Mumbai: Lower Parel cocktail bar goes the Gatsby-esque way

No 3

It's a Saturday night, and Victoria Mills is teeming with partygoers, leaving no room in places like Flea Bazaar Café and Lord of the Drinks. We escape from the hectic vibe - a term GenZ term we picked up - and walk into Rocky Star Cocktail Bar. Our name is struck off from the reservation list and we enter a dark space. Illuminated only by dim yellow lights, the golden Gatsby-like set makes us wonder if we should have carried our masquerade masks.

We get a table for two, and settle into our velvet-cushioned chairs. A line of cupids balance on hoop chandeliers hanging with the help of ropes above the bar, which is ideal for friendly or romantic banter. World over, fashion designers are known to own their bars, and this watering hole, which launched in June, is Rocky S's dream project in collaboration with Delhi-based restaurateur Priyank Sukhija.

London

We call for London (Rs 455), a dish made with market root vegetable crumble, roasted tomato sugo sauce, and herbed goat cheese. The dish comes on a bed of crunchy quinoa, covered in tomato sugo sauce which helps balance the delicious root veggies like mushrooms, carrots and potatoes.

No 14

The cherry on the cake is a dollop of luscious mashed potatoe. We browse through the drinks menu and pick No 3 and No 14 (Rs 599 for IMFL variant and Rs 699 for imported liquor for each), named numerically to make ordering easy. The first one is a fresh fig washed with aged bourbon flavoured with a bay leaf reduction, green tea and blueberry bitters. The drink is palatable as the bourbon is not too harsh. The pungence from the bourbon, bay leaf and green tea pairs well with the sweetness of the fig. No 14 has tequila, avocado and vanilla, and is on the sweeter side. Vanilla adds a woody charm, while avocado lends a creamy texture and freshness to the drink. For the mains, we choose The Verona (Rs 675), a white sauce pasta with a whole blue swimmer crab mildly flavoured with bird eye chilli and garlic. The pasta is rich and we struggle to finish the generous portion, though we polish off the flavourful crab.

ON 5 pm to 1 am
AT Kamala Mills, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel.
CALL 8291107266

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Rocky Star Cocktail Bar didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals