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North
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| JP Balimo Food Lounge & Deck Bar : 4219-9393 |
JP Royal, 218, Fifth Floor, 13th Cross, Sampige Road
Malleswaram |
| Daily noon-11pm. |
| While Malleswaram abounds in institutions that feed the mind – Seva Sadan and the Indian Institute of Science, to name two – when it comes to offering a similar degree of sophistication for those in need of a drink, the area is found woefully wanting. It appears JP Balimo, with its Zen-inspired tribute to the Buddha, babbling fountains and bamboo-laden walls, is looking to fix the problem
that has troubled this neighbourhood for years.
Located on the fifth floor, the nightclub comes complete with a balcony overlooking all of Malleswaram – the jostle of Sampige Road, the whirl of night-time shoppers and the shrill cries of flower vendors. Though the balcony isn’t all that large, in keeping things small, they’ve achieved intimacy.
However, while on the surface of it JP Balimo looks like it has received booster doses of sophistication and romance, when it comes to actually drinking in the nightclub, things rapidly begin to head south. For one, the waiters here, albeit courteous, are rather slow to respond to pretty much anything you say. And then there is the small matter of the drinks menu: while it appears extensive, and cheap, you’ll discover soon enough that the prices belie the truth. The Aphrodite Greek goddess (Rs 250), a jealous Joe (Rs 250) and a berrytini (Rs 200) might seem downright cut-rate, but when you see the shot glasses they are served in, you’ll realise you’re paying quite a bit. Kankshi Mehta |
| 77 Degrees East : 4112-4031 |
50/1, Minal Towers, Residency Road
Residency Road |
| Daily 7pm-11.30pm |
| The Corner House chain started in 1982 with the first parlour dishing out the very welcome death by chocolate on Residency Road. Even after many more branches, to the extreme joy of ice-cream lovers and gym owners across the city, this particular outlet is still alive and throbbing with those seeking a few moments of ice-cold nirvana, late in the night.
Across the road from this heritage site is 77 Degrees East, and the fact that there’s more to say about the ice cream parlour than this new lounge is a lesson in opening a club. Every place should have a quirk, and the only things that possibly qualify at this dive are the large golden butterflies on the fixtures that hang from the ceiling. The music spans genres, going from house to a surprising “Saat Samundar” in Bollywood, and the general look of the lounge makes you contend that it was more suited to a couple of guys looking for cheap booze than a girlfriend-boyfriend-like situation. The drinks are reasonably priced and the bloody Mary (Rs 180) is mixed by a knowledgeable hand. The same can’t be said for the food which scores magnificently on cholesterol-boosting oil and intestine-burning spice, but not on taste. Thankfully, that could always be rectified with a hot chocolate fudge junior at Corner House. AR
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| Brigade Fuel : 2559-0666 |
33,
Rest House Road |
| Daily 11.30am-11.30pm. |
| Make no mistake about it. This one’s a B-A-R, as the neon sign outside says in bright crimson. As you walk up the grimy metal steps to the seating area, you wonder how many people have traversed the same path, only head-first, after a raucous brawl. Once you’re seated, an old Hindi song, a rarity this side of the Vindhyas, reaches your ears and your memory is forced to totter into action to blow the dust off in its recesses to find which film it’s from. Best of all, the prices are dirt cheap (which funnily befits the place). You can blink and rub your eyes but the menu clearly states 180 ml of Bacardi will cost Rs 210, which if you know your alcohol measurements means you get about three larges, and you wonder if there’s any better kind of math in the world.
The food too is B-A-R food, like peanut masala (Rs 25) and pepper chicken (Rs 70), and surprisingly not too bad. Brigade Fuel is worth a visit if you’re a guy who can’t go to Pecos, Le Rock or Guzzler’s Inn for quick fixes towards the end of the month. Brigade Fuel is worth a visit if you’re a woman only if you’re covered from head to toe and with at least a couple of guys for a glug-and-get-the-hell-out routine before you scoot somewhere else that’s nicer and not a B-A-R bar. Debaushree Dutta
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