Explore hidden gems of North Eastern cuisine at this brunch
The brunch will have some classics that we know and love from the region such as steamed momos. But also expect lesser known delicacies like Assamese slow-cooked duck curry. The gyathuk soup from Sikkim, a heart noodles soup, is also on offer. Smoked pork dishes are the highlight.
The brunch is priced ₹2,500 upwards. 1 PM onwards. At La Utsav, Grand Mercure Bengaluru at Gopalan Mall, Old Madras Road. For more details and reservations, call 9513289926
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Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Chess: Eyes on the crown
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News18
a day ago
- News18
Ed Sheeran Releases Special Version Of Sapphire With Arijit Singh: 'I Love His Voice'
Published By : IANS Last Updated: Both versions of Sapphire - featuring intricate South-Asian percussion - have been produced by llya Salmanzadeh, Johnny McDaid, and Savan Kotecha. Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh have released a special version of 'Sapphire". The Grammy winner said that he loves this version of the song and it's the one he listens to every morning with his daughters because he loves the Bollywood singer's voice. Sheeran said: "One of my fav experiences ever in my career was going to Jiaganj Azimganj with my dad to go and see Arijit for the final jigsaw piece of Sapphire." The 'Perfect" singer said it was a '24-hour trip, and it felt like a pilgrimage of music. After a five-and-a-half-hour drive after we landed, we arrived, and Arijit took us on a boat to see the sights. We talked, ate, and drank coffee." 'Then, once we were in the studio, he taught me how to sing in Punjabi, and a bit of Sitar. We then went on a late-night scooty ride, with me on the back of Arijit's bike and my dad on the back of his securities'. We listened to A Prayer By The River and talked about music." 'It was honestly one of the most amazing days in my musical career and it was the ending of a beautiful journey of this song but the beginning of something bigger," he said. Heaping praise on Arijit, Sheeran added: 'I love this version of the song; it's the one I listen to every morning with my daughters because I love Arijit's voice, tone, flow and rhythm. I hope you feel the same way I do about it. Thank you, Arijit, for your time, grace and talent." The special version adds another dimension to Ed's vibrant summer track. Recorded in Goa, Ed and Arijit worked on both the original version, which was released last month and the remix version during their original studio sessions. With the new release seeing Arijit sing a verse in a mix of Hindi and Punjabi and a chorus in English, and Sheeran sing a chorus in a mix of Hindi and Punjabi. The result is a blissful cross-cultural fusion of languages and cultures, adorning the song's celebration of love. Both versions of the track – featuring intricate South-Asian percussion – have been produced by llya Salmanzadeh, Johnny McDaid, and Savan Kotecha. Ed Sheeran will release his new album 'Play' on 12th September 2025. First Published: July 25, 2025, 13:27 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
Wagamama is here. What other new Mumbai restaurants should you try this weekend
Mumbai's dining scene never sits still. Just when you think you have found your favourite pasta joint or sushi bar, along comes a fresh opening, promising slow-fermented breads, house-cured meats, or cocktails made with foraged botanicals. From sleek chef-driven menus to playful pop-ups turned permanent, here is a guide to Mumbai's buzziest new restaurants. Wagamama The arrival of Wagamama in Mumbai's Churchgate is, at the very least, a confident flex. Housed inside the restored Cambata Building — neighbours with Eros Cinema and Churchgate station — the global ramen chain has made its India debut with a splash of polished minimalism and fast-casual fun. The interiors play to type: neutral tones, soft industrial textures, communal benches, and open kitchens designed for flow. It is slick, unfussy, and designed to look great on your feed without being overtly curated. You can see the London blueprint in every inch and that is both its strength and limitation. The menu is a calibrated 'greatest hits' — katsu curry, bang bang cauliflower, kare burosu, gyozas and donburi bowls all present and accounted for. The ramen is warm and filling, though the broths do not quite achieve the layered complexity of other pan-Asian spots in the city. The chicken tantanmen hits the right spice notes, but the noodles can feel just a touch overcooked if you wait too long. That said, it is comforting in the way airport ramen rarely is. The star, surprisingly, might be the banana katsu — a golden-fried dessert that balances sweetness and crunch with more finesse than expected. Drinks include refreshing cold-pressed juices and zingy mocktails, although cocktails lean a bit too saccharine for their own good. Over 50% of the menu is vegetarian or vegan, which is admirable, but expect a very pan-global interpretation of Asia, not necessarily regionally accurate, nor pretending to be. A meal for two will cost ₹2000 plus taxes; 1st floor, Cambata Building, 42, Maharshi Karve Rd, opposite Oval Maidan, Churchgate, Mumbai - 400020 Gourmet Village at Phoenix Palladium, Lower Parel Set across two levels in the West Zone of Phoenix Palladium, the newly launched Gourmet Village is less a food court and more a curated lifestyle destination for the city's discerning diners. Reimagining the traditional mall dining experience, this upscale zone brings together over 50 restaurants and cafés under one roof. Designed to feel like an eclectic village, the space is laced with greenery, warm lighting, and airy al fresco sections that invite you to linger a little longer than you had planned. There is much to explore: Burma Burma brings its vegetarian Asian fare. Their new dessert menu, called The Sweet Life, fuse timeless classics with Burmese flavours and modern textures. Created in collaboration with award-winning pastry chef Vinesh Johny, the seven-part menu is a punctuation mark to the meal, whether it's jaggery-and-coconut-laced reinterpretations or delicate international patisserie with a twist. Kuuraku offers an authentic izakaya experience (skewers, sake and all), and Delhi's cult favourite Andrea's makes its Mumbai debut with a menu of polished global comfort food. The presence of local staples like Kitchen Garden by Suzette, Foo, Le Pain Quotidien, and Cream Centre adds familiarity, while spots like Fountain Sizzlers and The Silver Train dial up the nostalgia. Sweet finishes come courtesy Harley's Fine Baking and Gold by Ice Cream Works, while the plush Game Palacio lounge throws in some leisure. Gourmet Village, 3rd & 4th Floor, West Zone, Phoenix Palladium. 8/462, Palladium, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai - 400013 Fireback Fireback is what happens when high-concept Thai cuisine meets good execution. With Chef David Thompson, the revered interpreter of Thai culinary history, at the helm as culinary director, the Fireback outpost in Mumbai gets a number of things right. The space inside Nilaya Anthology is predictably striking, but never sterile. Earthy tones, a glowing Josper grill at centre-stage, and atmospheric lighting all give it a refined warmth. It feels upscale, but not intimidating. Food-wise, it is not all pad thai and green curry Expect jungle curries that bite, salads that crunch with toasted rice and lime, and flame-grilled proteins rubbed with pastes made from scratch. Highlights include the smoky lamb chop gorlae with crispy shallots, a well balanced scallop salad brightened with coconut and lemongrass, and the soft-shell crab red curry, which manages to be indulgent without overwhelming. The crab fried rice is unfussy but elevated. The vegetarian options are more than just filler, especially the grilled pumpkin and sweet potato in gorlae sauce, but meat and seafood still lead the narrative. The cocktail menu, created by Varun Sharma, who also leads Comorin downstairs, is layered playful. The Tom Yum Highball has its flaws but it does have bite, while the Galangal — with whisky and pickled galangal brine — is all depth and intrigue. Not every drink hits the mark (some teeter toward over-invention), but the overall bar experience feels well-matched to the food. Prices lean high, and it is not for the unadventurous. But if you are looking for one of the city's most assured openings this year, Fireback is your place. A meal for two, including drinks, will cost ₹4000; Entrance through Comorin at Nilaya Anthology, Peninsula Corporate Park, Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Lower Parel (West), Mumbai - 400013 Sahib Room & Kipling Bar at The St. Regis Mumbai Not new, but newly reimagined, Sahib Room & Kipling Bar at The St. Regis Mumbai returns after a renovation, and it will charm those with a taste for the slow and subtly theatrical. The relaunch brings a revitalised elegance to this jungle-retreat-meets-regal-dining-room, without abandoning its old-world soul. Think tented ceilings, dark wood flooring, antique mirrors, and carved wooden accents. The updated space pays homage to Rudyard Kipling and the princely shikar camps of yore, with richer textures, sleeker lighting, and a new Spectacle Kitchen that lets guests witness the finesse behind the flames. The kitchen continues to serve its unapologetically traditional Indian menu, dialled up with refinement. The murgh rezala is well balanced, while the panch phoron ki sabzi and dahi ke gullar highlight how vegetarian dishes can be treated with as much reverence. The Rampur ki gosht dum biryani and sahib ki yakhni remain rich and comforting. The new drinks programme is an ambitious trail through Kipling's India. From The Bay (Mumbai) to A Sip from the Mahal (Bundi), each cocktail carries layers of local memory, finished with aromatic flourishes and sleek storytelling. The beverage list, featuring Indian spirits, heritage liqueurs, and reinvented classics, is quietly sophisticated and contextual. A meal for two, including drinks, will cost ₹4000 plus taxes; 462, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai - 400013 Harajuku Tokyo Café & Bakehouse What began as a cheeky, sugar-dusted pop-culture café in Delhi has now evolved into a full-blown Japanese restaurant in Mumbai. At its newest address in Jio World Drive, Harajuku Tokyo Café & Bakehouse opens its most ambitious outpost yet with a multi-sensory restaurant-bar and a bright, pastel-soaked bakehouse. Split across two zones, the 72-seater restaurant comes with a sushi conveyor belt by day and sake bombs and karaoke by night. Expect sushi boats, robot DJs, manga murals, and retro signage, all orchestrated around a menu co-curated with Japanese chefs Asami Indo and Higuchi Nariaki. The food is comfort-led but layered: from the spicy, buttery seafood shio ramen and coal-fired miso salmon off the robata to zany street-style plates like corn dogs, bubbling UFO chicken platters and the umami bomb Naruto's Rush cocktail (yes, vodka, gochujang, and ramen broth in a drink). The sushi section is no afterthought either — the rainbow roll and spicy avocado cream cheese roll are fast favourites. The cocktail menu, curated by Fay Antoine Barretto, comes with Japan-meets-nightlife references, where every drink tells a manga-worthy story. Think Call Me Kimchi, spiked with tequila and house-fermented heat, or the delicate Whisper of the Peach, a Kyoto-inspired blend of Japanese whisky and chamomile. Next door, the 12-seater Harajuku Bakehouse is all soft pinks and Japanese patisserie glow. With soufflé pancakes, cottony cheesecakes, and a new pet-friendly dessert menu. A meal for two will cost ₹2,500 for the cafe and ₹1,200 for the bakehouse; second floor, Jio World Drive, Unit No. S-03, CTS No. 629, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai - 400051 Nando's After years of whispers, Nando's has finally fired up its grills in Mumbai with a flagship casa now open in Kamala Mills, Lower Parel. Known for its cult-favourite flame-grilled peri peri chicken, the brand's arrival is less of a soft launch and more of a full-blown entry for fans of their spicy, saucy poultry. The space itself is bright and expansive, blending Nando's signature Afro-Portuguese design cues with India-specific warmth. Think rustic textures, woven pendant lights, and enough red to match the sauce. The chicken is dependably good. The skin is crisp, the insides juicy, and the basting options range from the gentle lemon and herb to the masochistically fiery extra hot. It is the kind of food that does not pretend to be complex; it is about craveability, not craft. That said, if you're expecting gourmet, slow-cooked nuance, this is not your spot. It is loud, quick, and a bit brash but that is also its charm. Sides like peri-peri fries and spicy rice still hit the spot, but the vegetarian options feel like an afterthought compared to the protein-rich offerings. Service is fast but not fussy, and there is enough room to host a group without elbowing for space. A meal for two will cost ₹1000 inclusive of taxes; Unit 2, Ground Floor, Trade Garden Building, Kamala Mill's Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel
