Friday 30 March 2001

Bunker, Bangalore

Residency Road
Ph : 5585140
Timings: 11 A.M to 11 P.M
Happy hours: 11 A.M-6 P.M (50% off)
Bob : 0.85


If I am not mistaken, the Bunker is below what used to be called Oaken Cask before I arrived in Bangalore. Located strategically between Galaxy and Symphony theatres it is an ideal place to pop in for a short break between movies.

BoB is 0.85. A tap costs rs30, a pint 60 and a pitcher costs 150. No free snacks though. A large rum cost me 110 bucks and the thums-up was an additional 30 bucks, which I felt was daylight robbery. The draught beer is Kingfisher, as in most pubs in Bangalore.

I had just finished a gruelling 3 hour session at a business meeting and sat through 3 hours of a movie and decided that i needed to chill out. But the guy I was with had some urgent unfinished business to take care of, so for the first time in my life I experienced sitting alone in a bar. Well of course I got the occasional stares but otherwise it was quite cool in spite of it being a Sunday night. Of course this didn't stop me berating my friends when they finally put in their appearance around 30 mins. after I had been there alone with my tap.

The music varies from Tina Turner to Guns'n'Roses. The DJ is extremely accommodating and entertains most requests unlike some other places I knowÿ The Bunker can be split into 3 seating areas. One is the family room on the outside which is separated by a glass wall from the main pub. Then the inside of the pub itself has 2 different areas: one has the psychedelic lights and neon colored seats and the other is a more comfortable seating area where you can choose from sofas or bar stools.

They have this huge TV, I think it’s a 29" and one or two smaller ones. People who come here vary from teenyboppers celebrating a birthday party to business executives unbuttoning their coats and loosening their ties as they enter.

I didn't taste their cocktails as they weren't recommended by anyone I knew; they range between 150 and 250. Maybe I will review the cocktails on a day when I am in a more experimentative mood.

Snacks range from rs30 for the nuts and chips to 100 for the non veg. items. We had the drums of heaven. But I wouldn't recommend them to anyone else. We had to wait for ages for them and by the time they came it was stone cold and not too tasty either.

In the beginning the waiters were really nice and accommodating but then the headwaiter started getting on our nerves. Would insist on refilling our mugs from the pitcher after we had hardly taken 2 gulps. I guess there was a shortage of pitchers by then and a major recycling movement must have been on. He would insist on holding a light to our cigarettes in spite of us having taken our own lighters out (Was he afraid that we would burn the place down?)

Anyway, after some time his service became a bit too ingratiating so we decided to pre-pone our trip to the disco which I will review in my next missive.

Published on www.tulleeho.com

Edited on 1 April 2008 - the pub has been closed - so the review has been taken off the site

Monday 19 March 2001

Tiffany's, Bangalore

Vittal Mallya Road
Ph : 221 3130/ 221 0377
Bob : 1

Never thought that this would be a place to drink. After all those books floating around the place, always associated Tiffany's with a breakfast joint within India or without.... Would never have stepped into this place except for the unfortunate incident of a car breakdown and what a find it turned out to be.

Tiffany's is THE Place to go for a relaxed afternoon drink and meal. No loud music. No over 13 somethings competing for acoustic and physical space. No outrageous display of flesh to make u feel guilty about missing those morning walks. What better place for a relaxed afternoon and a chilled beer.

There was some really unobtrusive music playing- point 1 against Tom's
Comfortable seating - point in favour of Tiffanys'
No Christian Brothers -point to Toms
Lots of jogging enthusiasts around - point to Toms
Good service- point to Tiffany's
decent food- draw
yakkable quotient - draw
relaxed atmosphere- draw

I guess u could call Tiffany's an upmarket Tom's. Cocktails were about 100/0 bucks each ; BOB around 1. Free MOB with a sizzler. Really nice waiters - not too officious or patronising or loud. Just nice, with a hint of that old world charm around them.

Yes, this is a good place for a weekend afternoon beer and biryani kind of a thing.

Published on www.tulleeho.com

Sunday 11 March 2001

Sparks, Bangalore

133, Raheja Chancery
Brigade Road, Opp. All Saints Bakery
Ph : 223 0306
BoB : 1.4


In my opinion Sparks is the best of the 3 joints that opened together around the same area. The other 2 being Urban Edge and Mars 2211. Sparks has one of the best lighting effects that I have seen in a Bangalore pub. Some really cool pyrotechnics happen with their lighting system. Not being an engineer I cannot give you more technical details, but believe me those lights are a real trip once u r on a high. Its a milder version of watching jalwa on a high. (the original jalwa not this digen $^!!ty verma remix)

The music, totally depends on their theme or DJ for the day. I have gone there on the 70's 80's flashback nite and the music was out of this world. I have been there on the Caribeean night and they had good rockin reggae and R&B kind of music. Some tribal nite they had this really lousy stuff, which the much hyped DJ Ivan kept talking of as "Listen to the tribal music" "Swing to the tribal music" "rock to the tribal music" every 10 mins. It was like the public around would definitely not mistake that stuff for tribal music, but because DJ Ivan says its tribal music and keeps re-inforcing it, then it must be so.

In short, take a quick peek, if u don't like the first 2 songs you hear, then leave the place and go somewhere else. You are not going to like any music over the rest of the evening at Sparks. Believe me.

Drinks are higher priced. Cocktails are between 180/- and 360/- The cointreau was ok, except for the grenadine light overload. BOB is about 1.4. Their snacks are decent. Check out the Fish Fingers. As their ad says "Wicked Lighting & music to wake up the spirits." Just chose the day when the music is to your taste.

Mondays - Rock
Tuesdays - Retro
Thursdays - Reggae & R&B
Fridays - DJ Ivan & friends.

Published on www.tulleeho.com

Edited on 1st April 2008: Sparks has been closed down so the review has been taken off the site

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