Here’s a Sunday recipe from Le Pain Quotidien’s Easter menu by Chef Alain Coumont. This should get you some chicks.

Ingredients

20 ml olive oil

20 gms arborio rice

150 gms button mushrooms

40 gms shitake mushrooms

60 gms Parmesan cheese

40 gms butter (unsalted)

30 gms onions (chopped)

2 gms thyme

4 gms garlic

1 sprig of parsley for garnishing

Some salt and pepper to taste

Method

Clean  and remove the stalks of the button and shitake mushrooms. Soak them for 4 hours. Boil these with sugar, water and star anise. Slice the mushrooms on removal. Heat the olive oil and sauté the onions and thyme while adding the arborio rice to it. Add the mushroom stock at intervals until the rice is cooked.

Heat some olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onions and garlic. Add the mushrooms, cooked arborio rice and add vegetable stock to it. To finish it, adjust the seasoning and add grated Parmesan and butter to it. Serve on a plate and garnish with a sprig of parsley.

What: Ellipsis, B-1 Amarchand Mansion, Madam Cama Road, where Villa 39 used to be, Colaba, call 66213333 for reservations.

Why: Remember our December report on Ranbir Batra, interior designer Thomas Schoos and the Voltaggio brothers (of Top Chef fame) teaming up to do a Colaba restaurant and bar? Well, it’s all complete now and oddly enough, it’s called Ellipsis. Unfinished business… Here in this champagne hued space you can order tuna in ponzu sauce, gourmet burgers, steak, yellowtail fish and other “modern American” food. They will focus on small portions that can be placed at the centre of the table and shared. Group buying, anyone?

When: Scheduled to open on Friday, April 6 for dinner only. Call ahead to confirm..

Truman Cup-ote

A Russian doll stands atop a precarious stack of cups, pouring tea to the silence of a Charlie Chaplin movie. Streaks of golden caramel shine the inside of a tall glass while an angry Cookie Monster plots his next cavity.

These are the details found on walls, TV screens, in coffee and on cookies respectively at Cuppa Joe, a Bandra coffee shop from the makers of Escobar, all set to launch at Carter Road on April 10. And these are the details we think, that will set it apart from other generic coffee houses like Café Coffee Day next door or the Costa Coffee outlet that will soon open above it.

Choksi Attached

At a sneak peek “cupping” yesterday afternoon, we got a good look at this small split level coffee house that serves all-day breakfast, chillers, salads, sandwiches, cake and of course, coffee. We took the single table upstairs and prepared to get wired. Heading the lineup was the Marshmallow Café Mocha, a rotund cup of hot coffee that you’ll need two hands to clutch, is generously topped with clouds of pink and white marshmallows. A little too sweet for our liking, but we see how this pretty mug could turn into one of the popular ones. Next up, a weather-inappropriate warm Cookieccino. While we expected that thick ubiquitous Oreo shake, what turned up instead was an elegant cup of strong coffee with crumbles of their yum in-house chocolate chip cookies.

The prodigal sun has returned, sparking off a heated round of word play at the bpb office: Sol-vador Dali, Bake Lively, Warmer Brothers, Suncsreen Actors Guild. It's only fitting then, that today's post be about Sunburn 2012. The three-day electronic dance music (EDM) festival moves to Mumbai from Goa this year, and plays out at Tulip Star Hotel (we're not crazy about the venue), starting April 6. But there's more to it than meets the eye behind the Ray Bans. bpb has the scoop on the festival's permanent new cafe space + free event passes for you.

bpb Contest

We’re giving away 5 single day passes to Sunburn Mumbai 2012. Check our Twitter feed (@bpbmumbai) at 11.30 am today (Tuesday, April 3) to know more. Contest closes at 7 pm.

Sunburn 202 Cafe 

EDM fans will be glad to know that they can soon add Infected Mushroom(s) to their sandwich. Sunburn's parent company Percept is launching a café called Sunburn 202 at Lower Parel next week, and we’ve got the details!  Sitting pretty between Raghuvanshi and Phoenix Mills, the tiny space formerly used by Da Vinci Express to dole out pizza by the slice, will now be a “music café” serving up sandwiches, coffee and EDM but no MDMA. Happy highs will apparently come from live DJ gigs held at the cafe. Although, we’re not sure how they’re going to manage to fit all of that into such a small space. 

While we figure that one out, performing DJs at Sunburn 2012 - Skazi, GMS, Fergie, Pearl and more (see complete list here) - pool in their favourite tracks to create a playlist for bpb. Dance!

Before they read us the specials du jour, we were informed in hushed tones of a cupboard that would be moving in to the patisserie within the hour. “We apologise in advance, it might be a little chaotic,” our server Sagar told us. “Wardrobes usually are,” we said. He smiled and bought us an orange macaroon on the house. We forgot all about closet space.

This is the kind of super service you’ll be treated to at Artisan, a deli, pâtisserie and chocolaterie at BKC’s new-ish Sofitel hotel. But you would be nice to, if you worked in a room where glass cells are filled with truffles and slabs of red chocolate; shelves are stacked with gummy bear jars; and deli counter with champagne spiked ham. We only wish Artisan had its own entrance, saving visitors a walk through the strange Indo-contemporary lobby where Indian carvings and bubble lamps co-exist.

Town Square

As we took a seat at the square-shaped community table built around a giant cake tray, we were informed of the four course meal (Rs 600 including taxes) that lets you pick a salad/sandwich/bagel; cheese platter/pastry; a glass of Sula/Kingfisher/fruit juice; and a final round of tea/coffee/hot chocolate. Tres affordable! And it’s valid not just for happy hours, but all day from 6.30 am to 10.30 pm, seven days a week.

Laugh now, but you'll be right back here on Sunday for this special Hangover Cure cocktail recipe courtesy Atilla Iskifoglu, bartender to the stars (he's served John Travolta and Madonna) and currently mixing at Wink, Vivanta by Taj President, Cuffe Parade.

Ingredients

3 cl vodka
A handful of cherry tomatoes
1 fresh basil leaf
A pinch of coriander (ground)
A pinch of celery salt
A sprinkling of chives (chopped)
A pinch of cracked black pepper

Method

Pour all ingredients into a blender without ice and blend until smooth.

Strain the mixture into a highball glass topped with ice.

Garnish with a cherry tomato and basil leaves on a cocktail stick, placed across the top of the glass.

Three Wise Men, a new pub at Santacruz opened to a big bash last Friday night. We went the next day for a quiet 8 pm drink to find well-priced booze, diner booths and a football match on TV waiting to boot. Also, a huddled group of six who after much contemplation, decided to ditch this bar for Bandra’s Big Nasty. Good decision? We were about to find out.

Rum and Bloke

Located uncomfortably close to the Santacruz police station, Three Wise Men is all brick and plants on the outside. Inside, you’ll find that Coldplay and Red Hot Chilli Peppers occupy a small but uncluttered space with a wooden bar managed by Two One Two’s Ketan Kadam. The ceiling, pasted with random, tacky art frames will make you hope you don’t get high enough to reach there.

We settled on a table and scanned the menu limited to standard cocktails, appetisers and the promise of a pasta- pizza-burger section due to launch next month. First, the TWM Sangria walked in on our conversation. They say that this red wine cocktail is made using a ‘secret recipe’, but it tasted perfectly regular to us. The dark and brooding Rusty Nail blended with Drambuie and perked up with flashes of citrus, is a far better choice. A couple of cocktails later though, you’ll realise that this pub is much more of a beer place. And after downing all that drink we were told that the restrooms were out of order. Pissed, indeed.

The Jazz Age is over. Apparently, emmental is more important than Armstrong at Marine Drive restaurant Not Just Jazz by The Bay that re-opened two days ago as Pizza by the Bay, shifting focus from music to food. In an endeavor similar to the re-christening of Eat Around the Corner (owned by the same Mars group), this culinary move hopes to highlight what they "do best – pizza". Base-ic instinct?

Nights in White Satin

The indoor section of Pizza by The Bay has an all-new white decor, retaining only a sparkly chandelier and black and white photos from the Jazz age. Whether the manager – a Sid Mallya lookalike - was previously in attendance we’re not sure, but he’s shiny enough to be classified as ‘new’. There’s also a hint of a stage somewhere in the back, which we’re told might host music or stand up acts some time in the future. The outdoor sea-facing curve that was Pizzeria is currently being refurbished and will also be part of this new Bay.

Browse the menu and you’ll find that their new kitchen really does have fun with pies, as the Italian treat is baked upside down (Pizza Pot Pie), loaded with toppings all the way to the edge (Over the Edge) and made to hold a fresh salad at its centre (Pizza Diversa). Other options include stuffed crusts, DIY toppings, super thins (think Indigo Deli) and old classics like Bombay Masala and Hawaiian pizza. We picked ours only after a cool virgin mojito and pina colada had undone some of the sun damage from that afternoon.

“The silver entrance must lead to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. The intensely white sanitised space and blue food trays feel like dinner at an institution. Has the blue light been retained from Neelam, a dance bar that used to be here way back when? The urgency to eat quickly and leave feels like we’re grabbing a bite in-between cities, at an airport.” One burger joint, four diners, four different interpretations. Lettuce take a moment to organise our thoughts.

It is perhaps the confused branding at Sanjay Kilachand-owned Burgs, Bandra’s new burger shop that led to such varied viewpoints. While they pitch their grub as “gourmet”, you’ll still find a fast food shop-like space, self-service trays and mass produced burgers wrapped in paper. Using fancy baskets as vehicles for the food, pretty dipping bowls with sauces for the table and offering choice of buns (whole wheat, sesame) are simple suggestions that can go a long way in making these burgers fancy.

Love Me Tender-loin

The menu at Burgs features nine meat and six veggie burgers, along with a few sides like onion rings and fries. Our order included the The Big Burg, Prawn Kracker, Glam Lamb, cottage cheese Smokey Treat and cheese melt.

The burgers arrived after a 50 minute long wait (which made a fellow diner retract his ‘quick transit eating’ statement) and to our disappointment were absolutely cold. Willing to overlook teething problems, we waited for fresh ones to arrive. We should say at the outset that while the ingredients and sauces at Burgs may be slightly fancier than McDonalds, the bread, sides and packaging isn’t very different.

What: Three Wise Men, Sujata Building, opposite Santacruz Police Station, Santacruz (W), call 9821078550, Rs 165 for a pint of Kingfisher.

Why: We’re not sure we’d like to drink ourselves silly so close to a cop station (it’s right across the street), but drink we must this Friday as Three Wise Men opens in Santacruz. They promise to come bearing gifts – international beers, rock music, management by Two One Two's Ketan Kadam and the promise of a burger list. The space resembles an English pub with brick walls and antique clocks, but we’re not big fans of this ceiling art, so don’t get too high.

When: Trio carnival opens this Friday, March 23.