Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Chef Masaharu Morimoto

For the sake of Mumbai
Chef Masaharu Morimoto was in a good mood last afternoon when this diarist watched him fire the blowtorch on a mound of cinnamon, star anise and herbs and cover it with an inverted glass. The glass, fuming with smoke was then placed on the amuse bouche of peaches, radish and Japanese tomatoes.

He filled the glass with sake, and presented it to us. "A smoky touch to your sake, enjoy!" he quipped and sprinted to the kitchen to prep the next meal. Tonight, will be the last omakase dinner that he will serve for the 14th anniversary of Wasabi by Morimoto at Taj Mahal Palace Colaba.

Another salad came as a scroll on the plate. It was signed 'Big dreams, and deep foundation' in Japanese. "In this scroll, I have wrapped happiness, and when you unfold it, the eater is filled with happiness!"

Morimoto's autumn-inspired menu paid attention to detail with maple and pine leaves for décor, elements like walnut tofu, ginko nut in the hassun or second course, and a lip-smacking lamb main with a truffle jus. But this diarist fell head over heels in love with his vegetable broth that came in a tea pot, with the strainer filled with mushrooms, veggies and mekabu seaweed. There's no stopping this 63-year-old culinary wizard!

New role for Paul Kinny
He served us lip-smacking sushi and more at Shizuzan and a healthy menu at 212 All Day. After four and a half years, Paul Kinny of Bellona Hospitality hangs his apron and leadership hat to helm a new role as Director of Culinary at The St Regis Mumbai.

Paul Kinny

"It feels great to be back at a luxury five-star again. The food industry today is going through a very exciting time with new trends, experiments and experiences," Kinny told this diarist.

Sip on French juice in December
When French Kiwi Juice aka FKJ first came to India last year, fans of the new French house master went into a tizzy. Now, they might as well jump for joy once again since the multi-instrumentalist will be back in the country in December, as part of the Echoes of Earth festival in Bengaluru.

Dualist Inquiry

The line-up for the event was announced yesterday, and apart from FKJ, it also includes British DJ duo Dusky, Belgian electronic purveyors Stavroz and Canadians Tennyson among the electronic acts. And holding the Indian flag aloft are a bunch of home-grown biggies such as Dualist Inquiry and Ankur and the Ghalat Family, and recent heavyweights like the hip-hop guys from the roster of Azadi Records. So, can December come any sooner?

Minissha takes a curtain call
It was Minissha Lamba's debut performance on stage earlier this week, and personalities from theatre, and film and television industries made sure they were present to cheer her on. Seen in the audience were actor-directors Anant Mahadevan and Bharat Dabholkar, veteran theatre artiste Dolly Thakore, actor and host Shekhar Suman, actor Ashmit Patel, producer Deven Khote, and Lamba's husband and restaurateur Ryan Tham.

Directed by Saif Hyder Hasan, the play, Mirror Mirror, is a 75-minute solo performance that revolves around sibling rivalry. Lamba recently said that she hasn't been getting the kind of roles she would like do in films, and is therefore channelising her energy in other creative ventures.

Arre Baba! The battle isn't over
When a restrain on Priyanka Pathak-Narain's Godman to Tycoon: The Untold Story of Baba Ramdev imposed by a trial court in Delhi was revoked this April, it was hailed as a big victory for the freedom of speech. But earlier this week, the Delhi High Court reversed the decision and reaffirmed the trial court injunction on the publication, distribution and sale of the book. The right to reputation of a living individual cannot be sacrificed at the altar of the right to freedom of speech, it said.

Chiki Sarkar and Baba Ramdev

The battle is far from over, though. The title's publisher, Juggernaut Books, helmed by Chiki Sarkar, made an announcement yesterday, which read, "We will comply with the order of the High Court by not publishing, distributing or selling the book at all, as we do not want to do so in a truncated form. As the matter is sub judice, we would prefer not to comment on the merits of the case. However, we stand by our book and will be approaching the Supreme Court." We'll keep a close eye on how this literary war pans out.

Daddy's all ears

Industrialist Gautam Singhania shares a moment with daughter Nisa at an event at J K House Sophia on Wednesday. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

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