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Mint
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Beyond ‘pohe' and ‘misal', Pune's F&B scene gets a whole lot buzzier
There is a certain hum in the quiet lanes of Kalyani Nagar. As the weekend sets in, the upscale neighbourhood in Pune's eastern quarters comes alive with folks gathering over drinks and chatter. If you linger, you will notice the lively cocktail scene that everyone's been talking about — bar hopping feels natural. As a student back in the aughts, weekends usually meant queuing up for buttery bun maska and Irani chai at the legendary Vohuman Cafe. For dinner, there was Mysore masala dosa at Vaishali, or an occasional treat at Malaka Spice and Arthur's Theme. It's rather strange to return to Pune every few months now to find a glitzy bar or a swanky restaurant taking over the familiar streets and neighbourhoods. Over the last couple of decades, an IT and real estate boom followed by the pandemic, have amplified the city's culinary landscape, bringing in a young crop of chefs and restaurateurs, who are steering modern ideas and concepts for the increasingly discerning diner. The leafy lanes of Kalyani Nagar and Koregaon Park are now buzzing with cocktail bars and breweries. While on the other side of town in Deccan, Baner and Aundh, experimental restaurants driven by global inspiration are offering equal doses of nostalgia, storytelling and creativity. Hola Tomatillo from Juju. City-based restaurateur Karan Khilnani of ECO Hospitality, which owns the popular cocktail bars Elephant & Co. and Cobbler & Crew, says, 'When it comes to Kalyani Nagar, there is a dynamic crowd culture comprising corporates and young entrepreneurs, who are well travelled, have the spending power, and are also open about new experiences.' Since its opening in 2023, Cobbler & Crew has become the neighbourhood bar, where cocktails are concocted with Kolhapuri chilli and garnished with the classic Puneri bhakarwadi. The group also owns Juju next door, a Mexican-inspired bar known for its exhaustive agave-based drinks programme and smart tapas bites. 'Although the trend is that of cocktail bars, I wanted to open a restaurant where food was the highlight,' says Vardaan Marwah, chef and co-founder of Farro, where he draws inspiration from 'farro', an ancient grain that is commonly associated with Mediterranean cuisine. 'I did my research and decided to showcase the journey of the grain through different regions of the world, and also blend in my travel and childhood memories into the dishes,' he adds. Try the savoury jalebis piped with Parmesan batter, a 30-layer truffle latke, a take on the Jewish potato pancakes, sourdough flatbreads stuffed with baba ganoush and tempered with the Bengali five-spice mix panchphoron, and lamb terrine inspired by his grandmother's saag mutton. Negroni-spiced kingfish crudo at Nanna's Negroni. A similar approach nudged chef-restaurateur couple Ambar Rode and Damini Halli to open Nanna's Negroni in January. 'We wanted to create a space where food is the hero, and the cocktails are complimentary,' says Halli, who believes diners are now more curious about techniques and provenance of ingredients. Rode brings his French flair by focusing on slow cooking techniques such as curing, brining, fermentation, and confit to pack in maximum flavour. He uses cheese and peaches from Himachal, wheat from Punjab, trout from Kashmir, and seafood from the western coast, to plate up sourdough pizzas, handmade pastas, cured salmon, and a standout Negroni-spiced kingfish crudo. 'It makes sense because everyone is travelling more after covid. Even kids are watching MasterChef Australia these days,' says Rode. It's an exciting time for chefs and fermenters, who've spent years mastering their craft through extensive research trips and international training. In 2024, chef Gayatri Desai relaunched Ground Up with a fermentery, to make miso from scratch using native grains. On weekends, her test kitchen brings people together over unique tasting menus that spotlight hyperlocal ingredients sourced from all over the state as well as the North-East. At Gather, an all-day restaurant on Law College Road (that opened in January), head chef Hanoze Shroff has managed to get people talking about his deeply comforting, nostalgia-driven dishes. The joojeh kebabs, Japanese kare omelette, pork chilli fry and squid rechado are a few favourites from the menu. Andulasian spiced chicken tacos at Loco Otro. Breaking away from the mould was natural for chef Siddharth Mahadik (of the much-loved Le Plaisir), who opened his second restaurant Loco Otro in 2023. The idea was to offer shareable, tapas-style plates, in a setting that felt like a neighbourhood restaurant and bar. 'In a crowded and competitive industry, why should dining out follow rigid structures of starters and mains?' he says. From date nights to family reunions, Mahadik is excited to see his diners return for Andalusian spiced chicken tacos, eggplant feta rolls, and karela tacos, a take on his family recipe. In a city where diners hold on to nostalgia, brands are also finding their voice with experimental formats. At Aragma, chef Amit Ghorpade takes inspiration from his roots growing up in the hinterland of Maharashtra for his inventive tasting menus. 'The idea is to keep the integrity of our food traditions alive in a fun, aspirational way,' he says. Along with founder Poornima Somayaji, the duo wants to drive the conversation around the farmer and his produce and create contemporary plates 'not with caviar or yellowfin tuna', but with matki and pavta (types of beans), and leafy greens like shepu and millets. A highlight from the summer menu is a superlative ice-cream sandwich infused with chafa flowers (Magnolia champaca). Food at Gather. For years, Punekars relied on a certain version of south Indian food made popular by the city's many Udupi joints. And then We Idliwale arrived with its playful idli-curry combos. 'The awareness of regional south Indian food can be quite linear. Growing up, idli-chicken curry was a Sunday staple, so it's definitely not my twist,' says chef and co-founder Abhishek Joshi, who launched We Idliwale Barroom in 2023, to elevate the experience with innovative cocktails and rock n' roll playing in the background. 'People knew us for our food, but we also wanted them to come and party with us,' he adds. Go for the molgapodi cured bacon, ghee roast sausages, haleem toast, and Kerala toddy shop favourites, along with Negronis and highballs infused with kachampulli (vinegar), coconut and turmeric. Like any Indian metro, growing infrastructure and traffic chaos have impacted the eating-out culture in Pune. But all's well as long as there's good food and drinks to while away the weekend.
News18
30-06-2025
- Business
- News18
Mumbai's Iconic 'Jimmy Boy' Cafe Shuts Down Before 100th Anniversary Amid Safety Fears: Reports
Last Updated: Jimmy Boy, an Irani cafe, has ben shut down due to the hazardous condition of building housing it. Despite a prior audit flagging structural concerns, no timely repairs were made. Jimmy Boy, a popular cafe in Mumbai, has shut down just months before it was to mark 100 years of its operations, multiple media reports have suggested. The cafe was located near the Horniman Circle at Fort, and according to Mint, it shut down due to the dilapidated condition of the Vikas Building, where it was housed. The cafe was supposed to complete 100 years of its functioning in September this year. On its official website, those operating Jimmy Boy said, 'The restaurant has been there in the Irani Family since 1925. Like any other Parsi restaurant, we served Keema Pav, Brun Maska, Irani chai, Omelette Pav, Mava Cake, Mava Samosa, etc." The website also confirmed the cafe has been operating for 'three generations". 'The rebranding to Jimmy Boy took place in 1999, and wanting to take it further, we upped the ante by adding a host of other Parsi favourites to the menu," it stated. According to Mint, an engineer, on June 20, alerted the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) disaster management cell after detecting major cracks in the four‑storey Vikas Premises building. Subsequently, immediate evacuation was ordered the following morning, after inspections confirmed the structure was unsafe for occupancy. However, no actions were later taken in this direction, which led to the building being labelled 'extremely dilapidated". First Published: June 30, 2025, 12:14 IST
Mint
30-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Mumbai's Jimmy Boy cafe closes abruptly before 100-year milestone — What went wrong with the Parsi eatery?
Mumbai's iconic Parsi cafe, Jimmy Boy, near the Horniman Circle at Fort, has shut its operations due to the dilapidated condition of the Vikas Building, where it is housed, just before it was supposed to celebrate the completion of 100 years of its operations in September. 'We are a family restaurant built on the foundations of love for our family, cultural traditions and above all, delicious food! The restaurant has been there in the Irani Family since 1925', reads Jimmy Boy's website. Mumbai's beloved Parsi café, Jimmy Boy, nestled in the historic Fort district, has unexpectedly shuttered its Fort outlet just weeks before it was due to celebrate its centenary in September. This cherished eatery, famed for its Keema Pav, Brun Maska, Mava Cakes and nostalgic Irani chai, first opened as Café India before being rebranded in 1999. 'The recipes have remained unchanged since the beginning. Every Parsi family has its own closely guarded secret recipes for their version of the dish, and we are true to ours! All-time favorites include Patra ni Macchi, followed by sauce Nimacchi, Salliboti, keema pav, chicken berry pulao, trickling down to dhansak, Dhun dal and prawns patio.', the Jimmy Boy cafe's website reads. On 20 June, a junior engineer alerted the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) disaster management cell after detecting major cracks in the four‑storey Vikas Premises building—home to Jimmy Boy, at Horniman Circle at Fort. The following morning, a formal notice under Section 354 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act mandated immediate evacuation. The BMC, alongside the fire brigade and local police, cordoned off the premises following inspections that deemed the structure unsafe for occupancy. The closure of Jimmy Boy cafe at Horniman Circle at Fort follows a structural audit, undertaken by Mahimtura Consultants, that flagged serious deterioration in load-bearing walls, beams and slabs of Vikas Building nearly a year ago. Despite urgent remedial recommendations, reportedly no corrective work had been done—leading to the Vikas Building being labelled 'extremely dilapidated'. With safety irreversibly compromised, Jimmy Boy Cafe's closure became inevitable. Shehzad Irani, Director of Operations, reportedly expressed emotional farewells but affirmed that Jimmy Boy isn't disappearing. The iconic Parsi restaurant continues takeaway services from its Mahim branch, and supplies baked goods, puffs and sandwiches to Café Olive Green at Navy Nagar. Online delivery coverage has also been expanded, reflecting the company's determination to remain present in Mumbai's food scene
Indian Express
15-05-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Bengaluru man gains 24 kg in 2 years with 16-hour work day: How fast can you gain weight with a long desk job
A Bengaluru professional's recent Reddit post on gaining 24 kg in two years since 2022 because of his 'corporate slave' routine of 14-16 hour workdays has revived conversations of work culture affecting our health. Just like him, Dr Venugopal Pareek, bariatric surgeon and obesity specialist at Hyderabad's CARE Hospitals, sees many young professionals who sleep by 2 am and report for work by 9 am, cramming the rest of their lives in between. 'All of them complain of gaining weight uncontrollably because of their sedentary lifestyles, zero exercise and what I call a lift-to-lift routine (walk out of a lift and get into another),' he says. How fast can you gain weight? Anybody with a sedentary lifestyle and a fast food diet can gain up to 2 kg a month. 'Consuming an additional 500 calories per day might result in a 6 to 8 kg weight gain in six months. Of course, each body has its own setpoint, which slows down weight gain by reducing appetite and boosting metabolism. But without exercise, your muscles give way to fat,' says Dr Pareek. Given the way we snack at work, we end up overloading ourselves by anything between 350 and 500 calories. 'A pastry yields a neat 500 calories, a frappuccino contains 20 gm of sugar and yields 600 calories, two cookies and an Irani chai can yield 300 calories, a Coke can contains 24 gm sugar and can yield 140 calories while one rasgulla yields 106 calories,' he adds. This is just snacking. Now be it young men, women or couples, none of them have home food. 'A young couple once told me that their LPG cylinder ran almost a year because they mostly made tea and coffee. Since they had to be at work by 9 am, they had kachori samosa from a kiosk near their office as breakfast. For lunch, they would order in, mostly rich biryani or pulao, then have pastry and Coke late afternoon and burgers for dinner. Their walk to and from the elevator and car cannot even burn a fraction of this load. They do no activity on weekends when they prefer to sleep and rest,' says Dr Pareek. Why long desk hours make you hungry That's because the body is under stress and releases cortisol to deal with it. 'Cortisol stimulates appetite, especially for high-fat and sugary foods, leading to increased calorie intake. High cortisol can slow down your metabolism, making it harder to burn calories and leading to weight gain. It tends to decrease the muscle-building hormone testosterone, which can lead to muscle breakdown, allowing for fat build-up. Cortisol can cause the body to store more fat, particularly around the abdomen, even if caloric intake is controlled. It can lead to insulin resistance, making it harder for the body to regulate blood sugar and weight,' says Dr Satish N, senior consultant, bariatric surgery, Manipal Hospitals, Bengaluru. Limited sleeping hours increase the hunger hormone ghrelin and reduce the satiety hormone leptin, intensifying food cravings. The extra weight is usually deposited in the upper arms, shoulder, face and abdomen. 'Men have higher testosterone levels to protect their muscle mass, women have nothing to shield them against weight gain,' says Dr Pareek. How to plan diet with exercise on weekends Even if as a salad or home-made sandwich, carry any food you can rustle up at home that's rich in fibre, legumes, wholegrains and protein sources. 'Give up salad dressings, all processed and packaged food. Keep heat-free meal packs ready the night before,' urges Dr Pareek. Taking an exercise snack, like doing wall squats on the hour, though sounding good, may not be feasible. 'Walk while answering calls, take a 20-minute brisk walk break in your campus without smoking or taking food. It burns up to 350 calories. Another hour in the morning or at night can help the body burn calories even at rest,' adds Dr Pareek.
