Game on

The space offers a bowling alley

Whatever, I am still fabulous", reads a neon-lit sign above the four-lane, transparent bowling alley. It is as though Game Palacio is trying its best to shrug off the remnants of its former avatars as the short-lived Club Royalty and more recently, as a restobar called Drop. Speaking of ‘drop', a black and gold staircase at the ground level deposits us into the bowels of the cavernous, Art Deco-inspired underground space. We feel well-insulated from the pandemic blues and the torrential July rain that is raging above.

Claiming to be India's first upscale boutique bowling and gaming arcade along with being a fine-dining restaurant and nightclub (whenever evening dining and entertainment is back), Game Palacio is the brainchild of restaurateur Suved Lohia who has future plans to introduce similar such iterations across India.

The gaming arcade has classics like Pac-Man. Pics/Shadab Khan

Rusty as we are both at bowling and arcade games, we bring along reinforcements in the form of a couple of 18-year-olds to help us do justice to the experience. As it happens to be a dry day, we start off with a refreshing sugar-free, mandarin and pineapple pulp-based mandarin delight mocktail (Rs 395) that hits the spot along with slices of a pricey Middle-Eastern pidde-style seafood flatbread pizza (Rs 745). This one is studded with juicy morsels of prawn, John Dory fish and squid rings in a cheesy marinara sauce.

We nosh on this tasty snack at a plush, red velvet booth alongside our designated lane. Here, a single round of bowling starts at Rs 800 (note: This cost is per set of 10 bowling attempts per player for 15 minutes. For a 45-minute and hour-long set, pricing begins at Rs 6,000 and Rs 8,000 respectively for as many as 10 players). A bowling butler quickly disinfects the balls between each round; when we ask if gloves are an option, we are told that it will cause the ball to slip when held.

Truffle and mushroom burger

Taking a short break, we plop ourselves onto the teal-coloured high chairs in the main, black and gold decorated dining space, as our table is laden with a few small plates that we call for from the QR code-scanned menu. The soft shell crab tempura (Rs 545) served with a wasabi-goat cheese mousse though perfectly made is a tad let down by a cloyingly sweet sriracha aioli. Each bite of the fragrant truffle and mushroom cheese burger (Rs 545) ensconced in a pillow-y soft bun is an ambush of flavours, ably partnered with cajun spice dusted fries. With its sophisticated taste and presentation, the baked camembert cheese (Rs 775) that comes with multi-grain toast points and balsamic-glazed veggies is a hit with us and the otherwise pizza-obsessed teens alike.

Seafood flatbread pizza

Reminding us of the noisy pachinko parlours that dot Tokyo's Akihabara gaming district, the brightly-lit games arcade - tucked away at the back end of the space - is a gamer's paradise. Starting at Rs 80 per game, one can play to their heart's content with games like Tomb Raider and Super Swirl along with cult classics like Pac-Man and To Tha Net. Here too, attendants are quick to disinfect each game console after we are done with them - a touch we both appreciate and feel reassured by in such times.

King passion mocktail

With limited tummy space left for mains, we share a delicious charcoal chicken risotto (Rs 625) served with a creamy butter ragout that is an authentic Italian feast with the al dente arborio rice shining through. Pity we can't say the same for the stodgy, tasteless and overpriced smoked charcoal flan (Rs 495).

Another well-made mocktail, king passion (Rs 395), assuages us with the dragon fruit cubes and bursting passion fruit seeds, making for tart satisfaction. Enough for us to decide to be back here for round two of almost everything.

Time: 11 am to 4 pm
At: Game Palacio, Krystal Building, below Hakkasan, Waterfield Road, Bandra West.
Call: 7208862231