When we first heard the name ‘Canvas’ we thought of huge, unfurling sails, of blank spaces open to possibilities, of works of art, of camping tents in the misty gloaming. What we didn’t imagine was a red-and-black uber-urban room that swaps out windows for psychedelic screens, where tables and ceilings glow yellow and velvety, crimson walls undulate like stage curtains at a Vegas showroom. But these are the elements that dominate Canvas, the new restaurant/lounge/terrace grill/cigar room (phew!) in Lower Parel, which opened its doors this past weekend.

Surprise Package

Canvas is sprawled over a huge split level space on the fourth floor of Palladium, Phoenix Mills, and the long walk from entrance to table (as well as the deathly quiet – we were the only diners present on the Monday night we visited) gave us plenty of time to recalibrate our expectations. By the time we were seated, the design had begun to make a little more sense – Canvas and the Comedy Store downstairs share the same promoters, and perhaps they are trying to keep the décor similar.

Because the clubby atmosphere called for drinking (as if we need an excuse) we began our night with a batch of delish cocktails, nicely boozy and not too sweet. Try the ginger and litchi martini, potent but frighteningly easy to drink, and burnt lemon and vanilla Margherita, which tastes best frozen and devoid of salt. These fared much better than the lackluster bread basket, which came after multiple inquiries by us and comprised of unsalted butter and rubbery soft rolls that seemed like they had been in the microwave for too long.

Around the World

What: Canvas, Palladium at High Street Phoenix, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, starts at Rs 350 for an appetizer.

Why: Owned by the guys behind Comedy Store, this new hotspot is a juxtaposition of restaurant, bar, outdoor grill and cigar room. These are sprawled over two floors, rendered in sumptuous black and purple and adorned with LED lights, projection screens and vivid art. A-maze! The Euro-Asian menu seems equally exotic, promising dishes like juniper-rubbed chicken and key lime soup with rum granita.

When: Opens to the public on Saturday, February 26. Look out for the full bpb review!

What: Mumbai Chi artisanal truffles by Glee Chocolates, visit www.gleechocolates.com or call Zarana Choksi at 9820224906 to order, Rs 50 for two, pick up at Tardeo.

Why: Wrapped in kitschy Bombay motifs like taxi cabs and the Queen’s Necklace, this candy brings pleasure even before you bite in. bpb loves decadent Nimboo (lemon), Narangi (orange) and Screw Dheela (passion fruit) truffles, as well as hazelnut and Croquentine bars. Sin city!

When: You have a street tooth.

bpb got a whiff of Escobar's prized sangria recipe. Secret ingredients include rum and orange liqueur.

Sangria Thirsty

Yield: Pitcher (1,400 ml)

Ingredients

Red wine - 375 ml
Brandy - 60 ml
Orange liqueur - 60 ml
Chopped apples, oranges and other seasonal fruit.
A shot of lemonade

Method

Stir chilled red wine, brandy and orange liqueur in a pitcher. Garnish with chopped fruits. Add lemonade to the preparation. Serve over lots of ice.

Lazy bums can just get the Sangria pitcher at Escobar for Rs 1,200 plus taxes.

Getting there: Escobar, 199 VN Sphere mall, 4^th floor, Linking Road, Bandra (W), call 42760000.

Sweet Home

There’s fresh fruit in the blender, a salad on the counter, chairs on the front porch and a dog tied to the fence. This is Fellas, a tiny health cafe in Khar that appears to be as content as suburban bliss and as wholesome as country living. After a pleasurable sneak peek earlier this month, we returned for a review, eager to see if this ‘house’ would score a home run.

Bachelor Number One?

Complete with wooden floor, beams and translucent curtains, Fellas is made to look like the front of a bungalow, but is really housed in a garage-ish space of an apartment building. Charming as it may be, the eatery’s interior fails to make an instant connect with its moniker, one that draws up images of bachelor paraphernalia – leather chairs, poker chips and slicked back hair. The only testosterone you’ll find here is in its four owners – Suvedh Lohia and Anupam Adarsh (previous ventures include juice bar J-Kart), Feroz Shaikh and Gagan Kumar. There is however, one background score for you fellas: a posse of pretty girls that seem to constantly stream in and out.

bpb puts together a World Cup match-the-columns, pairing your poison with the best bar deal on that drink. Also find attached, some rubbish drunken chatter.

For the Beer Guzzler: Get the very, very tall beer tower at Sports Bar Express for Rs 936 (serves 8) and Bonobo does a World Cup bucket of 4 pints for Rs 550 (valid every day until the World Cup ends). And while you’re at it, check this cool apparatus that lets you down a pint in 3 seconds or less. Sports Bar Express, ground floor, Regal Cinema Building, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, Colaba, call 66396681; Bonobo, Kenilworth, 2nd floor, off Linking Road, next to KFC, Bandra (W), call 26055050.

From one drunk to another: A labeorphilist isn’t some kind of perv. It’s a person who collects beer bottles.

For the Whisky Drinker: Get five large Vat 69s for Rs 499. Also see buy-one-get-one-free deal on large pegs of imported spirits. Valid all through February and March from noon to 1 am. At Manchester United Cafe Bar, level 3, The Palladium, High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel, call 43601111; level 4, Nirmal Lifestyle Mall, LBS Marg, Mulund (W), call 65888077.

From one drunk to another: You may get frisky after so much whisky.

What: Down a beer in three seconds by Di3, to order call 9920451962 / 9819700977 or visit www.di3.in, view the Facebook page here, Rs 999 and Rs 1,499 (also available on hire with pick up and drop for Rs 500).

Why: No animal parts were harmed during the testing of this product. Only two human livers. Business partners Chirag Bhatia and Varun Parekh drank a gazillion litres of beer to develop this super cool apparatus – a portable Bottle Guzzler and party Funnel Guzzler (with pipe and tap) that let you down a pint in three seconds or less (see how it works here).  Seriously!

When: You want their hard work to beer fruit.

Fancy a plate of kanda bhajia for Rs 50? Or a samosa sandwich that costs Rs 135? That’s what you’ll get at the day-old Chai Coffi started up by Basilico’s Farhan Azmi, a cafe where street food gets a prized place, but not without a price hike. bpb swung by this Versova joint on opening day to see if it’s worth your while. You’re bhel-come!

New Tenant

Chai Coffi replaces the iconic Yaari Road Barista which shut down over a month ago, leaving scores of college students and lovers, actors and casting agents homeless. So is this cafe anything like its predecessor? Not really. If first impressions are anything to go by, Chai Coffi can well be mistaken for another outpost of Cafe Basilico with purple boundary walls and a wooden door. On the inside, under shaded trees we found a pretty al fresco area with white walls, predominantly black and brown furniture and a live pizza counter. It’s here that we spotted a piece of the past: orange table umbrellas just like the ones at Barista. Despite the opportunity to reminisce, we decided to ditch the sun and sit indoors, where the wooden interior is rather unremarkable, saved only by the natural light.

Past Life Regression

Eat Around the Corner - Just Around the Corner’s fresh avatar - opens just before Valentine’s Day with a new philosophy on love: Sever all ties with ex lovers. Hold them responsible for everything that went wrong in your past.

In EATC’s case, the ex lover is you and me, and anyone who hung out at the cafe for hours over a single beverage, occasionally ordering a pizza or sandwich. How did we figure this? From the high keep-out-the-riff-raff wall erected around the cafe, the prominent ‘rights of admission reserved’ board outside and the Rs 250 entry fee (cover charge) per person. The shift in philosophy from free loading to fine dining we understand, and the emphasis on food is great, but surely there is no need for the sarcastic, almost bitter board at the entrance that reproaches anyone who used hang out here over just “coffee and conversation...sometimes really really long ones”.  Yes ladies and gentleman, the new JATC is leaner than before, and definitely meaner.

Tray and Mural

But it’s also prettier, the outside (it no longer houses Costa Coffee and Pizzeria), with Parisian cafe style seating, mosaic mirrors and a black and white wall mural. The inside section is less welcoming, with a severe white, almost clinical landscape and the former self-service food system that comes with new dishes and a whole bunch of rules. “The food better be good,” we thought, holding on to the Rs 500 credit card handed to us at the entrance, with a number 18 behind it. We were to sit only at table number 18 and nowhere else. This was going to be fun!

What: Rent a cotton candy kiosk, call Hanumant on 9892559426, Rs 3,000 for a night.

Why: All set for your party?  Wait, did you remember to floss? Call Hanumant over, and he’ll set up a candy floss machine, sending wispy pink clouds floating through your living room. And just like that, love will be in the air.

When: You want to get mishty eyed.