So much happening everywhere but here...

I felt like we were living in the wrong city when I heard that Doolally's opened in a Pune. It's a micro-brewery. My husband would love this more than I would because it involves only beer, beer and more beer. My friend's husband raved about the place on his facebook - they even took along their dog and let him sample two beers. This totally brought back to my mind the Scotland Street books with Cyril the dog accompanying his owner, Angus, to the bar where he is allowed a saucer of beer.

Where I live, women drinking in public is not so common so we usually go to a few places around the city or out of it to really kick back a few. So far, we've been going to about three-four places where, thanks to the things we order, we've become quite well known among the staff (God knows what they say behind our backs but who cares as long as no one's spitting in my food). Waiters smile more and bring us our orders quicker and allow us to sit wherever we want.

Now, of course, we eat at home more often and we've stopped ordering food in on Sundays. That coupled with exercise is showing a lot of results and hence, I decided to stop going out for cocktails more than once or twice (in an emergency) a month. Most of my friends dont drink and hence, I only binge on cocktails when I'm with my husband. But I havent completely given it up, only got more selective. And, I need a change of scenery, more challenges than different alcoholic mixes in sweetened juices.

Like, a wine library. That's really rare and limited to most of the seven star hotels around here (because five stars are not enough). The prices are astronomical. HT Cafe (comes with our local newspaper) carries a wine index comparing the prices of wine all around the city. They also give a list of places that come under different price ranges. They're all not really a hop, skip and jump away which is why we stick to our few restaurants for a decent drink. But I love to explore; get bored by having the same things.

Bandra - considered the top-most suburb in Bombay city, on its merit of course - had a wine tasting fair in an open garden recently. Read about it and felt like I lived miles away in a sleepy little village. Not that I'd feel any different among the snootiest lot sniffing and swirling the contents of the wine glass. But it was a decently managed affair and for a price of 500 Rupees you could sample some really fine and diverse wines - both domestic and international. I really missed living just a half-hour away. It would take a 2 hour bus ride and a 1 hour rickshaw ride to get there from here.

Well, there's always next year. And one can't always have adventure in one's own backyard.