|
|
North
|
 |
| Hard Rock Cafe : 4124-2222 |
40, St Mark’s Road
St. Mark’s Road |
| Daily noon-11.30pm |
| 40, St Mark’s Road. The late 1980s. Where you’d walk in for the latest cassette on the charts, a Magnasound tape most likely, priced
Rs 45. There were no CDs then, and the store was called HMV House.
Same address. The 2000s. HMV House undergoes a series of makeovers, from a pub to a café, and even a stage for gigs.
By 2007-end, the enterprise that was first opened in London by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in 1971 moved in with crate loads of priceless rock “n” roll memorabilia, and some classic chow. Today, the stone walls here are lined with guitars – a Fender Stratocaster signed by all members of Pink Floyd and Eric Clapton’s 12-string Dobro, among others.
Of the 130 other cafés in this chain – in more than 40 countries – the “Bengaluru” version is perhaps the only one that shuts at hours way before even their cousins in Krakow (Poland) are forced to. It’s probably a good thing that they’ve split a family section from the pub, while a courtyard at the rear is for smokers.
For eats, the most popular picks are chicken wings (Rs 282), nachos (Rs 335) and onion rings (Rs 200). The “legendary 10-ounce” burger (Rs 367) is a recommend.
Off the bar: a pint’s Rs 133 and a small of Jack Daniel’s Rs 343. A store in the restaurant sells assorted knick-knackery, and oh, did we mention? There’s rock music as well. Jaideep Sen
|
|
|
South
|
|
| 13th Floor : 4178-3333 |
84, Barton Centre
MG Road |
| Daily 7-11pm. |
| If the dizzying elevator ride up 13 floors hasn’t already thrown you slightly off balance, the drinks menu at 13th Floor will. The cocktails here are organised into various categories, and the “short and potent” section harbours some interesting-looking picks: among others, you’ll find such weapons of destructions as the Uzi, Peacemaker Colt, Tommy Gun and the avowedly patriotic Brahmos (all Rs 300) vying for your attention. Of these, the Brahmos – the Indian cruise missile it is named after is a portmanteau word that combines “Brahmaputra” and “Moskva” – is deserving of its own slot on the Scoville scale: the amount of paprika in this tequila drink will lay you low.
The Tommy Gun is a mellow, pleasant concoction, elaborately garnished and sweetened with fruit juice. If you’re not in the mood to experiment, head to sections titled “the usual suspects” and “most wanted”. Pick the strawberry margarita (Rs375) for some fruity, salty goodness, or, if you’re the designated driver, nurse a Virgin Mary (Rs185). To accompany this swilling, try the Thai sweet corn cakes (Rs225): the deep-fried cakes come with a deliciously sweet chilli sauce. For a lighter choice, try the Mediterranean chicken salad (Rs210).
At 13th Floor, you’ll find the music tends towards cheesy ’80s staples of the Bryan Adams variety; it’s only once in a while that a song worthy of a jig will sneak in. But then you don’t come here for the music, or even the food and drink: you come here for the kind of tranquil view of Bangalore you gain only when seated overlooking the city. The outdoor section is almost always densely populated, while the indoor section is near-empty, barring the occasional odd pair that wants to (gasp) converse and not take in the views. Neha Mujumdar |
| Strawberry Moon : 4037-3737 |
37, 37th Crescent Hotel, High Grounds
Crescent Road |
| Daily 11am-11.30pm. |
| Strawberry Moon is a snug room with
large portraits of musical colossuses
such as BB King and Miles Davis. If
you are here to canoodle with a
partner, you can head over to the
dimly lit corner area, where spacious
sofas are located. If you are here to
impress your companion with your
knowledge of jazz musicians, start by
flipping through the menu and
bemoaning the many errors, pointing
out, for instance, that the man in the
photograph titled “John Coltrane” is
actually Ron Carter (that Carter is
pictured with a double-bass and not a
saxophone doesn’t appear to have
sufficed as evidence for the people that
constructed the menu). If that does not
sufficiently awe your company, walk
up to the large Harlem Jazz portrait
and spout obscure trivia about Dizzy
Gillespie, Count Basie and Coleman
Hawkins, while regularly crinkling
your nose at the pop music playing –
Sue Thompson in the place of Charles
Thompson, if you will.
They have six kinds of beer (Stella
Artois, Beck’s, Leffe, Foster’s,
Kingfisher and Corona). The cocktails
are standard fare; the Long Island iced
tea and the sex on the beach go down
well, though the first is stronger than
one might be accustomed to. One pick
here that catches the eye is a
concoction called hot lips (vodka, lime
juice and the intriguing promise of
“Moon special spices”). It is packed
with ginger slices, and a plump chilli
decorates the surface, its seeds
floating about ominously. However,
the salt-rimmed glass and copious
amounts of sugar do much to dim all
this heat, and you are left with merely
salty lips. The complementary nibbles
(salted peanuts and garlicky chips) are
accompaniments satisfactory enough
to delay the order of more substantial
fare. And just as well: the uninspiring
selection of bar snacks (listed
perfunctorily at the end) and a rubbery
paneer tikka do not bode well for the
establishment’s culinary expertise.
While you could head to Strawberry
Moon for a quiet eveni |
|
|
|
|
 Search Nightlife |
|
|
Popular searches
on this site now:
|
|
| |
Picks of the week
|
| |
|
|
|
| February 2012 |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Register
