Scene and Heard

Marcellus Baptista

What's happening in Mumbai’s hotels? A peek into the party circuit and events in the city...

Fresh bite

Mahek Chahal, Chef Max and Schauna at Olive

Fresh and wholesome - that was the verdict after you tasted the new seasonal menu at Olive Bar & Kitchen. It was the introduction of Max's monsoon menu, presented by Massimiliano Orlati, also known as Chef Max, the new head chef and chef de cuisine of the Mediterranean-style eatery and bar, and outgoing chef Evan Gwynne who is off to Manchester. Tucking into the fare was Evan's fiancé Schauna, Kabir Bedi and daughter Pooja Bedi who shared a table with Queenie and Raja Dhody and hosts A D Singh and Martin D'Costa. Also present were designers Salim Asgarally and Niharika Khan, singer Anaida, models Mahek Chahal, Pratyashaa Bole and Niketan Madhok, Vindoo Dara Singh and his Russian wife Dina Umarova. They all enjoyed the Italian wines and good food presented attractively, as you heard jazz musicians Kittu and Steve Sequeira setting the mood of the night with songs like 'Wonderful Tonight.' That summed up the mood alright.

Wine cheer

Dinesh Khanna, Nalini Gupta and Suniel Shetty at The Club

Suniel Shetty may not have been drinking but he was one of the star draws at Anada Wine Club Night at The Club, showcasing some excellent wines of South Africa and an equally excellent food selection for a complete meal. Live music by the club's in-house duo set the mood for good food and fine wine from KWV International. It was a happy night hosted by the wine club's promoters Dinesh Khanna and Ranjan Kapur and Nalini Gupta, regional head, South African Airways. Guests from all walks of life were seen sipping and savouring the wines and appreciating the nuances of a fine wine, served in the right glass and at the right temperature. Also present were the promoters' wives, Nishi Khanna and Jimi Kapur, South African Consul General Buzi Kuzwayo, Lance Littlefield, country head-India, South African Tourism, fashion designer Vikram Phadnis who was preparing for his trip to Johannesburg to show off his creations at the Sanlam South African Fashion Week, Arun Nanda, Anjali Mukherji, Chhotu and Sabira Merchant, Heena Munshaw of Beacon Holidays and daughter in law Sheetal Wadhwa Munshaw who spoke about her journey through the South African vineyards.

Picture perfect

Madhur Bhandarkar and Bipasha Basu at Taj Lands End

Five-star hotel are the chosen venues for Bollywood big parties. Taj Lands End was the chosen celebratory place for Percept Picture Company to team up with director Madhur Bhandarkar to form MB Motion Pictures Ltd. It also looked like the 'success' party of the film 'Corporate.' So, naturally, in the house was the film's key player Bipasha Basu, who apologised for arriving late, accompanied by John Abraham. Madhur Bhandarkar dwelled on his humble beginnings when he would distribute video cassettes to stars like Mithun Chakraborty, who was present at the event along with his son Mimoh who has been introduced to Bollywood. Others present were Raj Babbar, Payal Rohatgi, Brinda Parekh and Neetu Chandra who has an important role in Bhandarkar's forthcoming film called 'Traffic Signal'. Shailendra Singh, head honcho of Percept, was present. It was a classy cocktail-dinner affair with the choice of spirit being Johnnie Walker Black Label. Guests were heard talking about the merits of Madhur Bhandarkar's films like 'Chandni Bar,' 'Page 3' and 'Corporate' and looking forward to being caught in the 'Traffic Signal.'

Dish and that

Deepa Awchat, Dr Suhas Awchat and Brinda Parekh at Diva

The preview of the annual Shravan food festival, presented by restaurateur Dr Suhas Awchat and wife Deepa, is always a hot date on your social calendar. And so it was this year with the festivities at Diva, the party place, giving guests a taste of things to come at Culture Curry and Goa Portuguesa. It was an all veg menu with no run-of-the-mill dishes but some traditional vegetarian fare that you find only in traditional Maharashtrian households. While during the month of Shravan you are supposed to abstain from alcohol, at Diva the drinks were flowing for guests who don't observe Shravan in its entirety. So, you had a cocktail chatter in the air with a whole lot of foodies who swear by the fare of Goa Portuguesa and Culture Curry. Tucking into the delicacies were the likes of Bollywood actors Ishaa Koppikar and Varsha Usgaonkar, director Madhur Bhandarkar, ghazal singers Roop Kumar and Sonali Rathod, industrialist Dilip Piramal and wife Shalini, TV personality Simone Singh with filmmaker husband Fahad Samar, Dr Jamuna Pai, Dr Anjali Mukherji, glamour girls Ananya Dutt and Brinda Parekh, dancer Shiamak Davar and master chef Sanjeev Kapoor who has been busy dishing out shahi thalis on board Singapore Airlines' flights.