Sukha squid at Neel, which will open in Powai on September 12.
OPENING
• DeGustibus Hospitality, the company that helms Indigo in Colaba, the Indigo Deli chain and Neel and Tote on the Turf in Mahalakshmi, is expanding to Powai this month with Neel – Indian Kitchen and Bar, which is slated to open on Wednesday, September 14. Unlike Neel in Mahalaxmi, which is a fine-dining establishment that specialises in Awadhi cuisine, the Powai Neel will be a casual-dining restaurant that offers pan-Indian fare. Chef Mukhtar Qureshi, who will helm both kitchens, will serve a menu that will feature dishes such as khatta meetha baingan; sukha squid; pomfret pollichathu; Alleppey aloo; Konkani tawa murg; shalgam gosht in tambe rassa (Kolhapuri-style mutton); cham cham (Bengali mithai); sandesh; and corn kheer. Open daily, from noon to 12.30am. Neel – Indian Kitchen and Bar, First Floor, Sentinel Building, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai. Tel: 022 4945 5555.
• Fine-dining restaurant Masque is slated to open in Mahalakshmi on Tuesday, September 20. The venture is a collaboration between Aditi Dugar, who runs high-end catering service Sage & Saffron and Culinary Institute of America graduate, chef Prateek Sadhu, who has interned at celebrated restaurants such as Alinea in Chicago, Le Bernardin in New York and Noma in Copenhagen. Masque will serve two set menus as opposed to an a la carte one. The restaurant will source seasonal ingredients and produce from farms across the country including sea buckthorn from Ladakh, fiddlehead fern from Himachal Pradesh, stone fruits from Shimla and fish from the Andaman islands. The six-course meals will be priced at Rs3,200 per person and the nine-course meals at Rs4,500 per person (prices exclude taxes). Open from Tuesday to Sunday, from noon to 3.30pm and from 7pm to 12.30am; Monday, closed. Masque, Laxmi Mills Compound, near Blue Tokai, Mahalakshmi. Tel: 022 2499 1010.
• An outpost of the seafood specialty restaurant Mahesh Lunch Home has opened inside the Mumbai International airport. The coastal menu is the same across the Mangalorean chain. Open daily, from 2pm to midnight. Mahesh Lunch Home, T2, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Andheri (East).
• Aaswad, the vegetarian Maharashtrian restaurant chain, has opened at the Mumbai International Airport. The menu, which includes misal pao, poha, kothimbir vadi and puran poli, is the same across the chain. Open daily, from 5am to midnight. Aaswad, T2, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Andheri (East).
RENOVATION
• The flagship Khar outpost of the Hoppipola chain of bars, which temporarily closed for renovations on Thursday, September 1, is scheduled to reopen on Friday, September 16. On Sunday September 4, from 8pm, the bar will host an event called Hammered at Hoppipola, during which patrons are invited to help break down the venue’s walls with hammers that will be provided and get complimentary beer in return. Hoppipola, Ground Floor, Ramee Guestline Hotel, off S.V. Road, Khar. Tel: 022 2648 7364.
• The Bandra outpost of European restaurant The Sassy Spoon has closed for renovations and is slated to reopen at the end of September.
CLOSING
• Gastro-bar Chemistry 101, which opened in Lower Parel in April, will close on Friday, September 30.