Tea time! Trinnggg-brinnngg! We’re all used to convent school timings. And that means tea, a warm biscuit and may be a bun.

La Patisserie has just that and so much more. This new open-to-the-quiet-road cafe, in the F&B building, hosts story-telling evenings with hot coffee and cookies. They plan to have these sort of ‘tell me another story’ evenings often. So I like to sit myself down on one of the wooden chairs, order a decaf and a salad and soak in the ambience.

La Patisserie also happens to be the perfect place for a light lunch. They suggest my pal and I try their homemade baguettes, cakes and cookies. We do — and we love ‘em! Ditto for the interesting pitawich. I also like their fresh juices and green teas. And for those times when I want to carry something home, I simply tuck a warm loaf into the saddle of my cycle and pedal down the road.

A quiet nook, on a quiet road, that promises lots of quiet for the mind. And lots of yummies for the tummies.

La Patisserie. F&B, No 8, Excellency, Ground Floor, St Mark’s Road, Bangalore 560001. Tel: 40333888. Prices range from Rs 30 for muffins to Rs 150+ for the non-veg sandwiches.

Clubs come. Clubs go. Not all can keep the vibe vibrant for very long. So when Play first opened, I didn’t want to get your hopes up right off. I made sure I visited a few times to check for consistency. But now I can tell you with confidence that you’re going to like this ’superclub’. Especially if you’re a regular on the partying circuit as I am and are looking for somewhere a bit more elegant where you can max it up with your playmates.

Like your own style mantra, Play’s all about psychedelic colours, shimmer, bling and a touch of OTT flamboyance. Think crystal curtains and red-bulbed chandeliers. And yes, sinking into those high-backed red and silver couches is sheer comfort heaven. And when my mates and I are looking for some privacy for our revelry, we head to one of the two distinct VIP lounges. The Dice lounge is icy blue with dice-shaped tables and a wall adorned with fish tanks. You just can’t miss the silver and electric blue décor with dazzling diamonds. The Checkers lounge is a little more intimate and retro with circular seating in red and shades of gold.

My gal pals dig the cocktails, especially 4-Play and Fuzzy Banana. Why am I not surprised? Is the music as exciting, you ask. An eclectic mix of commercial stuff, ranging from hip hop to world music, and themed nights like ‘Playtime’ on Fridays and ‘Playback’ on Saturdays. Super for a night on the town.

Play — The Superclub, High Street Phoenix, Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai; Tel: 66614343 /369, 65803245/3345; Prices: Free entry during the week before 10 pm. Weeknight cover charges are Rs. 1000/couple and Weekend cover charges are Rs. 1500/couple. Cocktails start at Rs 350-400 and starters at Rs 250.

The winter chill is fast receding. Not long until Holi, when baring shoulders can get you roasted red. Time for you to follow my lead and book your table in the sun, while you can. At Trendy’s hot picks of outdoor brunches, just right for spring.

Olive Beach Sunday Brunch: Delhi’s brunching benchmark is back with a bang. I so lurrve their ‘breakfast martini’ shaken with orange marmalade. Washes down both fresh oysters and blueberry muffins a treat. The menu’s a mile long: charcoal-roasted mushrooms; mortadella-stuffed aranccini (risotto fritters); homemade bocconcini (baby mozzarella) roulade, home-cured smoked sole; grilled langoustines and sausages; pizza; pork-filled lasagne. Sweeten it all with mocha-feathered swans, strawberries and cream, pannacotta, or tagliatelle cake, and much, much more. (Rs 1,895, 12.00-4.00 pm)

Westin Martini Brunch by the Waters: The drive revved up my appetite. Jazz singer Julie Cascioppo’s smoky voice swung me from sunbathed poolside into next week. Pear, banana and chocolate martinis sipped, I did justice to the hock of ham and grilled radicchio. Danced everything down. Dispelled wintry memories with a bursting hot bratwurst. Matched the sun’s heat with spice — Kashmiri pulao, adraki gobi. The very fudgy brownie perfectly partnered my filter coffee. (Rs 1,450; 12.00-3.00 pm)

Claridges Garden Brunch: The shrubbery’s burst into bloom. Flame-of-the-forest drops fire on the lawn. Perfect for a colonial-style buffet, with sparkling wine or the Claridges’ excellent martini. With dhaba dishes — like balti gosht — beer’s best. Else there’s organic salad, imported cold cuts, red snapper and king prawns waiting on ice. The live dimsum station’s thronged by noon. Finish up with globe grapes, furry rambutan, oozing Camembert. (Rs 2,500; 11.00-3.00 pm)

Here’s to Sundays served sunny side up.

Olive Beach, 9 Sardar Patel Marg, New Delhi; ph: 46040404. The Westin Sohna-Gurgaon, 0124-4508888. The Claridges, 12 Aurangzeb Road, New Delhi; ph: 41335082. All prices per person, taxes extra. All brunches only on Sunday.

In Thursday’s Trendy: Delhi’s best indoor brunches.

My friend, the makeup artist, had been going gaga over the season’s latest look — blue shaded lids, moist pearly skin and peachy lips. She was convinced that bright blue would just light my eyes up; and peach lips would enhance my golden undertones.

I was iffy about it all. The idea of blue eyelids didn’t really enthuse me. That was till I laid my eyes on The Body Shop’s latest Spring/Summer ‘08 collection. With its limited edition blushes and eye shadows inspired by spring daisies, the range is simple yet stunning. The colours in the Spring Bloom collection are bright yet sheer, and the texture, velvety. Ideal to give you subtly glowing skin with a hint of pink freshness, shimmering eyes in bright blue, and glossed lips in the prettiest peach.

I loved everything, but these are the items I tucked into my purse:

Blushing Daisy blush palette, Rs 1,500: This limited edition blush with its daisy motif in shimmering pink, gold and silver is simply delish. The sheer pearly pink blush highlit my cheeks and décolletage without making me look done up.

Glow Enhancer Pink, Rs 1,050: A drop mixed with my lotion gave my winter-weary sallow skin an instant lift and a fresh glow

Lip Bloom in Tulip Peach, Rs 800: Felt bit gooey at first, but as it settled on my lips, the hint of glossy peach tint gave me a cute pout.

Shimmer Buds Eye Shadow in Peach Blossom and Blue Iris, Rs 980: Loved the bright shimmering blue that went on sheer. Blended with the complementing peach hue, it was lovely pop of colour on my otherwise nude face.

That’s what spring feels like.

The Body Shop. Delhi: M 53-A, Greater Kailash Part I. Tel: 41735139. Mumbai: Shop No 6, first floor, Inorbit Mall, Malad (West). Tel: 67102021. Bangalore: Lido Mall, Shop 5, 1st Floor, Swami Vivekanand Road. Tel: 41477272.

Power breakfasts, presentations at the office, post-work coffee meetings. Phew. All too often these days, I find myself wishing there were 25 hours to the day.

And what would I do for that extra hour? Silly question. I’d spend it at the recently opened Asian Woman day spa, of course. It’s like a little bit of Bali, right here in Bangalore – all open spaces, quietly cascading waters and natural therapies. (Though, to be very accurate, Huri Baxani and her daughter Kavita — the wonderwomen behind Asian Woman — have also borrowed from Thai and Chinese healing practices.)

The moment I walk into the 9000sq ft garden sanctuary dotted with Buddha statuettes, a feeling of calm steals over me. I can choose to get a manicure and pedicure in the outdoor huts, or sit and meditate or simply surrender myself to the impeccable relax-and-refresh range of services.

I signed up for the four-hour Maharani of the Day treatment package. It includes exfoliation, aromatherapy and Swasti Hastu, a super-soothing facial, and a body massage with herbs and hot compressors, washed down by a bath in milk, essential oils and flowers in a VIP room. Oh, and they throw in a spa manicure and pedicure as well.

All of the treatments are performed by skilled staff trained mostly in South-East Asia.

Twenty-five hours? Nah, I think I’ll go in for 28-hour days.

Asian Woman. The Villa, 374 Sarjapur Road, 3rd Block (near Greenwood High School), Koramangala, Bangalore 34. Tel: 32510725. www.e-asianwoman.com; email: kala@e-asianwoman.com. Maharani of the Day package costs Rs 5000; individual treatments start from Rs 850. Summer special packages now available.

Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against Bolly tunes. In fact, there are days I even crave my dose of Heyyy Baby. But sometimes, our nation’s filmi fixation gets to me and I need to hear other kinds of music. Now if only a club in the city would share my vision and let me hear my grooves on their smashing speakers.

Luckily, my wishes seem to be coming true. Keenan Tham, director of the resto-lounge Henry Tham, has just introduced something new into the clubbing cocktail mix: World music nights every Thursday. Brazilian beats meet Celtic riffs. Euro electronica melds into Latin Jazz.

I loved the international vibe of the scarlet accented lounge filled with Mumbai’s beautiful people sipping delish vodka cocktails and enjoying the novel auditory sensations. As DJ Priyesh did his thing, I lip-smacked my way through my own Belvedere Pomarancza Sunsplash, made with Belvedere Pomarancza vodka, Grand Marnier, fresh squeezed OJ, cranberry juice and fresh sour juice.

Party hearties and plush potions apart, it’s the sound that gets you going. Keenan’s keen on introducing you to the Putumayo label — you’ve probably seen the attractive CDs if you frequent music stores — which has a huge collection of global sounds encompassing different 13 genres. Soon, we’ll even get different deejays mixing exciting stuff. Beats Kajra Re. Or perhaps even reminds you of it slightly, as desi melodies travel overseas. Because music not only makes the world go round, but also comes full circle.

And with such a variety of it around, I’m having a ball.

Belvedere Luxury World Music Nights at Henry Tham, Dhanraj Mahal, Apollo Bunder, Colaba, Mumbai; Tel: 22023186/22848214. Entry free; Belvedere cocktails cost Rs 750 plus taxes.

Shalom, my friends! Wanna come dance with me?

That’s the leitmotif whispering through 6 Month Story this week — shalom, or ‘peace’. Repeating in multicultural musical harmony. A powerful idea that’s got Delhi’s trendiest weekend floor opening its doors mid-week, starting tonight.

I can hardly wait for the first riffs to float out. J Viewz from Israel call their genre-bending style ‘freestyle chill.’ It’s perfect to groove to and gives a fresh backdrop to the next act, Pakistani band Overload. This Lahore outfit’s fusion of Sufi and Hindustani classical with folk beats and urban rhythms has won raves, and we get to hear why firsthand. Lucky me, lucky you!

Vishal Vaid, out of the US, gives new voice to the timeless ghazal, a sonorous taste that’s sure to draw us right back. Prem Joshua & band (with roots in Italy, Germany, India and Japan) shake together strains of ethnic with trance and jazz, adding chords on sitar, tabla, dilruba, Afro-Peruvian cajon, Middle Eastern darbukka, and bamboo flute. Entranced yet? Let loose to Jalebee Cartel. It stands to rhythm — if you must choose one night out of three, make it Friday.

Saturday night brings out the big guns. New York artiste Karsh Kale toting his electronic tabla. Midival Punditz to follow.

Now that’s what I call a tuneful tale.

Airtel Shalom Peace Concert. Venue: 6 Month Story, Hotel Daffodil, Chattarpur Road, New Delh. Timings: 8:00pm onwards, March 6, 7, 8.
Tickets: Rs 750-2,500, at Shalom, N-Block Market, GK-I; Glo, The Metropolitan Hotel, Bangla Sahib Road; Line of No Control, The Qutab Hotel, Shaheed Jeet Singh Marg; Italic, C-Block Market, Vasant Vihar or Under Moolchand Flyover, Defence Colony. For more information, call 9871188084, 9818698784; or visit www.airtelshalompeaceconcert.com.

Who won the best actress national award three years in a row? Who was the first Indian cricketer to play for another country? Who has been India’s Prime Minister on three different occasions?

Think you know your trivia? We at Trendy love knowledge in all forms, so we thought it would be fun to make a new India IQuiz application on Facebook that lets you try your hand at questions about Bollywood, fashion & beauty, cricket & sports, and India.

Click here to play the India IQuiz.

Add the application to your Facebook profile, pick the categories of questions you want to answer, and start quizzing. See how quickly you can rise in the ranks and try to get your photo included on our Top Quizzers page.

The best part — all of the questions come from members of our quizzing community. So you can try to stump the group by adding a few of your best trivia facts to the quiz. And then, like all games on Facebook, you can challenge your friends to beat your score!

Be careful though, because quizzing is highly addictive. So once you start answering questions, you might not be able to tear yourself away.

Click here to play the India IQuiz.

What’s in a name, you ask? Well, for me, a lot. A name is the outer layer to all that lies beneath the surface, a reflection of what’s bubbling under. So when I heard about Nisha JamVwal’s new Spring/Summer 2008 line — tagged ‘I’m in Love Again’ — I just had to take a look.

I wondered if this collection would be your typical kitschy Valentine’s Day card (SO last month!). To my pleasant surprise, it isn’t red and pink hearts galore.

In fact, it subtly brings out the emotion of love through flowing and flirty dresses and light-hearted prints and colours. Full-on romance. Translucent chiffons, georgettes, organzas. Dresses, gowns, frocks, tunics. This line’s got sugar’n’spice and all things girlishly nice.

I literally fell in love with the ‘Romance is the Dream’ — a halter-neck gown with a chiffon layer. Blush-toned and flower embellished along the dull gold neckline and empire waist. Modestly skimming the ankles and expertly layered to embody bashful femininity. Yet holding the hint of forbidden fruit under its clingy, glossy inner folds. And to blow the socks off that special person, try ‘Especially for You’ — a cleavage-revealing, mid-length white dress — that’s inviting yet virginally pristine.

Most of the youthful outfits capture the feeling of being in love — the rapture, the exhilaration, the excitement. And just as love has its twist and turns, so does this line.

I’m ready to explore.

Nisha JamVwal ‘I’m in Love Again’ at Amara, Kemp’s Corner: 23879687, Ogaan, Colaba: 24972884, 24962451/16, Mogra, High Street Phoenix: 24960809, Zoya, Bandra: 26420888 and Samsaara, Colaba: 22023061; Price: Rs 6,000 upwards.

I’m a sucker for a good story. Especially a love story. Be it Titanic, Love Actually or Notting Hill, it’s love that makes my heart turn a pleasant shade of pink. Which is why I am all pepped up about playwright Gautam Raja’s The Invisible River. Love is all over this original play.

There’s love between scientist Uma (the catalyst) and Dr Thyagu (the protagonist). There’s also Uma’s love for her work and Thyagu’s love for his — which is about cleaning up the Ganga. But when Uma declares that the Ganga has certain viruses called bacteriophages that purify its waters, it threatens Thyagu’s campaign to stop people from polluting the river.

Adding to the central drama — will science and religion join hands for the first time? — are opportunist politicians, murky priests and street-smart urchins.

In sneak peeks, I loved the way the play uses projections of the river (specially edited from the film Jayaganga) whenever the characters on stage remember their past. But the scene-stealer is Padma madam (played by Sukhita Aiyar), the power-hungry politician from Allahabad who tries to use the situation to her own maximum advantage.

Game for love actually?

The Invisible River by Jagriti Theatre, Bangalore, and Theatre Royal Plymouth, UK. On March 8 at 7.30pm and March 9 at 3.30pm and 7.30pm at Ranga Shankara. Tickets: Rs 110. Book now by sms-ing your name, number and date/time of performance to 9740657191.