Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Chef Kelvin Cheung

Kelvin loves his truffles
We have noticed in the recent past that the darling of celebrities, Chef Kelvin Cheung, has been inundating his social media profile with photos of truffles, with captions that clearly state his love for them. So, we asked him more about it, and he said, "Truffles are absolutely delicious and really versatile. They also add a complex depth of flavour that heightens the umami flavour in any dish." He usually incorporates them into classics like handmade pasta and specials like sushi grade tuna over crispy rice and truffle popcorn man bun with truffle ice cream at Bastian and One Street, two Bandra eateries that he helms.

Truffles

Drifting in
Inspire BKC is a building that's all set to become the next hot destination in what has become the city's busiest restaurant hub. After Spanish eatery Uno Más opened there earlier this year to rave reviews - packing in a well-heeled crowd with celebrities thrown in for good measure - we recently saw a board put right beside that announced the impending launch of a new brewery. Called Drifters Tap Station, it is being touted as the first venture in India to have 24 hand-crafted beers. And with Tresind, another fancy modern Indian restaurant slated to launch right here in December, this is one building that's fast becoming the area's go-to destination.

Shaadi with a difference
Trust Keshav Suri to do things differently. The scion of the Lalit group of hotels, who regularly champions LGBTQI rights, married his partner of 10 years, Cyril Feuillebois, in Paris earlier this year. The couple celebrated the Indian leg of the wedding at Goa recently, and what an out-of-the-box affair it was!

Take for instance the fact that the priest who was conducting the nuptials was a transsexual. Or, the fact that after the official ceremony was over, Suri threw a bash for his friends that involved a performance by Violet Chachki, an American considered one the best drag artistes in the world. The guests included Godrej India Culture Lab founder Parmesh Sahani, who is a champion of LGBTQI rights himself.

Poochie-Cooing
Are Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Khemu contemplating making a new addition to their family at a pet adoption camp held over the weekend in Bandra? Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

This is a monster of a book
At a literature festival in Delhi last weekend, politician and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi revealed the cover of her upcoming children's book There's a Monster Under My Bed! And Other Terrible Terrors [Penguin]. Speaking of the inspiration behind the title, Gandhi said, "One day, my granddaughter said to me, Dadi, there's a monster under my bed'. She was a serious three-year-old and for the last few months had been unwilling to sleep in her room. I broke into a big smile, 'How lucky, Anasuyaa!! I want one too!! Can I have yours?' I could almost see the gears in her head shift and her perception change. The fear vanished. There are so many fears that children have and we could help them get rid of them quite easily." The book is slated for release in January next year, and we can only hope that it helps the little ones conquer their demons.

For better or for verse

The Goeth-Institut Mumbai and Sparshdnyan, India's first fortnightly newspaper for the blind, have come up with a novel initiative. On International Day of Persons with Disabilities today, four visually challenged individuals with a background in the arts will read select verses in Marathi and Hindi by well-known poets, Ravindra Lakhe, Neeraja, Priya Jamkar, Santosh Padmakar and Ganesh Kanate.

Later, the poets will read their own select poems, too. The young Braille readers include Rupali Shelar, Parimal Bhat, Harshad Jadhav and Prakash Pandagale. Swagat Thorat, editor and publisher of Sparshdnyan, has transcribed the poems into Braille. "The idea is to make mainstream literature available to the visually challenged, and also raise awareness about Braille among the sighted," he explains about the commendable effort.

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