Yellow Bar All Day is, as implied in its name, both a bar and a restaurant. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do a very good job of being either. What it does have going for it is space, which has been used wisely to create three distinct sections. There’s the main dining area with cheery posters in bright colours and sofas in floral upholstery; the basement, which serves as a venue for gigs and is distinguished by lurid blue lighting and pop art; and the al fresco portion which has what can loosely be described as a Mediterranean look.
When we visited last month, the indoor section was empty and the basement was not operational but the outdoor area was almost full. The minute we sat down however we felt something was amiss and quickly realised that this was the first bar we’d visited in years that wasn’t playing any music. We asked the staff, whose yellow shirts are among the (thankfully) few nods to the establishment’s titular colour, if they were yet to procure the requisite licences to stream tunes. They are, and for the next couple of hours, for our benefit, Yellow Bar All Day was soundtracked by unobtrusive electronica played at a volume so low you could easily ignore it.
The result of this is that the outdoor section, with its pleasant decor of white and wood furniture, hanging plants and awning that looks like a series of mini sails, could be an ideal date spot. When we went by, there was just one couple, which left soon. The rest of the tables were occupied by groups of people taking advantage of the cool evenings we’ve been enjoying in the city these past few weeks. Sadly, neither the bar or kitchen’s offerings was as good as the weather. The menu lists commonly available cocktails under its signature preparations. The excessive ice in both the Bloody Mary (Rs400) and Whisky Sour (Rs400) threw their balance off and robbed them of any depth of flavour. At least the fancily-named Mexican Cha Cha (Rs425), a mix of Tequila with triple sec, lime juice and black current syrup, was Indian-ised with the addition of chaat masala. Served in a salt-rimmed glass, the sour margarita was different but not tasty enough to warrant a repeat order. Their mojito (Rs450), while a tad sweet, was the best of the cocktails we tried.
In addition to the regular soup-salad-pasta options common to most self-described Mediterranean joints in the city, Yellow Bar All Day also serves breakfast and a bar snacks menu of starters, platters, sliders and sandwiches. The hefty Meat Lovers platter (Rs950) would suffice as a meal for three people with average appetites, that is if they could eat everything on the plate. While the pork sausages were moist and the roast chicken pieces were well seasoned, both the lamb chops and pork ribs were dry and tough. We were hoping our visit could be redeemed by dessert – a chocolate and chilli jam mousse (Rs425). Alas, the chocolate was more milky than dark and rich and completely bereft of spice from the chilli.
It is our policy to wait at least a week after an establishment has opened before we review it.
Prices exclude taxes. This review was conducted anonymously.
Yellow Bar All Day, 21st Road, next to Cafe Coffee Day, near the Gauri Khan Store, Hotel Shubhangan, Khar Danda, Khar. Tel: 022 3015 1199. Open daily, from 9am to 1am. Get directions here.