Roving Eye

Perfect plate

Come the rains and discount offers come pouring in. The latest downpour comes viz the price of Noritake chinaware at the Beautiful Boulevard on NapeanSea Road. Now, you can go out and buy a 93 piece dinner set for as little as Rs 27,000 instead of the pre-sale unaffordable price of Rs 31,000. Being pitched as the perfect complement to Indian cuisine with its bright colours and wide range, Noritake has "innovated a new type of tableware for world markets that transcends traditional distinctions between different types of cuisine". A Japanese company, Noritake’s ceramic products are a particular favourite with Mumbai hostesses. The next time you are invited to a social do, turn your plate over and check the brand! Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

China town

Attempting to break this domination is Ameeta Khanna, daughter of Ved Kapoor of Hitkari potteries. Banking on the family name, she is launching a collection of designer china under the brand name Boba’. Right from dinner sets, morning sets, tableware to rings for napkins, coordinated tableware and table lines, Khanna calls it a limited edition range to lure upmarket clientele. Her exhibition includes a hand-painted line inspired by jamavar, ikat and kalamkari.

Hot stuff

Juhu Centaur’s The Great All India Sizzler Festival’ is going great guns. The Centaur kitchen has been experimenting a lot of late and have come out with a whole menu of Indian sizzlers one for each state. The desert on offer is also a sizzler mithai chat. Though not for calorie counters, it doesn’t taste bad at all. Seen enjoying themselves at Shoreline, the coffee shop where the festival is on, were Prem Chopra, Poonam Dhillon, Rajat Sharma and Anupam Kher.

Party palace

Copa Cabana has become the rocking bar of Mumbai. Unlike other bars that are flavours of the month, Copa has a steady clientele that only keeps increasing, never dwindling. As a result, it stays open even when 1900s is shut. On Sunday night, a private party was held here. Tequilla was being drunk straight from the bottle and Kishan Mulchandani (the owner of Palkhi) was spotted dancing on the stairs, having a rather spirited time. He soon lost his waistcoat to another drunk reveller who can always be found swaying on the stairs of the Copa Cabana.

Designer Arjun Khanna was there with his wife Shefali. He was joined by Suneet Verma, who was in Mumbai to interview Khanna for Sonia and Sheena Sippy’s new TV programme Style Guru.

Sandeep Tara, who was in the news for his flashy red car, came with his girl friend but left his car at home. Priya Gaekwad, (yes, she is related to the Baroda Rayon royal family) was in Mumbai from Bangalore, for the weekend, and was swearing never to return. Kamal Sadanah was also there with his new girlfriend. A very pretty model, she was seen at Copa, two nights in a row. Roopam’s Viren Shah was also there and for a change, Anupam, the publicity shy owner of Copa, was also thoroughly enjoying himself. With business looking so good, no wonder he has a permanent smile of his face.

And finally…

The Oberoi’s Casa Mexicana is reeling under the threat of El Mexicana at the President. To draw in customers it is starting a new menu and bringing down a mariachi band. The authentic chef of course, was always there.