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Night
without end
Indian metros are waking up to the joys of
chilling out in lounge bars with a glass of bubbly. TWF correspondent
Avijit Chatterjee goes lounge bar hopping in the resurgent
eastern megapolis Kolkata to discover how the once non-happening
city is shedding its frumpy image to catch on the trend.
It is 11 PM on a Saturday and Kolkata's
nouveau riches are hitting the BED, the swankiest night haunt
in town. Amidst the mellow music, the clinking of glasses
and the ripple of laughter, Kolkata is experiencing a new
nirvana. Its Saturday Night Fever folks and the city is learning
to sway to a new tune. Not the regular ear-splitting, nerve-racking
kind, but music that's balm for your soul and the ambience
that take you on a journey to the Arabian Nights.
Welcome to the new age of lounging. If discos
are déclassé and the pubs too noisy and crowded,
lounge bars are the newest rendezvous of the discerning class.
With its low seating, soft music and relaxed atmosphere, they
are a clear winner by any standards. But if you think Kolkata
and lounge bars make strange bedfellows, you are mistaken.
The riotous glam of the 70's and 80's disco
have given way to the safer elegance and glamour of the city's
millennium's nightlife niche, the lounge bar. Once famed for
its vibrant nightlife, Communist-ruled Bengal is playing the
enchantress, wooing the investors and the city's burgeoning
middle class alike.
Coupled with the city's resurgence, which
is reflected in the booming hospitality industry, lounge bars
have suddenly become a rage among the Gen X. And the city's
youth brigades, all eager to play footsie, are partying like
there's no tomorrow. Says Bipin Vora of BED(Bars Entertainment
and Dining) , a joint venture by actor Aditya Panscholi, which
opened its door in the city recently with a star-studded evening
attended by Bollywood's hot babes, " Partying has acquired
an entirely different connotation. It no longer means dancing
in gay abandon to some raucous music. Chilling out with a
glass of champagne or whisky while listening to the strains
of Buddha Bar or hip-hop is the in thing."
Clearly, today's youth prefers to play it
cool and safe. Drinking, mingling and snacking barely sums
up their attitude. For those looking for a gastronomical high,
BED, spread over 10,000 sq. ft. area, offers Chinese, Thai
and Indian delicacies. An Arabian spread on the rooftop is
also on the cards. Observes Sovan Mukherjee, Manager, Sisha
Bar, one of the first to set up lounge bars in the city two
years
back," For the young professionals in their mid-20s and
30s, tired of loud music and frenzied dancing,
lounge bars are an ideal place to relax and unwind. Also,
the ambience of the place helps you to engage in
conversation or do business without interruption." "Unlike
most lounge bars, our stress is on the family
crowd. Even kids are allowed as there are no restrictions
as such. The atmosphere of the place is
such that even girls can come here and relax without being
propositioned," he adds.
Says Reshmi Singh, a banker, " In a
lounge bars I can be completely at ease with my women friends
and enjoy my drink without the worry of being gawked at."
If comfort and chilling are the key, what adds to the
USP of the place is its hookah bar. The hookahs come in 21
flavours, with pistachio, apricot, apple, cherry and jasmine
being the most popular ones. Carrying the Arabian theme is
the range of cocktails on offer. These include Camel's Breath(
a mix of dark rum, spices and apple juice),Martini Morocco(a
concoction of of vodka, lime juice and grenadine syrup) ,
and Babylon spice( in three flavours of mint, chocolate and
coffee). If drinks are Middle Eastern so is the food.Lebanese
delicacies such as hummus(mashed chickpeas seasoned with Olive
oil and garlic), babaganouj(chargrilled brinjal) and falafel
all served with pitta bread.
Maintaining its exclusivity is 'Vergose'
at Hotel Hindustan International. " Our lounge bar is
positioned for the well-heeled. Entry to the bars is restricted
and as such anybody cannot just walk in and ask for a drink.We
mainly cater to the business class and corporate executives,"
says Managing Director D K Jaiswal, who feels Kolkata has
a lot of catching up to do with Delhi and Mamba, "Nightclubs
have become an anachronism in Mumbai and Delhi. Most now prefer
to go to place where the food is good, the ambience is posh
and the music is rocking," he says. With the dining place
bang in the middle and the five lounging spots spread around,
the hotel serves Italian, Japanese, Lebanese and Mexican fare.
Even the 'Prince of Cal' at Sourav's, started
by the Indian skipper, caters mainly to the corporate crowd.
"Our no-frills lounge bar is mainly targeted at the corporate
and the high-flying executives and not for the Gen X crowd.
Anyone below 21 is not allowed," says Guest Relations
Manager Subhabrata Dutta. If the food and drinks are somewhat
Mediterranean at most lounge bars so is the décor.
At Sisha, which means hookah in Arabic,
the soft mellow lighting, luxurious low cushioned seating
and the languid lounge music all contribute to the creation
of an Arabian fantasy. As do the 30-odd hookahs which have
been brought from Cairo.
Done up in deep red and black, the place has an ethereal quality
about it.
Adding a touch of romance is Bar H20 at poolside of the Park
Hotel. With the crystal blue waters lending a touch of serenity
to the place, the bar turns into a romantic unwind centre
at night. At Virgose, it's the Fibre-LED lights that change
to set the perfect mood.
But for those who get their high on watching cricket, Prince
of Cal is the place to be.
"Replete with the skipper's memorabilia, it captures
the enigma of triumph and the enduring spirit that has taken
Sourav to the zenith of achievements. His enchanting style
and the indefatigable nature to rise above the rest is felt
in every corner of the lounge
bar," says General Manager Saikat Sarkar.
If the food and the décor add to
the mood, it is the lounge music which sets the pace for a
chilled-out evening . Hip-hop, trance, Buddha Bar, Nirvana,
Nitin Sawhney and Rabbi set the tone for the sunset and sunrise
hours in most lounge bars. "We generally start
with the soft strains of Buddha Bar and Kula Shaker before
settling down to playing some peppy numbers late into the
night. But it is generally lounge music that we play throughout
the evening," says DJ Garish of BED. Echoes DJ Vikrant
of Virgose,"
Playing funk or rock is a strict no-no.
Most people now want the music to be as unobtrusive as possible
so is the preference for Arabic music."
For most lounge bars, marrying business with pleasure comes
naturally. If corporate bashes and bachelor parties are the
norm at Prince of Cal, high-powered product launches and women-only
parties bring the high and mighty to the Sisha Bar. At others,
it is the
unending footfalls that matters.
With Kolkata's standalone restaurants
gearing up to join the lounge bar bandwagon, it is time to
raise a toast to them and say 'Cheers!'. Clearly, the party
has just began for them.
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