smartbuy issue dated august 10, 2011

SmartbuyWednesday, August 10, 2011

G A D G E T S | A U T O | L U X U R Y www.blsmartbuy.com

Business Line

A mighty roarOS X Lion reviewed

+Olympus PEN EP-3 review

Toyota Etios Liva testedFragrance folio

2 August 10, 2011Smartbuy

WHAT’S HOT this week

Team SmartbuyEditorial

Anushya [email protected]

Archana [email protected]

Ketaki [email protected]

Mahananda [email protected]

[email protected]

Design

Bryan [email protected]

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Touted as the lightest tablets available, the Enjoy tablets from MSI are available in twovariants: Enjoy 7 and Enjoy 10. Running on Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread), the tablets offer fullAdobe Flash 10.1 support and feature dual cameras. 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A-8 processor and512MB RAM provide fast performance. Internal storage is 4GB which can be expanded by32GB via micro SD card. The tablets also feature a mini-USB and mini-HDMI slot.Rs 13,999 (7-inch); Rs 14,999 (10-inch)

This monitor from Philips sends out infrared signals to detect the presence of aperson in front of it, and automatically reduces energy consumption by up to 80per cent as soon as they walk away. Available in sizes of 21.5, 23.6 and 27 inches, themonitors feature an optimum resolution of 1920x1080 and a 16:9 aspect ratio.Rs 14,999

The new gamingheadset from Razer

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‘Enjoy’able tabbing MSI WindPad Enjoy

Smart monitor Philips PowerSensor Monitor


GOLDVISH Equilibriumwith its dual-SIM cardslot makes sure you are re-achable on two numbers.The handset is equippedwith a large 2.4-inch ul-tra-clear LCD screen, cov-ered with an impressive115 CT grade-A scratch re-sistant natural Sapphire.Every product is hand-crafted with durable, ex-clusive materials, such as316L stainless Steel, tita-nium, space-grade alu-minium, the finest leather,18K gold and platinum.The metal parts are fin-ished by hand and withhigh-tech PVD protectivecoating which creates aninspiring palette ofmodels.

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The W8 is the first Android Walkman from Sony Ericsson. Thehandset has a 3-inch touchscreen where you can type on the virtualQWERTY keypad. Connect through 3G or Wi-Fi and watch videosor movies on the screen. With a 3.2-meg camera, 3D games,PlayNow and Timescape, it won’t be too often that you’ll take youreyes or ears off this.Rs 9,995

The latest line-up of car audio systems from Kenwoodincludes the U6120, a dual CD receiver with USB interface.The large LCD screen can display a multilingual interface,and the system can connect to your iPhone or iPod via aUSB direct cable. The advanced digital sound processor,‘Sound Excellent DSP’ creates a dynamic audio environ-ment. Rs 13,990

Let there be music

Sony Ericsson W8

Road trippin’

Kenwood DPX-U6120


SOFTWARE bytes

Mahananda Bohidar

Operating system upgrades have almost alwaysfailed to make headlines. With hardcore geeksas the only exception, buffed up OS versionsare all but Greek to the layman. It’s all the more

striking then, that I’ve had college-going 18-year olds to40-something jetsetters asking me whether they shouldbe upgrading to OS X Lion. What makes the latest OSfrom Apple so alluring, yet so approachable?

Meet the LionFlagging off the OS X Lion experience was easier than itmight be with a lot of user interfaces today. A directdownload from Apple’s App Store, the OS X Lion willforever save us the trouble of waiting for the deliver-yman and looking for that long-lost CD a couple ofmonths later.

Taking up almost 4GB of your Mac device’s memory,the requirements to install the OS include an Intel Core 2Duo, Core i3/i5/i7, or Xeon processor and an upgrade tothe latest version of Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in case youdon’t have it already. Once I had this in place, thedownload was a breeze and I was all set to play aroundwith the Lion.

Let your fingers talkThe new OS X Lion isn’t about anything else as much as

it is about gestures. However, there’s a bit of unlearning Ihad to do when I started using the interface. The mostbasic feature, scrolling, is done the ‘other way around’ onLion. I slide my fingers up, like I do on a tablet, to scrolldown the page and vice versa. A very low learning curve,this one.

While the trackpad on an Apple laptop would requiretwo fingers to scroll up and down documents and web-sites, one finger did the trick because I was using theMagic Mouse paired to the iMac on our test bench.

Every window you open on the OS X Lion has a smallicon on the top right corner that lets you maximise it todisplay a full-screen version. Some of the inbuilt iMacapplications like Mail, iCal, Photo Booth, Safari andFaceTime also work on the full-screen format. The full-screen did not seem like a groundbreaking feature on thenew OS given the fact that the previous OS already hadan unobtrusive menu bar.

Apart from these you have the old pinch-to-zoom for

photos and web pages when you are using a trackpad(This does not work on the Magic Mouse).

Ready to launchIt’s not the tablet-like gestures but the Launchpad thatcomes closest to emulating an iOS interface on the OS XLion. Every app I downloaded from the Mac App Storeautomatically found a place in the Launchpad. Mirror-ing the iPad user interface, the Launchpad displays mul-tiple home screens you can swipe through. You also havethe option of bunching similar apps in a folder. Forexample, when I dragged GF Golf Lite on to Chess, bothgot slotted inside an automatically generated ‘BoardGames’ folder.

Control freak’s delight: Mission ControlWhat seems like a brighter, better avatar of the Exposé isthe new command centre, just a click away. MissionControl brings together Exposé, Dashboard, Spaces, andapps for a single-glance check which is a boon if you tendto clutter your desktop by opening too many apps andwindows at the same time.

Mission Control shows you all open apps at a glance.At the top, it displays a row of windows, called Spaces,starting with the Dashboard and going on to thumbnailsof full-screen apps. You can drag an app or a new desktopto this row and add it to Spaces to create a new desktop.

AutosaveNo more mini heart attacks when thecomputer crashes or you close the filewithout saving it. The OS X Lion makes

‘Command + S’ redundant by automaticallysaving files as you work on ‘em.

The king of the OS jungle


Snail MailConfiguring our e-mail on the iMac after having in-stalled OS X Lion took its own sweet time. Once theserver downloaded all the stuff in ‘Mail’, the new layoutturned out to be pretty simplistic, very characteristicallyApple. Again a ‘déjà vu’-ish feeling, when you see thatclicking on a mail gives you a bigger window preview ofthe text on the right. However, it seemed like the appwas trying to cramp in a lot of text in preview, making itslightly difficult to read. You’ll probably have to zoom into read the contents properly if you happen to be myopiclike yours truly.

Surf timeYou are greeted by the same ol’ Safari when you want tobrowse the web, but the Lion brings about a couple ofchanges in the way you now use the browser. Say, I log into the Facebook home page and then decide to check outmy friend’s party pics. All I have to do to get back to myhome page is swipe to the left on the Magic Mouse or thetrackpad. This amazingly intuitive gesture renders theBack/Forward button on the browser pretty muchuseless.

Different strokesApple has designated slightly different gestures to ma-nipulate OS X Lion on the Magic Mouse and the track-pad. Here’s how we manipulated the Lion differentlythan we would on an Apple laptop. The three-fingerswipe to launch Mission Control does not work with theMagic Mouse, a two-finger double tap does the trick.However, you can jump to specific windows by justscrolling over them in Mission Control mode with bothperipherals.

The pinch-to-zoom feature is rendered useless on theMagic Mouse. You will have to do a one-finger doubletap to zoom in to a web page or a photograph.

The way you use your Apple TrackPad or MagicMouse to work with the OS X Lion can be tweaked toyour liking in the System Preferences. Scrolling, second-ary click, Smart Zoom, swiping and mission controlgestures can be turned on or off from here.

When the Lion doesn’t roarDespite all the apparent awesomeness of the OS X Lion,there were a few grumbles and grunts while trying it out.

While downloading stuff from the Mac App Store, theiMac froze a couple of times. Also, the process of down-loading apps from the App Store seemed unnaturallyslow. We had trouble renaming folders on the Launch-pad that the system automatically names.

One last word“Mac OS X meets the iPad” is how Steve Jobs describethe OS X Lion and he couldn’t have been more precise.In an obvious attempt to merge the way we interact withboth these modern-day computing devices, the OS XLion makes for a refreshing operating system. The OS XLion is a teaser of what could possibly go on to becomean OS that we probably wouldn’t be able to do without acouple of years from now.

Love: Hassle-free installation, fluid, intuitive gesture rec-ognition, iOS-like features, affordable price tag.Hate: A few bugs in the system.

$29.99

AirDropSay goodbye to USB drives and storagedevices. AirDrop automatically detects

computers using this software and lets youdrag and drop files on the contact’s icon to

share files. Doesn’t get easier than this!

ResumeThis little option on the OS X Lion makes sureyour system is exactly the same as you hadleft it the last time you logged in. All appsthat were running reopen, and windows

appear exactly as they were, so you can beginworking immediately.

Photo BoothNot only does it run on the full-screen

mode, Photo Booth now has a facetracking software that makes the effects

follow you around the monitor as youpose for a click.

[email protected]


CAMERA review

Ketaki Bhojnagarwala

Olympus has been a pioneer in the Micro-FourThirds segment, creating a range of its PENcameras which have considerably smaller bod-ies than DSLRs, yet give the same, professional

results. While Panasonic has been commended on itsLumix cameras which use the technology, Olympus’ firstMicro Four Thirds camera, the EPL-1, received mixedreviews. Its latest launch in the category is the new andimproved EP-3.

OverviewRegular readers of Smartbuy might recall a story on theMicro Four Thirds system which was featured in Januarythis year. For those unfamiliar with the system, briefly, aMicro Four Thirds camera is one which uses a 4/3 sensorand eliminates the mirror box completely, resulting in abody which is much more compact than the averageDSLR. The unique mirrorless design also means that thereare fewer lens options, although now users will get tochoose from 8 different m.Zuiko lenses from Olympus,which cover a pretty wide range. The EP-3 ships with

either a single lens (14-42mm) or dual lens (14-42mm and40-150mm) kit.

Unboxing the EP-3, the size difference really made a bigimpression. Not only is the body thinner and more com-pact than the heavy DSLRs I’m used to shuffling around,but the 14-42mm lens also looks quite tiny in comparisonto the usual 18-55mm kit lens that ships with most profes-sional DSLR cameras.

The EP-3 comes in a grey, white or black colour option,and the smooth plastic body felt quite sturdy in my hands.The fact that the camera is light meant that I carried itaround in my handbag for the entire time I was reviewingit, but I did find it quite hard to protect it from scratches.The finger grip, finished in textured leather, is removablevia a screw on the edge of the camera body, and can eitherbe replaced with a bigger grip or eliminated completely.The old style leather effect, along with the smaller size ofthe camera body, reminded me of the Fujifilm X100 Ireviewed a few weeks ago.

Like the EPL-1, the EP-3 has a 12-meg sensor. Unlike itspredecessor, it is also capable of Full HD 1080p movierecording, which to be honest is becoming an expected

addition to most professional cameras nowadays. A niceaddition to the EP-3 is a pop-up flash, which fits nicely intothe top edge of the body when not in use, so that’s one lessprotrusion. There’s also an accessory hotshoe beside it.The controls are fairly simple to decipher – somewhere inbetween a DSLR and a point and shoot digicam. Thecircular dial wheel has options for P, S, A, M modes,Intelligent Auto, Scene, Art Filters and a Video mode. Therear panel of the camera has been divided into two, withabout two thirds taken up by the 3-inch touch screen LCD,and the remaining area dedicated to controls like the clickwheel, Menu, Zoom and Delete buttons. There are twocustomisable Function buttons as well.

UsabilityAlthough the EP-3 may seem fairly simplistic from theoutside, it is a full-fledged professional camera, dependingon how you use it. Olympus has been really creative in itsline up of scene modes – you can choose from 23 pre-programmed modes, which apart from the regular optionsalso include a Fisheye and Panorama effect. I really likedthe 10 Art filters as well, which were great for creating

Small, spiffy and snappy


dramatic photos. The ones which I found the most effec-tive were the Pin Hole filter, Grainy film filter (black andwhite) and Dramatic Tone filter. For both the Scene andArt filters, the camera displays sample images as you scrollthrough the various options, giving you an idea of what touse where.

Since the camera lacks a physical viewfinder, you’llhave to be content with the LCD monitor. With a pixeldensity of 614,000 dots, it is almost as good as lookingthrough a viewfinder. Like I mentioned earlier, the LCD istouch sensitive, and I wasn’t too happy about that, since Ihaven’t really had any good experiences with touch screenLCDs on cameras. The EP-3 however, is different. Firstoff, you don’t have to use the touch functions if you don’twant to – the camera functions perfectly fine with themanual controls. What you can use the touch screen for isto tap to focus, or tap to shoot. There are 35 focus points,which you can bring up by pressing the left button on theclick wheel. Tapping on any one of them will focus thecamera there, and tapping again will activate the shutter.In the playback option, you can swipe through your imag-es or zoom in and out of them, using the touch screen. Thescreen was very responsive, requiring no relentless jab-bing, and I was relieved to note that my fingerprints didn’tleave the LCD in a blurry haze.

In the P, S, A and M modes, you can adjust manualfunctions by pressing the OK button in the centre of theclickpad, which will bring up Live Control. Any changesyou make to functions like ISO, exposure, White Balance,etc, will show up on the screen itself, making it easy for youto see changes before you take pictures. This also appliesto the Scene modes and Art filters, so you can preview yourimage before you actually press the shutter button.

ResultsA major difference which I noticed from the EPL-1 wasthat the EP-3 was considerably snappier. The camera hasbeen equipped with the latest TruePic VI processor,which makes focussing much faster. The time taken forthe image to be processed is also much faster, just about asecond, which I was really impressed with.

I tested the macro mode on the camera, mainly trying tofocus on tiny flowers on a really windy day. The autofocusworked beautifully, allowing me to capture focussed imag-es in a fraction of a second. I was able to focus less than twoinches away from my subject at the widest angle.

The camera does a good job of defocusing the back-ground when required, which was really great for portraitshots and close-ups. The Intelligent Auto mode even has acontrol where you can adjust background blur.

Although the EP-3 has a good ISO range of up to 12,800,I found that images got quite grainy post ISO 400. Noise isalso quite evident even when you use the Scene modes andArt filters in low light. I was really impressed with thecolour reproduction, which effectively recreated the neon

blue of a flambéd cake.

Our VerdictAlthough Micro-Four Third cameras have been aroundfor three years now, there’s still a lot of apprehensionsurrounding them. Most photography enthusiasts wouldrather start with a DSLR than a Micro Four Thirds cam-era, simply because DSLRs hold the ‘pro’ tag. Unfortunate-ly, I think the real takers for Micro Four Thirds cameraswill be DSLR users, who’ve felt the burden of luggingaround a heavy camera. A DSLR user myself, I’m quitetempted to go the Micro Four Thirds way, and the Olym-pus Pen EP-3 would be at the top of my list.Love: Creative Art filters, intuitive controls, touch LCDHate: Images grainy after ISO 400Price: Rs 39,999 (single lens kit)Rs 44,999 (dual lens kit)

[email protected]

Clockwise (from top right):Images are grainy post ISO 400;True to life colour reproduction;Detail is captured even when images are capturedin black and white;Macro mode allows you to get as close as 2-inchesto your subject

Product photos: S.S. KumarTest photos: Ketaki Bhojnagarwala

AUTO focus

S. Muralidhar

Though the question has played over in my mindand slipped out of my mouth during interactionsmany times over in the past, it still was the firstthing that popped up when I first saw the Etios

Liva. Why so late?Surely it is a case of better late than… even later (it was

never going to be never). But, with its vast global researchcapabilities and wide product portfolio, Toyota is onecompany that could have made a serious dent in the smallcar market share pie if it could have launched a hatch fiveyears ago.

Now that the Liva is here, Toyota’s plans for riding thewave of demand for premium hatchbacks finally has theright weapon.

DesignThe Etios Liva comes after the fairly successful introduc-tion of the Etios sedan. Toyota has shrewdly chosen tolaunch the hatch later, in a reversal of what could be calleda traditional strategy of launching the small car first andthen developing a sedan based on the same platform.

But, one look at the Etios Liva and it is clear that Toyotaactually followed just that in the development cycle for thetwo cars. The Liva looks more complete and less like anafterthought compared to the Etios sedan. Though itdoesn’t feature a cab-forward design, the design of thefront still has a strong hatchback flavour.

For all of you who complained of the Etios sedan’sbackside being bland and dated, and worse, reminding youof another sedan already in the market, the Liva’s rear

won’t give you fodder for such gossip. The Liva’s rear isunique and stands out when compared to other small cars,though it continues to be straight and simplistic.

Viewed head-on at the front, the Liva looks almostidentical to the sedan. In fact, if you look at one on the roadfrom your rear view mirror you would mistake it to be thesedan. Except for the small differences in the bonnet grille,the front half (till the B-pillar) of the Liva is a straight liftfrom the sedan.

At the rear, the Liva gets a fairly flat hatch door with theonly interesting bit being the cut and design that has beendone to match the boot lid of the sedan. The tail-lamps arelarge and dominate the rear with a cluster that seems tohave been chosen to improve visibility. The rear and sideprofile of the Liva are the best angles. Despite the overallsimplicity, the design of the Liva is clean. It is very evident

in the way all the lines meet and merge – like the risingshoulder line that merges into the tail-lamps and the rearglass.

The flared wheel arches that were lost and weak in thesedan, acquire more prominence in the Liva. In the pic-tures you see in these pages, the Liva’s design looks evenmore squat and powerful because I was driving the VXvariant which comes fitted with bumper skirts, side skirtsand a spoiler. Body coloured bumpers are standard.

InteriorsI get into the test car that I was handed over and the Liva’sinterior is immediately familiar, with the dashboard lay-out and colour theme being identical to the Etios sedan. Infact, the Liva VX that I was driving almost has the exactsame dash as the sedan. The striking bits of course, are the

centrally mounted instrument cluster, the uniquely posi-tioned air-conditioner vents and their design, the numberof storage options offered, including the large, cooledglove box and the cut-away bottom of the chunky steeringwheel, which is meant to lend the interior a sporty touch,but I won’t put it past Toyota designers to have thought ofthat to accommodate expansive Indian paunches.

The seats are also carry forwards, and though the frontseats offer some thigh and lumbar support, the rear benchis rather flat. Seat squabs are thin, but firm. But the high-light of the rear seat in the Liva is of course, the amount oflegroom and kneeroom that it offers – amongst the best inthe class.

Test driveThe Liva leverages its design well to maximise space

inside the cabin. However, what is not as convincing attimes is some of the ways by which Toyota designers andengineers have chosen to keep its kerb weight down to alow of about 900 kgs. Thin, straight doors are extremelylight and close with a weak thud. Being in the hatchsegment, weight savings go hand-in-hand in the Etios Livawith cost savings.

Of course, some of the effect of keeping the weight lowwould translate into better performance on the road, withfuel efficiency being the most tangible, but there is also asense of uneasy lightness when you are pushing the Livahard on good roads. There is no lack of confidence or poiseon the straights in the Liva, but there is sense of hesitancy Ihad felt when attempting to take on corners and test thecar’s abilities.

Despite the light weight construction, Toyota has

Photos: S. Muralidhar


achieved quite a bit of redemption with its ideal suspen-sion set up, which soaks up every bump and pothole thatthe road could throw at it. The simple McPherson strutsand torsion beam set up also manages to be adequatelyfirm to make sure that the ride is not too ‘wallowy’.

The steering is not perfectly tuned, but for a car in thissegment, this is one of the more well weighted units that Ihave seen. Easy to manage within city traffic, the steeringis pretty precise at high speeds too. Electric power steer-ing and tilt adjustment are not available in the base ‘J’variant.

The quality of the plastic used in the interiors continuesto be one irksome bit in the Liva too. Large swathes ofplastic on the dashboard can be quite a distraction on asunny day. Fit and finish are however, of acceptablequality.

PerformanceThe gem in the Etios Liva, just like in the sedan, is the

engine. This one is not a carry forward and the Liva sportsa new 1.2-litre petrol engine that is the most powerful (PSper tonne) in its size class.

The 3NR-FE, 1,197cc, four-cylinder petrol engine gener-ates a peak power of 80 PS at 5,600 rpm and a maximumtorque of 104 Nm at 3,100 rpm. Driving the Liva can leavequite an impression for buyers upgrading into the premi-um hatch segment because, with lots of low-end torquethe engine doesn’t feel laboured quickly and power isdelivered smoothly in the city driving cycle. The enginedoes get a bit ‘buzzy’ during hard acceleration.

The Liva’s engine is fairly refined and reminded me ofthe free-revving and enjoyable 1.5-litre unit in the Etiossedan. It will be a blind guess that the Liva’s 1.2-litreengine too will be trouble-free and frugal for years. Matedto the engine is the smooth-shifting five-speed manualtransmission.

Toyota’s focus in the selection of the newly developedengine has clearly been ease-of-use in city driving condi-

tions and frugality in terms of maintenance and fuel effi-ciency. The Liva gets an ARAI fuel efficiency rating of 18.3kmpl.

VerdictOn the face of it, Toyota’s assumptions about the Indianhatch buyer seems rather simplistic, some of that comingthrough in the design (like the smiling front side) and ultrapracticality (like the seven bottle holders in the cabin) thathave been loaded on to the Liva. But, considerable re-search into the Indian car buyer’s psyche has gone into thedesign and selection of powertrain and trim for the Liva.

Starting at a price of Rs 3.99 lakh, the Liva is probablythe most affordable Toyota in the world. And that makes italready an attractive proposition to many of the brand’sfans, because, despite all the focus on cost cutting, in-trinsically, the Liva should turn out to be a Toyota in everydepartment.

[email protected]


MELANGE luxury redefined

Add a tint of bronzeto your look withThe Body Shop’snew Honey Bronzerange of makeup.Enriched withmoisturising honey,the products aresure to sweetenyour summer.Available at TheBody Shop stores.Rs 695 onwards

Bronzebeauty

Fall in love with PaulSmith’s AutumnWinter 2011Collection. Theseboots and brogues inbrown, tan and black

are sure to addwarmth to your feetand wardrobe.Available at Paul

Smith stores in Delhiand Bengaluru. Price on request

‘Autumn’atic attractionWilliam Penn launches bullet pens

as part of the Ammo CartridgeSpace Pen collection by FisherSpace. The caps of these pens aremade of actual .338 H Mag and .375H&H Mag shells while the bodiesare made of brass. Available at allWilliam Penn stores.Rs 2,250(.338 Bullet pen) and Rs 1,850(.375 Bullet pen)

Treat yourself to spa products for your hair with L’OrealProfessionel Hair Spa. With different treatments for differ-ent hair types, you are sure to find your perfect match.Available at L’Oreal Professionel salons.

Price on request

Rest the tress

Schwarzkopf Professional launches its newrange of hair repair products using

Biomimetics technology. This innovativetechnology repairs both the inside and outside

of your hair by mimicking natural proteins.Available at select salons.

Rs 540 onwards

Miracle mimic

Armed and ready


PERFUME trends

as a base note for its dense, earthy qualitythat matures with time. It is used mainly infragrances for men. With oud, a little goes along way.

Must have pick: The Giorgio ArmaniPrive Collection Mille et Une Nuitscelebrates the intensity of oud with OudRoyal. The woody tones of oud areenriched by amber, myrrh and spices.

Vert perfume with green tea extract as itsheart note and the lovely Bergamot teafragrance.

Sinful cinnamonLove the smell of cinnamon wafting out of

your slice of apple pie? Now youcan add it to your

collection of fragrancestoo. Cinnamon isusually used as a heartor middle note to addwarmth and depth tothe fragrance. It is alsoa favourite today forperfumes for menbecause of the slightlyspicy and woody noteit adds to thefragrance.

Must have pick:Paco Rabanne’s BlackXS for men goes deepwith cinnamon at itsheart along with blackcardamom and balsam.The addition of sage,rosewood andpatchouli make thisa top pick for a

woody yet headyfragrance.

Oud la la!Add some mystery toyour evening with an

oud-based fragrance. Oud is theresin- embedded heartwood producedwhen South-East Asian Aquilaria trees areinfected by a particular mold. When burntor distilled, this heartwood produces acomplex fragrance. It is therefore highlyvalued today by top perfumers. Oud is used

Got thewhiff?

Archana AchalAnushya Mamtora

Isn’t dabbing on the right perfume ascrucial as choosing the rightclothes? No wonder an aquaticsplash falls flat at a cocktail party

and a spicy one for an outdoor day picnicinvites curled up noses. Striking just theperfect notes is like creating a magicpotion, and ingredients are sacrosanct.

While wood, leather, single and floralbouquets and amber have been traditionalfragrant notes to be bottled, modern dayscents include bright floral, aquatic, citrus,fruity and fresh notes.

If you thought that an exotic blend ofmango and passion fruit or prettyverbenas from a remotevillage in Europe areas exclusive yourperfume can get, thefragrance details ofthe latest perfumesare sure to intoxicateyou in more than oneway. Firstly, by theirsheer scent andsecondly, by theiruniqueness to theperfume industry.

Game to introducesome fun, some divineand some totallyquirky fragrances intoyour life? Here are fiveof our favourite picks.

A tea breakWhether it’s themild waft of greentea or a zesty freshwhite tea, the ‘tea’ isone of the most soughtafter ingredients infragrances. Whilethose blended withfloral scents like jasmine arepopular with women, plain ones arelapped up by men too for a mood-upliftingexperience.

Must have pick: Elizabeth Arden’sGreen Tea fragrance, L’Occitane’sfascinating tea collection that includes The

>>Beyond the fragrance

What comes first, the exotic fragrance or the moreexotic bottle? Crystal majors can take a bow. Fra-grance lovers are increasingly picking up perfumebottles more for the sake of its exquisite carving thanthe fragrance they hold. Some absolutely crave-wor-thy brands include:

Lalique

Don’t expect to walk into any luxury perfume storeand spot a Lalique. Uber exclusive and ultra luxuri-ous, each of Lalique’s perfumes is a tribute to crystalcrafting and intricate carving. This Sans Adieu bottlein rich emerald green is a collector’s prized possessionfor sure.

Waterford

The Waterford Lismore Eau de Parfum is the latestaddition to the Waterford brand line. Inspired by theLismore crystal pattern, this soft floral fragrancecomes in a beautiful vase-shaped bottle that can beadded to your crystal collection.

Swarovski

The Swan makes its presence felt in the perfumeworld too. Among other beauties, this Swarovski Au-ra, cylindrically shaped and topped with asymmetri-cal crystals, cases a fragrance with fruity litchi, rosesand pink pepper notes.

Laliq

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Adi

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Swarovski Aura

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The Spice routePepper will no longer belong to the kitchencloset alone. Wars have been waged overthis valuable ingredient, so it is only fit thatit finds its place in luxury perfumes today.Pepper adds a certain spicy note toperfumes, the smell of which depends onthe type of pepper used. Black, green andpink pepper notes add different qualitieseach to the perfume and are usuallybrought out best as top notes. Perfumeswith hints of pepper in them are describedas having an oriental, mysteriousfragrance.

Must have pick: 7 Loewe for mencarries the power of pepper with otherstrong elements like cedar, vetiver and redapple to create a fragrance filled withmagnetism and depth. Love, Chloe forwomen is the perfect pick with the tang ofpink pepper, orange blossom, soft lilac andwistful wisteria blossom.

Orange fiestaAs summer gets underway, the perfectperfume for a picnic or trip to the beachshould have one essential scent, that oforange. The list of orange varieties used inperfumes is endless but it is the orangeblossom that captures everyone’s fancy insummertime. This delicate flowerproduces a light and fresh fragrance thatadds a sweet note to the perfume. Orangeblossoms usually form the top note offragrances.

Must have pick: Lady Million by PacoRabanne will carry you from day to nightwith its sweet blend of orange blossom,raspberry, patchouli and amber. Also forwomen, Lancome’s O de L’Orangerie isfilled with the scent of orange blossom,orange zest and jasmine.

[email protected]@thehindu.co.in


GOURMET encounters

Michael Swamy

This is the first time I’ve encountered a lotus stemwrapped dim sum. The texture and feel of thedish was exotic - the silky smooth rice flourwrapped around a perfectly cooked prawn and

flavours that lingered long after they had worn off mytastebuds. At Hakkasan, Mumbai’s newest Chinese fine-dining restaurant serving Cantonese cuisine, the foodseems to be crafted with passion. Hakkasan was firstopened in the UK in 2001 and quickly earned a Michelinstar for its food and exquisite ambience. Will its Mumbaiproperty replicate the success story?

At first sightWith 6,600 square feet of space, this would easily be one ofMumbai’s largest restaurants. Every nuance of the restau-rant has been carefully created to please the guest. Fromthe elevator to the dining area, one is met with subtlelighting and delicate aromas. The smallest details havebeen taken care of by an international team of designersfrom the Paris-based architectural firm, Gilles & Boissier.Starting from the wood panels to the fish scale design, youcan see traditional designs strongly emerging though witha very contemporary feel.

The restaurant is divided into four sections. The Ling

Ling lounge is open for lunch and is elegantly designed inChinoiserie style. The long, luxurious bar area is thought-fully laid out, and the drinks and cocktails menu veryinnovative. Along the entrance wall is a creatively de-signed whisky display. The main dining area is open onlyfor dinner and the restaurant wisely has a ‘no kids’ policyfor its second seating after 9 pm, which will be a welcomebreak for serious diners. There is also a separate diningarea for business meetings. The hostesses clad in pinkdesigner cheongsams further add to the spirit of the res-taurant.

Gastronomic experienceHowever, it is the presence of expert chefs like masterDim sum maker Chef Soon and Executive Chef Kent Leeand their six specialists that makes the dining experiencehere a memorable one. A lot of the ingredients designedinto the menu are of local origin and a few are internation-al. This has been done to keep the flavours intact; in orderto ensure there are fewer ‘air carbon miles’ involved inwhat one is eating. Eating with chopsticks is the only waythrough a Chinese meal. Plus, it’s a useful skill to pick up,and I would recommend it to better any Chinese foodexperience. One of Hakkasan’s specialities is the crispyduck served with slices of mango. The taste and textures

are inexplicably delicious, with the interesting blend ofcrisp duck, the flavours of soy and the softness of mango.

One needs to be adventurous to try the pork belly servedupon leeks and cucumber. At Hakkasan, it is evident thatthe deftness of the slicing and portioning is a master’scraft. The chicken was great too, with hints of cinnamon,and other dishes to try out are the silver cod with caviar, orPeking duck which is not only expensive but has to beordered in advance. Hakkasan has a wide range of optionsfor vegetarians too like stir fried lotus stems, asparagusand a host of exotic vegetables in varied combinations.

With an exhaustive list of 125 wines and an enviablewhisky menu, almost every ‘spirited’ whim is catered to atits extensive bar. Drinks like the Ketel (a delicious combi-nation of vodka, sake, coconut and lychee), a pink Mojitomade of gold tequila and the Chinese mule are some of thecocktails one must try out.

The meal is worth every bit of its high price tag and theexperience, a gastronomic delight.What: Hakkasan Mumbai

Where: Krystal, Waterfield Road, Bandra, Mumbai

Cuisine: Cantonese

How much: Rs 4,000 for a meal for two without liquor

(The author is a Cordon Bleu Chef and Food Stylist)

A stellar Chinese encounter

smartbuy issue dated august 10, 2011

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