Brake fast, for launch 'n' dinner!

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">Revelation Day. Thursday evening, when the<span style="" font-style:="" italic=""> Times Food Guide 2005</span> and <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Times Nightlife & Leisure Guide 2005</span> were launched at the Maurya Sheraton, wasn''t just about the <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">hautest</span> cuisine, restaurants, discos and bars in town, or a voyage of gourmet discovery set in foodie paradise, or even a rocking party on a roll.It was a synergy of much, much more.<br /><br />Sensuality on a platter. Deconstructed, it means the launch of the <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Times Food Guide 2005</span>, the most comprehensive answer to the gourmet''s search for what to eat, where... and why, and the<span style="" font-style:="" italic=""> Times Nightlife & Leisure Guide</span>, the ultimate compendium to bars, discos, getaways and sports activities; an unending spread of food prepared by the most celebrated chefs of the city; and a party rarely seen on the moving-and-shaking circuit. Of course, everyone who matters was there. So what if designer Rohit Bal was observing a fast, he was among the first to reach the venue!<br /><br />It was a wish come true for the swish set as they eased into ringside seats at the Kamal Mahal''s round tables. And then began the magic... a scintillating musical performance by Raghav, side-splitting wisecracks by Vir Das, and an awards ceremony for the most-wanted eateries and clubs in the Capital.<br /><br /></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal"><br /><br />From the indoor ambience, this evening flowed seamlessly onto the sprawling lawns of Nandiya Gardens, where food counters covered the proverbial rainbow —from Chettinad to Sicilian, Japanese to Thai, Indian to European to Pan-Asian cuisine. Rainbow? "We started eating there..." said model Indrani Dasgupta pointing at the south Indian fare at the far end "...and reached <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Lucknawi</span> cuisine. Now, all of us are going back there for more crabs!"<br /><br />Indrani wasn''t the only one to do constant retakes. Practically all the guests had plenty of walking to do — moving from counter to counter, trying and retrying the dishes! "The variety of food is simply fabulous... this is what we recalled from the launch of last year''s food guide. And here we are!" said designer Monisha Bajaj and her husband Anil Lepps. <br /><br />Finally, close encounters of the food kind ended with that sweet taste in the mouth — the who''s who of dessert and hundreds of varieties of <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">paan</span>! So where to now? Dublin was the answer. Nothing tops up a hearty meal better than some serious partying... sipping on spirits and grooving to throbbing music. The centre of attention here was DJ Sunny Sarid, who got everybody''s feet tapping on the dance floor. Sigh, the bad news is that there won''t be an encore for some time!</div> </div>