BENGALURU: You can’t spell America without Erica – while Netflix’s Stranger Things fans will get this, things got stranger than ever at Koramangala Social, with chairs and tables hanging from the ceiling upside down and bicycles of the six main characters parked at the make-believe Hawkins town.
In collaboration with Netflix, Stranger Things and Socials is bringing the series to life with a Stranger menu that has got fans hooked to the place with a lit-up decor, similar setup from Mike Wheeler’s house and posters all over. To experience the world full of monsters, superpowers and magic, the limited menu has combinations and flavours that denote the Upside Down, which is the primary theme of the series.
As CE soaked in the surrounding, our eyes immediately caught the Mind Flayer LIIT, a cocktail based on the giant monster in Season 3. With an IPA syrup that has been carefully tended to, the dark rum with walnut falernum, fresh lime juice and soda was a good, ‘tall’ start to the evening.
While Socials outlets in Bengaluru are well-known for their LIITs, this one was more on the sweeter side and would be a good pick for someone who doesn’t prefer hard drinks. The Spice Bomb was a pleasant savoury chaat consisting of yogurt, tomatoes, onions and a lot more. We finished it in a jiffy, no surprise there. Next came the Crunchy Upma and Upside Down-nuts. According to the menu, the former is crunchy on the outside, soft inside, just like Hopper, the famous police officer from the show who unfortunately dies in the last episode (or, does he?). It’s a plate worthy of just the right amount of everything that a vegetarian might love. The latter is doughnuts filled with well-cooked ghee roast mutton and the menu goes on to say, “You’ll be on it just like Eleven on Eggos” (a Stranger Things reference). Served with green chutney, the doughnuts were a delight and not at all heavy on the appetite.
Meanwhile, our Strange, Sweet Death arrived with a combination of gin, cherry and hibiscus syrup, balsamic vinegar, earl grey tea, egg white and jaggery syrup. Sounds strange, but our taste buds loved it. Once the Kebab Paella came, we couldn’t stop hogging at the delicious risotto rice, garnished with onions and coriander leaves and topped with quite a few creamy chicken kebabs that melted in our mouth.
We encountered something strange with Biscuits and Gravy. Although we understand biscuits paired with tea, we didn’t realise that the simple Parle-G would taste so unique with classic dal. Add to that, the biscuits were butter-fried, which would be loved by children and also makes for a perfect snack while playing Dungeons & Dragons.
To finish it up, we were served the Mirchi ka Halwa, which in true sense, was not spicy at all, as the name suggests, but was more of butter mixed with hints of chilli served on crunchy breads. Quite strange, eh?
The Stranger Things menu is on till July 14 and cost for two is `1,300 (approx).