And You Thought You Knew… Mumbai by Devanshi Mody
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Le Royal Meridien Mumbai
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Everyone knows that... Mumbai is à la mode. Previously, the odd tourist dropped by. Now, it’s raining firangis (foreigners). Because everyone’s lured by the exploding economy, Bollywood’s glamour, Mumbai’s magic and madness…Grandeur beside penury, snake charmers by snazzy boutiques, posh mehamsahibs pursued by mendicant urchins… This sprawling, swarming, throbbing metropolis is a phenomenon.
Which inspired Greg Roberts’s International Best Seller Shantaram. Greg lives in Mumbai. Leaves it grudgingly to nip over to Johnny Depp’s Caribbean island and Branson’s Virgin Islands (“What to do, they keep nagging me…”) Johnny D. will be in Mumbai to shoot Shantaram, a $150,000,000 Warner Brothers production.
Some people know that… You never get into a Mumbai train unless you’re suicidal or insane. But then, you might spend a lifetime in the traffic. Or trying to enter Indigo- where society’s cream lumps thickly around. The world’s 40 best restaurants includes Indigo and the world’s greatest dine here: the Clintons, Sultan of Brunei, Saudi Arabian Royals and the Prince of Denmark to name a few.
To eat or not to eat at Saltwater Grill? The glam set adore this exotic water’s edge restaurant under swooning palms. Exquisite ambiance. Debatable food. But the beautiful people don’t eat, dahlin- they live on love and Saltwater air. Masala Kraft is Gastronomic Paradise. But Shaggy and Brian Adams preferred Peshawari’s chunky kebabs and rustic Northwest frontier décor.
Catching the sunset over cocktails, poolside partying and romancing are trés fashionable at swish white terrace-top Dome Bar. Spectacular view of Marine Drive and the Queen’s Necklace! From Souk’s rarefied rooftop, High Society looks down upon Mumbai’s magnificent Harbour and Colonial architecture. They come down to earth to shop at exclusive boutiques in The Courtyard’s verdant precinct. And chez Tarun Tahiliani who dresses Aishwarya Rai, Jemima Goldsmith, the Duchess of Kent… Colaba Causeway is inevitable. The bewildering array of exotic ethnic paraphernalia entices everyone from hippies to Her Highnesses (Shhh…)
Not everyone knows that… Mumbai’s legendary Taj Mahal Hotel, erstwhile luxury escape of Maharajas, preceded the Gateway of India by 20 years, served as a hospital for World War I allies, has hosted Prince Charles, Jackie O, the Beatles, Mick Jagger, Pierce Brosnon, Michael Douglas… Not surprisingly, Chef Morimoto of Nobu fame runs Wasabi here.
Eyeing Bollywood? Try crashing Bollywood’s wild bashes at pier-top, open-air Vie Lounge. Fine dine at Venetian glass-panelled Vetro. If Bollywood’s badshahs elude, there’s consolatory complimentary wine tasting, with cheeses, fruits et al. Liz Hurley was here. For homemade ravioli. Or Bollywood’s directors? Hmm…