Over an year old but still the darling of Cyber Hub, The Wine Company has a lot of things going in its favour. Its sprawling layout includes a highly coveted alfresco area, a retail section selling wine and spirits, and a reasonably sized bar overlooking its indoor seating — all of which is always running to packed crowds. Bringing the European wine café culture to the city, TWC is only one of the few spots in town that’s trying to make vino accessible to the lightest wallet as well as the staunchest connoisseur. The concept is simple yet novel — buy wine by the bottle (even select whiskey and vodka), pay a little over their retail price and enjoy them at the venue itself. A sophisticated ahata if you will! This option makes it one of the most VFM watering holes and, besides the wonderful setting, is also the reason for its popularity. So you get a Ti Amo Prosecco that sells for Rs 1800 at liquor shops for a marginally higher Rs 2300 or even a rare vintage of Chateau Palmer Margaux for, umm, a bargain deal of Rs 66000. Their by-the-glass serves are also fairly reasonable, so go here on a day your liver is ready to handle a pounding. Fair warning: the music is fine till 8pm, after which the DJ takes over and turns the volume up a little bit too much, but no one seems to mind with all that tippling. If you’d rather go for an in-house concoction, the cocktail list has all the staples, though we suggest you skip those and try the vibrant Prosecco Sangria with Mint Strawberry or an elegant Classic Bellini — both of which are made for drunches. Our only grouse is that these lovelies are priced higher compared to everything else on the menu. Food is probably where this smart wine bar falters with predictable and by-the-book fare ranging from Bruschetta to Jalapeno Corn Fritters, but the Carari Roti is a huge hit and can be seen on every table. For comfort eats, try the Buffalo Wings and Jameson Whiskey Meatballs. You might need to do some vigorous hand waving to get the staff’s attention, but once you manage that, it’s smooth sailing!
Critic reviews are anonymous and all bills are paid by What#39;s Hot.
Aryanakas The Enchanted Landscape is an exhibition of Indigenous Art curated by historian Dr. Alka Pande in association with Tulika Kedia, Director of Visaul Art Gallery. The works form a part of The Kanha Museum of Life and Art, at The Singinawa Jungle Lodge at Kanha, M.P which is a treasure trove of art from the indigenous culture of the Gond, Bhil and the Baiga communities. The art, representative of culture is an allegorical homage to the free spirit of nature mirroring the undulating curves of the forest, and depict the tribal beliefs about birds, the trees, the animals, their values, which often is a form of worshiping nature.
Displaying at the show will be master artist Usman Tirandaz, who deftly bridges the two worlds of indigenous art and contemporary urban art. He combines naturalistic themes and depictions of flora and fauna, so often prevalent in tribal art, with the style of the Mughal miniatures. He has blown up his works to a grand scale making his genius in interpreting native art in a modern vein and his attempt at connecting the two, often disparate styles much more apparent.
Their Ghanta Awards became massive hit with audiences and this time the men behind East India Comedy are returning with yet another ‘not your average Bollywood awards show’. Sorabh Pant, Sahil Shah and Sapan Verma will together take down Bollywood, taking about everything from the industry’s stupidity, its controversies and bad movies.
Ticket prices: Rs 400
Tickets available on Insider.in
To welcome the spring, the Palate Mini festival is here in town, with an array of food to try on. During this three day event there will be nearly 70 food outlets, through a combination of around 30 well established restaurants and Delis along with 40 stalls, where home-made desserts, snacks and unique food offerings would delight the foodie in you. Some of the outlets participating include – Handi, Sinyora’s, Kaffa, Iqbal, Kathputli, My Greens, Chi Asian Cookhouse and more.
To celebrate the spirit of secular India on the occasion of Republic Day, Momo Café is hosting a week-long culinary festival featuring food from across the country. Eight chefs from across the country will be coming together, each bringing their own specialty from different cuisines.
The festival will serve dishes from popular cuisines like Konkani, Rajasthani, Bengali, Punjabi and more. Participating chefs include Chef Thirumal from Bengaluru Marriott Whitefield, Chef Deepak Rana from JW Marriott Mussorie, Chef Ranjit from Jaipur Marriott Hotel, Chef Uday Karmalkar from Courtyard By Marriott Mumbai, Chef Amrutha Valli from Hyderabad Marriott Hotel Convention Centre, Chef Mithun Mohanan from Courtyard By Marriott Kochi, Chef Chiranjeet Mandal from Courtyard by Marriott Raipur and Chef Amarjeet Singh from Courtyard by Marriott Gurgaon.
Some of the eclectic dishes that guests can try at this festival include Gutta Curry, Rajasthani Kadhi, Multani Jhinga, Maans Ke Sule, Kalmi Vada, Bikaneri Pulao, Baati Churma and more.
Price: Rs 1,700++
Note: On January 26, there will only be a special Republic Day brunch (12.30 pm to 4 pm)
After a record breaking response at their previous day jam parties like – Freakout 15, Spektra 15, Hypnotica and more Mine Entertainment is here with Freakout 3. The event will feature Electrovertz perofrming live at Hybrid.
The Elektrovertz (Nina Shah and Malika Hayden) are a female Dj duo. Born to British(Nina) and Australian(Malika) mothers and Indian fathers. For years now electronic and dance music has been a major obsession, leading them to find their passion which is producing music and Djing.
The modern bistro with a desi heart – Farzi Café has been making local dining cool over the last year, and now with a new Connaught Place outlet, they are pushing more culinary boundaries. Promising innovative experiments from both the bar and the kitchen, Zorawar Kalra’s baby has a clean approach to molecular gastronomy sans the high handedness of a fine dine. That#39;s why this newbie could easily become your go-to spot for a drink and nosh post work, as we discovered on a busy Thursday night.
AMBIENCE
The 4,500 sq ft swanky new space retains the basic concept of its older outpost. Farzi Café CP is both lush and dazzling with a dedicated performance stage and an island bar that could soon become our neighbourhood watering hole. Once you walk in through the spacious lobby, you#39;ll see dark wood tables lined along the dance floor with muted grey walls and cute knick knacks adding character. Grab a seat by the window and enjoy the view or sit by the brightly lit bar and indulge in some people watching.
You can lounge in easy chairs with a hookah next to you, sit by the bar and watch the bartender fix your drink or settle in by the DJ booth and tap your feet to the music. Never for a moment will you feel that it’s getting too loud for a conversation though, as the entire experience is seamlessly curated by the team.
FOOD + DRINKS
The menu takes off with bolder additions like an elaborate Hoppers section with Sri Lankan style fresh coconut appams and Malaya prawns. Chef de Cuisine Saurabh Udinia is both flamboyant and restrained in his creations. The first thing to arrive on our table was the Delhi Belly that floored us immediately – tikka style pork belly served with roasted russet apple slices – with its genius marriage of flavours and finesse. Then there’s the F.F.C aka Farzi fried chicken with smoked BBQ cream, and Lamb Chops served with smoked heeng cream on the side. If you’re a burger fan, try their Makai Methi Tikki Burger with pickled cucumber and pepper spiked ketchup. The Hand Pulled Rogan Josh served with diakon and mint bun is another winner.
Once you’re through clicking pictures of these Instagram friendly dishes, check out their list of mixology blends with cocktails like the vodka-laced Chai Pani that comes in a kettle with infused flavours of tea and a hint of coffee as well as a sliver of orange peel on the side. Bottle Ka Gin and Farzi Apple Foamtini are on our must drink list for next time, but for all those who like to make a statement, there’s Farzi Everest – a tall tower of flaming shots that promises to get a lot of attention, as resident mixologist Aman comes to your table to flair up this beauty.
We love our desserts and there are three new ones to choose from here – Milky Way, Baklava and the picture perfect gooey Farzi Dirt. The former is a platter filled with a multitude of flavours ranging from rabri, dark chocolate and blueberry cheesecake with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. For chocolate lovers, the Farzi Dirt is a bowl filled with crumbs of dry chocolate cake and warm gooey chocolate on the side and a khurpi to mix things up, which can be the perfect end to a playful meal.
IN A NUTSHELL
WH Verdict: Molecular goodies now in the heart of the city.
Meal For Two: Rs 2,000
Cuisine: Modern India
Review and Other Details: Farzi Café on What’s Hot
They are also on:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FarziCafe
Twitter: FarziCafe
**The writer was invited by the restaurant to preview their menu.**
Indulge your body, mind and soul into a soothing Sufiyana experience, as a beautiful Sufi Night awaits you. Stories Through Sound is an experiential journey of music where the intent is to provide music lovers a chance to relive the story behind creation of music with maestros of Sufi like – Hans Raj Hans, Wadali Brothers and more. Tickets shall be out by 7th January.
Aliance Francaise De presents – Portraits From Within, an installation by Mario d’Souza in collaboration with French Embassy, India. The exhibition is to represent his life both in France and in India.
Born in Bangalore (India) in 1973, having lived in France for a decade or so, Mario d’Souza was able to undertake within himself and for himself the necessary cross-fertilization and fusion of cultures and experiences with no obvious affinities in order to produce, over the past two or three years, a truly personal body of work in which thought, sensitivity, intuition, sensuality and even eroticism (admittedly underlying but present everywhere), blend into pleasure into a sort of hymn to life.
As part of a tribute to the legendary actor – Soumtira Chaterjee, Sri Ram Centre Of Arts and Culture is holding a special cultural event in his honour. The event shall witness a short film by Ray Apu, a documentary showcasing the entire life history of Soumitra Chaterjee. This shall be followed by Apu Triology – a Hindi play, based on Satyajit Ray’s three films – Pather Panchali, Aparijito and Sansar.
Some of the prominent names associated with the event include - Swarupa Ghosh, Teekam Joshi, Rachhaitri Gupta, Shaurya Shankar, Junaid Kaifi, Durgesh Kumar, Vikas Bahari, Visharad Sharma and Medini Kelamane.
Price: Rs 200 - 500
Tickets available on Bookmyshow.com
Directed by: Atul Satya Koushik | Duration: 100 minutes
Starring Rakesh Bedi and Himani Shivpuri, Draupadi uses the mythological stories surrounding her and adds imaginative sequences to it in order to bring out her association with real women of today.
Ticket prices: Rs 200 to 500
Tickets available on BookMyShow.
Is your idea of crime writing limited to Sherlock Holmes? There is so much more to the genre and the Crime Writers Festival is your chance to know more about it and interact with leading authors of the genre.
The three-day festival will kick-off with movie screenings – Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke, The French Connection and The Fifth Estate – curated by Kaushik Bhaumi. The second and the third day will have a number of discussions and talks with eminent authors like Aditi Maheshwari, Lady Kishwar Desai, Jerry Pinto and others.
For the complete festival schedule, click here.
Note: The movie screenings on the first day will be held at Alliance Francaise, Lodhi Road.
Directed by: M Sayeed Alam
Starring Tom Alter, the play is an account of the world of the Mughal emperors Aurangzeb, Babur, Humayun and Akbar, all shown through the story of the now deposed king Bahadur Shah Zafar, played by Alter.
Ticket prices: Rs 200, 300, 400
Tickets available on BookMyShow
New Delhi World Book Fair, organised by the National Book Trust, is one of the leading events in the country related to the book publishing industry. Started in 1972, the festival has a rich legacy of bringing together publishers, innovators and consumers from both India and abroad.
NDWBF will see participation by some of the biggest publishing houses in the country and here they will be bringing forth their new titles and also organise various conferences and programmes.
Every year, one country from across the world is chosen as the guest of honour, and this year, China will be the focus. For book lovers, several volumes of Chinese books, seminars, literature salons and cultural exhibitions will be available so that they can know more about Chinese culture and literature.
For more information, click here.