Kinbuck2-Delhi’s First Roman Bistro

Kinbuck 2

Kinbuck2 is a gorgeous eatery joint standing like a Victorian-era diva in the heart of Connaught Place, New Delhi; the state capital’s first-ever Roman bistro. As the name suggests, this place flaunts rich taste of interiors coupled with delightful food for your palette and extremely humble hospitality. Drawing inspirations from the historical elements of Kinbuck in Norway, this restaurant flaunts aesthetic essences from this region. In one line, I would define this place as an epitome of great food, pleasant music, signature drinks and a one-of-a-kind concept in the city.

Kinbuck 2

Inspired by the beauty of Roman world, best known for its artistic architecture, this restaurant transmits you delicately in a dreamy world as you step inside; especially, when you move upstairs on the open dining area. The striking dome-like structures, arches, graffiti art on the walls, wine cellars and more makes this place a perfect blend of old-world charm and contemporary décor notes. Dominating colors like red and grey rein the décor palette. The rooftop, outdoor area is contoured by beautiful green patches of creepers; this alfresco and minibar is certainly the highlight of the terrace area. It also has a private PDR to host party enough for 30-40 people. Apart from this, Kinbuck2 also houses a private mezzanine floor.

Kinbuck 2

Coming to the most important aspect of this place, the food—my experience was very overwhelming. The head Chef, Anay Mukherjee’s passion for cooking reflected in each meal that he quipped for us. Their menu portrays a sincere attempt to house global delicacies and they are always thriving to inculcate more innovations in their kitchen. From American classics to Lebanese delights, Mediterranean cuisines to European flavors and lastly, mouthwatering Indian food ensures every guest has an amazing culinary experience here.

Kinbuck 2

I had a host of dishes—cream of mushroom soup, Romanian bread basket, shrimp cocktail for salad, fattoush salad, Al bondigas, chicken sausages and pineapple skewers, chandni paneer tikka, dhengre mushroom gallouti, veg salt and pepper, veg porpiech, eggplant schezwan, mutton seekh kebab, chilly chicken and Beijing chicken. This list comprised of the appetizers. For main course, we indulged in some delicious porkchoy mushroom in oyster sauce, garlic noodles, chicken roulade, cottage cheese steak, and chicken steak and lastly, the most flavourful chicken biriyani. Lastly, for dessert, I savoured upon some delectable chocolate tart.

Kinbuck 2

The food was downright heavenly; the right amount of spices cooked to perfection left a happy tingling on my taste buds for the rest of the evening. The thing that touched my heart the most was the humility every person garnered; from the chef to the staff, everyone wore a big smile on their faces at all times and everyone knew what went into making of each and every dish! So very impressive, I must say. So, I would urge each one of you to visit this place for a memorable experience.

Harley-Davidson brings the rebel attitude to Myntra

Harley-Davidson casual merchandise

Known for rebellious design and bold urban styling, Harley-Davidson motor clothes have inspired riders and passengers for generations. Harley-Davidson casual merchandise will now be available through an exclusive online store on Myntra. Launched today, the online store offers a range of Harley-Davidson casual outerwear, sportswear, denims and accessories. Harley-Davidson merchandise and accessories are also offered through the brand’s dealership network across 17 locations in India. Through this alliance Harley-Davidson merchandise will now be easily accessible to over 12,000 pin codes in India.

Harley-Davidson casual merchandise

Rajiv Vohra, Director Sales and Dealer Development Harley-Davidson India commented at the onset of the alliance, “We are extremely pleased to enter into this alliance with Myntra, helping us to become more accessible to customers across the country. Owning Harley-Davidson merchandise is a great way for customers to free their inner rebel, and we are glad to offer them this opportunity.”

Harley-Davidson casual merchandise

Being the leading online fashion platform associated with over 25 top global brands in India, Prasad Kompalli, Head – Ecommerce Platform, Myntra expressed excitement on this alliance stating, “It has always been our continuous endeavor to enhance our portfolio and provide our shoppers the latest and widest collection from the best of brands. This alliance will help us cater to Harley-Davidson aficionados by enabling easy access to the brand’s lifestyle merchandise.”

Harley-Davidson casual merchandise

The collection spreads across Harley-Davidson jackets, denims, shirts, t-shirts, caps, wallets and other accessories. To view the entire offering, download the Myntra smart phone app today.

The Season of Non-specifics – Shruti Sancheti

Shruti Sancheti’s collection

Tell us about en vogue summer trends…

This summer the focus is on non-season specifics, norm core, Bohemian-inspired, and retro looks. The look is minimalistic yet trendy, tribal yet au courant and 1970’s with a contemporary twist. Midis, jumpsuits, long skirts, spliced skirts, maxis, crop tops, throws and jackets in summer fabrics like linen, khadi, cotton, summer silk ,neoprene are popular. Detailing like zippers, pockets, fringes along with tribal embroidery, tie n dye, and ombre dyeing are extremely popular. Accessories like metallic sunglasses, interesting neckpieces, belts, and sneakers and brogues are trending this summer.

What fabrics, colour palette, prints and silhouettes in Indian couture will do the rounds this season?

Fabrics which allow you to breathe like linen, organic cotton, summer silkier silk and all natural fabrics will be popular to beat the sultry balmy weather. Colours from pretty pastels like blush, custard, peach, mint green, to warm hues like marsala, olive, indigo, and watermelon red all will be popular. Block print, tie n dye, screen print, and digital prints will be extremely popular too; lastly, silhouettes like wide-legged pants, spliced skirts, long flowy skirts, maxis, midis and jumpsuits will be trending high.

Shruti Sancheti’s collection

What went behind making of your latest collection?

My collection ‘Nomadistaan’ is about the global woman living out of suitcases but feels trapped in urban confines of the modern world. Her soul is nomadic but her outlook is totally global; she wants to flaunt a bit of her legacy and culture down her sleeves. The styling of the collection is contemporary but the look is Bohemian.

Tell us about a usual day in your life…

I start the day with going to the gym to undo the damages of the previous day. Then it is working till 2pm after which I have lunch and again at about 3.30 pm its work time till 6.30 pm. After that my evenings are devoted to my family and friends. However, I live out of suitcases so this stability is always a temporary phenomenon and when I travel, which is very often, routine takes a back seat.

Shruti Sancheti’s collection

What would Shruti Sancheti’s woman look like?

My woman is an old-school one trapped in this au courant world. She believes in the unsurpassed legacy of weaves, textiles and crafts and wears timeless clothes, which have understated luxury and restrained opulence. She is astute, ferociously proud of her heritage and yet expresses her femininity and elegance through her distinct yet restrained dressing.

What inspired you to make this collection?

My love for travel, love for rich crafts, love for colours and most of all love for Bohemian and tribal fashion…

Global Patterns on Ethnic Fabrics

Neha Agarwal

Known for her vibrant and gutsy designs, Neha Agarwal is back with another inspiring collection— ‘From Russia, with Love’ that narrates a tale of two cultures. Russian-inspired silhouettes and motifs fused with Indian fabrics and techniques are the crux of Neha’s work this year. Usage of intricate hand-embroidered appliqués on georgette, ahimsa, dupion, pure mal, tussar and pattu silk on Russian-inspired artwork makes this array of designs one-of-a-kind.

Neha Agarwal

The collection reminisce form-fitting fashion of early 1900s, Russia. Eye-catching dresses and bamboo denim jackets with cape collars, adorned with cross-stitch detailing and floral embroidery; circular dresses with hand block printed motifs and denim crop tops with printed Russian dolls and flared jumpsuits in pure silk with a denim bodice and embroidered scalloped sleeves, complete this resplendent collection.

Neha Agarwal

Overall, it is an innovative fusion of global patterns into ethnic fabrics and techniques that awaits to take the fashion orb by storm.

A child’s soul in a writer’s body

 

Tushar Upreti

While people his age love to get high on money and all things worldly, writer and blogger Tushar Upreti believes in getting high on life. His mission is to take small steps to a happy world, and in the process, he’s been working for the cause of children from the underprivileged backgrounds and helping them make the most of their ‘Days of Childhood’, which is also the title of his first self-published book, whose Hindi version ‘Chhutpan ke Din’ is the winner of India Media Festival’s Special Achievement Award in the category of bestseller in Children’s Literature.

Photo Credit: Flickr

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.” This quote of Mike Murdock is the way of life for Tushar Upreti. A graduate from Hindu College, Delhi University, Tushar went on to pursue Mass Communication from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, and went on to do regular 9-5 jobs in top media houses (both print and electronic), only to realise soon that his real calling was somewhere else. Tushar always wanted to do something for the society, but the turning point came when he met a group of underprivileged children at a friend’s NGO, who got the wheels moving.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Tushar ran from pillar to post, did days of research, and met hundreds of street children to understand what ails them and what can be done to make them live the days of childhood, happily. A great writer, orator and story teller that he is, Tushar started spending quality moments with street children both in Mumbai and Delhi. A series of story-telling session and constructive activities went on to finally take shape of a project called ‘Chhutpan ke Din’, which later became the title of Tushar’s first story book for children. The book was translated in English soon as ‘The Days of Childhood’.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Talking about the book and the process of writing, the writer, who has also written scripts for a couple of commercial movies and serials, says, “Although I did venture into commercial writing, the writer in me was more content and happy writing books for children. So, I decided to write stories from the life of you, me and people around. The book turned out to be an edutainment book, comprising of series of five stories revolving around life of children, across all states, cultures, religions and countries. The names may change, but the issues related to a child’s life are same across the globe, and that’s what makes this book have a global appeal.”

The Days of Childhood

The five stories in the book are not fantasy stories; they address pertinent topics including, health & hygiene, man-animal conflict and issues related to childhood. The book was named ‘The Days of Childhood’ for a reason. Explains Tushar, “The days of childhood are the best days of life; we all want to relive them. And at the same time, as elders, we want that the childhood days of our children are nothing but the best. At a personal level, when I would see a child begging on streets, it would ache my heart. I wanted each and every child, irrespective of his social or financial background, to have a happy childhood. And thus I decided that my first book would be an ode to children; I wanted it to be a book of the children and for the children. And that’s why without focusing much on the visual appeal, I tried to bring out the best content that I could provide to each and every child – content comprising of stories that would make children, smile. I want this self-published book to reach out to as many children as possible, and would feel honored if it made a difference in the life of children.”

Book Review

Penned straight from the heart, this book will make an instant connect with anyone who wants to relive the childhood days. The experiences shared by the writer through each story cross barriers of language, culture and age, and take the reader to a world of sheer happiness! An easy read, the stories focus on passing on life skills and healthy habits to children through interesting characters that stay with you even after you have read the book!

Pizzas just got better!

World Pizza Journey

The Restaurant: If you are an ardent pizza lover, then leave everything aside and head to WPJ- World Pizza journey—a brand new place that serves pizza in all its avatars. Now, if you still have time to read this entire piece, let me take the leverage to discuss in details my experience with you. Located in Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi, this place is meant for foodies who connect with the whole notion of global gastronomy. Name a country, and this place will serve you a pizza that has authentic flavours of your chosen destination. Be it pizzas from Italy or Hawai, India or America—options are galore. The best part is that they have even listed down complimenting alcohol that will satiate your taste buds even more. Pizza from your favourite country along with the best suiting drink is equal to party in the palette.

World Pizza Journey

The Décor: WPJ is a global pizza café in an urban casual dining setup. Sit back in its cocooning space and view the candy painted, bright walls, holding with much love, vintage posters, funny quotes and some interesting photographs of happy faces. Amidst lemon yellow, parrot green and bubblegum pink walls, pristine white table and chairs have been kept orderly. Old-school gramophones are placed occasionally on some tables, which add to the quirkiness of this restaurant. This bistro style outlet is a brainchild of Ankit Tayal and Abhishek Mathur who combined their efforts, experience and passion to bring forth a destination that offers pizzas from across the world in their most authentic form. The carefree, easy-going ambience is perfect for brunches with the girls, or night-out with the boys.

World Pizza Journey

The Food: The dough is made daily; it’s fresh. Also, this is the only place in Delhi to have wood fired oven pizzas and conveyer belt pizzas. The place brings to you specialties from Italy, Malaysia, Moscow, France, South Africa, Turkey, South America, Thailand, Greece, Egypt, Brazil, Chicago, Hawaiian, Britain, China and more. So while the country’s best get the space here in the menu there are many chef creations like ‘An Original Pepperoni’, ‘Falafel Pizza’, ‘The Mediterranean Pizza’, ‘Nacho Pizza’ and more. They also serve a variety of fresh salads for the health conscious lot—Mexican corn salad, House Caesar salad, Thai green papaya salad, Rocky Balboa, Green Gourmet Salad, and Californian greens are few options on the menu.

World Pizza Journey

I tried a portion of Hawaiian pizza- Aloha; served in less than 15 minutes, this pizza came with a small flag of its nationality. Being intrigued, I asked the manager its significance and he stated they ensure they serve all pizzas with a small flag of its originating country to remind the customer, what they have asked for. Very interesting indeed. I opted for a thin-crust pizza; it was delicious. Pineapple slices, onion rings, ham, cheese and jalapeño melted in my mouth and I savored upon all six slices. I also tried a pizza from Florence, called, Florence-The Renaissance (thin crust) Pizza; it comprised of Parma ham basil leaves with chunks of mozzarella cheese. It was like, gastronomy heaven.

World Pizza Journey

Now, coming over to the drinks section, they have a well-laid bar menu. Also, mixologist Viju Raj has conceptualized the menu that has very interesting and innovative concoctions, which includes drinks like Chicago Orange brandy, Californian Whiskey sour, Russian bride, Monte carlo Hibuscus sour, Sicilian kiss, dutch botanical mule, Apretivo venom, New york Collins, Safran lemonade, Beit Moussallem, Chelada, Mogi Das cruzes, Khus Madira and more. So head over to WPJ to enjoy great cocktails with best of pizzas.

Velvetcase Unveils Payal Pratap’s Collection Inspired by Japanese Aesthetics

Layered Japanese diamond pendant by Payal Pratap at Velvetcase.com

Velvetcase.com, a marketplace for global jewellery designers offering consumers a platform to discover and buy fine jewellery is proud to launch their new assemblage with the charismatic designer Payal Pratap.

Dainty Floral Motif Ear Cuffs by Payal Pratap at Velvetcase.com

The renowned fashion designer takes her designing abilities to a whole new level by creating and showcasing jewellery designs inspired by Japanese aesthetics for the first time ever on Velvetcase.com.

Japanese Fan-Style Diamond Ring by Payal Pratap at Velvetcase.com

The collection is a jugglery of colours, patterns and styles derived from elements of Japanese culture.

Japanese Floral Motif Diamond Chand Balis by Payal Pratap at Velvetcase.com

Her collection showcases an interesting combination of contemporary Ear cuffs, Rings, Earrings and Pendants. Each piece in the collection is crafted to perfection and is meant for modern women who are willing to experiment and have a bold and confident look.

Sunday Brunches at Aqaba

Pizza Rucola at Aqaba

Aqaba invites one and all to spend balmy afternoons, brunching from 12 noon to 4 pm! So eat, drink and make merry in the backdrop of soothing live music, by entertainer extraordinaire, Azin Printer and his band ‘The Printers’!

Melon Ginger Lemon Crush Martini at Aqaba

Every Sunday the venue will provide sporting and indoor entertainment for kids, allowing adults to sit back, relax and enjoy the mouthwatering brunch menu and cocktails on offer. Kids would be entertained with face painting and movies too.

Mezze Platter at Aqaba

Head chef, Anuj Thapar has curated an exclusive menu of global brunch dishes, to be enjoyed by the most discerning customer. The menu includes breakfast options such as Poached Eggs, Huevos Racheros, Peanut Butter Waffles, Choco Chip Pancakes, Mezze’s and a whole lot more! The cocktail menu, boasts a refreshing variety of sangrias, wines, beers and signature cocktails, perfect for wintry afternoons.

Melon, Ginger and Lemongrass Martini at Aqaba

Come sample this all-you-can-eat buffet menu, at INR 1,400 for food, and with an addition of INR 800 there is an unlimited amount of cocktails, from 12 noon to 4 pm. Kid’s menu will be priced at INR 800 (all prices are excluding taxes). This restaurant is located at Club House, Level P5, Peninsula Business Park, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai. For reservations, call at 6151 2222

Bohemian Rhapsody by Anupamaa Dayal

Anupamaa Dayal for Wills India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015

Designer Anupamaa Dayal presented a collection called ‘Anywhere’ at Wills India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015. Her line of prêt garments reflected the essence of versatility and multi-utility.

Anupamaa Dayal for Wills India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015

Inspired by the spirit of a free-willed traveler, Anupamaa’s clothes brought forth a cataclysm of hippie colours, an ode to the denim den and a spectacular display of easy silhouettes.

Anupamaa Dayal for Wills India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015

This season, she clanged onto her signature cuts and flow—shapes were loose and baggy, and fabrics were light and sheer; her happy clothes are perfect for the forthcoming summer. Anupamaa layered gorgeous azure shades to celebrate spring/summer.

Anupamaa Dayal for Wills India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015

Call it Boho Chic, but her clothes had dashes of traditional notes. From Kaftans to kurta dresses, and palazzo pants to shift dresses, the range was varied. P.S- I loved the way she interplayed with Indian prints and bold metaphors.

Miniature-styled paintings translated on clothes—Tarun Tahiliani

Tarun Tahiliani at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015

Master couturier Tarun Tahiliani showcased his latest collection at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015. For the first time ever, his show didn’t have a show stopper; nonetheless, the pomp and glory of the sets and his outfits left the audience spellbound.

Tarun Tahiliani at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015

The collection was unveiled at DLF Emporio Mall, instead of the customary Pragati Maidan venue. The set was bright, colourful and magnificent with the London-based Singh Twins’ paintings, neatly hung around to create a magical ambience. In fact, Tahiliani’s collection was inspired by the Twin’s paintings.

Tarun Tahiliani at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015

“I went into a trance when I first saw their work. In a way, I suppose I responded in entirety to their Past Modern work—a series of vivacious, detailed paintings with Asian and Western influence and global iconography using traditional techniques from Indian miniature paintings. It was a breathtaking, fresh, and scholarly take on patterns and layering; with such wit and flair, I could not wait to put together a ready-to-wear collection,” avers Tahiliani.

Tarun Tahiliani at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015

The collection portrayed Tahiliani’s signature drapes and cuts—easy, flowy and very chic. Silhouettes like tunics, shirts, saris and draped lehengas were reinterpreted in a sudden outburst of colours that ranged from peaches to bright limes and indigo blues to orange ocher.