Just how crazy can Chennai’s cricket fans get? They showed us this week. Instagram is full of memes about bitten nails and soaring heart rates as cricket fever soars. Chennai’s been all about the ‘yellove’ as we screamed ourselves hoarse this week. Some of those recent final moments were certainly not for the faint of heart. But we’re barely at the halfway mark, let’s see how the rest of the season goes. Meanwhile, around the city, when folks aren’t scrambling to get tickets, there is loads to choose from, with a slew of new places opening this summer. Like Pan Sauce Poetry, the newest restaurant in town, with a cozy vibe and an impressive guest list at the launch. Plus, we loved the invites that went out, with personalised caricatures for each invitee. People got to enjoy the new space and get a taste of the menu, from the food to the specially crafted desserts.
On World Heritage Day, Titanium Motors, the franchise partner for Mercedes Benz, held a special event to showcase some of the brand’s most iconic and historic models. Setting the stage was the venue, the Gove building, Titanium Motors’ Mount Road showroom, which by itself is a 107-year-old heritage building. It goes without saying that all eyes were on the cars on display, and while it’s hard to pick a favourite, it looked like the R107 450 SLC inched ahead of the others. We have to give a special mention to Ranjit Pratap, the loving owner of these beauties, who spoke about his lifelong love for cars, and how he started building his collection. Also present was Yuvashree, India’s only drag racer, who gave us a sneak peek into the world of drag racing and the challenges of being a woman in a male dominated arena.
This week also saw the Terroir Wine Club host a sit down wine-paired five course dinner at ITC Grand Chola. With the theme East meets West, the wines were from Europe and America, paired with delectable Pan Asian cuisine. A cheeky take perhaps on Rudyard Kipling’s famous saying ‘East is east and west is west, and never the twain shall meet’. The evening was well attended as always, with prominent members of the diplomatic brigade present. The popularity of the club appears to be growing as well with Honorary Consul of Seychelles, Sesha Sai and businessman Pradeep Cholayil being introduced as new members. On the subject of fine spirits, the 12th edition of the Global Icons of Whisky Awards 2023 and the third edition of the International Icons of Gin Awards 2023, were hosted in India and the results declared from London. ITC Grand Chola’s Chef Nikhil Nagpal bagged Chef of the Year and Cheroot, Hotel Bar of the Year. I think its most appropriate to say congratulations and ‘lets raise a toast to celebrate’.
And speaking of celebrations, it was a fun time had by all, at Punam Jain’s birthday brunch at Secret Stories. The almost all-girl party saw most of the ladies going for sorbet hues with the birthday girl herself looking like a delectable ice lolly, in one of her creations. Fruity drinks helped everyone battle the heat, along with some fun games and loads of bubbly. Here’s wishing Punam the best year ahead!