THE DIARY OF Z

Carry your digital world in your shirt pocket. Get tomorrow’s technology today. Step right inside istore, India’s largest store for apple products. It’s an i-shaped store - walk in, and you will only keep walking, with gadgets on both sides vying for attention. From Free Agent Go that lets you store up to 160 GB of data (Rs 9200) to the large screen Apple monitor (Rs 35,600-Rs 1,01,300), there’s something for everyone. For travel buffs, there’s the world travel adapter kit (Rs 2100) that allows you to hook up to six international adapters.

I only have one problem with this store. Why do the guys bill your purchases on a PC, when they may as well afford a Mac. That’s the worst form of publicity for the big Apple!!!

iStore, No 87, Almas Centre, MG Road, Phone: 4157-1067/68. Next to Spencer’s

Step in at Zync, the café-restaurant near Safina Plaza

Fancy a place for some coffee and conversation in an old-world ambience?  A space that’s away from the madding crowd and still in the heart of the city? Then step right inside Zync. Housed in an extension of a 100-year-old Victorian bungalow, this L-shaped all-white café-restaurant near Safina Plaza is celebrating its second anniversary by revamping its culinary options and adding Mexican food to its existing menu of Thai, continental and Italian cuisine. From the more wild than mild nachos and tortillas to tasty meat balls, cheesy veggies, burgers, salads, pastas and sinful ice creams, the range is sumptuously eclectic. As you sit down, what stares you in the eye are the table mats that hand out Feng Shui gifting tips, like not gifting an empty wallet, but instead filling it with coins to attract more wealth. I loved Bay of Bengal (tune fish tossed in mayonnaise salad and brown bread) and Blue Nile (blue curacao with sprite floated with vanilla ice cream).

This 96-seater is a sanctuary (that’s also the name of its ‘retail outlet’). Not only is the music smooth and flowy (they were playing the tune from ‘Godfather’ when we stepped in), but it’s also a lifestyle souk –little shops attached to it sell anything from wax candles to books, dewans, handbags, shoes, capris, shirts and tees for both men and women.

Hit the lounge. Coz a lot happens over coffee.

Zync, 8 Hospital Road, Bangalore – 560 001. Phone: 25591655.
Indicative price list: Masala chai: Rs 40, garlic bread: Rs 45, meat balls: Rs 120, shrimp ravioli: Rs 175; mousse cake: Rs 75.