31 July,2022 07:28 AM IST | Mumbai | Team SMD
Pic/Ashish Raje
A family, complete with their pet dog, travel on a bike at CSMT
Chef Saurabh Ratudi is prepping to open a new dining place in Lower Parel's High Street Phoenix, within a month's time. Thoughtful American Bistronomy (TAB) will be a fine line between a Michelin star restaurant and a bistro known for serving value-for-money food. At Michelin star restaurants, people always complain about the portions being small. "What they don't know is the amount of work that goes behind it," says Ratudi. "We will bring the best of both worlds; good quality food and service, with a lot of care in the overall process." The restaurant will have an all American menu.
Talking Life, Javed Akhtar's final book in the trilogy, Talking Films and Talking Songs, will release with Westland in January 2023. All three follow the lyricist's conversation with filmmaker and author Nasreen Munni Kabir. "My life right from my childhood has never been straight, regular, normal or average. From the beginning, I found myself on a rollercoaster of time with totally unpredictable highs and lows. Although, even when unkind, life has been very seductive," he says. Speaking about the books, Kabir, shares, "Through his insight, wit and the multi-layered conversation, the scintillating Javed Akhtar engages us in discovering myriad aspects of his life and how he has lived it. Always a pleasure to talk to, always a pleasure to read."
Chef Akhil Multani, who quit Powai-based Bayroute in October, has started his own food company, The Ghost Chef. Currently, it has two delivery kitchens - Namak offering Indian cuisine and Alas offering Lebanese cuisine. Lined up are two more delivery kitchens - Yan and Ilsali. "While the former, scheduled for launch in September, will offer Asian food, Ilsali, which will start operations a month later, will offer Italian food," he told mid-day. Interestingly, all the names mean âsat' in different languages. "It is the only connecting factor across cuisines," he said, explaining how his brands are connected too. "If one orders from Thrive, s/he can pick items from all the menu in a single order. That's why I prefer calling my company a home dining solution and not a delivery kitchen." But what about desserts? "We are in the process of launching a brand catering to that as well." Thankfully, he has decided to name it Sugar.
Actress Raquel Welch (extreme left) and Fred Trueman (extreme right) at the wedding ceremony of the former England fast bowler's daughter Rebecca and the actress' son Damon. PIC/GETTY IMAGES
England's Barmy Army, the famous group that supports the national cricket team all over the world, tweeted this question the other day: "Without telling us your age, who is the first cricketer that you loved?" Quite expectedly, the response was huge and respondents included ex-players Kevin Pietersen and Darren Lehmann, who picked South African Clive Rice and Australian David Hookes respectively. Many singled out Yuvraj Singh while David Gower appeared often as well. However, one user - Yorkshire-based Wilma - chose the late Fred Trueman. "I loved that photo of him & Raquel Welch at the wedding of his daughter & Raquel's son," she wrote. We discovered that the black dress at the June 1991 wedding caused some heartburn in the Trueman household. It was outrageous and inappropriate (black dress that showed her cleavage), although the bride Rebecca and her cricket legend father, according to the Daily Express newspaper, didn't seem to mind. That was FS Trueman - not always modest, but a sport!
The Berklee Indian Ensemble performs with Zakir Hussain
The Berklee Indian Ensemble, known for its viral YouTube content, and its unique spin to Bollywood songs, is out with their debut album. Shuruaat will mark the Ensemble's first decade together. In addition to much-admired Indian musicians, alumni and students from Berklee College of Music, Shuruaat has collaborations with Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal and contemporary-classical duo, Shadow and Light. The other treat is the four original compositions. "So far, we've premiered 22 originals within a span of 10 years. And for our debut album, we chose four. There are two in Urdu - Pinha by Dhruv Goel, Arz-e-Niyaz by Sashank Navaladi, Jaago Piya in Bengali by Armeen Musa, and one using scat syllables," Annette Philip, founder of the ensemble, told us. "In many ways," she further added, Shuruaat is a glimpse into the rich and varied mosaic that is Indian music today, and as far as the Berklee Indian Ensemble is concerned, we're just getting started!"
