High on life, food and drink

If high life is what you live for and moneybags is your middle name, the re-opened Escobar is where you should head

Escobar is a lounge named after one of the biggest and most elusive cocaine traffickers, Pablo Escobar. And -- we suspect --much of it in essence, reflects his legendary lavish lifestyle.
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Twisted Chocolate Martini

The first thing that hits you about Escobar is an almost unending 77-foot long bar, which takes up an entire side of the lounge. It's India's longest bar, and almost immediately transports you to another world. The upholstery and furniture boast of the best teakwood, imported from France, and makes for a very 'thinking man's bar feel.'

Another distinguishing feature of the ambience is the open air-terrace. The Zen-themed garden, complete with candle-lit tables and an open bar that offers some sexy signature cocktails creates an atmosphere that sucks you into a very 'Mumbai Diaries' sort of experience. Gazing back at you are screaming billboards, the din of engines, the gentle breeze and night lights that surround the city. Make sure to come in hungry, because Escobar serves food and drink that will leave you addicted, combined with service that is impeccable, and lounge music that will take you to a happy place.

The Twisted Chocolate Martini, (Rs 425) and the Mint Julep (Rs 400) were server recommendations. The Martini was equal parts cocoa, cr me liquor vanilla, vodka and a friendly dash of Hershey's syrup. It was the most amazingly creamy, chocolate cocktail we'd ever had. Period.

The Mint Julep was a heady mix of mint, bourbon whiskey and powdered sugar -- a very cool drink. However, for a lounge of this calibre, it was disappointing that they served it in glasses. The proper way to serve a mint julep is in a frozen silver goblet. It would, for us, have made this a truly world class experience.

For the vegetarians, the Golden Cheesy Cigar Rolls (Rs 295) were light, crispy, cheesy (just the right amount) and left an interesting aftertaste. These Cheese Cigars are perfect as canap ufffds or light bites to go with your drinks. The Burnt Garlic Salmon (Rs 1,200), an Escobar signature dish, is a fillet of salmon cooked (grilled) with a dash of wine, tossed in garlic, and served with a variety of vegetables. Delicious!

The cracker-quacker, however, was the Crispy Duck in Schezuan Sauce (Rs 475), a deep-fried duck delicacy, with a tangy dip. If you are a duck meat lover, you will appreciate that the marinated duck is carefully slow-cooked before it's fried. The flavours were retained to the last bite.

The only downer was the dessert, the Mud Cake (Rs 325) that came with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. This isn't the traditional mud cake and had elements of brownie in it. If you are a serious chocoholic expecting gooey mud cake, then this one isn't something to look
forward to.

All in all, Escobar has the magic mix for gastronomical pixie dust, but the economic alchemy fails to work. The luxury comes at a whopping price tag -- a meal for two will set you back by at least 4,000 bucks. But if money isn't an issue, as it wasn't for Pablo, then all we can say is, come in, and live the life of a Cocaine Cowboy.

At 4th floor, VN Sphere, Junction of Turner and Linking Road, Bandra (W); Call 42760000;
Open from 1.30 am to 11.30 pm; seven days a week Escobar didn't know we were there. Theu00a0Guideu00a0reviews anonymously and pays for meals