“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard”
– Winnie the Pooh
It seem’s like only yesterday that I arrived back in Bombay – a long list of things to do, places to go and people to see, with oodles of time ahead of me to do it all and some more… yet it’s passed by in the blink of an eye. As the saying goes, time goes by fast when you’re having fun.
So here are the main highlights of the last six weeks, from the latest discoveries, hidden gems and old classics in Bombay’s eclectic culinary scene, to exploring the city’s cultural side… I’m already counting down to my return later this year. In the meanwhile, do follow my adventures back in LDN, as the London Chapter of TFD resumes!
1. Revisiting Bombay favourites. While I’m always keen to check out the latest and the greatest in Bombay, this is never before first paying homage to all my old favourites, starting with Swati Snacks (the all-veg Gujju-style eatery in Tardeo) to the Table, Colaba. Catch the full list, here.
2. A tribute to Irani cafés. From breakfast at the century-old Bombay institution B Merwan, to a quirky lunch at the newly-opened Sodabottleopenerwala, I had a delicious taste of the Bombay’s rich heritage of Irani cafés.
3. Coffee Crawl. I also spilled the beans on my favourite cafés across town, from where to find the best AeroPress’d coffee (one for true connoisseurs) to my local caffeine fix. Read my coffee diaries, here.
4. Tea Tour. But if coffee isn’t your cup of tea, you may prefer reading about my tea tour around Bombay instead, complete with stops for Malabari vanilla coconut tea, Thai iced tea, hot buttered apple tea, wild rose green tea… and of course homemade chai!
5. Lakme Fashion Week. As one would expect of a designer whose career spans 25 years in Bollywood, Manish Malhotra’s Winter/ Festive Show 2015 was a star-studded spectacular affair at the iconic Mehboob Studio. The glitter-strewn gowns dazzled, sharing much chemistry with the more understated yet dapper menswear collection that saw modern styles peppered with traditional sherwani, bandhgala and ethnic jackets. Seeing Ranbir Kapoor up close, as he walked the ramp for the grand finale, was an added bonus of course.
6. Bao Fix. All those skinny models and fitspiring designs weren’t enough to suppress the inner fatty foodie in me though, especially after my latest addiction to baos. I got my fix at the Fatty Bao (finding it to be worth the hype) and more recently courtesy the creative inventions over at the Bao Haus Co.
7. Janmashtami. While I’m usually always in town during Janmashtami (for all ye Brits reading this, the occasion marks the birth of Lord Krishna), this year I got more involved in the celebrations, as a group of friends and I went to ISKCON – the Hare Krishna temple – for midnight aarti. Words fail to describe the peace and calm, not to mention the positive vibes that we felt here.
8. A spot of culture, hasn’t been amiss either. Among the exhibitions visited, the most memorable is “Anatomy of Stillness” by Clare Arni, at TARQ (and no not just because the gallery’s – very dynamic – founder/ director is one of my bezzies). Through her series of deeply-evocative photographs, Clare offers a lens into the the rich cultural diversity embedded in South Asia’s heritage… The result is a visually mesmerising display of images that capture marked moments in time.
In case you’re interested, the exhibition continues until 28 October, 2015.
9. The Foodie Diaries and Diet Tamasha are reunited! Upasana’s finally home after her exciting culinary journey in New York (it’s sparked much travel/ food envy I might add). We only have a weekend to catch up before I leave (and it’s FAR too short) but we’ve been making the most of it, starting with breakfast yesterday at the Desi Deli, the cosy new neighbourhood eatery in Bandra! If you haven’t already, then do check out her blog on Instagram; fair warning though: her feed is bound to make you hangry!
10. Family Time! Last but not least – family and friends like family, are the real reason why I’m going to miss Bombay so much! And so I’ll leave you with a few pictures that encapsulate perfectly, some of the wonderful memories built over these last few weeks. As you can tell, I come from a family of fellow foodies…
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