China House Lounge Has Re-opened

Cool Chef Cafe. Photo: Vikas Munipalle.

NEWS
• On Sunday, August 5, the Mumbai Police’s social service branch, which is helmed by assistant commissioner of police Vasant Dhoble, raided Cool Chef Cafe, a restaurant and lounge in Worli, and Balthazar, a Chinese restaurant in Santa Cruz, on the grounds of overcrowding and for playing music without a licence. According to this report, the customers at both venues were spared by the cops, but the management at Cool Chef Cafe and Balthazar had to pay Rs12,500 in fines. The law permits 78 people in a 500 square feet establishment and 166 people in a 1,000 square feet one; the social service branch said that they found 175 people at Cool Chef Cafe and about 300 people at Balthazar at the time of the raids. Tarun Thadani, co-owner of Cool Chef Cafe, refuted the claim, saying that there were only 49 people present at that time. Both Cool Chef Cafe and Balthazar confirmed over the phone that they were open for business as usual.

OPENINGS
• China House, the lounge at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Santa Cruz, has re-opened. The hotel’s management informed us that the lounge closed in March for renovations and opened in June. The lounge has resumed hosting DJ nights every Friday. Daily, from 10pm to 1.30am. Off the Western Express Highway, Santa Cruz (East). Tel: 022 6676 1234.

• Hometown Cafe, the multi-cuisine restaurant with branches in Juhu and Andheri, is set to open in Bandra this week. The menu offers a mix of Malaysian, Thai, Chinese and European fare. The restaurant has replaced China Gate on Waterfield Road and the latter has shifted to the second floor of the same building, which also houses North Indian restaurant Caravan Serai. 155, Golden Orchid, Waterfield Road, Bandra (West). Tel: 022 2645 9711.

• Ci Gusta!, a new Italian frozen yoghurt shop, is slated to open in R City Mall in Ghatkopar on Friday, August 10. They’re launching with ten fro-yo flavours including green apple, wild berry, apricot, salted caramel, strawberry and banana. In addition to regular toppings like fresh fruits, dry fruits, and cookie crumble, Ci Gusta! will give you a choice of topping sauces in flavours like blueberry, coffee crunch, and chocolate hazelnut. Their menu also includes gelatos in mango, strawberry and lemon flavours, and paninis with balsamic roasted vegetables and spicy mushroom fillings. Prices start at Rs69 for a small cup of fro-yo and at Rs19 for toppings. Daily, from 10am to midnight. Ground Floor, R City Mall, Phase 2, Ghatkopar. Tel: 98209 42110.

• Andheri has a new restaurant called Authentic The European Kitchen, which serves salads, pastas, pizzas, and sandwiches. The menu includes chicken parmesan; beer-battered fish and chips; meatball pizza; Cajun chicken pizza; four cheese pizza; chicken Stroganoff; penne pesto; penne in vodka sauce; carrot cake; and a dessert pizza. Daily, from 11am to 11pm. 4, Melbourne Cooperative Housing Society, Shashtri Nagar, opposite HDFC Bank, near Lokhandwala Circle, Andheri (West). Tel: 022 2631 8161 and 99200 27879.

CLOSING
• The Bandra branch of the vegetarian Lebanese snack joint Falafel’s has shuttered. According to the staff at the Colaba outpost of Falafel’s, the restaurant is slated to re-open at a new location in Bandra within the next six months.

BEER TASTING
• On Thursday, August 9, Woodside in Andheri will host a beer tasting session along with All Things Nice, a company that organises wine dinners across the city. You can taste six imported beers, namely Asahi from Japan, Brooklyn Lager from the US, Erdinger from Germany, the UK’s London Pride, Murphy’s from Ireland, and the Belgian Liefmans. The session, which will also include a talk on the history of beer, types and styles of beer, and the process of beer making, is priced at Rs995 per person. The registration fee gets you a mug of each beer and finger foods such as sliders, beer-battered onion rings, and charred tomato and zucchini mousse. From 8pm to 9.30pm. New Link Plaza, Oshiwara Link Road, next to Oshiwara Police Station, Andheri (West). Tel: 022 2632 8963/022 2633 6549.