Lounge Loves: The Nutcracker, singing along at nostalgic concerts and more

An Eggcellent Feast

As a flexitarian, I’m not picky about what I eat, but I am fussy about what I can give up. Take away meat and seafood and I’d be fine, as long as you leave the eggs alone. Eggs are the most important item in my fridge. Recently I was reminded of my love for this food when a friend invited me to lunch at The Nutcracker, at Jio World Drive in BKC, Mumbai. The café’s eggetarian menu is a delight, not only for the wholesome flavours it brings together in every dish but also for the dazzling variety in which it presents a simple, cheap and nutritious ingredient. I started with a classic but comforting akuri, followed it up with the fiery goodness of harissa egg rolls, and would have happily ordered more were I not watching my calories.

—Somak Ghoshal

Tabletop Art

I recently discovered the Instagram account of Jaymin Khansmith (@ojicha.n) thanks to a friend who caught me lifting my plate at a fancy restaurant to check the brand. I told her I’m in that phase of life where crockery excites me, and she immediately told me about this guy who makes plating the food he cooks look like a work of art. I looked him up and found that @ojicha.n, which is an informal way to address your grandpa in Japanese, is a Japanese-Jamaican creator in the US. His page is pure visual ASMR: tableware, kitchen tools, Japanese-style cooking. Colours that burst yet stay soft on the eyes. His collection of ceramics is aspirational in a way that makes you want to savour a meal while appreciating the vessel it sits in just as much as the food.

—Shephali Bhatt

Sing-along Nostalgia

It’s been so l-o-o-o–ong, That I haven’t seen your face… All it took to forget the bad traffic I’d just battled and transport me to good ol’ clubbing days from the 2010s was listening to singer-songwriter Akon croon the first line of the 2008 chart-topper Right Now (Na Na Na). As phones came out to record the moment, it was a collective chorus that sang the hook: I wanna make up right now, na-na. Today, heading to a large-format music show in India is a mixed adventure—even copping a ticket feels like an Olympics-level feat. Yet, what compels me to attend concerts are these moments that can instantly unlock your favourite memories of a song. Of course, in an age when random concert clips go viral, it also gives you more leverage to say, “No, Bengalureans didn’t pull Akon’s pants down! I know this because I was there.”

—Mahalakshmi Prabhakaran

A Peaceful Pause

Any toddler mom will tell you, getting a moment’s privacy is impossible. So I was thrilled when I recently managed to sneak away for a long overdue haircut. Imagine my added joy when I found three hardworking dogs at the salon. One, a Great Dane, was already there the last time I had visited, and in the past year, two more canine additions had arrived. The salon’s graceful prancing princess was tightly curled on top of a salon chair, ignoring everyone, while the two indies played, taking breaks for well-deserved pets and naps. One had even warmed a chair for me before I sat in it. A comfortable chair, someone washing your tangled hair for you as the evening sunlight streams in, a dog curled up next to you, and nothaving to worry about your child—for the moment. It’s the stuff heaven is probably made of.

—Dakshayani Kumaramangalam