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Starbucks takes on India

Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:33:12 +0000

Starbucks is due to open its first store in India through a 50-50 joint venture with Tata Global Beverages. The first branches will open in Mumbai and New Delhi in September and about 50 stores will follow within the first 12 months.

John Culver, Starbucks president for China and Asia Pacific, said there could be as many as 3,000 Starbucks stores in the world's fastest-growing economy after China. China currently has about 500.

Starbucks declined to comment on the pricing at its future Indian stores. The price of a cup of coffee ranges widely in India, where consumers can spend Rs 53 rupees on a cappuccino at a local chain or Rs 400 on a frappé at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, an international chain that already has a presence in India.

Starbucks arrives at a time when the Indian government is trying to attract more foreign retail investment, but is slow at loosening restrictions.

Strict limits on foreign ownership in India in the past have kept many international brands from setting up shop, including Ikea and Walmart. The latter met with stringent conditions on a recent deal while the Walmart negotiations have been put off altogether.

New Delhi's India Art Fair explodes this year

Himali Singh Soin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

by Himali Singh Soin

The India Art Fair (previously called The India Art Summit) features 91 galleries and art spaces from 91 countries.

Founded by 31-year-old Neha Kirpal in 2008, the India Art Fair features the work of well-known international artists such as Picasso, Dali, Rashid Rana and Damien Hirst as well as hosts a speaker’s forum by curators, gallerists, art theoreticians and artists from around the world.

The fair also lends its outdoor and (non-functional) indoor spaces to larger projects that cannot be contained within the gallery booths.

This year, look out for Zuleikha Chaudhari and Clemens Behr’s architectural installations, supported by the Creative India Foundation. These kinetic sculptures inspire awe and offer a space for silence and thought amid an otherwise intense atmosphere of seeing and dealing.

"Most people spend more than a day or two at the Fair and one of the reasons people also come back every year is that it offers a rare opportunity to experience the sheer diversity of the Indian art scene first hand, and under one roof," says India Art Fair founder Kirpal.

Manchester United Mumbai fans pay to party with Gary Neville

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:44:34 +0000

Any Manchester United fan will tell you footballer Gary Neville -- nicknamed "Busy Busy" -- is a legend.

He's coming to Mumbai this Thursday. And it will be the closest many fans have ever come to seeing a United player in the flesh.

And not just any player.

Neville, a one-club man, captained Manchester United for five years between 2005 and 2010, before calling time on his playing career on February 2 2011, almost 20 years after making his debut for United.

He is also England’s most capped right-back, playing on the national side for more than 10 years.

Got the munchies in Goa? Where the experts eat

Shilarna Vaze — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

by Shilarna Vaze

For the past five years I have been cooking for a living in Goa during the six-month “season” which starts late October and ends in early April.

Stricter visa rules, the police closing down raves at 10 p.m. and other issues have evolved Goa’s avatar from international trance mecca to global food destination. Now, where to go for dinner is one of the most crucial decisions you can make.

Here’s my ideal eating itinerary for hippy hipsters, which includes where to swim, walk and shop to work up an appetite.

Breakfast at Baba Au Rhum

Baba Au Rhum a little bakery and pizzeria in Arpora.My perfect Goa day starts with being swept off for breakfast on “Terror,” my Swiss boyfriend Christophe Perrin’s name for his Indian motorbike, a black modified Enfield Bullet.

We’re heading to Baba Au Rhum, the best bakery in Goa for pain au chocolat, croissants and all things sweet.

Do or die: 20 New Year's resolutions for Mumbai

Hilary Fischer-Groban — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 21:00:00 +0000

by Hilary Fischer-Groban, Jhilmil Motihar

Ergonomics anyone?1. Figure out how to make giving change on the Sea Link a one-person job

Maybe the guy who rolls up the bills into a tiny jumble and the guy who hands the jumble to the other guy outside the toll booth could have a brainstorming session to see who is extraneous.

2. Find a way to fix open manholes instead of just putting a palm leaf over the hole

This is dangerous jugaad, aka a quick fix. Can't we at least find a bright object to alert drivers, not to mention walkers?

Along these lines, maybe we should start monsoon preparations before monsoon this year …
3. Reopen Bandra's Zenzi bar

Hari Menon: New Delhi, Mumbai: Visit both, or which?

Hari Menon — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:00:00 +0000

by Hari Menon

Say you’ve got one Indian urban hot spot to visit, which would you choose? Only two realistically offer the sort of interesting urban experience that true city-lovers seek: Mumbai and New Delhi.

Conventional wisdom would have it that Delhi, with its magnificent old ruins and history that goes back thousands of years, is where you go for a cultural fix that few cities in the world can equal.

Mumbai, with its buzzing nightlife and edgy urban energy, is what you want when you’re looking for an invigorating city experience.

Delhi is the city where you always need to be on guard while you enjoy its gardens, museums and theatres; against the thrusting aggressiveness of its citizenry, against nasty cab drivers and surly service staff, against the sheer parvenu philistinism of its social life.

Mumbai is famously the egalitarian city where cosmopolitan sophisticates discuss Argentine beef and Japanese pillow books with equal felicity when they’re not making fortunes in the corporate world, all against the impossible-to-match glamour of Bollywood, the popular name for the city’s huge film industry.

Definitive guide to New Delhi's Hauz Khas Village

Himali Singh Soin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 06:37:43 +0000

by Himali Singh Soin

The streets are crumbling and the wires overhead are irreversibly tangled. New Delhi's historic Hauz Khas Village (HKV) may be a bit scruffy at the edges, but there's no funkier spot in the capital to shop, eat and generally enjoy the vibe.

Designer Bina Ramani opened one of the city's first independent fashion boutiques here decades ago on account of its authentic village atmosphere.

By the late 1980s, HKV had a manicured park, more than 40 designer stores and a few restaurants that catered to a foreign clientele.

Owners set up the Creative Arts Village Association, hoping to work together for the improvement of village conditions.

Activity in Hauz Khas hummed along through the 1990s and the Village, with a deer park, water reservoir and crumbling monuments, has been well-loved for its mid-city sense of seclusion.

4 figurative ways to electrocute yourself

Sita Wadhwani — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:37:07 +0000

by Sita Wadhwani

You're lucky if you're in Mumbai this weekend. Three tandem dance parties will tell you everything you need to know about the city's dance and club culture -- high tech and low tech -- from the big club to the seaside lounge to the dive bar.

The gigs happen to be timed so you can make all three -- Friday night at blueFROG, Saturday night at Cool Chef Cafe and Sunday sunset at Aurus.

Plus one equally "electric" art exhibition to see in town.

You will meet hip, happy people on this itinerary. Guaranteed.

DANCE

Designer Kunal Lodhia's Grime Riot Disco party posters are great.

Mumbai party alert: New 3 a.m. closing bell for hotel bars and clubs

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 07:51:42 +0000

In the interests of uniformity, nightclubs and bars in Mumbai's four- and five-star hotels are now allowed to serve alcohol and remain open till 3 a.m., according to a new state government policy passed December 3.

Previously only 14 such hotels in the city had special 3 a.m. privileges. Until a hotel owner from Andheri thought to ask why, and his petition moved the court to move the state to change its policy.

However, regular hotels, independent restaurants and watering holes continue to live under the 1:30 a.m. official closing time.

Remember: we still have it better than Bangalore, where shutter-down is 10:30 p.m. and police trawl the main streets sticking their noses into your car window, right next to your mouth, for the scent of booze.

More on CNNGo: The guys who made Mumbai's new drinking law must have been drunk

Buddy, let's hit the Scotch at duty-free

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 07:15:06 +0000

The most likely spectacle at an Indian duty-free shop nowadays is not elderly European travelers buying sandalwood elephants, but globe-trotting Indian businessmen in sharp suits snapping up single malt as if Scotch were going out of style.

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) says India is the fifth largest market for scotch shipments (by volume); consumption in the first six months of 2011 was equivalent to 24.2 million bottles.

With India earmarked as a growing market, Scotch distilleries are launching their new products on India's duty-free circuit.

Liquor major Diageo premiered Johnnie Walker Platinum, an 18-year-old whisky, at Indian duty-free shops a week ago, while Johnnie Walker XR, a 21 year-old whisky, first rolled off the country's travel retail shelves last year.

India was also one of the earliest markets for Johnnie Double Black.

A quick peek into Powai

Kanika Parab and Mansi Poddar — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:00:00 +0000

by Kanika Parab and Mansi Poddar

It might seem a world apart from the center of the city, but Powai -- in the north-east of Mumbai -- is one of the buzziest emerging neighborhoods and a favorite spot for weekend business conferences.

From tiny home kitchens to brand-new hotels, here’s what you need to check out on your next trip to Hiranandani Gardens, Powai's thriving township.

EAT

Aromas Café opens at 8 a.m. -- big plus point.

Aromas Café: Early bird breakfast

While the Khar branch of this Australian café chain is battling to launch, Aromas Café in Powai is doing brisk business.

It opens at 8 a.m. -- a rare opening hour for anything in Mumbai -- and the sandwiches and salads are fresh.

Christian Vanneque and the world's most expensive bottle of white wine

Charlene Fang — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 06:09:28 +0000

by Charlene Fang

For 62-year-old Christian Vanneque, a love of wine has taken him to one particularly unexpected place: the Guinness Book of World Records.

Vanneque became the owner of the most expensive bottle of white wine ever sold when he paid US$117,000 for a bottle of 1811 Château d'Yquem earlier this year.

The gaudy buy caps an impressive wine-industry career.

At the tender age of 20, Vanneque was head sommelier at Paris’ famed three-Michelin star La Tour d’Argent, making him France’s youngest chef sommelier, and in charge, at the time, of the largest restaurant wine cellar in the world.

In 1976, Vanneque was one of the judges at the historic May 24, 1976, Paris Wine Tasting, organized by Steven Spurrier. The Judgment of Paris, as it became known, was a blind tasting in which nine French judges shocked the industry by choosing unknown California wines over France’s best, altering the image of wine forever.

CNBC AWAAZ Travel Awards: Winners, trends and some big statistics

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 07:04:38 +0000

Over the last six years travel has grown to become the largest service industry in India. That means some exciting companies here are competing hard for your currency exchange.

This year's CNBC AWAAZ Travel Awards provide a credible snapshot of the best India has to offer the global travel industry. Presented and backed by Subodh Kant Sahay, India's minister of tourism and supported by Incredible India, the nodal agency for the development and promotion of tourism in India.

Unlike other travel awards, which year after year pick the usual suspects, these awards are steered by business media and put into perspective not only category winners but emerging trends in India's tourism sector too.

They are the trends -- across leisure, medical, adventure and heritage tourism -- that are putting India on the world map.

“India, a nation rich in its cultural heritage, archaeology and tourist destinations, has evolved as a primary market for the travel and tourism industry worldwide," said Sanjay Pugalia, editor-in-chief, CNBC AWAAZ, a major Indian business television channel.

iReport: Where to grab Mumbai's best cup of 'kaapi'

Rama Sreekant — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 22:00:00 +0000

by Rama Sreekant

An exhilarating aroma, creamy golden brown froth, a fulsome nutty flavor and a lingering, slightly sharp aftertaste -- that's how a steaming cup of Indian filter coffee comes on to your senses.

South Indian filter coffee is a milky-sweet coffee made from dark roasted beans.

If one had to choose three words to describe it, they would be: intense, sweet and rich -- three adjectives the average Indian associates with comfort and nourishment.

"Oru kaapi!" That’s how coffee enthusiasts from south India shout out for the drink. The word coffee rolling off a southerner's tongue sounds more like "kaapi."

In his story, "Vendor of Sweets," revered Indian author R.K. Narayan gives readers a crash course on how to make an honest cup of south Indian filter coffee.

Jhilmil Motihar: Why is it hard for a woman to buy alcohol in Mumbai?

Jhilmil Motihar — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 22:00:00 +0000

by Jhilmil Motihar

“Madam, rose?” the man behind the counter asked.

Now I’m not particularly gooey for flowers, but had someone offered I’d have asked for carnations.

Except that the man looking expectantly in my direction wasn’t handing out any bouquets. I was, instead, being given a crash course in the merits of a fine French rosé.

I was at a Mumbai wine shop and I was intrigued.

Before the rosé, I had been asked if I liked red or white; Chilean or South African; sweet or spicy.

Maybe it was the fancy air conditioning at this Bandra store that did it, but it was the first time that I was actually being asked to choose my booze.

It’s been said enough times but I’ll just go ahead and proclaim it once more: Mumbai is a fantastic city for women.

In my eight years here there are very few things (if any at all) that I haven’t been able to manage on my own.

Ultimate guide: Best of New Delhi

Isha Singh Sawhney — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 03:25:00 +0000

by Isha Singh Sawhney

The very best of New Delhi:

PLAY

HOTELS

EAT/DRINK

INSIDER TIPS

In recent years New Delhi has flagged off a new metro line, and hosted the Commonwealth Games and India’s first F1 Grand Prix.

Odd local drink: Duke's Mumbai masala soda

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:06:51 +0000

Mumbaikars growing up in the late 1980s, in the pre-Coca-Cola era, will remember Duke's -- our local pop soda.

PepsiCo acquired the 100-year-old Indian beverage brand Duke & Sons from the Pandole family in 1995, but since 2004 Duke's had all but died. Save for the raspberry soda still served in Mumbai's Irani cafes, where Duke's legacy was preserved.

The brand has relaunched with the same retro bottle design and original flavors: the cough syrupy raspberry soda, gingerade and ice cream-flavored sodas.

The Mumbai masala soda is a new addition.

The price too, is unbelievably old-fashioned: a 200-milliliter returnable glass bottle of Duke’s costs Rs 10 and a half-liter bottle costs Rs 25.

Best Mumbai restaurants for business meetings

Gayatri R Shah — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:00:00 +0000

by Gayatri R Shah

Though it lacks the glitzy sheen of some of India’s newer business hubs, south Mumbai continues to be India’s financial epicenter, serving as headquarters for everything from the Reserve Bank to the stock exchange to the nation’s mint.

No wonder then that the area boasts many work-friendly restaurants.

We polled some city professionals -- lawyers, fund managers, bankers and finance media folk -- and zeroed in on the six best Mumbai restaurants for different business occasions.

Wasabi by Morimoto: Best Mumbai restaurant to impress a business colleague

This restaurant is like a pearl, embedded in the dramatic seascape corner of the city’s fabled Taj Mahal hotel, overlooking bobbing craft anchored at the Gateway of India.