City restaurants are getting all gizmo-ed up, hoping that technology will lure in new diners. Will you byte the bait?

Stock Your Bar

It’s time to put your money where your mouth is. Coming up shortly, Eros resto-bar Valhalla will launch their alcohol stock exchange, a fun concept where you can buy shares of your preferred drink at the bar and watch your Stoli stocks rise and crash on NASDAQ-inspired display screens. The more popular a drink gets that night, the more expensive it becomes, so the real winners here will be those with minority tastes. Vote for something unusual, and you could pay as low as 80 percent less than the menu price.

Getting there: Valhalla, First floor, East Wing, Eros Theatre Building, Churchgate, call 67353535.

I Touch, You See
   
You want take a bite out of this Apple: Koh, InterContinental has just launched iKoh, a slick iPad app that allows diners to scroll through the restaurant’s food (each dish comes with a picture) and drink menu on a digital interface. Extras include a bio of celebrity chef Ian Kittichai and an online feedback form. While you still have to call a server to place your order, the 2.0 version ( in planning stages) will facilitate direct ordering and social networking, and come with an iPhone app on which you can decide your order (and more importantly, calculate your tab), even before you get to the restaurant. Fits our bill!

Getting there: KOH, InterContinental Marine Drive, call 39879999.

Smelling Tactics

Can we interest you in some perfume for your pasta? It’s Italian and aromatic and comes in a pretty crystal bottle with an old-school atomizer. Yes, we’re perfectly serious.

Talk about vintage technology. The chefs over at Botticino, Trident BKC’s Italian restaurant, insist that spraying grappa vapours on everything from calamari to coffee enhances the flavours of the dish, claiming that the aromas from this brandy add “a new dimension”. Fact or fiction? We didn’t notice much difference in the taste, but this spray is much prettier than freshly ground pepper, and a little extra alcohol never hurt anyone.

Getting there: Botticino, Trident, T C-56, G Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, call 66727020 for reservations.

(B)Utter Your Words

Brush up on the difference between carne and Carpaccio, because eating out in Mumbai is (finally) getting more adventurous. And if you don’t feel like studying for your supper, we suggest you at least get your hands on a cheat sheet: the Global Eater Food Dictionary, is a handy iPhone app that lists names and descriptions of over a 1,000 exotic dishes from across a bunch of different cuisines including Mexican, Spanish and French. Full marks!

Also check out the Amul cartoon app, which toasts an extensive archive of the butter’s iconic campaign, to add a side of humour to your morning breakfast.

Getting there: To download the Amul Cartoon Ads click here; find the Global Eater Food Dictionary here.