Born and raised in Bombay, Vivek Kagzi currently lives in New York City, where his vegetarianism is considered only slightly less alien than his love for cricket. His column will appear regularly on bpb. You can also find him at http://lonelyveg.blogspot.com.

Vegetarians are a misunderstood breed, especially once one ventures out of India. Through the years, people have always struggled to understand exactly what it is that they do and don’t eat. I am constantly reminded of the scene from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, when, on being told the vegetarian fiancée of the Greek protagonist will be unable to eat her aunt’s cooking due to his dietary requirements, the aunt brushes it off with a “No matter, I make lamb!”. Some of it is self-inflicted, all with the various kinds of vegetarians now present in the world. However, when it comes down to it, I believe the common concept comes down to four simple words – ‘no meat, no fish’.

I have been a vegetarian my entire life. Growing up in India, no one really questioned or wondered about this dietary choice – in fact, one didn’t even feel quite that lonely at a dinner table. All that changed when I moved to the west. Suddenly, I was explaining how, yes, I had been a vegetarian as long as I could remember and no, I had NEVER tried meat or fish. Strangely enough, I never seemed to have a good enough reason for why I was a vegetarian. It’s that I just couldn’t get myself to. Nurture always seemed to prevail over nature. I am destined to remain an herbivore.

And yet, I have reveled in this choice. I love eating good food, and though at times my vegetarianism might have restricted the variety available to me, it has not stopped me from seeking out great chefs and restaurants all over the world. Living in New York and London for extended periods of time has definitely made this a lot easier, but that’s not to say it has been all smooth sailing. From trying to get reservations to getting chefs to prepare special vegetarian menus to the toll it has taken on my wallet, eating well has always required a fair deal of planning, preparation and perseverance. In spite of that, not all my food experiences have turned out well, as can be evidenced by the many, many risottos and medleys of vegetables I have been subjected to. Regardless of good or bad, however, each culinary expedition has been an adventure unto itself, resulting in some unforgettable, as well as some not so pleasant, memories.

It is these gastronomical experiences – past, present and future, from Europe to the States – that I intend to share in this column, in part to encourage the millions of vegetarians out in the world to not hold themselves back from trying out some great restaurants out of their fear of leaving hungry or dissatisfied. While I would not recommend every restaurant I have been or will go to, there are some chefs who prepare amazingly creative dishes using just the plants and vegetables offered to them and these are not to be missed. ‘Living to eat’ isn’t easy, especially being a vegetarian abroad, but it can still be quite enjoyable. Bon Appétit!

Posted by Mansi

After almost a year of plotting, finagling, number crunching and what feels like the biggest talent hunt on the planet, we finally sent out the first email for bpb Delhi. About damn time.

Our coverage of the Capital will be similar to Mumbai's in structure and spirit, uncovering new and secret establishments, reviews of which will be dispersed in daily emails as well as on the website. The weekend guide, our first and most popular property, will make an appearance every Friday. For now, we're rolling out just the email, sent to subscribers (sign up here!). The site will be up soon. 

Manning our Capital branch is Anand Puri, a strapping young man with a keen eye, love of all things edible, and a sharp pen. He is a Dilliwallah and amongst bpb's earliest subscribers, understanding deeply Delhi's lifestyle industry as well as bpb's ethos and commitment to on-time, unbiased reviews. Joining him is another pretty scout: more about her later.

Supervising the launch (or as KP says, "cracking the whip!") is me, who has moved to Delhi for a couple of months. Barring living in an apartment where the bed and kitchen share a room and sewage and bathing water shared a tap (thinking about this still gives me the hives) Delhi has been kind to me. 

I've been amazed at how fertile the lifestyle scene is here, especially in Haus Khaz village: every day a new boutique or bar or dhaba peddling great views and Maggi noodles springs up. Just this week, we're covering three new restaurants including Trishna's new branch, a thimble-sized store, a service worth flying to the Capital for and a hot-desking establishment. 

We're super, super excited and just starting out so any suggestions, intel, comments from you would be much appreciated. Please write to us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or comment below.

Onwards and upwards,

Mansi

PS: This post is essentially a pitch for you to sign up and have your Delhi folk do so as well. Pretty please? 

Rajesh. Maharashtra Stationery And Xerox. Natalia.

Probably the three most useful contacts at the bpb office. The first is a laptop doctor, the second delivers international magazines and the third, bakes us the best chocolate cupcakes.

This week's all-invading, all-consuming story - and our junior editor Shreya will vouch for it - is the contact list that came out today. We got Bombay's lovelies - the people behind Cafe Zoe and Suzette, Bandit Queen and Filter, False Ceiling and Condenast Traveler - to open up their big black books and share their best kept contacts. Yup, this phone list has everything short of a ghost buster.

Here's one from us to you: Have a query about the city? Call bpb's concierge service on 022 22161497 from Mon to Fri between 11.30 am to 5 pm. Talk to you later!

Posted by Mansi

So, it's proven: yogurt is the new cupcake. Not since the 2009-2010 cupcake craze has Mumbai seen such a dessert storm, with countless garage fronts (largely concentrated in Bandra and Breach Candy) whipping up colourful swirls of soft serve. And the end is nowhere in sight. Just this week we wrote about 6th Street Yogurt, which opened up at Kemps Corner; Sugardaddy, another dessert/yogurt place is coming soon to Chowpatty; and one of our most reliable informants has intel on a new yogurt establishment opening up at Nariman Point. All in time for the outrageous heat that seems to have gripped Mumbai. Goodbye, winter, it was lovely knowing you. *Kiss*.

Oh, and alphonso mangoes have made their first appearance in the market. If anybody wants a hit, I have a great dealer. Leave your email address in the comments section or write to us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , and i'll send across his number. 

Another nascent micro trend seems to be the end of "multi-cuisine" restaurants (dare we hope?), with even small, mid-priced new establishments concentrating on one kind of food, and better yet, one kind of Indian food. See Jumjoji for Parsi food; Panki for Gujarati, Nitya for seafood. 

Finally, this month's boom box, our February playlist of ten songs, is awesome. Have a listen!

Posted by Mansi

Note: Vipassana is a meditation technique first taught by the Buddha. In order to learn it, students are required to live at a Vipassana Center for ten days, during which they follow strict rules (complete silence!) and a schedule that includes 10 hours of meditation every day. The course, lodging and boarding is free of cost. For more information, visit www.dhamma.org.

It’s been four days since I hightailed out of the Vipassana center at Igatpuri with all the zeal of a convict breaking out of prison. On returning to Mumbai that afternoon, I had lunch and margaritas at Sancho’s, shopped for an iPod, and attended the last leg of Mahindra Blues Fest, dancing to Buddy Guy and drinking copious amounts of white wine. “Vipassana hasn’t changed you at all,” my mother sighed.

I laugh and agree, because it feels silly to try and describe the newborn awareness that coats my thoughts and reactions like sheets of cling film, thin, transparent, but still formidable protection. My anger at the office guy’s foolish bumbling is dimmer now; the prospect of an uncertain, uncontrollable future less frightening.

Still, I have doubts. I question to what extent this awareness will help me. I draw distinctions between the technique and camp rules (no talking, no reading or writing, no eye contact, no cell phone or internet), trying to figure out whether it was the meditation or the complete isolation that facilitated my awareness. I wonder if this awareness will last through next weekend.

It’s too early to tell, to do profit-and-loss analysis of ten days that are monetarily free but at the end of which I was mentally and emotionally spent.

But I can tell you this: what seem like biggest barriers to doing this course – complete silence, for instance – are the easiest to surmount. And there are moments when you’re meditating that are unlike anything you’ve ever experienced: for me, they included a session when my entire body seemed evaporate into bubbles, and two days of mixed tapes from when I was 12 constantly playing in my head.

Tips for if you go: 

1)   Bring food! They don’t serve dinner and breakfast is very, very early in the morning. Strictly speaking, outside snacks are not allowed, but I suggest you take along a stash of cookies and chips.

2)   Request for a single room. First time students are usually assigned roommates, and you have no control over who you land up with out of a very, very mixed crowd.

3)   Take your own linen. They provide basic sheets and blankets, but I drew a lot of comfort from my own rajai – it made me feel less lonely.

4)   If you MUST cheat, sneak in a book or an iPod – these are the least of the evils, and will distract you if you’re going completely nuts.

5)   Talk to people who’ve done the course before going. There are days (Day 4 and 6 are doozies) that are particularly difficult. The better prepared you are, the easier it’ll be for you to get through them. Start with this super account of a “Vipassana Virgin” on CNNGo.com.

This week has been all about words at the bpb office. Ones that are fun to say (Jumjoji), others that got away (Typewriter talk on a terrace) and those that begged to be deciphered (purkaif). 

Then there's another set of letters that haven't even been uttered yet, patiently sitting at the edge of silence. Those we'll hear only once one of our resident Scouters, MP, returns from Vipassana. Perhaps as a Zen master? Only time will tell.

Parting quote (borrowed from @bhairavi123): “If writers wrote as carelessly as some people talk, then adhasdh asdglaseuyt[bn[ pasdlgkhasdfasdf.” - Lemony Snicket~

We don’t remember what a home cooked meal tastes like. Sunday we reviewed Tandoori Kitchen, Monday we were high up at La Patio, Tuesday at the lovely Café Zoe and yesterday at an undisclosed location that you will soon find out about. Add to this last week’s feasting at Café at the NCPA, Silverspoon Gourmet, 36 Oak & Barley, and you’ve got yourself two fat Scouters too full to scout.

One of our favourite food stories of the week though, was the one that featured Dirtsacks, biker bags designed by Chef JD from Indigo. It was great to see him get as passionate about bag pockets and zippers as he is about the Reuben sandwich, apparently a dish at the restaurant that involved the most experiments.

And speaking of spooning, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner (sigh/gross?). Now it’s not our favourite holiday at the bpb office so we’re wondering if it should influence the story board at all. Tell us if you’d like us to ignore the day of mush completely or do a fun story around it? If you want us to, we’ll hold our noses and pay homage to the Saint. We’ll just call it our Piece de Resistance :)

Have a good weekend! And for those of you attending bpb's bpb pasta making class at The Tasting Room, see you Saturday.

Posted by Shreya

Hello! I’m Shreya, bpb’s latest rookie, aiming to be M.V.P. My cool boss ladies thought it’d be nice if I wrote my perception of Our World This Week. Apart from scheduling unending fee collections for our Gourmet Science Class at Aurus and engaging in maximum cellular interaction with Pramod, our office admin, we actually had quite an eventful week with openings, music and our very own Head Scouter, Kanika’s birthday. Let’s hope she has a fabulous year ahead!

We spent a nice evening at the brand new Café at the NCPA, amidst an awesome string orchestra, yummy finger foods and lovely weather to complement it all. Next up was the sneak peak at 36 Oak & Barley, a hip New York City-esque bar and restaurant- absolutely loved it! We had music on our minds so we finally got down to making the podcast for our boombox this week after much procrastination. It was a tough call between U2 and Oasis, but the former made it to the list to keep the dream alive of ever seeing them live in concert, unlike Mansi who’s seen them twice! Yes, twice.

It feels great to be finally working here after years of being a subscriber. I really appreciate the warmth with which I’ve been welcomed into the bpb family. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to 2012, and my horoscope confirms this too! Now if I could only get myself to learn to drive that damn car.

Posted by Mansi

Ever since our trip to Delhi last weekend (lots of exciting stuff coming up!), Kanika and I have had food on our brains. The Capital has its problems - including temperatures that right now are ridiculously low and NO INDOOR HEATING in homes - but good restaurants ain't one of them. We'll post a big fat list of recommendations soon, but for now, Elma's, can you please, please, please come to Bombay? The bpb office alone will polish off your stock.

Speaking of eating, we have a super fun cooking class coming up at Aurus, with the always charming Vicky Ratnani, who's going to teach us how best to use a syringe in a kitchen. We've gotten an overwhelming response, and are exploring doing another batch.

We have a pasta-making session with the Tasting Room in the pipelines as well, and are casting around for more ideas. Anything in particular you guys want to learn how to make? Send us an email or comment below, and we'll try and set it up - just as long as you send over some leftovers to the bpb office!

Have a splendid Thursday!

A vintage perfume bottle from Cairo, waves from Kihim, an itinerary for Kandy and a could-have-happened Goa shrug – all things travel, objects and gestures, invade the bpb office this week. Fun way to start 2012, don’t you think? Need inspiration? Check out our postcard from Cairo here.

But even with all our globetrotting agendas, time must be made to review the battalion of restaurants that have launched/will open for business in the next few months. Yes folks, being a Scouter is hard work. For instance, our first review for the year at Mangiamo was conducted by one of us who was fresh off the Alibaug boat, New Year baggage in tow. Luckily, the food was yum (and pricey), though the same can't be said about its chaotic Bandra station road address. During the review, a fellow diner commented that location doesn’t matter when the food’s good. Do you agree? Drop us a line on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or leave a comment here. We’d love to know what you think.

And while we’re on the subject of new Bandra eateries, we’ve been hearing a lot of our South Bombay subscribers whine about how all things new and shiny favour Bandra. And right they are, as three of this week's stories came from the suburb. Future boutique, bar and spa owners, think about spreading the love this year, won't you?  

While we go back to planning more trips for the troops at bpb, we wish you the same. Lots of passport stamps and happy camps in 2012.