Mumbai food: Bandra pub fails to impress

Korean Chicken Satay

An old rivalry is playing out on a TV screen when we walk into Aawara Hoon, a watering hole that's slap bang in the middle of Linking Road, opposite Vijay Sales. India is playing Pakistan in the Asia Cup, and two groups of men on different tables have their eyes glued to the action. Ironically, it's ladies' night. But there are no women, yet, to avail of the free drinks.

That's the sort of joint that this place is. It's not where a man would want to take a date to. So it's not going to attract that sort of clientele that all the hip Bandra bars in the vicinity will. But neither is it a no-nonsense dive that, say, The Yacht is. And therein lies the problem with this pub. It's a bit-and-pieces cricketer that's neither a bowler nor a batsman.

Even the DJ isn't sure of what his role is. His console occupies a spot on one side. But he's wandering about, too busy with other things to do on an Indo-Pak cricket night to churn out the latest hits. And that gives the friend we are with the opportunity to sneak up to his laptop. She plays Autchere, an artiste we have never heard of, and one that no DJ, safe to say, has ever played in any pub in this city or even the country.

Sambal Ayam Tikka. Pics/Datta Kumbhar

The music is weird, "left-field electronica", she informs us. And so is the menu. It's a haphazard trip around the world, with dishes like Tunisian prawns and Sri Lankan eral. We order Korean chicken satay (Rs 290), Spanakorizo (Rs 310) and sambal ayam tikka (Rs 330). That last dish has the flavour of a regular chicken tikka, with only a hint of anything resembling sambal, a paste used in many Southeast Asian dishes. And the satay, too, has a distinctly Indian taste. So why is it called "Korean" then, when it's a starter that originates from Indonesia? It's a question that leaves us baffled.

Carribean Screwdriver

The drinks, though, are a notch better. The sparkling mimosa (R499) has a refreshing taste, and the Caribbean screwdriver (Rs 450) does, indeed, have a whiff of the West Indies. But the less said about the we-desi currant (Rs 350) the better. It's a black currant-and grape-based drink spiked with dark rum that falls as flat as Pakistan's batting line-up in the match we are watching.

Sparkling Mimosa

But eventually, a group with two women walks in, and that's when the waiter informs our friend that it's ladies' night, lifting her spirits. But she has to get a token to get the free sangria that's the only drink on offer. And it's not what she's keen on having anyway, which leaves us with little reason to stay since we've already paid the bill.

TIME 12 pm to 1.30 am
AT Hotel King Palace, Linking Road, Khar West
CALL 9136678885

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Aawara Hoon didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals