Party with the rich

Place: DELHI
Pangaea’s entry into India brings elite party level closer home

This is Michael Ault’s 89th club opening. He asserts this is his best yet. Ault’s penchant for opening top end clubs has seen him being labeled as the ‘king of New York nightlife’. While the Pangaea in New York is no longer open, it was the byword for being the ‘hottest party in town’, attracting a heady mix of wealth and celebrity as they let their collective hair down. The opening of a underwater branch at a spectacular ‘crystal’ island at Singapore’s Marina Islands about two years ago brought the ‘ultra-lounge’ so much closer home for India’s jet set.

Here’s a little known facet of Pangaea, Singapore. About 30 per cent of entrants to the Singapore Pangaea are Indians, the largest number by nationality, say club spokespersons. It was no surprise that Ault was more than willing to come to India. The club in Delhi has just opened at Delhi’s ITDC run Ashoka hotel, and a second one is slated to start in a hotel in Juhu, though the group is coy in naming the exact location!

Old wealth, new skins
Ault, 50, and a collector of rare Louis Vuitton handbags and an avid scuba diver is no playboy. Born to old money, his chosen business happens to be clubs, which he started after a six-year stint at Wall Street. These clubs, and besides Pangaea, he also owns Spy, Chaos, MercBar, Prive and Nocturne, are reputed to be some of the top revenue earners in business that is notoriously fickle as the clientele shifts to latest hotspot periodically. The average per head spend at Pangaea is anywhere from $400 to $1,000, says Ault. Pangaea Singapore earned $21 million in the first year of operations.

He is most bullish on India, saying the kind of money that Indians spend often amazes him. “You have to look at them twice to believe it,” he says.. While neither he nor Ozi Amanat, President and Chief Investment Officer, Spice Global, the BK Modi owned conglomerate that is now spreading beyond telecom, will reveal the exact spend, most estimate it to have cost ‘an arm and a leg’ metaphorically! Spice signed a one year contract with Pangaea, and Amanat says the scoping and benchmarking process has left him confident that India’s first taste of a global nightclub will work wonders for the bottomline.

“We can recover money very very fast in this business,” says Amanat. A week into opening, he is already pleased with the returns from the 6,000 square feet club, (F-Bar was previous occupant of the space) with seating for about 250 people, with  and another 250 standing. “There is no separate floor for dancing,” explains Amanat, as is the club’s practice elsewhere. “People can dance where they like, and keep ordering drinks!” Splurging will come easier for the ‘loaded’ in India. The top entry price is Rs 4 lakhs, though considerably lower entry fees also exist! The Jewel of Pangaea cocktail in Singapore costs about $28,000, and Amanat says there will a signature one like that in India soon! 

If that doesn’t keep it in the limelight, an impressive line of events including a DJ KasKade night should ensure to make it a much sought after ‘watering hole’ for the city for quite a while. A dozen hostesses from different geographies adds to exotic element, while a number of innovations including soundproof walls. Amanat is aware of the challenges, such as early closing times in India, but is confident that the club will do well. Indians eat post clubbing so the available menu that ranges from chicken tikkas to mini wagyu burgers could be expanded. Private events are also expected to shore up revenues. There are no plans to expand beyond Delhi and Mumbai, but once inside Pangaea, India’s partygoers could be forgiven for thinking they were in a more global party capital such as New York, London or Miami.

Near pavilions

The Thai Pavilion is decked in warm, welcoming colours 

Place: GURGAON 

Restaurant: THAI PAVILLION

Thai Pavillion is a welcome addition to Gurgaon’s considerable culinary space

Almost two decades after the first Thai Pavilion opened its doors at Mumbai’s Taj President, it forever altered that city’s appreciation for Thai delicacies. Now its latest edition is set to usher in a similar sweep in shiny-shabby Gurgaon’s swanky Vivanta by Taj, where the latest edition of the Pavilion has just opened. The newest edition of the restaurant, the third, after a Pavilion at Vivanta in Hyderabad’s Begumpet, also marks the first north Indian foray for the outlet.

Kai haw bai toey, marinated chicken morsels wrapped in
pandan leaves and fried

The same high standards still apply, still under eagle eyes of Executive Chef Ananda Solomon, whose success with this brand for long was a model to emulate for specialty restaurants at top end hotels. Well chef is personally in Delhi about once a month, and the team here has trained with him in Mumbai extensively. Additionally, there is a diminutive and dazzling and thankfully English speaking Thai Master Chef Prajaub Shoosridam, spending long hours in the kitchen and frowning at no chillies and other such customization requests. Yes, you are guaranteed an authentic Thai flavour here.

The wonderfully tangy Som tam, Young papaya salad combined
with sweet and spicy sauce

Nevertheless every day there are tests that must be passed successfully. A nod to Delhi’s local client palate means there is a comparatively greater stress on red meats, and well meats in general than the other outlets, but then Hyderabad is spicier. Solomon says a proper study was done of trends in Delhi before finalizing the menu. “You can’t Indianise the concept,” chef stresses. “Thai restaurants have to be authentically handled. The right combinations have to be achieved, right from the starters to the main course. Solomon is known for his adherence to the classic traditions of cuisine, be it his native Konkani or in the successful restaurants he has launched in cuisines as different as Thai and Italian.

The 80-cover Thai Pavilion carries forward the traditions of its cousins – most of the ingredients still fly in from Thailand to Mumbai and then get distributed to Hyderabad and Delhi. While chicken is an exception, almost everything else from lamb to rambutan and dragon fruit to pandan leaves, condiments and even a variety of chillies all fly in twice weekly.

The famous Thai curries - red and green, with steam rice

The menu is fairly extensive, and starters after the lovely pomegranate based welcome drink, include Sakuna chowsuan sos makam (Tempura prawns with tamarind sauce) and Kai haw bai toey (marinated chicken morsels wrapped in pandan leaves and fried), but the best choices by far are the tangy Som tam (Young papaya salad combined with sweet and spicy sauce) and Pra hed (mushrooms delicately blended with Thai herbs). There’s a vast choice of main courses, including many vegetarian ones. Apart from the most familiar, and ordered red and green curries – delicious by the way – try the Heao phad prik haeng (Water chestnuts and cashew nuts with red chili paste) or the Pia Nueng Manao (Steamed John Dory with coriander, chilly, peanut in a tangy sauce).

The restaurant itself is spacious, has a waiting lounge, which in the near future could we well used, given the restaurant’s popularity and fairly affordable pricing. Traditional Thai motifs are present and yet subtle, and the one that can become two PDRs, or private dining rooms offer a greater degree of privacy for groups. While Taj will not say how much it cost – Solomon says finding the right young people who are ready to spend long hours in the kitchen is getting harder – and a challenge for the entire sector.

Try the lovely Tub Tim Grob, Diced water chestnut with coconut milk, a dessert that will leave you
yearning for more

For those not yet favourably inclined to oriental desserts, make an exception and save space for the delectable Tub Tim Grob (Diced water chestnut with coconut milk), which is served in a scooped out raw coconut and comes with ice cream and chocolate rolls, if you like. You will ask for a refill even if you are stuffed! Or return for another helping!