Nisha's Mumbai: Restaurants, Conversations, And Small, Necessary Pauses With Nisha JamVwal

A double birthday, and a changing city

When you’re celebrating your mother’s birthday—and she’s a Bombay Scottish and Xavier’s alumni with long-standing roots in the city—the guest list tends to assemble itself.

This year, I celebrated it with my bestie Alka Chaturvedi’s birthday. Every year I celebrate this lovely friend too! A shared celebration made simpler by the fact that both have overlapping circles built over decades.

The venue was Olive Cafe at BKC—the newer outpost of a brand that has, over the last 25 years, become part of Mumbai’s dining memory through its Bandra address. It’s definitely my favorite not least because of its beloved founder AD Singh. The BKC space is more swift in its Cafe theme, more aligned to its district—corporate, efficient, slightly more global in its cuisine. What i noticed was the turnout on a weekday, was full. Not just familiar social regulars, but a cross-section—expats, professionals, the BKC after-hours crowd.

Mumbai’s relationship with dining has clearly evolved. Eating out is no longer occasional or celebratory—more people are stepping out to eat and entertain almost regularly! The time and mind space for home entertaining is scarce?

And more subtle—punctuality is on the rise. In the early 2000s when I came back to India, I was told quite firmly that arriving early was infra dig. That code seems to have dissolved. Being on time is in fashion and everyone arrived on the dot. No delayed entries, no staggered arrivals.

The afternoon unfolded without effort. Cake, conversation, and then the natural extension—evening tea!

Chef Christopher’s menu is designed around small plates, which suits a group dynamic. The stone ground guacamole became the popular recurring order. Edamame in XO sauce and the mezze platters were consistent crowd-pleasers. The pastas—rigatoni Romanoff and linguine cacio e pepe—held their own, while the burrito bowl paired with roasted harissa butternut squash reflected the menu’s broader, global-leaning approach. Desserts were varied without excess—strawberry tres leches, pistachio kunafa cheesecake, gluten-free chocolate cake, and gelatos—alongside the inevitable birthday cake.

The new Olive does not attempt to replicate Bandra’s nostalgia. It operates on its own terms. And that seems to be working.

Actor Poonam Dhillon enjoyed her cake, and Roshni Damania and veteran judge Rajyalakshmi Rao was keen on Pizza. Advocate Abha singh had left court and come rushing so we ordered some popular dishes for a second round. A grand time was had by all and it was reflected in the way everyone sang the “happy birthday’ anthem which brought the house down!!!

FICCI FLO and the shift beyond March

At the FICCI FLO Women Achievers Awards, curated by Dr Sagarika Ghoshal and Pooja Arambhan, I realised that the celebration of women is no longer confined to March. It has about a country realising the worth of women in the workspace.

FICCI FLO, as a network, has steadily built itself as a platform for women across professions—entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, creatives. The Mumbai chapter, in particular, tends to reflect the city’s working rhythm.

What made it even more special for me was the the audience which was so responsive to my keynote address. I spoke about the tightrope walk working women have to walk as they juggle challenges in a still metamorphosing India, where a lot of the responsibility of Home and hearth fall upon a working woman’s shoulders. That found resonance with almost everyone in the audience, and I felt kind of redeemed to know that I’m not alone in what I sometimes feel can be a very challenging life.

What followed was yet another Award with a lot of cheer and fun, and the evening all in all was one of great bonhomous one imbued with warmth and new friendships. It’s no wonder that FICCI FLO is such a celebrated organisation in Mumbai.

It is perhaps this consistency that keeps FICCI FLO relevant. It understands its audience.

The case for smaller tables

From a large gathering to a table of three. Sandhya Gupta hosted a small lunch at Spice Club—among the earlier adopters of molecular gastronomy in Mumbai, conceptualised by her son.

Spice Club has, over the years, built a niche for itself by reworking familiar Indian dishes like Kaali Daal Makhani, Palak Pameer, Paneer Tikka through a more experimental lens—textures altered, presentations artistic and layered, but flavours largely intact and maybe enhanced. The pièce de résistance was the rose lassi served as on large dollop or drop bursting in the mouth with delectable cool Flavors of rose.

Three people at a table changes the nature of an interaction. There is no need to ensure everyone’s inclusion and comfort. Conversations take their own shape as does the afternoon?

The menu was Amritsari flavours in a molecular Gastronomy format —recognisable, direct, and well-established in the Indian culinary imagination. The reinterpretation was joyous and fun, not overwhelming.

In Mumbai greater numbers equates success of an afternoon or evening -presence with numbers! So for me smaller gatherings feel corrective and therapeutic!

Familiar rhythm, familiar faces

The week closed on a a celebration of aplomb and joy with Sundri Khan’s birthday. Sundri is veteran actor Feroze Khans birthday and for those who came in lately - she’s Fardeen khans mom.

Friends, familiar faces, a touch of Bollywood, and DJ Bosco’s music that took over.

Fardeen and Zayed Khan stood out—for their panache and an ease that is increasingly rare. Courtesy, conversation, and a certain old-world charm that is so them.

Singer Shweta Shetty’s “Happy Birthday” dedication for Sundri was operatic in its aplomb and DJ Bosco, one of Mumbai’s best DJ’s , kept the energy rambunctious.

The week was one of contrasts. A large room and a small table.

Public acknowledgement and private conversations. Routine celebrations and reflective moments. Mumbai accommodates all of it without needing to label it —it is the maximum city that is ever changing, growing and in my opinion one of the great cities of the world.

Write to Nisha JamVwal at Indiaphenix@gmail.com