Friday, May 21, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Ring Master
If you need your man to jump through hoops, Blue Banyan’s statement bangles are perfect, as are the artsy rings and medallion necklaces. And if you can’t whip him into blinging something home, dump the guy and be the master of your own ring; the jewel encrusted version titled Jodha in Wood is particularly nice.
Right (B)angles
Set up by NYU Stern graduate Shuchi Pandya, Blue Banyan is a for-profit social organisation that employs a team of designers who work with artisans in remote Indian villages to craft super trendy jewellery. These pieces combine traditional elements with contemporary sensibilities and are sold on Mumbai’s chicest shelves. Case in point: traditional lac bangles from the Lakhare community serve as bold statement cuffs at the swish Bombay Electric store in Colaba.
Big Tops
Other cool Blue Banyan creations include earrings moulded from tree-sap and inspired by Turkey, pendants made from crushed glass and bejewelled wooden bangles. They also offer more traditional silver and kundan designs (the Jasmine Moon collection), which we didn’t care for much. Keep an eye out, though, for the latest line set to launch later this summer: Mandhubani-painting inspired geometric rings and disc pendants which will be available in stores like Fab India, Bombay Store and Taj Khazana.
In true bpb style, we also bring you a direct line to Shuchi. She’s taking individual requests until she leaves to get her MBA in July (call her at 9820191272), and hopes to continue taking orders via her website after that. Golden!
Getting there: Blue Banyan, browse through the collections here, to order call Shuchi on 9820191272, Rs 500 to Rs 5,500.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
bpb Review: Quench
What could have been a cosy sip and swirl spot in Bandra is instead a messy wine and beer bar tries to do too many things, and barely gets one right.The newly opened Quench is quite an eyeful: its look changes from run down wine cellar (red brick walls) to youth dive (graffiti designs) to garage pub (the bartender sits in a jeep that juts out of a wall) – all jammed into less than 500 square feet of space. Adding to the chaos is the multi-cuisine menu – Chinese, Indian, continental - with everything from Chicken Teriyaki to Chicken Tandoori. We had barely begun our meal, and we were already exhausted by the choices.
Don’t Mock(tail) Me
Quench isn’t the kind of place to serve a fancy vintage, but we had hoped for a chilled Chenin Blanc to combat the Mumbai mugginess. Alas, the bar’s wine and beer license doesn’t kick in until May 25, before which patrons will have to make do with an unimaginative selection of a mocktails - *cringe*. Perhaps that’s why the place was almost deserted on a Saturday night. Or maybe it was that John Secada track that was playing.
Loaded but no Bang
We started with the Loaded Potatoes (Rs 99), baked in their skins and filled with a tasty scoop of cheese and veggies. Had we known that these would be the highlight of our meal, we would have savoured them slower and longer. Next up were bottle green spinach rolls, embellished with weirdly orange spikes and filled with cheese. These looked like something Frankenstein would eat, but tasted pleasant – don’t get them unless you’re a brave soul.
On the management’s recommendation, we went with the Chicken Steak for mains, a slightly undercooked hunk of meat topped with generic barbeque sauce and redeemed only by a side of yum butter garlic mash potatoes; and an unremarkable bowl of spaghetti. We skipped dessert – banana split, sizzling brownie – not because we were full, but because our meal couldn’t handle any more mediocrity.
Note to Quench
Dress down, lose the strange 3D wall art, but keep the booze bottle light bulbs. Fine tune your menu, fuel that jeep-turned-bar with better drinks and you’re good to go.
Getting there: Shop no 10, C-3, Kosamba, ONGC Colony, lane opposite Lilavati Hospital, Bandra Reclamation, call 26400511 or visit the Facebook group here, open 11 am to 1.30 am, meal for two Rs 550 (without alcohol).
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Weekend Guide: Five Pegs
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bpb
What: Wtf!, Hotel
Why: Warhol
When: You swear
*** What: Wear your
Why: A bpb event
When: Saturday,
pAPER What: Blow up
Why: Because for
When: You want to
*** What:
Why: French art
When: You want to
bEFORE What: Secret
Why: You’ll love
When: You want to
*** Event Round-Up:
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Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Weekend Guide: Cool Off!
Cool Off!
bpb Freebie: Subscribers get a red-hot discount at spice store Arome. For this and more deals, plus a free weekend guide in your inbox every Friday, enter your email in the subscription box.
bpb Freebie: Take 10% off at spice store Arome until May 14. Exclusively for subscribers!
bpb Contest: Win a couple pass worth Rs 1,000 to the Smirnoff Experience event featuring Cosmic Gate, Nikhil Chinapa and DJ Pearl at the Renaissance Powai on May 8! For yours, write in to guide@bpbweekend.com. Going fast!
bATMAN
What: Comic book rental service, Leaping Windows, call Bidisha on 9833731309 or visit the Facebook page here, Rs 500 monthly membership fee.
Why: Pick from an online catalogue of over 1,200 titles featuring all the regular suspects – Batman, Asterix, Tintin, Twinkle, Manga – along with a nice collection of indie graphic novels, all of which will be delivered and picked-up right from your doorstep. Just remember: you can’t borrow more than one book at a time, and never ask for Archie comics.
When: You like them in all capes and sizes. Slated to launch May 22.
pURCHASE
What: Rabbit Hole, 17th Jai Hind Society, 12th Road, Juhu Scheme, visit the Facebook page here, dresses start at Rs 750.
Why: Acid trip dresses, psychedelic pouches and leprechaun hats at this brand new store by Ahana Deol win our rave(r) reviews. Fall further down the rabbit hole and you’ll hit shiny mosaic mirrors, “Magick Potion” jams, perfume bottles filled with bath salts, trippy paintings and more. Show me the bunny!
When: You want to experience hare fall.
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What: Bead and leather gladiators by Turquoise at Sugar, shop no. 4, Hampton Court, Wodehouse Road, next to Colaba Post Office, visit the Facebook group here, Rs 2,500.
Why: Studded with emerald or tourmaline stones, these anklet sandals from Ahmedabad-based designer manage to be pretty and bad-ass all at the same time. Also available at this little boutique which opens today, is a sweet stock of clothes and accessories from a bunch of upcoming designers. bpb loves: black and white tie-back dress by Priyanjali.
When: You want sappy feet.
bLEED
What: Hang in a giant heart, Human and Machine gallery, Nehru Science Centre, Dr E Moses Road, Worli, call 24926042, Rs 25 entry fee.
Why: We found the city’s most romantic spot in an unlikely place – the newly renovated wing of the Nehru Science Centre. Here, you can walk through (and maybe even steal a kiss in) a giant beating heart; aortas, ventricles and all.
When: You want to take your beau’s name in vein.
***
What: Night rides in Mumbai with Hopkins’ Bicycles, shop no. 7, Silver Croft, 16th Road, TPS III, Pali, Bandra, call 26004520 or 919768920125, visit the Facebook group here, Rs 50 membership fee.
Why: Thumb a bell instead of your Blackberry and sign up for after dark cycle rides with Hopkins Bicycles. This third generation Bandra store has also recently started renting out equipment, including fancy six-gear mountain bikes.
When: Every Wednesday and Friday at 10 pm.
Event round-up: Johnny Deep at Kino 108 on May 7, SHKABANG at Blue Frog on May 7, and Airport at Shop for Change concert on May 8.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Hit the Road, Jack
It’s against bpb policy to mix alcohol and engines, but we’ll make an exception for Big Wheels Motoring Café and Pub, a brand new resto-bar on the old Mumbai-Pune highway, which serves cocktails and grub to motor enthusiasts in a garage-like setting. Just make sure your chauffeur’s your plus one.
Lap Dance
It’s Hard Rock Cafe meets Toto’s Garage Pub, this space where rock band posters hang on unfinished brick walls, a bike ramp displaying an actual Royal Enfield cuts across steel-grey floors and music blares from the speakers.
The menu is gimmicky and only partly funny, with each meal course slotted under an auto-related term. Breakfast of omelettes and parathas for instance, fall under ‘idling’, salads under ‘repairs’ and soups under (mildly unappetising) “lubricants”. While the selection of dishes is ambitious – everything from Lemon Butter Prawns and Shorba soup to Hawaiian pizza and plated continental meals are available here – ordering simple bar snacks like kebabs and fish fingers seems like a better plan. The owners recommend the Barbeque Chicken and pasta selection.
Trail Blazers
Set up by Ashutosh Mahadik and Sanchayita Biswas, founders of Big Wheels Motoring, a group for automobile enthusiasts, the pub promises to be an entertaining pit stop. The founders hope to transform it into a place for the riding community to get a handle on all things engine-related. For instance, every fortnight, you can attend car and bike rallies, drag races, auto build-offs and other events on the expansive land behind the cafe. Live band performances are also on the agenda.
Let’s get this show on the road!
Getting there: Big Wheels Motoring Cafe, Kanhe Phata, 10 km from toll junction, old Mumbai-Pune highway, before Tony da Dhaba if you’re coming from Pune, log on to www.bigwheelsmotoring.com and visit the Facebook group to view the photo album.
Mall World
Wanna Karan? Although one Palladium store advocates “being stupid”, its new army candy is anything but. Pretty and smart, DKNY’s first Mumbai store opened right next door to Diesel yesterday, and we were there to size up the new girl.
Got Him On a Leash?
Reeled in by the cheery collection of bags (start at Rs 3,500), we were instantly attracted to a bright orange patent leather tote, sequined black satchel and canvas shopping bag, but the monogram and snake skin prints were less than appealing. And except a pair of super silver and white sneakers, the shoe collection – including a few sorry-looking pairs for men – was disappointing as well.
Nice Rack
If you really want to be impressed, head to the dresses. Not only does this section stock a lot of the collection currently available internationally, but it also manages to maintain at-par prices. On our shopping list: A candy pink sheath (Rs 12,000) and dresses with jersey tops and interesting skirts, especially the garden print sateen version with a hand-painted finish (Rs 13,900). Also available were some great work blazers and skirts, a passe range of sequined party wear and comfy graffitied ganjis, which you can get at half the price in the States (Rs 4,700). All in all a pleasing sight, but that didn’t stop us from exploring our options further at Vero Moda, a new Danish addition that arrived on the block last weekend.
Under Trial
The clothes and accessories at this women’s fashion store are mercifully cheaper than DKNY, but nothing to write home about. A big chunk of the merchandise, like cotton printed skirts and scarves, look like something you’d find at an export surplus store. Also on display were depressingly dowdy blazers (Rs 3395), strange flapper dresses (Rs 2,375) and lycra tube tops no one should ever wear. Stuff we’d buy - a sailor cardigan (Rs 1,695), stone-washed kurta, and a pair of skinny jeans (Rs 1,995).
Get Booked!
Good thing we beefed up our wardrobe, considering the stars among us yesterday. Jeffrey Archer was apparently in the house to inaugurate a new branch of bookstore Landmark, with over 40,000 feet of CDs, video games, stationery and of course, books, situated in the Palladium basement. Word!
Getting there: DKNY, ground floor next to Diesel; Vero Moda, 1st floor; Landmark Books, basement; Palladium, Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
bpb Sneak Peek: Taco Fresco
It was with a heavy (and slightly burnt) heart that we left the private tasting at Taco Fresco on Saturday night, which opens for business today. Ever since discovering that the Chicago-based chain was coming to Mumbai, we’d lived in a state of culinary anticipation, looking forward to guacamole and chalupas in a city with virtually no authentic Mexican restaurants. Perhaps that’s why the actual meal was such a let down.
It began on a promising note, under a whirring fan out in the open-air section, with Mexican pop art on the walls and four kinds of salsa and a basket of warm tortilla chips on the table. The chips seemed soggy and salsa was tasteless, but we remained optimistic, concentrating on the better, super spicy jalapeño and seriously flavorful medium red versions, determined to love our Mexican-in-Mumbai meal.
When the Chips Are Down
But other faux pas were more pronounced, harder to ignore: vegetarian quesadillas for instance, were properly encased in real soft tortillas instead of the rotis Mumbai restaurants often use, but otherwise bland and filled with stringy cheese. A dinner companion commented that he had made better in his frat house kitchen after a night of partying. We were forced to agree.
The burritos, stuffed with paneer and accompanied by yum Mexican rice and refried beans are a better bet, as are the chicken wings with creamy dip. Warning: prepare your digestive systems in advance, because these are literally soaked in oil. If you like your meal fried, also try the Chimichangas, re-imagined here essentially as Mexican spring rolls.
Made in Mexico
All of the above get much better, though, when you add a dash of salt and pile on sides of coarsely-chopped tomato salsa, sour cream and – lo and behold – guacamole! On its own however, the wildly-anticipated avocado dip tasted of…. nothing at all. That’s probably because of the substandard avocados in the market, something many Indian chefs complain about.
Lack of access to other ingredients integral to Mexican food – good tomatoes, spices, pinto beans – has been commonly cited as the reason why we don’t see more of the cuisine in India. One chef also points out that Mexican dishes are commonly cooked in pork fat, which adds a lot of flavor, but cannot be used in vegetarian versions, making them much blander.
Taco Fresco too, seems to be suffering from this “Indianisation”. It is run by a Chicago native with family here, who thought Mumbai was ripe for Mexican food and so bought the chain’s franchise rights for all of Asia. She has the right idea, and her menu tries to be scrupulously true the original, but in its current avatar, the food is mediocre at best.
New Tex Message
But the night we went was her first run, so chances are that the kitchen will get more skilled, that they’ll figure out how to source good ingredients, that the addition of imported beers, shots and margaritas (scheduled to start in three weeks) will heighten the overall dining experience, and that ultimately, Taco Fresco will succeed in bringing delish Mexican fare to our shores. Fingers crossed!
Getting there: 8-9, Mangal Bhavan, junction of 14th and Khar Pali Road, next to Café Mangii, Khar (W), call 26484498/ 32222462, or visit www.tacofresco.com, Rs 400 for a meal for two (without alcohol), opens May 3.
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