Ambience: We walked into the loud and vibrant restro-pub playing fast-paced music on a weekday night to find all seats taken. Thank god for our reservation. After all, we’d come to the Indian cricket captain’s latest F&B venture. Virat Kohli’s signature was enlarged on the walls but no cricket paraphernalia was spotted. This was not a sports bar, it was more like a packed stadium of two floors buzzing with crowds, where people came to forge camaraderie and indulge in flavours of victory.
Food & Beverage: The extensive menu left us spoilt for choice. Starting with Kohli’s favourites, it ran into quite a few pages of small plates and large plates. The cocktail menu prepared by popular mixologist Yangdup Lama overflowed with his signature creativity and flavour. We sipped on the gin-based Bronx that went along perfectly with the Pretty Pink Sushi we started our meal with. While the Chilli Chicken Bao was a tad bit messy, a small plate of Black Chicken fixed our palates with the utterly delicious black sesame marinade.
We skipped past the section The Humble Indian Palate (main course) which was as Kohli-ish as the menu could get—Highway Dal Makhani, Makai Paneer Saag, Lahori Chole—and opted for some Grilled Fish and Penne Primavera. In retrospect, we should have stuck to the former. The pasta left us feeling like it was a hack job—too cheesy and flavourless. But the Five Rivers Mud Cake made us forget our disappointment. Made of layered chocolate, this was a straight sixer.
Service: The food came in quickly, one dish after another, perfectly timed, unrushed. The staff was attentive; neither too indulgent not too far off when we ordered for another round. The next time we go back, it will be with a large group and we’d opt for home flavours over anything else.