Sonali’s Society: The Ambanis have road woes too!

Arriving in Juhu on Sunday morning to host a yogathemed celebration for Womenrsquos Day Shilpa Shetty proved that Bastian Beach is meant for more than just binge drinking Sun salutations and sisterhood never looked this stylishRooted in the mountainsEven though he is tucked away in the hills with barely enough connectivity to get through a phone conversation chef Prateek Sadhu is making waves worldwide Naar his remarkable restaurant in Kasauli currently sits just outside Asiarsquos 50 Best Restaurants list at No 66 with the next round of honours set to be announced on March 25 in Hong KongPrateek SadhuGrateful as he is for the recognition Sadhursquos journey is defined less by the pursuit of accolades and more by a deliberate step away from the industryrsquos conventional rat race Kasauli and Kashmir are his great loves and he carries them with him wherever he goes Back in January he served Kahwa among many other mouthwatering treats at a state dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu for EU leaders Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen mdash an understated gesture that sparked a lively exchange between von der Leyen and PM Narendra Modi about saffronSadhu calls it his ldquohumble intent and attemptrdquo to reshape perceptions of what Indian food can be mdash and he does so with dramatic effect one plate at a time This month Hong Kong will get a taste of exactly what he means first over dinner a twoday ticketed collaboration with chef Adam Catterall at Roganic and then through a talk titled lsquoRootedrsquo on March 24 both under the aegis of Asiarsquos 50 Best For a chef who draws inspiration from the quiet mountains the world seems to be listening louder than everClose shave for VaughanMaking the most of his time in Mumbai currently is Michael Vaughan Englandrsquos 2005 Asheswinning captain Mornings often find him on a brisk walk around Oval Maidan pausing to watch kids chase cricket balls with infectious energy Our coastal city being far warmer than Yorkshire hersquos clearly enjoying every sunsoaked step while packing in an assortment of adventures From Leopold Cafeacute to crabs at Trishna the cricket commentator is sampling the cityrsquos favourites working it off with padel celebrating Holi and even attending Harsha Bhoglersquos son Satchitrsquos wedding But Sunday brought his most amusing adventure yetMichael VaughanSetting up shop near Mumbairsquos Gateway of India a streetside barber would hardly have imagined having an exEngland player settle in for a shave and shoulder massage but thatrsquos just what Vaughan signed up for Dewyfaced courtesy a nondescript Dindayal Vaughan then made a video to mark the moment mdash a clip that our inhouse cricket nut did not miss Alluding to Vaughanrsquos travels he proceeded to comment ldquoAfter Vistara itrsquos vastara mdash thatrsquos what that blade is calledrdquo Serving up a sharp blade with a sharper sense of humour now thatrsquos quintessentially MumbaiColour across continentsWe should be done and dusted with Holi this week but colourful stories from the day are still trickling in While the Princess of Wales had an Indian audience spellbound from afar with her Holi celebrations over in Leicester on March 5 Catherine even danced barefoot at a temple a contingent of other Brits were painting the town red in RajasthanLiz and Damian Hurley with Arun NayarIn a multiday celebration hosted by international entrepreneur Arun Nayar everyone from his exwife actor Elizabeth Hurley to television presenter Trinny Woodall took in the sights and sounds of a spectacular seasonal celebration at Raas Devigarh in Delwara It was a relatively intimate affair mdash tight on numbers but full of fun with several Mumbai mavens making the trip Tanya Dubash and Haseena Jethmalani included Also in attendance were Roohi Jaikishan husband Chetan and brother Riyad Oomerbhoy as well as famed footwear designer Patrick CoxExpectedly gulab and gulal were central to the celebrations that began with colourful monogrammed welcome hampers were followed by the flames of Holika Dahan and ended in song dance and shared camaraderie It was a weekend to remember wersquore told mdash vivid vivacious and unapologetically funPashas and potholesWith our roads perennially under excavation Mumbaikars have become intimately familiar with the anatomy of a pothole mdash and scoring Astars for excellence in the subject are a handful suburban wards Learning that lesson last week were Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal who trekked to Izumi in Bandra for brunchIsha AmbaniDressed down in shorts both Anand and Isha navigated a narrow pathway flanked by road rubble to reach the entrance Isharsquos short journey from the car to the restaurant was particularly perilous given that she was cradling one of her tots too That said we can tell you from the gazillion times wersquove eaten there this tiny Japanese restaurant is worth every uphill stepTheir shimeji mushroom and beetroot salad alone is enough to have you lacing up your boots And until our roads are finally repaired dodging a crater or two is just the price you pay for your cravings mdash no matter who you are