I would never have dreamed we would have a Mr. Harry Potter on our cover one day, but lo and behold, there he is! Like the whole world, we too have been caught in this Pottermania. Well, check out and see what�s in his pot!

And like Harry, we too have chocolates on our mind. Kids everywhere love chocolates and Bombay kids are no exception. My friend Zeba Kohli of Fantasie is a whiz with chocolates and children, and we both had a great time mixing work with pleasure at a special chocolate-making workshop for children. Turn to the Guestlist pages for happy smiles.

Our Gourmet destination is an unique coastal area on the Maharashtra-Gujarat border. Dahanu, Gholvad, Udvada, and the union territory of Daman. A blend of people from different communities, Parsi-Irani, Gujarati and Portuguese cast their influence on the cuisine and culture of this locality. In Devka, at hotelier Oliaji�s home, I had the most sumptuous Parsi food ever, with toddy et al. In Daman I understood all about the Taad tree, the same which gives you neera which ferments into toddy. And of course, its delicious fruit, the ice-apple, what we in India know as tadgola. Hmm...

But this sojourn also threw some adventure my way. The Parsi-Iranis of this region are rather cool kind of people. Dr. Behramshah Mazda flies his own plane we were told. Plane! It was a contraption of aluminium rods, a few frail straps, a piece of cloth, a huge propeller and a teeny-weeny motor that took us up in the air. On a wing and a prayer, so to say. This flight was undertaken just to see how dense the chikoo farms of Dahanu are! My Nikon 100 which weighs one kilo, felt like a tonne up there. But yes, I managed to get some �aerial� photos.

The International section is truly diverse. Seychelles, Spain and Malaysia. Bird Island, Paradors and Langkawi, which is like an orderly and posh Goa. The resorts there are simply fabulous.

Tanjung Rhu, which Karen Anand and I checked out, has great food and would be an ideal getaway for people who enjoy peace and quiet and their own company.

But Goa is Goa and I was there once again, this time to enjoy the hospitality of Dipti and Raj Salgaocar, a reticent couple, understated in style and mannerism but full of warmth and easy goingness which is the essence of life. I have waited for a long time to taste the other cuisine of Goa, the Saraswat Brahmin food, and I must say there is a distinct difference.

As usual, we have again managed to bring to you unusual people from diverse fields. There is Ameeta Seth, the bubbly daughter of cigar man Chetan Seth, being groomed to take over from papa; the flamboyant tiger man Fateh Singh Rathore of Ranthambore; Londoner Karan Bilimoria of Cobra Beer and now General Bilimoria wines; and, yes, even the king of prose and poetry, Dom Moraes, who once sat and ate with cannibals!

Lastly, please allow me to welcome on board the advisory team, two new members � all time and full time foodie and connoisseur of the good things in life, Harsh Goenka, and Sanjeev Kapoor the celebrity chef par excellence! Enjoy � the rains and this issue!

Farzana Contractor