Michael Mina celebrated 20 years of cooking in San Francisco just a few months back. Through these years Mina has set up a culinary empire that spans the country. But San Francisco is still special, for it was here he first began his meteoric rise. A couple of years back, he moved his eponymous restaurant to the same location where Aqua once existed, and where he began his climb to stardom.
Coi is clearly not for everyone. Chef Daniel Patterson's culinary journey is best appreciated by foodies who are willing to stretch their boundaries and appreciate the special ingredients and complex preparation that goes into every serving. Coi's philosophy is based on sourcing the best local ingredients: cultivated plants grown from heirloom seeds; wild-harvested leaves, flowers, barks and roots; local fish, seaweeds and coastal grasses; pastured meat, poultry and eggs from small farmers. The 11-course dinner here reminded me of an excellent Kaiseki dinner I had experienced in Tokyo.
Kiva first opened on Range Hills Road in Pune and quickly became the drinking hole of choice for students and youngsters in that side of town. The tastefully done interiors looked like something out of the Star Wars movie - Tatooine for those who know their Star Wars universe well! They went on to open a second, larger restaurant and bar in Koregaon Park, this time done up in Pacific island themes, totems poles and all. Now they have three more, each of them uniquely themed with a satisfying bar menu and great food.
The Hyatt Regency opened its doors last year in Chennai. All the floors are not ready yet, which can make for some rough edges if you choose this hotel for a business trip. However, what tilts the balance in it favor are its excellent restaurants. The hotel is home to three restaurants: Stix specializes in Chinese cuisine from the Sichuan region and street hawker-style cooking from the East; Focaccia serves up home-style Italian food from the southern part of the country; and, Spice Market which provides you an all-day dining experience in a pleasant and airy setting.
Another quick trip to San Francisco and Silicon Valley. I expected downtown San Francisco to be very cold but the weather turned out to be pleasant, unusually so for this time of the year. Emirates had upgraded me to first class on my entire onward journey from Mumbai to San Francisco, and I was nicely rested by the time I arrived. By the time I checked in, showered and thought of lunch, it was pretty late in the afternoon.
Large department stores and shopping malls began opening in Pune about a decade back. Few have lasted long, but newer ones continue to open every year. Right now, the shopping district of choice is clearly Nagar Road where three new malls have recently opened their doors. The biggest of them all? Phoenix Market City.
