And just like that, we’re already through six months of 2022! For now, things are going strong on the events scene, with everyone barely batting an eyelid as events pop up last minute, get postponed, cancelled, or shifted to different venues. “Hey we gotta roll with the punches,” a well-known event curator was heard saying, and I can’t disagree. We saw a little bit of everything this week — food, fashion, performing arts and the usual crazy amount of shopping that seems to have become a fixture every single weekend.
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At Hyatt Regency Chennai, the crowds had arrived for the Hi-Life Exhibition, with the regulars landing up early, with their shopping lists. The launch was fun and a break from the usual, involving a fashion-meets-music showcase choreographed by Prajanya Anand. The flash mob type performance was a great way to kickstart the shopping, with the models snaking their way through the exhibition and giving everyone the grand tour in a fun way.
On the foodie front, the party started at Goldman’s Steak House, an evening to celebrate their launch and give everyone a chance to sample their menu. Despite the meaty expectations or should I say assumptions, we found out that the smoky flavours also extend to a vegetarian section of the menu. Everyone was excited to meet Chef Koushik aka The Mad Chef, best known from his role as judge on MasterChef Tamil. And while most of us carnivores did not need the lesson, there were fun posters up, depicting the various levels of ‘done-ness’ for a steak. A lot of guests said they learnt a thing or two.
The second part of the food trail was at Jai Hind at GRT Grand as they launched their degustation pop-up Hitch a Ride on NH44, fairly self-explanatory, an ode to the vibrant cuisines that dot the iconic national highway. The sit-down lunch featured a series of carefully thought out dishes, with Chef Sheetharam explaining the nuances. Of course, we all love a little table-side drama and we got our fill of that. Flaming Kebabs, smoking (Insta worthy) fish curry and my favourite — a Mutton Yakni Shorba that was poured at the table. I was tempted to ask them to bottle it for me.
The week also included the much-talked-about launch of Ethiopian Airlines’ first non-stop flight between Chennai and Addis Ababa. From performances by both sides, to speeches, it was a fun evening with everyone discussing their travel plans.