Samskara Wellness

MissMalini is only two days away from her wedding, and to get rid of some of the stress, she’s trying out some organic teas to calm those nerves. In fact, she’s chosen brands that Samskara Wellness promotes, which are all organic products. Organic is such a refreshing change from our highly chemical and polluted lives, it’s great to try out if you haven’t already.

Samskara Wellness Products

Personally, I have been drinking the Traditional Medicinal tea that Samskara Wellness stocks, for quite some time now. My favorite is their ‘Sleepy Time Tea’-  great for those insomniac nights that are unbearable. They also have ‘Throat Coat’ another go-to tea, for when I have those hurtful sore throats, that come with Pune’s (and Mumbai’s too) change in weather. Samskara Wellness also has a bunch of other branded stuff I’d like to try out (I’m a big organic enthusiast); Soleo Organics (all natural sunscreens from Australia), I.Q. Air (indoor air purifiers for homes, from Switzerland) & Trillium Organics (massage oils, lip balms & body scrubs from the U.S.A.).

You can buy these things online at their website and here; they also retail out of Watson Fitness at Bandra, Eco Corner at Palladium, Lower Parel and at Green Fields, at Kalaghoda.

Follow them on Twitter (@samskara0) and on FB

Sula Fest 2012

Video coming soon

We know how much you love these type of posts, and that’s why we were extra observant at Sula Fest 2012. There were many interesting things to look at, from how the wine was made, to a tub in the middle of the lawn filled with rose petals! Not to forget the hot guys on stage; yes we have it all right here. Thank you Rajeev Samant for all the Sula Fun! Hope you like our recollection from our weekend at Sula Fest 2012.

Psst! What do you think the term ‘Angel Share’ means? Read on to find out!

Grape Girls

Grape Girls

These 3 best friends were very excited to go grape stomping, and decided they wanted to wear all white. The reason being, they wanted to get the grape colour all over their outfits, similar to why folks wear white at Holi. Unfortunately all they got was purple feet, sorry girls but save these outfits for Holi – you’ll have better luck then!

B.T.W., if you’ve never worn matching outfits with your girl friends, you must take inspiration from these three and try it. It’s so much fun, plus if you’re in a club you can spot each other easily!

Angel’s Share

Angel's Share

While we were going through our wine tasting session, our teacher Mr. Ajoy, used the most adorable term for (and I quote) ‘the quantity of an alcoholic liquor, lost to evaporation during the distilling process’ – this is called Angel’s Share. You learn something new everyday. Alcohol going up to the heavens…so that’s how angel’s party!

Eye Candy!! Woo Hoo!

Eye candy

Now you know we’re all about fashion spotting and being serious at an event, but with so many good looking men on stage, we just had to do a collage of some of these hotties. Leading the pack is Sahej Bakshi from Dualist Inquiry, followed by the violinist from Etienne Mbappe’s band, who we tried very hard to get a good picture of, but epically failed (sorry!). Following them, are the boys from Reggae Rajahs who are so immensely cool, you can’t help but like them (or dance to their beats). Finally there is the indie chic Ankur Tewari, Nikhil D’souza and Nitin Sawhney (Google them now ladies!); what makes them so appealing, more than just their looks, is their talent. So glad I got to see so many of them perform.

Say Cheese!

Say cheese

I always love to see girls go crazy with their cameras – they can get quite creative sometimes. These two girlies, who were playing around with this funky frame, were having so much fun, that I’m sure it’s going to be their next profile picture! I love to capture candid moments like these, don’t you?

Break me a Piece of that!

Break dancing

I wish I could command my body to move like that, but my muscles have a mind of their own. It’s great that Sula brought some of these talented young men to perform. They really kept the crowd enthralled with their head swirling, hand stands, flips and other stuff I can’t even name!

Rose petals in the tub darling?

Hendricks

Talk about a very public bath; this installation was part of Hendrick’s bar. The whole lawn was covered in rose petals, and smack in the middle was this very prominent tub. Although I don’t quite understand why it was there, it was fun to see so many people take pictures with it. It became an attraction of it’s own by the end of day 2.

Spotted at the event: Santino Morea, Reggae Rajahs, Rajeev Samant, Yash Birla, Etienne Mbappe, Saiyami Kher, Ankur Tewari, Nikhil D’Souza and Nitin Sawhney & Sahej Bakshi

Cooking with Chef Vineet Bhatia

As cooking enthusiasts, Heena Jain (The Kitchen Butterfly) and I had the great pleasure of partaking in a private cooking lesson with celebrity Chef Vineet Bhatia, visiting Mumbai to launch a new menu for his restaurant Ziya at The Oberoi. Chef Bhatia showed us how to make two of his dishes: Tandoori Malai Broccoli and his Bisi Bela Chicken. Both came out to delicious perfection – the broccoli was beautifully marinated without being drowned in cream or overcooked to a mush; meanwhile the chicken was succulent and delightfully spiced. For those of you keen on trying these simple yet elegant dishes at home, watch the video below!

Tandoori Malai Broccoli

Bisi Bela Chicken

Team MissMalini

After the lesson we settled in for a preview lunch of his upcoming menu, with Heena going the vegetarian way while I jumped right into the protein. Both of us received a Dahi Bhalla amuse bouche, beautifully complemented with a cool dollop of Tamarind Sorbet.

Dahi Bhalla with Tamarind Sorbet

As an appetizer I was served the Akhroti Tawa Seekh, a classic seekh kebab that was beautifully spiced and surprisingly well paired with sweet, crunchy walnuts. On the veg side, Chef Bhatia served Tikki-Pe-Tikka: a spinach-dahi tikki with a smoked paneer tikka, featuring a delicate cardamom flavor and a side of aubergine chaat.

Akhroti Tawa Seekh

For the main course, I devoured the perfectly grilled Kolhapuri Jhinga (jumbo prawns) – tender but retaining that satisfying bite. As with all of Bhatia’s creations, this dish also featured a twist, as it came served atop a bed of classic Poha surrounded by a spicy Kolhapuri sauce.  The vegetarian dish featured the same base, with a Mushroom Galauti Kebab substituted for the prawns. Although I am not generally fond of galauti, fans of the melt-in-your-mouth kebab will be hard pressed to find a better vegetarian substitute, both in texture and flavor.

Kolhapuri Jhinga

Chef Bhatia makes no bones about his sweet tooth, and his desserts certainly reflected this. The inventive Rose Petal and Gulab Jamun Cheesecake – literally a rose flavoured cheesecake poured atop a gulab jamun base – was only to be outdone in its sweetness by the delicious Coconut-Mango Kulfi.

Gulabi - Gulab

Ziya’s new menu launched this week, and offers both a la carte and fixed menu options. 

The Details
Ziya Oberoi Hotel
Nariman Point, Mumbai – 400021
Tel: +(91)-(22)-66325757, 66324343, 66326210, 66102007, +(91)-(22)-22043282

WittyGift Boxes

Adventure Seaker, Indulgence Junkie, Spa Lover or Culture Vulture? Tell us what your Valentine is like in the comments below and win them a WittyGift Box of your choice!

This Valentine’s Day do something you’ve never done before; gift your Valentine an experience! Lucky for you MissMalini has 8 awesome WittyGift Boxes for you to win :)
Psst! Don’t forget to tell me what city you’re in so I can send you the right box xoxo

WittyGift provides over 800 of the most fun-filled and thrilling experiences like massages, beauty treatments, fine art, kayaking, paragliding and even Japanese cooking classes! Available in a variety of themes like Adventure, Adrenaline, Wellness, Culture, Gourmet, Dance etc. with a price range of 999rs to 7999rs, there is a box for every occasion and budget.

Wellness Box

Wellness WittyGift Box

Wellness Box : 2000rs
Choice of activities include massages, manicures, pedicures, skin treatments, makeovers, art therapy, fitness, yoga etc. from AromaThai, Lakme, Birla Ayurveda Vaidyashalya, Ambika Pillai, B-Blunt, Sykz Fitness and many more.

Adventure Box

Adventure WittyGift Box

Adventure Box : 4000rs
Choice of activities include paragliding, rafting, paintballing, camping, star gazing, trekking, flying fox, zorbing, quad biking, sailing etc. from Natura Adventures, Wanderlust Travels, Adventure Plus etc.

Culture Box

Culture WittyGift Box

Culture Box : 3000rs
Choice of activities include salsa, ballroom, photography, film making, painting, wine tasting, multi cuisine cooking classes, pottery, guitar, bollywood, fashion design, color exploration, belly dance, acting, ayurvedic treatments, yoga, kathak from Sandip Soparrkar, JJ Rodriguez, Yellow spiders Pottery, Nrityanidhi, Guitar Hall, Delhi Dance Academy, The Art Loft, School of Symphony, Pulse the Studio, etc.

Indulgence for 2

Indulgence for 2 WittyGift Box

Facebook Like! WittyGiftBox
Twitter: @WittyGiftBox
website: www.wittygift.com
email: info@wittygift.com
Tel: +919820881993

Dolce Vita

Mumbai foodies – here’s another shopping destination to put on your lists. Last week we were invited for a walk through Dolce Vita, the latest addition in the city’s mushrooming gourmet grocery scene. Located in the Grand Galleria of Phoenix Mills, you’ll find all the usual imported suspects here, including some unique and rare offerings. While we would suggest avoiding the attached cafe until they work out the kinks, here are 5 of our favourite food items they carry that are often hard to come by in Mumbai:

1. Beer & Wine

Beer and wine

While we don’t snub our noses at domestic wines and brews, there’s something to be said for a chilled Brooklyn Lager or a nice glass of Italian Chianti. You’ll find both at Dolce Vita, along with nearly 130 other imported white and red wines, as well as beers such as Birra Moretti and Murphy’s Irish Stout.

2. Sports Drinks

Sports drinks

Where there’s booze, there are hangovers. And where there are hangovers, there needs to be sports drinks. Yes, you can get some of these locally, but we loved Dolce Vita’s excellent selection of rehydrating goodness: multiple flavors of Gatorade, a wide range of Lucozade, and a good handful of Powerade and Vitamin Water. Party like we do, and you’ll understand why this is such a blessing!

3. Candy & Chocolates

Candy

We haven’t seen this wide an imported assortment in too many other places, which includes brands such as Ghirardelli, Hershey’s, Reese’s, Green & Black’s Organic, Cadbury, and Betty Crocker. We immediately picked up a packet of Maltesers and Hubba Bubba Bubblegum (resisting the urge to throw in Push Pops and Flake Bars as well). There’s always next time.

4. Old El Paso

Old El Paso

This one’s a shout out to my American friends in the city: I’ve seen a few sights that are scarier than a group of rabidly hungry American expats, fantasizing about Mexican food. While you may still have to travel to Bangalore for a taste of Taco Bell, Dolce Vita has Mumbai’s home-cooks covered, with everything from Old El Passo Salsa to Spicy Fajita Cooking Sauce. Now please stop looking at me with those crazy eyes.

5. Walkers Biscuits

Walkers

Walkers Biscuits played a fairly prominent role in my childhood, and a very delicious one at that. Aside from the heavenly, artery-clogging Pure Butter Shortbread Rounds, Dolce Vita carries four other yummy choices. Go ahead, relive my childhood. Trust me, it was pretty awesome. (Note: After I wrote this, I saw Walkers biscuits being sold at Goa airport. I’m not sure what this means, but I refuse to remove them from my list. But as a compromise, I offer you a….)

6…Bonus! Starbucks Frappuccino

Starbucks frappuccino

Because even though you hate them, you know you love them.

Hello Hong Kong!

So we were pretty psyched to go to Hong Kong. Truth be told, my family and I have not taken a holiday together ever since my sister got married, 3 years ago. What better opportunity than my father’s birthday? Which happened to coincide with the Zee Cine Awards. Which happened to be in Macau. But first stop, Hongkong!

On Route: Hmmm… first impression of Jet Airways – not that great. After going through our gate we were made to walk down a dimly lit staircase and right out onto the tarmac. Yes, the tarmac. Talk about security being tightened huh? We live in a post 26/11 world people. We were then put on a rickety bus, without AC, and driven around for 25 minutes. Was it worth it? Hell ya! Check out their Business Class. And the flight is only 5 hours (damn!)

Jet Airways Business Class

Touchdown HONG KONG! The last time I came here, which my sister was very quick to remind me, was 20 years ago. Yes, it’s changed. Sorta reminds me of Times Square in a way…what do you think? Queen’s Central; hub of shopping for the tourists. My one & only stop H&M. And then some…

Queens Central in Hong Kong. Any resemblance to Times Square?

Kermit puppet-show in a store window (don't miss the dragon drummer!)

Flower pots that line all the streets

Only in Hong Kong

Lan Kwai Fong - the party street

The Bank of China

It's the Year of the Dragon

Next stop, Kowloon, the 5^thAvenue of Hongkong. To summarize it, I would say… neon. That’s pretty much what came to my mind when we took the ferry over. Because Chinese New Year was around the corner, everything was lit up – flashing lights, Chinese Santa’s, the whole works.

The ferry ride to Kowloon

Welcome to Kowloon

The 3G building lit up for New Year's

Even the escalator's were lit up for New Years

We ventured into the night market at Temple Street, hoping to pick up some hardcore Chinese knock-off’s but unfortunately, it was over when we got there. Though the street-food vendors were still open for business.

Street food (am hoping the cat wasn't on the menu too!)

India is taking over the world...one restaurant at a time

Also, check out these wishing trees – story goes that it’s a Chinese tradition around New Years – you buy a tag, write down your wish & tie it to the tree. Wanna know what I wished for? Sorry – if I tell, it won’t come true…

A traditional Chinese wishing tree

When in Hongkong, do what the Chinese do right? The Lunar Market – think Crawford market but on the street; only difference is that people were on Ecstasy. Or something for sure. From shark-finned bags to claw-shaped gloves, to everything Angry Bird-related, an experience I would definitely recommend to any first-time visitors.

The Lunar New Year Fair

How cute are these pillows?

Follow that with the tram ride through the city and I guarantee, you will be planning your next visit before you board the flight back home. I did.

The tram

Overpacked, did we?

Bye-bye Hongkong

Farrokh Khambata & Khushroo Suntook

Farrokh Khambata owns two of Mumbai’s most popular restaurants, Joss and Amadeus. And now, this loved restaurateur is back with his first ever open-air bistro, the Café at The NCPA. The perfect weather and the tranquil ambience, away from the city’s chaos, made it the perfect place to be on Sunday evening, as Farrokh and his wife Dilshad Khambata, hosted a Sundown Preview evening, along with Khushroo Suntook,  the Chairman of the NCPA.

Shyam Benegal

Dilshad Khambata with Pheroza Godrej

The evening saw distinguished guests from the world of business, art, theatre and movies, soaking up the ambience of this gorgeous al fresco eatery. Everyone seemed visibly delighted to welcome a place like this, in a remarkably popular cultural space like the NCPA. We were surrounded by green on all sides, with the grass-edged flagstones lining the walkway on one side, and potted plants and palm fronds on the other.

Cafe At The NCPA

Rati & Nadir Godrej

Akshay & Payal Kilachand

Dipti Bhatnagar, Poonam Dhillon and Vidya Malvade

Cafe At The NCPA

Aditya Hitkari & Divya Palat

The evening began with an engaging performance by the Symphony Orchestra of India. Divya Palat and Aditya Hitkari told me how excited they were about the place, which is ideal for performing artists, such as themselves. With their brand new production, Foreplay, coming to NCPA this Feb, the Cafe will be an ideal place to chill out between rehearsals & practice for their shows (and it helps that Divya thinks the coffee is superb).

Kailash & Aarti Surendranath

Sooni Taraporewala

Madhoo Shah

I totally cherish my little chat with Madhoo Shah, who told me that her husband loved the MissMalini video of her and her daughter Ameya at the Burberry party. But, the craziest part of the evening was bumping into my gynaecologist, Feroze Soonawala and his dad, the amazing R.P.Soonawala. 

Sameer & Palak Sheth

Sabira Merchant

Gauri Pohoomull

Simone Tata

I love that they have three open-air counters, and everyone seemed to enjoy the live kitchen that offered the Cafe’s specialities like dimsums, gruyere sandwiches, mini beef burgers (my favorite), cocas (same as the ones at Amadeus), stuffed kulcha slices, grilled chicken, lamb kebabs, prawn momos, sinful chocolate cake and an interesting selection of coffee, tea, smoothies and wine. I particularly loved the warm and gooey Normandy Apple Tart (which I went back for the next day as well).

Pheroza Godrej

Sunil & Tanuja Padwal

With the light and scrumptious Cafe menu, and the food at Amadeus getting better with time, staying at the NCPA is starting to threaten any hope I had of losing weight. Maybe, just one last chicken and pickled gherkins burger and then I won’t go for back for a week…I mean month…

Tabu & Richard Rothman

Mr Jamshed Godrej

Marat Bisengalier

Mahesh Dattani

Farzana Contractor

Lata Patel

Kunika Singh

Dilshad & Farrokh Khambhata

Spotted: Simone Tata, Jamshed & Pheroza Godrej, Rati & Nadir Godrej, Shyam Benegal, Mahesh Dattani, Dipti Bhatnagar, Vidya Malvade, Lata Patel, Sunil & Tanuja Padwal, Brinda Miller, Kunika Singh, Gauri Pohoomull, Sonali Dalwani, Farzana Contractor, Sabira Merchant, Sooni Taraporewala, Sabira Merchant, Akshay & Payal Kilachand, Akanksha Agarwal, Aarti & Kailash Surendranath , Marat Bisengalier (of the Symphony Orchestra of India) and Sooni Taraporewala.

Mrs. Desai, Nupur Mundhra, Pratik Desai (of Bentley and Bugatti Bombay)

Tote on the Turf at Mahalaxmi Race Course had probably one of the best New Years Eve bashes in Mumbai. Double-level party space, great food, and of course a well-stocked bar contributed to making the night what it was. Spotted at the event were Cyrus Mistry, Pratik Desai, Dimple Nahar and more!

Dimple Nahar

Vivek Singh of Procam International and friends

Bentley

Mickhiel Pinto (of Network Prive) and Irina Kholkina

Dardhsan Gandhi, Jai Tandon, Kristina Glotova, Sachiv Shahani, Priyanka Sheth,Akash Sheth (of Network Prive), Amit & Ekta Sharma

Dharmesh Shah, Sonia Tolat, Rhea Jhaveri, Minita Patel, Prity Shah, Mehul Patel (of Network Prive)

Mashoom and Shamita Singha at the Time Out Food Awards 2011

Abhay Deol

You’ve read our blog on the Time Out Food Awards 2011 and seen some fab pix of all the Bollywood hotties who attended the glamorous event. Now, it’s your chance to watch the ceremony on Zee Café on 29^th January at 8pm.

Here’s a teaser video which gives you a brief glimpse of the night’s proceedings, and the fun you can look forward to on your TV screens.

Confessions of a Serial Dieter, Kalli Puri

Confessions of a Serial Dieter Kalki Koechlin & Soni Razdan

Quick, make a diet confession and win an autographed copy of Kalli Puri’s Confessions of a Serial Dieter, post your answer in the comments below! xoxo

Fine. Ok. I’ll start. I’m addicted to Lays American Cream and Onion chips. I can eat a whole bag (the share pack) by myself anytime! *Phew* glad I got that out there. But I promise to back off the potato action till after my Goa wedding :) I swear!

So I went to this awesome (and very unique) book launch the other day where everyone from Dimple & Twinkle Khanna, Rahul Bose, Parmeshwar Godrej, Rashmi Uday Singh, Anuragh Kashyup, Poonam Dhillon, Nisha JamVwal, Jatin Kampani, Kalki Koechlin, Soni Razdan and Gul Panag were either participating or in attendance. Kalki and Soni performed hilarious monologues from the book, directed by captain Kashyap and Dimple & Twinkle took part in a free-wheeling discussion; revealing that Miss Twinkle struggled with her weight and was put on a fruit diet by mommy Dimple as a child!

Confessions of a Serial Dieter, Kalli Puri

Kalli Puri and MissMalini

My favorite part of course, was meeting Kalli Puri the author who has unabashedly chronicled her love affair with food (and her love/hate relationship with her weighing scale.) I’m sure this book will ring true with even the mildly body-conscious and who knows, with 43 diets to choose from you might just find the right “fit” for you!

Jatin Kampani and MissMalin

Rahul Bose and MissMalini

So you know Rahul Bose used to date Kalli’s sister Koel Puri right? I was kinda curious why he showed up but she didn’t, but I’m gonna assume she was busy shooting since she did Tweet this:

@koelscouch

Watch the videos that follow for a peak into the book launch and get a flavor of Kalli’s writing; witty and honest, I like!

Both Soni and Kalki were amazing. Breathing character into the pages of a book. Soni made my feel bad for people who struggle with their weight and laugh at jealous conversations I’ve overheard at a million Page 3 parties and Kalki? Well she made me very, very hungry!

Confessions of a Serial Dieter by Kalli Puri with Twinkle Khanna & Dimple Kapadia

During the free-wheeling Q&A my favorite response was Anurag Kashyap’s when asked if his wife Kalki’s slender physique makes him conscious. He said, “it’s not so much her physique as the fact the she looks 17 that’s the problem!” *roflmao*

Confessions of a Serial Dieter book launch

I caught up with the gorgeous Gul who was sweet, as always. (And to her credit handled a swarm of creepy older men with a great deal of poise!)

MissMalini and Gul Panag

Style check: I’m digging the pink on Poonam Dhillon and the bling on Nisha JamVwal…

Poonam Dhillon

Nisha JamVwal

And just before I left, I got Kalki to say cheese in her boho-chic gear, love the hat!

Kalki Koechlin

Psst! Catch all my star interviews and more from the event on Style Police, UTV Bindass on Monday at 8pm, and check out where I ended up that night…

Back at Royalty for Parul's Birthday

…yup, you guessed it. Back at Royalty in Bandra for the 4th time that week! xoxo