Snob value
PUNTHI SHAH visits Snob, the latest lounge bar, and finds much to tickle her palette
Tucked in one of the busiest pockets of Bandra at Hill Road, Snob is a new addition to casual lounge bars in Mumbai, where the crowd – mostly youngsters – crawl in post 11.00 pm, asserting once again that this city never sleeps.
We were invited to review this place and when we reached at around 9 pm, it was pretty empty being a weekday. We were greeted by the manager and other staff. We observed that despite being situated at a prime location, the place was very spacious and was divided into two dimly-lit sections. We were seated in a booth which was comfortable and the head chef Hesham Patel personally greeted us and informed us that a specially crafted tasting menu was to be served to us.
Let’s get ‘started’
The food menu was reasonably priced, which was a pleasant surprise for a lounge bar located in such a prime location. For starters we were served the Stuffed Tandoori Potato which had a distinct flavour of cashews and raisins filling, a great way to start our meal. The Pizza de Snob was plentifully loaded with a topping of smoked chicken flavoured in Indian spices and was delicious. Next arrived the Smoked Mango Chilli Chicken starter which was served with mint chutney and was lipsmacking, the presentation of the dish being unique as also the flavours.
Keeping up the munch
The Mezze Platter was served with Hummus and Pita Bread, Feta Cheese which was delectable along with crispy corn fries. The Mutton Seekh Kebab was finely cooked as was the Wild Mushroom Risotto which just melted in the mouth. Lastly, the Sriracha Tahina Cottage Cheese was simply a Chinese flavoured paneer chilly dish. Moreover, the portions were generous for the pricing.
Raising the ‘bar’
Moving on to the bar section, the drinks menu was slightly limited though there were quite a few Snob signature cocktails on the menu. We tried the Snob Temptation which was a concoction of bourbon whiskey with some spice and foam on top and the after-taste was quite good. From the sweeter palette we were served a cocktail named For She Had Eyes which consisted of champagne combined with fresh watermelon and lychee puree. We also sampled Sweet Surrender, which was vodka-based with mascarpone cheese and passion fruit puree, both very distinctly blended, but a tad too sweet. Lastly we were served the Snob Perfactini, a ginbased cocktail with crushed cucumber, ginger and cilantro and chilli which was extremely spicy as we sipped it down. Being a lounge bar, the drinks were slightly over-priced in comparison to the taste. There was also a Sheesha section with flavoured hookah, beautifully done up with artwork. The huge LED screen featured videos of all the mix music that inhouse DJ Kan-I played, which was loud but entertaining. To sum up our experience, the service was prompt and the staff was polite.
And it’s a wrap
The food menu was extensive with a mix of Indian, Mediterranean, Italian cuisine and multiple options to choose from, suitable to satisfy the taste buds of both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. However, the bar menu was slightly disappointing with signature drinks which mostly had extremely strong flavours and the rest of the menu being limited.