At one point during our visit to month-old ZooBar, specifically when the crowd went wild after the DJ played ‘Mundian To Bach Ke’, we contemplated the similarity between restaurant and bar reviews and movie reviews. Bad films frequently become blockbusters. Yet reviews are important because they are written in the hope that filmmakers will read them and be inspired to give audiences more than just mindless entertainment, and that they come around to knowing that consideration and commerce need not be mutually exclusive.
The thought came to us while seated in a room packed with party animals (see what we did there?) on a Saturday night. We couldn’t put it down to age. The crowd ranged from teenagers to thirtysomethings, and they all seemed to be having a great time. Yet we felt a bit like the girl in this music video. Could it be that as reviewers we were examining everything with an overly critical eye? Nope, because sub-standard food, drink or service is unacceptable anywhere, anytime.
The problem is that mediocrity is now the standard, and as long as you provide people with décor that’s distinctive enough to help set up plenty of selfies and keep prices relatively pocket-friendly, you should be primed for success. The food and drink are secondary. You could use a similar analogy for certain kinds of films. As long as you’ve got a box office-breaking star, luscious locations and enough SFX action set pieces to fill out three hours, you’ve got a hit on your lands. The script is lower down the priority list.
If ZooBar were a film, we’d probably give it two stars. Its USP, pointed out in press releases, is of being a pet-friendly pub. You can party with your pooch between 2pm and 7pm in the al fresco section, and they recently held an adoptathon for pups and kittens. In contrast to other animal-themed establishments in the city, the relative subtlety with which they’ve managed the motif is commendable. It’s restricted to a bar decorated with paw prints, sculptures of elephants and penguins, giraffe-shaped door handles, and cartoon-like illustrations of animals including a poster of a hippopotamus that, on the night we went by, was a popular selfie spot.
Of the house specials recommended to us by the staff, the fancily-named Fresh N’ Up (Rs400) was nothing but a watermelon vodka martini. That said, it was well-balanced and light for it was made, as it should have been, with watermelon juice as opposed to syrup. The Mandarin Melody (Rs295), a vodka-orange combination, could have been just as summery but was a tad too sweet because they use canned instead of fresh juice, a decision we believe could only be economical because oranges aren’t exactly exotic around here. Sugariness was also our issue with the Dancing Jacques (Rs595), in which the double whammy of Jack Daniels Tenesee honey liqueur and ginger ale resulted in a whisky drink that would likely only appeal to those who loathe the stuff.
Before PETA signs up with the owners for a tie-up, they should know that meat is very much part of the menu. The bar offers the sandwich-burger-hotdog-pizza-pasta options you find at many watering holes, plus a choice of curry bowls and finger-friendly appetisers. The bhuna gosht tacos (Rs275), in which mini rotis serve as shells, are tacos only in the style of presentation but tasty enough for one to forgive this menu mis-description. The mutton was tender with a good hit of spice. It was harder to pardon the false promise of three types of preparations in the potato basket (Rs225). The cheese-topped jacket potato was dry, and the Cajun wedges and Sindhi aloo tuk, dusted with the same chaat masala, were different merely in shape. The spuds were served without any dips, which were much needed for such a monotonous snack. The meat on our roasted chicken pizza (Rs475) had the blandness of boiled chicken but the generous smattering of veggies such as olives, bell peppers and onions coupled with the mozzarella base to give the pie enough crunch and flavour to complement our cocktails.
Beer fans will be pleased to learn they offer new craft brew brand Bira 91 on tap (Rs250 for a 330ml glass) and in 1.5 litre Growler bottles. And as is du jour nowadays (JamJar Diner, Hoppipola), there’s a book shelf, filled with a crowd-sourced selection that ranges from 50 Shades of Grey to Rediscovering Dharavi. The embellishments imply that the folks behind ZooBar have clearly got their eyes and ears trained to developments in the F&B scene. One of the owners is a former partner at the retro pub Three Wise Men. Like at that popular Santa Cruz haunt, they hold both Hindi and English karaoke nights at ZooBar. The aim we sense is to be both populist and trendy. We give the place two stars therefore for adequately executing a composite rendition of a whole bunch of other people’s ideas.
Get Fresh N’ Up (Rs400), bhuna gosht tacos (Rs275)
Skip Dancing Jacques (Rs595), the potato basket (Rs225)
Prices exclude taxes. This review was conducted anonymously.
It is our policy to wait at least a week after an establishment has opened before we review it.
ZooBar, First Floor, Liberty Lodge, D. J. Road, above McDonald’s, Vile Parle (West). Tel: 98201 91321. Open daily, from 12.30pm to 1am. Get directions here.