum director Tasneem Mehta told this diarist, “We’re delighted as this coming together will take the museum out to every part of India. And it’s an honour to be selected from so many museums across the country.”
What’s your New Year fantasy?
Agents of Ishq (AOI) recently asked the netizens of India what their resolutions are for love, sex and ishq life. “We started the hashtag #SexRes back in 2016, and it has been somewhat of an annual tradition since then. The responses have steadily grown over the years,” shares Paromita Vohra, co-founder of AOI. People can openly articulate their wishes, fantasies and dreams for a healthy life in 2022 with this hashtag. “Our idea is to normalise conversations around sexual life and health, and encourage people to be thoughtful about their bodies and their sexuality. We promote people to understand their sexual self and, through spectrum of responses, people can learn and feel comfortable in such a space of open dialogue,” shared Vohra. AOI discovered that a lot of people engaged with the hashtag, and that conversations around sex and sexual lives had begun to widen which, Vohra feels, is an encouraging sign. To join in the conversation with AOI, use the hashtag #SexRes2022.
Zipping through Ellora Caves
If you’ve ever been to the world-famous Ellora Caves in Aurangabad, you’ll know that exploring this UNESCO-designated World Heritage site can be a bit of a trek to reach. The caves are spread over an expansive 2.2 km and must typically be explored on foot. To offer tourists a more comfortable and environmentally-minded alternative, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is planning to run a fleet of 20 battery-operated vehicles inside the cave complex. “The vehicles will ferry visitors throughout the day. We have also proposed five temporary sheds for tourists at various locations which will also serve as the stops for these vehicles,” shared ASI superintendent, Aurangabad circle, Milan Kumar Chauley. Five air-conditioned and 15 non-air-conditioned vehicles with a seating capacity of seven and 15 respectively will be available on rotation. Tourists must purchase a separate ticket to avail this facility and the ticket will be valid for the entire day.