Cocktails are like superhero movies. Everybody wants to do them but few can do them right. They’re among the chief ways for bars to distinguish themselves from the competition so almost every new establishment has a house cocktails section on the menu. Too often we’ve found that it’s safer to stick to classics like the mojito and then looked around to see most customers sipping on beers. At the fortnight-old MasalaBar they don’t just do cocktails; they have a cocktail ‘lab’ where Massive Restaurants’ Zorawar Kalra has attempted to achieve with mixed drinks what his father Jiggs and he have accomplished with fusion food at their ‘progressive Indian’ restaurant Masala Library in Bandra Kurla Complex.
MasalaBar’s ten ‘cocktail lab’ signature tipples, which are made with oils, fizzes, fumes, smokes, foams, purees and reductions, are given pride of place on the drinks menu in which diagrams illustrate the process of how they are prepared. We tried four of these and each tasted great even if the potions didn’t quite reflect the effort that went into carrying out the complicated procedures. We couldn’t detect almond in the foam floating above the Sunset @ Carter (Rs700), named after the bar’s seaside location on Bandra’s Carter Road. Nor did we get even a hint of rosemary in the blend of whisky and orange that nevertheless tasted like a super version of the whisky sour.
There was more theatre involved in the presentation of the Bollywood Bhang (Rs700). The waiter fired up a small flask filled with basil leaves and vodka with a blowtorch and then asked us to inhale the smoke. He told us to take a sip of the accompanying cocktail as soon as we got a “hit” from the drag. The smoke did nothing for us, but the milky cocktail, served in an Instagram-able skull-shaped transparent glass, was fantastic. There is of course no cannabis in the drink, which the waiter told us was named so because both Bollywood and bhang are “fun”. Despite being milk-averse, we relished the creamy mixture, which can most simply be described as basil-flavored thandai with vodka.
The Great Hornby’s Cloud (Rs700) comes to the table under a bell jar of smoke that you can breathe in before you launch into boozy beverage. A blend of bourbon and two homemade spice mixes served with a cinnamon stick, it’s ideal for those who like their spirits strong and flavouring subtle. The spice syrups are made with a device called a rotovap, which is also used for the Sunset @ Carter. We don’t quite know what it does because the illustrated menu does not come with a glossary for all the equipment and ingredients mentioned. We assumed that the carbonated siphon created the bubbles in the fizzy Mumbai Matinee (Rs700), a medley of gin, grapefruit skin ‘oil’ and a fizz of sattu, a gram flour powder popular in Bihar. The drink had a dominantly sweet and luscious taste, and was almost like liquid mithai.
In keeping with current trends, MasalaBar only serves small plates. The food we were pleased to find was as good if not better than the bar offerings, even if again the menu descriptions didn’t always match what was on the plate. The meat of the chicken tikka basilico with four cheese crust and garlic naan crisp (Rs395) was soft and moist but the cheese was imperceptible. Similarly, there wasn’t anything distinctly Goan in the 12-hours-cooked Goan pork ribs (Rs350), but the pork was tender and fell off the bone with ease. The flavours of the excellent prawns balchao bunny chow (Rs395) were more authentic, though not as pungent as some might expect.
Spice lovers should get the chunky mutton boti galouti sliders (Rs350), a pair of mini burgers filled with patties that were impressively melting and surprisingly fiery compared to the rest of the dishes we tried. The only dish that underwhelmed us was the sole vegetarian item we ordered, the carbon pao bhaji (Rs295) in which both the bread and the vegetable mash are made black with edible carbon dust. It wasn’t bad but lacked the butteriness that makes for a truly lip-smacking pao bhaji.
Besides, the novelty of eating something black is muted in a setting as dim as this. One of MasalaBar’s USPs is that it is lit entirely by candlelight. While we imagined the lighting would give the premises a lair-like effect, it is dark but not dingy. The Art Deco-inspired geometric patterns on the windows, mirrors on the columns, boxed lanterns and suspenders-wearing staff give the spot a vintage vibe. This is also one of the rare bars where an electronic music soundtrack actually works. At most other watering holes that don’t have a dance floor, club beats are streamed at such a high level that you can’t hear yourself speak. And there’s no space to dance. Here, the DJ’s house mixes are played at a volume that doesn’t hinder conversation and makes contemporary an otherwise old-school feel.
Though it was packed on Saturday night, the manager told us that MasalaBar was relatively empty the previous Sunday during the India-Pakistan Twenty20 cricket match. They’ve been getting many calls asking if they will be screening the ongoing tournament but the place doesn’t have any TVs as they would quite clearly spoil the overall look. To add them would ruin one of the best things about it: in a city full of vanilla joints, it’s among the most distinct pubs around.
It is our policy to wait at least a week after an establishment has opened before we review it.
Prices exclude taxes.
Masala Bar, First Floor, Gagangiri Apartments, above Cafe Coffee Day, Carter Road, Bandra (West). Tel: 022 6770 1793. Open Tuesday to Sunday, from 5pm to 1.30am; Monday, closed. Get directions here.