Mumbai’s The Oberoi Comes to Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong For 3 Days Only For Indian National Day

Experience the flavours of India with executive chef Gurmeet Bhamra at Clipper Lounge and Café Causette.

It’s the question most often foisted upon us: Where’s the best Indian food in Hong Kong?  

Well, the usual suspects make the cut: Michelin-starred Chaat and Leela in Causeway Bay are both worth your time and dime; someone adventurous will mention a dive at Chungking Mansions; and, of course, vegetarians go wild for Woodlands in Wan Chai and Gaylord in Tsim Sha Tsui, which recently celebrated 50 years in Hong Kong. Personally, I was mad about the original Veda, which tragically closed its doors in 2008, and its younger cousin, Veda Bar & Café, now opposite Dragon-I, still serves the best cheese dosa known to humanity. With options at every price range, style of cuisine (28 states and as many—if not more—styles of cooking), atmosphere, and service, there is no single answer… 

Until now. 

For three days, the answer is surprising: the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. In a remarkable celebration of India’s culinary heritage, the iconic hotel is set to host a unique gastronomic experience to mark Indian National Day. From 15 to 17 August, the popular Clipper Lounge and Café Causette will transform into a vibrant epicurean haven, showcasing the innovative and authentic cuisine of executive chef Gurmeet Singh Bhamra from The Oberoi, Mumbai, one of Asia’s truly great hotels, a collaboration that promises to delight the senses with a menu that fuses traditional Indian flavours with contemporary culinary techniques. 

Read the entire feature here at Robb Report Hong Kong.

Dram Good Stuff’s Kam Daswani on the Exquisite World of Fine Whisky, How Each Encounter Is Unique, and Being a Keeper of the Quaich

Dram Good Stuff delivers on its name’s inherent promise: rare whiskies of excellent sourcing, vintage, and taste, fuelled by Daswani.

Few things are more thrilling than discovering an open secret in the heart of Hong Kong. In an inconspicuous high-rise on Lyndhurst Terrace, only those in the know have made their pilgrimage through a labyrinth of stairs and corridors to discover treasures of untold fortune and global sourcing. Liquid amber and gold are painstakingly collected, curated, and coursed as the man behind the locked and lacquered doors entrances you with his bon mots on the glory-be bottles that he has in store: simply, the finest whisky in town, hence the name.

Kam Daswani, founder and managing partner of Dram Good Stuff, has carved a niche for himself in the whisky sector. With a passion for fine spirits—and an impressive collection of watches that he’s known for in equal measure—his journey is as captivating as the things he curates. In an exclusive interview with Robb Report Hong Kong, Daswani shares insights into his philosophy on whisky, the evolution of the brand, and the essence of luxury.

Read the entire feature here at Robb Report Hong Kong.

Eight Oscars for India: The largest film industry in the world is most (and mostly) overlooked

This Monday morning, like most of the world I will not be watching the live telecast of the annual Academy Awards. Viewing (and simultaneously judging) the red carpet shenanigans of overpaid and overindulged, entitled white people had its glory days in the '90s (1998, the year Titanic swept nominations and was a global ratings bonanza - viewership has been spiraling down and circling the drain ever since). 

In the wake of the pandemic, it seems wrong to spend Monday morning (Hong Kong time) in pajamas, munching leftovers and watching television when there's deadline afoot. 

I've written about the Oscars and India before (monetising my guilty viewing pleasures? Yes please!), but this morning was thinking of the largest film industry in the world... and its shocking lack of gold-plated over-hyped bowling ball trophies. With hundreds of films released and seen annually in the subcontinent, Bollywood is not an industry that relies or thrives on the tacit approval of western critics - who often cannot stomach musicals nor have the bladder control to sit through three-hour-yarns. Pfft. Weak. 

At an editorial meeting the other day (or was it year?), someone asked me point blank, how many Oscars has India won?  Er... 

Why think, when you can Google?

Only eight Indians have won the coveted award in the 90 year history of Indian cinema, namely;

Bhanu Athaiya, the first Indian to win an Academy Award, for costume design for Gandhi in 1982.

Satyajit Ray received an Honorary Oscar in 1992, a Lifetime Achievement award presented by (the truly divine) Audrey Hepburn no less. Tragically, the great film maker was on his death-bed and wasn't able to attend the ceremony. He passed away a month after the show at age 70.    

A.R. Rehman, a double win for the 'Mozart of Madras', for Jai Ho, Best Original Song, Slumdog Millionaire (2009) and Best original score for the same film. 

Gulzar, the noted writer, poet and lyricist, and AR Rahman won an Oscar for Best Original Song for  Jai Ho at the 81st Academy Awards. Gulzar wrote the lyrics - unfortunately, he did not attend the awards function and missed the media maelstrom that got festooned upon Rahman instead. 

Resul Pookutty, won for Best Sound Mixing, along with Richard Pryke and Ian Tapp, for Slumdog Millionaire. 

Rahul Thakkar and Cottalango Leon are Indian-Americans who were two of the 33 recipients of Academy Award for scientific and technical achievement in 2016. 

Vikas Sathaye won an Academy Award in 2018 for Technical Achievement, an honour he shared with John Coyle, Brad Hurndell and Shane Buckham. 

Doesn't look like there'll be another name on the roster for quite some time - in 2020, India's entry to the Oscars was the Malayalam film Jallikattu, directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, in the Best International Feature Film category. Unfortunately, on February 10 earlier this year, it was announced that the film didn’t make the cut.

As the pandemic rages on in the region, with cinemas closed, large film productions halted, with Indian stars of all stripes struck down with covid - there are other more pressing worries and causes for concern than the momentary tension of "And the winner is..."

Health and diet in the Covid era; My feature with holistic dietician Mayuri Punjabi in SCMP: myeurekalife

My feature on Mayuri Punjabi is out this morning in South China Morning Post; 

Why clients rave about weight-loss coach who takes mind-and-body approach to shedding the kilos, with fasting at its core. Read it all here.

You can follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/myeurekalife/ 

The paper didn't have enough room for the addendum; here are a few healthy, easy tips she had

• Stop snacking - you don’t need to eat eight times a day, and should allow your digestive system a rest in between meals. 
• Do not drink liquids during your meals as it causes the digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid in your stomach to dilute, which makes it weaker and slows down the digestion process. This can lead to bloating and general discomfort. Therefore, drink liquids 30 minutes before and after a meal, not during.   
• Never compromise on your sleep. Seven to nine hours of sleep is required Those that say, “sleep is for the weak”, are seriously mistaken.   
• Learn to read labels and pay close attention to the ingredients list. The ingredient that is listed first is the most present, in terms of quantity. It is important to look out for ways in which sugar can sneak its way into ingredients lists, especially when masked under scientific terminology.  
• Trust your body to communicate and tell you what works and what doesn’t. Don’t just jump on the bandwagon of the next fad, as it may not be right for you. We are an evolved species and have done so without any fad diets or supplements. 
• AVOID:  
• Vegetable Oils: sounds healthy but deceptively so, they contain very high levels of polyunsaturated fats that slow down your metabolism, disrupt your hormones, impair digestion and accelerate ageing. Instead try to replace them with traditional fats like Ghee, Lard, Duck Fat, Olive Oil, Avocado Oil and Coconut Oil.  
• Sugar: try and avoid sugar, both natural and artificial, as when it is added to make a product taste sweeter, you should be wary!    
• Processed food; any ingredient list that is a page long, esp junk and fast foods: avoid eating anything in a bottle, jar with more chemicals than food.  
• Don’t use the phrase “cheat days”, I try to steer clear of that term because it sounds like we are doing something wrong that should result in some sort of punishment. Balance is key! 

Bollywood Actress Tabu: A Suitable Woman

 One of the most gifted Indian actresses, her disinterest in fame, but her innat thespian skills are at constant battle within her. Such a joy to write about the reluctant star Tabu. See the entire feature online at SCMP/Style here. 

Christian Louboutin and Sabyasachi Mukherjee in Hong Kong

A Sunday throwback; a memorable evening at Duddells.

Jing Zhang, former Fashion Editor of South China Morning Post, moderated the talk with two icons in the industry, 'the' Christian Louboutin and 'the', often mononymously known, "Sabya"  aka  designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee.

Louboutin is unquestionably one of the best interview subjects you can find, as articulate words pour out and his unflinching look at the industry and the ways of the world make for great, uncensored, non-pc copy. When his handlers leave him alone, he's great fun to chat with. At various points over the past 15 years, I've covered the man, his accessories in print - from early days of (the now defunct) Kee magazine, to Sentinel, to SCMP, Prestige and... so many others.

On a personal note, his fandom of Sridevi mirrors mine (his opinion of Aishwarya Rai however does not!). We've spoken at length about Bollywood. Good times.  Still my favourite person to interview.

With Sabya, just a fan. His work is second to none in India. But so shy and he wasn't doing press during his time here in HK. Well, not with my magazine back then.

Akon in Macau 11 11 11: Singer booked for Indian millionaire's epic 50th party

One Night Only 

As Sanjeev Mahtani, Chairman of Must Garments, celebrated his 50th birthday, he threw a party that was out of this world – well, out of Hong Kong most certainly. 

200 plus guests were whisked off to Macau at the Lotus Ballroom at the Four Seasons, a heady night filled with Turkish belly dancers, scantily-clad ladies from St Tropez, circus acts, jugglers and a nine-course meal interrupted with copious Cristal champagne ensued. 

Just when you thought la dolce vita couldn’t get any more decadent, just after midnight, multiple Grammy-nominee and American Music Award winner Akon hit the stage for a medley of hits. 

“I’ve been to a lot of parties, birthdays, award shows in my life,” said the Senegal-born R&B superstar, who enthralled the VIP audience of a select few. 

“But this something else!” 

Among a sea CEOs from the business community and captains of industry, in the audience we spotted Faye Ho (Stanley Ho’s grand-daughter), champion jockey Douglas Whyte, owner of Cubic, Paco Chan, celebrity chef Harlan Goldstein and his wife Helen, the gorgeous Alyscia Mak with husband architect Jon Pan while noted French photographer Jean Gorguet was taking snaps of the guests. 

“There are a lot of fine lookin’ ladies in the house – and it isn’t easy to impress me – but y’all take care of yerself,” said Akon as he indulged many by posing with them for a keepsake snapshot.  "I like that. I like that a lot!” 

 While the party progressed till the wee-hours of morn, when asked to speak, the usually reticent Sanjeev grabbed his Pucci-clad wife, the lovely Manisha, and said, “You know she’s my HMV – His Masters Voice – what do you want me to say honey?” Said a guest, “It’s always the quiet ones that throw the best bashes!” 

Indeed. 

P.Ramakrishnan (e-mail: ramakrishnanp@Hotmail.com) 

NOTES: Akon in Macau, 2011. What an incredible party! Sanjeev and Manisha Mahtani hosted one of the best parties I've EVER been to. And Akon - what a performer! Sanj turned 50 and proved life begins after it. Had a great time, and even better one writing up about it for SCMP's Cityseen column. Such gracious hosts and lovely people. The one thing I got out of the event was how much his close friends and family loved the couple - there were so many toasts in celebration of the awesome twosome.