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Mango

Chique

garam masala

Goldfish

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Trunk call

Desigual at Eye Candy

mumbai deli II

Weekend Guide: Rain Check

bpb Freebie: Get 10% off when you spend Rs 500 and up at home store Baaya. Offer valid until June 25.
bpb Freebie: Subscribers get crafty deal at home store Baaya. For this and other cool discounts, plus a weekend guide in your inbox every Friday, enter your email in the subscription box.
bLADE
What: Knife Skills workshop with 3 Michelin-starred chef, exclusively for bpb by Le 15 Patisserie, shop 2, B wing, Rajgruha Co-Op, BM Marg, Lower Parel, email guide@bpbweekend.com for your slot – limited seats only!, Rs 1,000 per person.
Why: Julienne, brunoise, chiffonade, batonnet, allumette, paysanne: there are many ways to cut someone down to size. Chef-extraordinaire Mukul Tanwar will teach you all these and more at a hands-on knife skills workshop where each student is given their own arsenal. While on vacation in Mumbai, the France-based chef is also conducting classes on soufflés, pastas and more.
When: It’s your turn to pick up the (s)tab. June 30 from 7.30 to 9.30 pm.
pROTECT
What: Embellished raincoats by Sonya Vajifdar, call 9322221434 or visit www.sonyavajifdar.com, Rs 4,000 onwards.
Why: Sonya’s super raincoats offer more than a silver lining for your cloudy day: they come in pop colours with sequined hoods, polka dots and asymmetrical zippers; we especially love the bright purple trench with satin lining. She supplies to Attic and Bombay Electric, but we take you directly to her Churchgate workshop where the designer, her masterjis and two fat dogs work hard to please the rain gods.
When: You want to shop before the drops.
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What: Yogacara, Rewa House, Bulabhai Desai Road, opposite National Garage, Mahalaxmi, call Radhika on 9833198371, Rs 6,800 monthly membership for 12 yoga, 4 meditation and 2 massages sessions.
Why: Traditional yoga classes, meditation sessions, massage facilities and a stunning view of the ocean all live here, at this quaint cottage in Breach Candy. This new “healing centre” lets you indulge in Thai, Shiatsu and energy flow rubs or learn aasanas from experts who teach spiritual courses at Mumbai University. Ommm-y God!
When: You want to breathe inn. Go before June 30 for a free yoga/meditation session.
bRAND NEW
What: Zara, Palladium, Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel, T-shirts for Rs 900, dresses for Rs 2,000.
Why: It’s finally here. The Spanish fashion chain opens its first outpost in Mumbai, amidst hype, impending credit card debt and fears that everyone in the city will now be wearing the same thing. Our initial recce of the two floor store yields salmon pink silk shorts, jersey gladiator sandals, summery white dresses, swimming trunks and a cool hat rack for men. Look out for the full bpb review!
When: Opens today, June 11.
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What: Finish Tarla’s movie, a donation driven animated film by Project Nanhi Kali, visit www.agirlstory.org to watch clip and contribute.
Why: Right now, Tarla is a little girl who can’t go to school. But with your help, she can break through the barriers of gender bias and poverty to earn a stellar education, discover the cure for procrastination and save the world! But her story, endearingly captured in this fictional animated series, progresses only if you donate to the cause of the girl child.
When: Now. The fate of our future superhero is in your hands!
Event Round Up: Tapas and unlimited beer at Valhalla’s FIFA fest; Sharik Hasan Trio plays jazz on June 12 at 9.30 pm at Blue Frog and the Comedy Club – finally!- opens at Palladium on June 11.

Half Arted

Space-Time Continuum

This just in: time travel possible for one month at Lakeeren, a contemporary gallery in Colaba where you’ll find art (and price tags) from ten years ago. Past perfect!

Stroke of Luck

At “1001 Works 25 Rupees Upwards” , art flea market conceived by owner and curator Arshiya Lokhandwala, you can rummage through an engaging collection of photographs, etchings, paintings, eggshells and more, piled in corners, propped against desks and tacked onto the wall. This is a place where you’ll find signed serigraphs by MF Hussain (Rs 90,000 for a set of eight) scattered over the floor, and wall beams papered with photographs of an artist meditating in the midst of chaotic streets (Rs 5,000 each).

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bpb loves: Anuj Poddar’s miniseries centering around a mirchi (Rs 1,800), Ashim Purkayastha’s 3D cut-outs from a past show titled Cryptograms, a series of small, super-fine etchings by Kanga that capture perfectly the slender elegance and grace of youth (Rs 2,000).

Blank Canvas

For Arshiya, this month-long sale not only makes art more accessible to people, it is also a way for her to move forward with a blank slate. “Lakeeren used to be located in Vile Parle until 2003, after which I went to Cornell to get my PHD in art history and returned with a brand new Lakeeren in Colaba last December.”

Curator Picks

Not sure where to start? We weren’t either. That’s why we got Arshiya to pick out her top five bargains:

Untitled series of hand gestures by Sushil Mangaonkar (Rs 15,000 each): Rendered in sweeping strokes and bloody red pigment, this series of three will draw your eye as soon as you enter the gallery. And if you believe art should come with a sense of humour, ask for the fourth, censored piece (yes, it’s exactly what you think it is).

Chatterbox by Amod Damle (Rs 25): Funky matchboxes for Rs 25 each. And you thought you’d never make an impulse buy at an art gallery!

Anjum Singh’s drawer (Rs 15,000): This poignantly sweet pink and yellow drawer conceals a treasure trove of memories – prints and postcards by the artist. And at Rs 15,000, bedside change!

Sharmila Samant’s Areperenius (Rs 10,000): Apparently part of an exhibit meant to symbolise permanence, this sculpture is made from the most transient of objects – eggshell holders. Apart from its symbolic value, the three-dimensional piece is super fun to play with; it looks different from all angles and can be re-imagined as countless things, from a gas mask to a fortress.

Debraj Goswami’s morning art (Rs 14,000): Cool, funny paintings of toothpaste tubes and other every day objects by an artist who has shown at major galleries in the city. Colourful and cheeky, these are guaranteed to brighten up the bleariest mornings.

Getting there: Lakeenren, 2nd floor, Grant's Building, opposite Basilico, Arthur Bunder Road, Colaba, call 65224179 or visit www.lakeerengallery.com, on until June 30.

Bungalow 5

In Other Rooms, Other Wonders

Owned and developed by filmmaker and restaurateur Prahlad Kakar, 14C Boran Road has turned into quite a random house. In this pretty cottage, you’ll find a dive shop, a marine conservation NGO, a kitchen that caters to outdoor shoots, a bakery, and a prop shop in the attic.

Eau Baby!

Pretty mosaic fish tiles and an aqua door lead you to The Dive Shop, an offshoot of marine lifestyle company The Life Aquatic with Lacadives. Designed to look more like a living room, this “store” displays bright yellow and pink snorkel masks and diving glasses on a grand piano, features a book case filled with volumes on marine information, and allocates a generous amount of space to comfy seating. Even if it means relegating the actual rack of dive equipment to a nondescript corner, which stocks wet suits, underwater cameras, bag packs, candy coloured flippers and other accessories. But what Life Aquatic instructor Jurgen van Duffel really wants to show off is a shipment of underwater computers – watch-like gadgets that give you details about your dive – expected to arrive soon.

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For Bake’s Sake

Sea biscuits, crab cakes, bread and water...we’re trying to imagine what connection a dive shop would have with a bakery, because also moving in soon is Pune-based Cupcakes n Cookies. Here, New York returned banker-turned baker Tarini Naravani will make biscuits, breads, cakes and other treats from scratch, which you can enjoy in a garden cafe to the sound of music. Sweet!

More Tenants

Previously a home delivery headquarter for Kakar’s Papa Pancho, the kitchen here now provides catering services for outdoor film shoots. Meanwhile, a jumble of props from the filmmaker’s own TV commercials and movies – curtains, wigs, furniture, even a grand piano – can be rented from the prop shop upstairs.

Finding our Feet

Kakar promises that every visit to this bizarre bungalow will be different. During our sneak peek, he offered to read our feet while we tried on scuba flippers. What will happen next time? Drop in on opening day – June 11! – and find out.

Getting there: 14 C, Boran Road, tiny lane opposite Globus, Hill Road, Bandra (W), opens June 11, Dive equipment from brands like Tusa and Aqua Lung starts at Rs 2,000.

Add To Taste

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.

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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.

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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).

Weekend Guide: Five Pegs

Friday, May 14 Five Pegs bpb freebie: Use the code “Warm Tummy Foundation” and score a free beer, Mojito or ice tea at the brand new Wtf!, for one week starting May 17. Exclusively for subscribers! bIBULOUS What: Wtf!, Hotel Dreamstorm, ground floor, 3rd Road, near Khar Railway Station, Khar (W), visit the Facebook group here, Rs 120 for a small Smirnoff. Why: Warhol Tempted Fairies, Witch Trial Fury, Wounded Tall Flamingo. The acronym can mean many things, but Khar’s newest pub Wtf! simply stands for cheap booze and a casual vibe. Enjoy yum bar snacks served on pretty sewing machine tables and ignore the seedy location and clichéd film posters. Read the full bpb review here. When: You swear by your beer. Opens Monday, May 17. *** What: Wear your Vino, del Italia, opposite Juhu Beach, email guide@bpbweekend.com or call 9820228582 to make an appointment, Rs 1,500. Why: A bpb event in collaboration with Yves St Laurent and del Italia! Sip on a glass (or three) of wine while make-up artists from the French brand use the same palettes – white, red and rose - to transform your face. You also get Rs 600 off against any YSL product, a fun goodie bag and optional “before” and “after” shots by a professional photographer. When: Saturday, May 22 from 4 pm – 7 pm. By appointment only. pAPER What: Blow up Mumbai street photo exhibit, visit www.blindboys.org or the Facebook group here, location TBD, free. Why: Because for one day, these guys will turn Mumbai streets into a photo gallery where you can display your own pictures and browse through almost 3,000 prints. Find any you fancy? Take them home – at no cost. Seriously! When: You want to have a (Canon)ball. Saturday, May 22. *** What: sayitincolor / ...The Art Loft, Valentino Rest, above Patel Stores, next to Mehboob Studio, Bandra (W), call 9819132958 or visit the Facebook group here, starts at Rs 4,000 for eight hours, free trial workshops from May 17 - 24. Why: French art therapist Leila Tayebaly sets up her new studio in a pretty Bandra loft – wooden floors, white beams, leafy view. Here, she’ll team up with experts to offer courses in organic watercolour therapy, acting, psycho genealogy, photography, wine appreciation and fine art. Go on, make a good impression-ist. When: You want to put you Monet where your mouth is. Launches Monday, May 17. bEFORE What: Secret route to iPad, visit www.chaupaati.com or call 09222221947 to order on the phone, starts at Rs 45,989 for a 16GB Wi-fi tablet. Why: You’ll love us for this one: while everyone else waits for the iPad to hit stores (or for one to be accidently left behind at a bar), we found a way to score a legit piece now. Order through this domestic phone and online shop, and they’ll ship a brand new iPad to your doorstep in less than a week. When: You want to be an early nerd. *** Event Round-Up: Ministry of Sound DJs spin at Shiro, Worli on May 15, 10 pm onwards; Indian Ocean at Blue Frog on May 16 at 9.30 pm; Music Mirror, series of documentary films on music at NCPA starts May 14 at 6.30 pm.

bpb Review: Cool Chef Sushi and salads, burgers and bao buns at South Mumbai's new take-out place.	(Com)Passing Through Let a marine biologist, travel writer and Broken Compass plan your next holiday. Bon Voyage!	bpb Cutting: Check, Mate Babes, booze, balls & Bollywood in this week's pick-tionary of happenings from Mumbai and beyond. Remove me from this list

Wtf!

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.

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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.

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.