Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Disha Patani

Aao twist karein
That's what Disha Patani seems to be saying at an event in Goregaon on Monday. Pic/Sameer Markande

A love story
Ten years after The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay, Siddharth Dhanvant Sanghvi is back with a new book that already seems as if it has the trappings of a bestseller. Called The Rabbit & The Squirrel (Penguin Random House India), it deals with the unfinished love story of the two characters in the title, after Squirrel is married off to a wealthy boar and Rabbit ditches his carefree ways to enlist as a monk. We have always loved works of fiction that are based on animals, be it AA Milne's Winnie the Pooh or George Orwell's iconic Animal Farm, which, if you read between the lines, you will realise is not about animals at all. And that's why we can't wait to pick a copy up.

It's pouring jokes online
It's that time of the year again when an umbrella becomes a Mumbaikar's best friend. The monsoon has arrived and to mark the occasion, East India Comedy has chalked out the different types of umbrellas that people in this city carry around. So there's the "generic black umbrella" that's "sasta and tikau", the "Popat Lal" one that's "taller than the Burj Khalifa" and the "fancy" kinds, which looks "bomb in Insta stories" and is the "Poo of all umbrellas" since it's as pricey as Kareena Kapoor's character in Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham. Hilarious stuff.

The new-look interiors get a final spruce-up

Makeover time in the mills
If you were wondering what was brewing at one of Mathurdas Mills' favourite hangouts, Cafe Zoe, we've got you the dope on it. Turns out, the all-day café, brasserie and bar underwent a facelift and is now ready for service. For one, the new avatar sports a lot more green and opens up to a plenty of natural light from the ceiling (when it isn't raining, that is).

Jeremie Horowitz

Sharing more details on the revamp, partner Jeremie Horowitz says that the furniture has been polished to a darker brown for a warmer vibe, while the bar has been entirely redone with white tiles and brass detailing. He adds, "The ceiling lighting has been changed so that the space can gradually transform from day to night." Additions are also on the menu to celebrate the monsoon. When we prodded for more deets on what's cooking there, Horowitz was tight-lipped; "It's under wraps. Come by and try it out!"

Elena Duggan

A MasterChef masterstroke
We have lost count of the number of times we have wished for dishes painstakingly prepared and intricately plated by MasterChef contestants to fly from the judges' tasting table straight to our living room. That wish - which we are sure such is harboured by fans of the food reality show the world over - will soon come true for the foodies of Dubai. This diarist has learnt that a leading Dubai-based property developer and F&B player has joined hands with the company that produces and distributes the show to launch the world's first MasterChef the TV Experience restaurant in the emirate. The restaurant, we are told, will debut in the realtor's upcoming bayside hotel, which is set to open in the second half of 2018.

To give guests the real deal, the menu will feature popular original dishes conceived and inspired by series contestants and champions from the show's editions from across the world. The interiors, too, will resemble the show's set. Here's a sneak peek into the names of former contestants who will be associated with the restaurant - Elena Duggan, Mimi Baines and Tamara Graffen. Jealous of your Dubai counterparts? Here's hoping the F&B movers and shakers of Mumbai are reading this.

Rushing off to Russia
It's one thing to cycle every day to work, for instance. But it's another to pedal for 9,100 km to complete a race in challenging Russian conditions, as Amit Samarth has set out to do. But Samarth is not doing it on a whim. In fact, he has already taken part in similarly wild contests in the past, becoming the first Indian to complete the 5000-km Race Across America. He is also the first Indian to finish the Ironman challenge. And now, he is attempting to become the first Indian to tackle the Trans-Siberian Extreme, the longest bicycle race in the world. But Samarth needs help before he can do the country proud. He is looking to raise '10 lakh through crowdfunding to finance his attempt. So, open up your purse strings if you want to support him. He is still '6 lakh short, and if he is to make it to the race, he first has to race against time since it begins next month.

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