Sip on the sky, sea and sunset

The sunlight streaming in through the leaves of a shady tree and a glass of iced lemonade with a cheeseandcream laced dish makes for a pictureperfect frame on an idyllic weekend afternoon Thankfully this is an achievable dream and as one looks forward to clear blue skies and crisp weather al fresco restaurants in the city are looking happily heavenward Olive has long been utilising its open space for several conceptualised events File pic Candies gt Open sky policy One name that has been around for years now is old Bandra favourite Candies Owner Allan Pereira is the man behind the charming hill garden the wooden seats and the mosaic walls all being his creations ldquoThe idea behind the Pali Hill space was to create a sitdown place where people feel that they are not within the city We cut up the space into different levels and created this green open space I want my restaurants to have a feel of Greece France Goa all put together Mai Tai has tried to create a Polynesian island with its exteriors PicBipin Kokate Also due to the terraced levels people can sit around for as long as possiblerdquo he believes The older Candiesrsquo outlet near Bandra Reclamation too went under renovation earlier this year and the endresult was a cutesy streetside cafe ldquoThe road is a dead end so itrsquos a calm neighbourhood I wanted people to come by their cars or bikes park it right there and sip on coffee seated outside Itrsquos the reason why I have tiled the front section too I am trying to recreate cafes from Cot DrsquoZurerdquo he reveals The recently renovated Candies near Lilavati Hospital in Bandra encourages driving in and settling down for a quiet meal PicSatyajit Desai Corniche gt Sea and smile While Candies has long been attracting people from all corners of the city another Bandra restaurant Corniche that faces the Carter Road promenade has been garnering a loyal audience With the sea breeze caressing the space the menu too has been designed to keep up with the mood Executive Chef Amit Chaudhary tells us ldquoThe waterfront is our USP we designed the menu such that it complements it So we have a majority of sea food and a menu that goes with the casual and comfortable openair ambiance of the space and not a strict finedine atmosphererdquo Grilled Mangospacho Red Snapper Mai Tai gt Island in the city Corniche might have a seafront to boast of but Trader Vicrsquos Mai Tai Lounge has a global Polynesian image to keep in mind and had the task to create an island in a mall in Lower Parel ldquoWe have strategically picked locations for Mai Tai that give the look and feel of an island We wanted to give our guest a complete experience of a Polynesian island through placing white pebbles green trees etc in the outdoor section A sunset view from Corniche Our idea was to create a relaxed casual space while staying true to the global theme of the chain We zeroed down on the open air concept to achieve thisrdquo informs Gordon DrsquoSouza Director of Operations DrsquoSouza tells us that though the lounge is consistent in its theme and aesthetics are from around the world the city outlet has its own unique personality and no two outlets are exactly alike Olive gt White and beautiful An expansive outdoor space also requires attention to detail to keep the place in shape Pereira tells us ldquoDuring the rains people sit in the airconditioned section but I also had the problem of crows coming in I have now used netting to solve this problemrdquo ldquoWe have a 100yearold tree at our Mahalaxmi outlet and being an open space it is prone to dust Other than that there arenrsquot any challenges as such that open spaces poserdquo says Candice DrsquoSouza Head of Events and Marketing at the Olive outlets The open spaces also serve as a great space to host creative events and popup shows which seem to be the toast of the season ldquoWith large outer space we have always looked at creating a complete experience that doesnrsquot just end with food People today are world travellers and aware so it is essential to offer a good experience in a homegrown atmosphereu00a0 At Olive the white walls and the outdoor setting have always helped us include creative concepts related to fashion food Sunday brunches or music and create a community space Recently we launched an outlet in Pune and have retained our open air policy with au00a04500 sq feet open courtyardrdquo says DrsquoSouza Dos amp Donrsquots for an al fresco space gt For open spaces too lighting plays an important factor Try to use indirect lights to brighten the space gt To create more moving space for attendants utilise corners for creating your washrooms or pantry gt Earthy colours work best for an open space and use wood bamboo or wrought iron to create sections gt Avoid too many real plants as they will require pesticides and dead leaves will litter the space gt For a roof top pay special attention to the height of the parapet for safety reasons gt For covering open spaces use a dome or pergola gt Add colour to the space with the help of lights gt Itrsquos not advisable to have open water bodies in Mumbai as they will attract mosquitoes Tips courtesy Anish Motwani Interior Designer