Whisky whirl
It’s so difficult when you see hundreds of bottles of whisky but you can’t have a drop of the golden liquid! Well, special guests felt so when they were taken of a tour of the Mumbai Duty Free (MDF) that kick-started the festive celebrations with the launch of its most-coveted seasonal offering – The Whiskey Festival. Afzal Kaba, brand ambassador, Diageo informed that the festival offers MDF shoppers unbelievable discounts on products, free shopping money and complementary experiences from partner brands. There is also a chance to win international trips for seven lucky couples. The festival is on till end of December at Terminal 2 of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport with amazing offers and steal deals on bestselling liquor brands like Johnnie Walker, Glenfiddich, Jack Daniel’s, Macallan, Chivas and Glenlivet.
Konkona on song!
A nice thing about the kicking karaoke Monday night at Soul Fry is that celebrities walk in and feel so comfortable with the homely vibe that they even get up to sing. Last Monday saw acclaimed actor Konkona Sen Sharma who walked in with a few friends. They got into the mood of the moment and Konkona even took the second microphone while her friend sang. The crowd loved every moment of it. Konkona was so sweet that she obliged a few guests and even the Soul Fry staff for selfies and pics. Incidentally, Soul Fry also has karaoke on Thursday night and there’s live music every Sunday afternoon. It’s really live, not pen-drive music!
Cheers and tears
It was cheerful and it was tearful at the third edition of We The Women, this unique, one-day participatory, created and curated by Barkha Dutt for Facebook and UN Women. The festival of unfettered freedom brought together a diverse group of exemplary men and women from all walks of life at Mehboob Sutdio.
Tennis star Sania Mirza, film director and producer Karan Johar, actor Katrina Kaif, fashion designer Sandeep Khosla, cancer survivors Lisa Ray, Sonali Bendre and Tahira Kashyap, fashion designer, politician and social worker Shaina NC among others were there to tell their stories. And the day ended with actor Alia Bhatt breaking out in tears as she spoke about her sister Shaheen Bhatt’s battle with depression. Yes, this was a touching end with tears seen even in the faces in the audience.
The usual suspects
A good thing about attending the anniversary of Goa Portuguesa is that you meet all the usual suspects, those who have been attending this party for years on end. It was also a celebration of the Global Gourmand Awards for the Goa Portuguesa cookbook by chef Deepa Awchat. Of course, Dr. Suhas Awchat, who started it all, was there, meeting and greeting each and every guest.
And who were the usual suspects? Alyona and Sanjeev Kapoor, laughing photographer Ashok Salian, Dr. Sandesh Mayekar, Dr. Jamuna Pai, Gogi Singh, Bharat Dhabolkar, Sonali and Roopkumar Rathod. Yes, the bar was abuzz, a cake was cut, starters did the rounds and there was a lavish dinner buffet spread.
Sizzle or fizzle
Ishaara at Palladium was the happy space for Riyaaz Amlani, MD & CEO, Impresario Handmade Restaurants and author Anoothi Vishal to launch the book ‘Business on a Platter.’ it turned out to be an insightful evening with top F&B stalwarts sharing excerpts from the book on what makes restaurants sizzle or fizzle out.
A panel discussion, moderated by chef and TV personality Saransh Goila, saw Riyaaz Amlani, Sanjeev Kapoor, Rahul Akerkar, Karan Tanna and Gauri Devidayal in conversation that revolved around their unique and deeply insightful experiences in the food and beverages industry. In attendance were Camellia Panjabi, Kunal Vijaykar, Pooja Dhingra, Karyna Bajaj and Prateek Sadhu.
