BENGALURU: Going out for drinks and dinner with your friends can really burn a hole in your pocket. But what if you found an option where the more you drank, the less you paid? That’s exactly what Bar Bar in Phoenix Marketcity, Whitefield, has to offer. The concept works like this, the more people on the table, the lesser your bill gets. As you order more drinks, the price of each drink goes down - this applies to Indian and imported liquor.
While this concept has been tried, tested and succeeded in Pune and Mumbai, it is relatively new in Bengaluru, as the outlet is less than a month old. What’s more, they even have an E-Savings Calculator App, which the team has been working on for 8 months now, and they are finally launching this patented software only in Bengaluru to begin with.
The focus is to ensure that the customer is be able to see his savings at every step of the way during the ordering process.Coming to the decor, Bar Bar boasts of rustic interiors, mostly woodwork, a lot of barrels and some dim lighting to set the mood. The outdoor seating area is perfect for a chilly Bengaluru evening out with your friends.
The food is better than what one would expect at a watering hole. We were spoilt for choice, and were not disappointed with anything we tried. The chicken wings, though a small portion, were flavourful and cooked just right - we tried the Bourbon Barbeque wings, and licked our fingers till every last bit of sauce came off.
The Zucchini Parmesana, rings of zucchini and parmesan cheese fried and served with a dip, is an excellent option for vegetarians and cheese lovers. The seafood is excellent at Bar Bar. We tried the Butter Garlic Chilli Shrimp and the Baked Cheesy Masala Crab - both were fresh, very well spiced and cooked to perfection. For those coming in groups, the platters are the best option.
Available in vegetarian, chicken, seafood and pork, these are large and can easily be shared by a group of four. We tried the pork platter, called the Oink Oink Platter, which came with pork made in at least five different ways, and is served with potato wedges and coleslaw. The highlight, for us, was the pizza. Made in a wood fire oven, the crust is thin and crunchy, with a generous doze of mozzarella. We tried different toppings on the same pizza, and can say that this is one of the better pizzas in town. For dessert, we tried the Salted Caramel and Expresso Tart - it was large, soft and sinful. And while dessert and drinks don’t always go together, just visiting Bar Bar for a meal alone is also a good option.
Coming to the drinks, we loved everything we tried. Bar Bar offers a 750 ml cocktail along with bar snacks for just `750 - ideal for one or two people. Under this, we tried Fruit Loops - a cocktail of tequila, cranberry juice, apple juice, candy and plenty of cut fruit, which was pink, pretty and quite potent. We also tried The Lynchburg - a cocktail made from orange whiskey, Vodka, Triple Sec and Ginger Ale – perfect for those whiskey lovers. The Grapejito – a mojito but with grape juice - is ideal for dark rum fans who are willing to experiment a little. With a wide range of drinks to offer and the stellar deals on offer, drinking at Bar Bar is a really fun experience, which is also not hard on your wallets. The music is lively, mostly pop, hip hop and rock numbers from the 1990s and the 2000s, but they also have the space for live gigs. The staff is courteous and polite, and the service is much quicker than expected.
All in all, travelling to Whitefield just to visit Bar Bar, is definitely worth it.
Cost for two: Rs 1,200