THIS WEEK an old pal and I swapped stories. I knew her all of five seconds in college (she switched from microbiology to pharmacy within two weeks).
Post this brief stint we kept in touch through letters, sort of like pen pals. Her stationary was very pretty: pink, pastels, floral prints. Mine was miserably bland in contrast.
On the other hand, my letters were more spontaneous and usually imbibed my mood of the moment (includes some cussing about brain dead college profs). Hers were more structured, and tended to focus on weekly activities and achievements. Now, the gal’s married, has a successful career, two cute cherubs, lovely apartment — the whole new-age, upper middle class, marital enchilada.
We met at Shiro, a lounge bar with a zen-like ambience, located in Worli. I’ve been here once, in a bid to escape the din and peculiar brand of pretentiousness at the Hard Rock Café, next door. Opening the front door takes some effort; it’s more than 8 feet tall, made of wood, looks gorgeous and weighs a ton (get fit Merril!). A tall sculpture of Buddha (over 8 feet) faces the entrance, which is lined with very pretty accessories resembling tear drops. Post a couple of vodkas they begin to resemble drops of blood, courtesy the red colour.
Nice loos, too. The doors, which are made of wood and can be folded (they have metal hinges at the fold), remind me of the ones back in my ancestral home in Goa. The walls are made of brick, which lends a rustic touch. More brick walls outside, too and the ones on both sides of the Buddha are ensconced with candles.
In the afternoons, they offer two special menus – unlimited sushi and maki @ Rs 605 (tis’ a steal!) and unlimited dim sums, also, @ Rs 605. This includes taxes. So, we ordered one of each, and what followed was a culinary orgy of unlimited vegetarian and non-vegetarian sushi, maki and dim sums.
We relished the asparagus and prawn dim sums, the chicken and shitake mushrooms and the beef and spicy chicken maki. The trudge back home is all a blur, but the post-sushi snooze made it worth the effort.
By the way, I told my friend that she makes a pretty trendy mom. Last Sunday’s HT’s Brunch predicts that dangly bag accessories will be the next big thing in Mumbai. And there it was, a bunch of silver chains and a silver-colour scorpion, dangling from the strap of her handbag (her sun sign is Scorpio). It costs Rs 150, but looks worth at least Rs 700. I’m all for buying inexpensive stuff that looks and feels like it costs a bomb.
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written with alot of passion