I had a super fun weekend… First at the MySpace gig (where Black, Scribe and Mother Jane ripped it up at the Secret Show, particularly Scribe man, can that boy – Vishwesh – growl.) Although I have to confess that isn’t really my sort of music (if you can even call it music, I know I sound like my mother I apologies but it’s true.) Clearly however the teen headbangers were loving it. They even managed to create their own little mosh pit and started doing that somewhat violent “dance” which involves ramming into each other on the floor. Eeks.
Meanwhile a lot of my friends had been jet-setting around from Jaipur to Nepal so we had a sort-of reunion at Bonobo on Friday. Nevil Timbadia, who runs it is actually one of the most chilled out guys I know and as a result the whole place has his very chilled-out vibe. I highly recommend a visit the next time you’re in Bandra, Mumbai. You can choose between the air-conditioned inside and the tropical-feel outside (where you can also smoke; I’m just saying.)
Unexpectedly it turned out to be on of those nights where nobody wanted to go home so we hit China House and Bling, finishing up around 7am at the Leela coffee shop and taking the rickshaw ride of shame home just as Mumbai was waking up (completely oblivious to our night of debauchery!) Of course Saturday was a total right-off (apart from a heavenly foot massage at Aroma Thai.)
Oh. My. God. Have you been there? I confess I may have been hesitating about sharing my brilliant find for fear it might get too crowded but you just have to know about this. Harpreet Baweja, a 27-year-old NRI from Thailand has imported a foot spa experience like no other and you can enjoy 60 minutes of utter bliss aka the Sawadee which will cost you approximately 700rs ($14 amazing right?!) from the comfort of a lazy-boy as a skilled therapist gives you the best foot rub you’ll ever have. I don’t know what it is about this place but everyone who’s ever been has wanted to go back. Trust me and try it. [There’s one in Khar #022 6056872 and one in town, Mahalaxmi: #022 3536601.] Yes I have both numbers. It’s that good.
Birthday celebrations which began on Tuesday finally wrapped on Sunday (I guess I’m going with the non-traditional approach of the older I get the more I party!) with a fab double birthday brunch, my buddy Navraj is a fellow Gemini so we decided to join forces at East (the Pan Asian restaurant at Kemps Corner, Mumbai I’m constantly raving about.) Nachiket Sheyte who’s been a Sous Chef at Nobu in NYC (yup he’s the bomb) is totally hands on and serves up a delightful range of Pan-Asian cusine. Apart from all my usual peeps some of my favorite pretty girls showed up including Reshma Bombaywala (who has a secret I can’t tell you yet!), Juhi Pande and Bruna Abdulla (who’s back from doing all sorts of crazy dares on India’s version of Fear Factor.) What a blast. We played beer pong (which Sunny Sara who runs Redlight had major beginners luck with), tried an extremely yummy selection of fruity shots thanks to the “shot-queen” (which for once wasn’t me) and ended up stumbling home at 7pm and totally crashing out. Wicked fun.
P.S. Can you tell who’s excited about the U2 360 tour across Europe this fall? Now that I’ve spent all my money on tickets to the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa I’m going to lay low for this one, I’m still hanging onto the hope that one day Bono will come to Mumbai for an epic concert. After the Slumdog became a Millionaire anything’s possible right?!