BENGALURU : At the risk of sounding like the terminator, I will modify his famous last words to ‘I’m baccck’! My sojourn to muggy Mumbai was restful and being around my munchkin was cathartic and peaceful. I gave myself no room to rush around meeting people socially and spending time with my family and friends-like-family, became a priority. Though I was chuffed when my phone lit up like a Christmas tree as my flight touched down on terra firma, I knew that my time as a ‘lotus-eater’ was well and truly over.
After a hurried and perfunctory buss on my cheek, my rather relieved looking other-half, launched into a ‘to-do’ list and a longer list of complaints! As I had left my ‘boys’ to look after themselves and my home, I was rather relieved that the staff hadn’t played hooky and there was cooked food in the house! Sometimes I wonder why I am an abettor to this lackadaisical attitude, but in the end one has to pick ones battles! It is way better for me to have the arrangements on point rather than come home to a nuclear holocaust! That being said, the goody-two-shoes behavior lasted for exactly 24 hours and I have already started pulling at my hair and banging doors to show my dis-pleasure. Why is it that ‘friends-like-family’ are way more tolerable than ‘real’ family? Sigh!
Whenever I am in the ultimate city I make it a point to meet up with my ‘ooru’ friends that are creating waves on the western shores. Kunal and Sunaina Chauhan are two dear friends who have adopted Mumbai as their new home. Sunaina swears that there will be no place like ‘home’ (meaning Bangalore of course) while Kunal, has most ably taken the reins of the massive JW Marriott property in his able hands and has turned the hotel around in a few years. I remember visiting it during those awful pandemic years and saw the valiant effort put in by the team and Kunal to revive it.
I visited recently and only because I had ‘influence’ did we get a reservation for dinner at the packed restaurant! Sunaina and I caught up over lunch at our fave haunt, Bastian, and there wasn’t a topic that wasn’t discussed threadbare…especially about the developments (the good, the bad and the ugly) in our city. Things’ that annoy and vex you, often gets converted into loud guffaws and laughs outside its precincts. But, Bangalore is our home…and we love her through it all!
I was looking forward to meeting our own ‘wonder-boy restaurateur Vishal Nagpal in Mumbai. Vishal had spoken about opening a branch of his café Trippy Goat, in Mumbai. Though a casual diner, Trippy Goat serves food and wine for the sophisticated palate.
As a young ’un who has a formidable reputation as a gourmand and wine connoisseur, Vishal has helped set up a host of restaurants in namma city. His new minimalistic décor restaurant in the up-market mid-town area of Mumbai already looks like a winner. His cuisine is southern-spice inspired and reeks of authentic flavours with an innovative feel. Vegetable ratatouille with an Andhra-inspired sauce to be poured with a flourish. Beautifully flavoured and plated!
Mumbai will have its socks knocked off!
(The writers’ views are their own)