Actor

Srishti Shrivastava

Theatre-goers will agree with me when I say that Srishti Shrivastava is one of the most talented and busy actors on the Mumbai theatre circuit today. While we saw her fighting Alia Bhatt’s Safina in Gully Boy before a proper debut as Ayushmann Khurrana’s sister in Gulabo Sitabo, Shrivastava has been a part of major theatre productions in the past few years, and had also won Best Supporting Actor award at META in 2018 for Shikhandi. Her popularity on screens commenced with her role in Girliyapa on YouTube, and her recent outing in the Madhuri Dixit-starrer Maja Ma (Amazon Prime Video), makes her a fresh face to count on for meatier roles in the ever-evolving streaming platform space. Watching out for you, Shrivastava.

Eat & Drink

Eve, Mumbai

Restaurants are opening up by the bucket and it’s hard to keep up, that’s why I’m out there, filtering, so that you don’t have to. In place of what was once Indigo Deli, Powai now has Eve — a resto-bar that’s meant to be a creative space for people to come together over meals, coffee, or a cocktail. A vintage doorway welcomes you in and leads you to a 30 ft library staircase, high ceilings adorned with books. The idea is to create an extension of your living room — so you’ll find comfortable couches, formal nuclear dining tables, an island bar, cane-weaved seating, and cute little corners. In keeping with this homely feel, the menu is cuisine-agnostic — I had some European appetisers before crawling into my comfort zone with Asian, but let’s start with some cocktails first. Soulful for the gin lover is the Treasure of France: a rather sippable gin cocktail with vanilla, passion fruit, citrus, sparkling wine, and some Darjeeling tea, which produces a rather bittersweet and light taste. If you’re in the mood to tequila it up, try the El Dove, with tequila, agave, jalapenos, and bird eye chilli — a sweet and spicy punchy poison.

Pair these craft cocktails with some usual and unusual appetisers — the easiest choice for the fussiest person on your table would be the hot chicken poppers. A special appetiser that’s a must-try is the Eve’s Cranberry & Brie Phyllo Cup, made of thin, flaky pastry cups filled with softened, buttered brie, maraschino cherries, cranberries, with some berry compote. Indulgent AF, and a sweet twist in the middle of a meal. For the mains, pick from an assortment of pizzas, Asian lovers can try the edamame blue pea rice and some prawns, or a pan seared salmon with citrus sauce. P.S: This is a resto-bar with a bakery counter, so a coffee-croissant date with their in-house baked goodies is a possibility too.

One8 Commune, Mumbai

Virat Kohli’s much awaited One8 Commune has made its way to Mumbai, and the buzz is real. Nestled in the late Kishore Kumar’s Juhu bungalow, the concept is to create a ‘community’ for everyone to sit, chill, eat, and drink at. A neutral colour palette, with flooring retained from the original bungalow, different seating areas of the place are defined differently — case in point — the semi-private dining area that has a warm embrace like a parlour — meant for an intimate party of five, while the outside seating is meant for a rather casual, quick hangout. My overall experience says it’s suited best for small bites and cocktails, and there’s plenty to choose from there. Start with the Lavender Gimlet, a gin cocktail that’s essentially a gin cocktail with a lavender twist, so slightly tangy, really light, and easy to drink. Old-fashioned enthusiasts can try the Banana Old Fashioned, which has a banana aftertaste and is a good sipping cocktail with your meal.

On the food menu is a section called Virat’s Favourites, featuring Kohli’s personal favourite dishes, and the heart wants to experiment then. I don’t eat my meals without a salad, so the Superfood Salad, with assorted greens, amaranth, cantaloupe, and roasted pumpkin seeds is an easy choice, followed by my favourite dish of this meal: the mushroom googly dimsums, with soft wild mushrooms, cream cheese, and truffle oil. Light, flavourful, and a must-try. The avocado flatbread with corn butter jalapeno and truffle oil is a bestseller here, so try that next, and follow it up with some prawn aj ajillo with sourdough. The menu is extensive, and includes almost everyone’s tastes, so order freely, you’ll lap it all up in no time.

Travel

A weekend at Woods At Sasan, Gir

I’ll start by saying this: if you’re burnt out in the city, and have overdone the beaches, nothing can do for you what a wildlife wellness experience can. Immersive experiences are the need of the hour, and situated in the Gir forest of Gujarat, Woods At Sasan, a modern retreat, offers just that. Nestled in 16 acres of mango orchard and lush forest, the focus of this place is to bring your focus back on what matters the most: wellbeing. Eco-conscious architecture welcomes you into a space with greenery, lush gardens, and closer to nature — you’re literally in a forest. From a villa to a studio room, each independent space has its own private garden where you can sip your morning tea, indulge in some reflection, and enjoy the quiet. Open showers, luxurious bathtubs with sunlight pouring in, the rooms are comfortable, and peaceful.

A weekend of nutrition, ayurvedic treatments, nature expeditions, and curated experiences guided by wellbeing practitioners is what you’re signing up for here. Meals can be served with a side of internet, but pick their sattvic experiences — for breakfast, you’ll nibble your healthies in the middle of a garden while a flutist plays some fresh melodies, making sure your day starts on a positive note. Dinner, too, can be had under the stars — a special sattvic dinner with candle light and hearth fire flicker as you experience a sense of calm, mindfully eating your meal, no blue light rays interfering.

Sasan Gir is home to the last of the Asiatic lions of the world, as well as some of the most exotic flora and fauna. An open jeep ride with a personal guide takes you through the carefully curated paths of the forest to witness nature in its truest form — and if you’re lucky, you’ll spot a lion or two. I spotted one within 15 minutes of my safari, and it was mesmerising to observe, hard to take my eyes off. Ever wondered what it’s like in the jungle at night? As moonlight covers the world like a blanket and leaves rustle, the retreat takes you on an immersive night ride in an open gypsy, where you can experience the quiet. Cool winds wrap around you as you drive 10 kms to reach the corner of the lake, turn the headlights off, only the lights from the fireflies flickering around you, as you hope to spot a nocturnal animal, or hear the roar of a lion. A cup of chai with some cookies while you sit still and just experience the night. Call me philosophical, but it changes something within you.

After the wildlife and night ride excitement, spend your second day in bliss at the Som wellbeing holistic center, which is not just for traditional massages, but has treatment programs for more consistent wellness — their yoga practitioners will teach you yoga nidra, meditation, and other techniques that’ll help you tap that inner self, and really detox from the chaos in your head. The evening can be spent at a sundowner where, with some lemongrass tea, you learn about your circadian rhythm through a grounding session as you walk a path of stones to understand your pressure points — the holistic practitioner personally guides you through this.

From a Gujarati thali experience to an all-in-all under-the-stars barbecue to a meditative state of mind, wellness experiences meant to calm you, blended with the thrill of adventure with safaris and animal spotting — if you want a few days of newer things than just gramworthy staycations, Woods At Sasan will tick all boxes.

Image Credits: Srishti Shrivastava, Eve, One8 Commune, Woods At Sasan