Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Model Gabriella Demetriades blows her nail polish dry at a store in a Lower Parel mall over the weekend. Pic/Atul Kamble

A swansong for a beloved eatery

A week before Café Zoe enters its last week of operations, the eatery-cum-performance space that was home to a fortnightly jazz jam session hosted one of its last few gigs with Mumbai-based Ska outfit The Fanculos bringing the house down.

The space was buzzing even before the gig started, and filled to the brim soon after, with revellers clearing up space in front of the stage and dancing to originals by the horn-fronted outfit. The numerous familiar faces included actors Rajat Kapoor and Denzil Smith. But we had a bittersweet feeling when we saw the house full of musicians from the Mumbai circuit going up to owner Jeremie Horowitz and offering their condolences on the shuttering.

Lower Parel restaurant heads south

Though restaurateur Rishi Acharya launched Soi69, an Asian offering in Breach Candy, last year without making much noise, the promise of good food, courtesy chefs Seefah Ketchaiyo and Karan Bane, helped make it an F&B entrant worth looking forward to. But soon after the space opened its doors to patrons, even the occasional squeak around it vanished altogether. Now, months after Ketchaiyo and Bane exited from the partnership, Acharya has roped in chef Boo Kim to breathe new life into this venture.

The Asian diner will now become Dirty Buns' second outlet. Speaking about the partnership, Boo told this diarist, "We wanted to expand our offering to the heart of South Bombay and are doing it with an existing space. The menu will be a tight edit of all our original favourites along with some new dishes. We will also keep the menu focused on vegetarian and Jain food, and have a big bar."

There is no Kamra to hide

Kunal Kamra is no stranger to trolling since the comedian gets a steady stream of hate messages for taking potshots at the ruling dispensation. But a recent one that he received on Facebook is possibly the most bizarre one yet. In it, a person accuses Kamra of being a Jaish e Mohammad member who's a follower of Masood Azhar, the terror outfit's chief. The message also says that his real name is Kamran Qureshi, a person who was rumoured to be dead but is actually Kamra in disguise.

The post adds that all the money from the comedian's shows goes towards funding terrorism in Pakistan, but the media keeps mum about this. And to furnish "evidence" of these claims, the person even sent comparative photos that highlight how Azhar and Kamra resemble each other. This diarist asked the guy what he would tell the troll if he ever met him on the streets. His response was, "Nothing, just keep up the good work."

Play your art at this auction

Do you have deep pockets? Are you interested in collecting art? Then get your bids ready for a sale that will be previewed next week at a gallery in a SoBo five-star.

The artists whose works will go under the hammer include biggies like MF Husain, Akbar Padamsee and Jatin Das. All of them are modern-day painters, and their works demand a hefty price, which can sometimes go into lakhs of rupees. The auction, in other words, won't be for the thrifty.

Another slice of Mumbai life

Gary Mehigan's love for India is no secret. The popular former Masterchef Australia judge is a frequent visitor to the country and has even documented our cuisine on television. He was back again in Mumbai recently to host a dinner at a five-star in Worli. But Mehigan isn't one to let his work be defined only by the demands of a glitzy hotel.

He soon hit the streets to sample what Mumbaikars eat, putting up a video of a vegetable market where people also sell chana and frankies. And then he chanced upon a billboard that shows how his love for the city isn't unrequited. A huge poster put up on a bus stop bid him and his co-judges, Matt Preston and George Calombaris, farewell from the TV show that made him a global celebrity. Now isn't that sweet?

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates