Breaching the Fort

Optical Illusion

At first glance Saxonia, a little optometric store looks perfectly ordinary, like any other business in the commercial Fort district. You'd hardly imagine that it conceals a secret staircase in the back, one that leads to treasures like a giant spoon big enough to cradle a baby, and a tiny man who rides on the back of a stapler.

Bested in Bandra

Opened on Sunday, Tappu Ki Dukaan calls itself "a little shop with little knick knacks and a lot more", but it is really a contemporary curio store that stocks a range of quirky brands including Happily Unmarried, Pop Goes the Art and Mixed Juice Designs. On closer inspection, it seems like a (slightly outdated) version of Loose Ends in Bandra - a lot of the stock ("Cheeni" mugs, doormats, shot glasses) is stuff we've seen months ago at the suburban store.

Bright Spots

There are, however, a handful of unique offerings: Tappu Ki Dukaan is the only Mumbai retailer of Haathi Chaap stationary, ridiculously cute and made completely out of elephant poo (Rs 200 onwards); the abovementioned giant spoon-shaped starter platter by Happily Unmarried (Rs 740); Mukul Goel's stainless steel figures (Rs 400 onwards); Bus Kya BEST bags (Rs 550); and framed prints (Rs 550 onwards) amassed by the owner over the years, including a really beautiful black and white photo of a couple frozen in mid-embrace.

Go if you need a kitschy gift, or for the adventure of finding a hidden store peddling trinkets both banal and bemusing.

Getting there: 27-A, Kermani Building, mezzanine foor, Sir P.M. Road, opposite Citibank, Fort, call 22043716.

Café Art

The Fort neighbourhood got another tenant this week - Worli resident Banyan Tree Bakery and Café has expanded into Gallery BMB, and this one is a vast improvement over the original. The café is bright, airy and uber-chic, complete with textured white walls, minimalistic black chairs and a giant glass bowl filled with pom-pom lights.

Like the space, the menu is surprisingly vast for a gallery café, including Mexican appetizers, pizzas, burgers, and a full breakfast spread in addition to artisan teas and coffees. Also offered are Banyan Tree's signature desserts like luscious blueberry cheesecake, Tiramisu and chocolate torte.

Visit soon, while the place is still relatively undiscovered (before long it will be over-run by school kids from the neighbouring J.B. Petit and Cathedral), and in time to catch the LaVA Exhibit, hosted by Gallery BMB until January 29, 2010.

Getting there: Gallery BMB, Queens Mansion, ground floor, GT Marg, Fort, call 22000061.