So close yet so far

Level 3 Lounge Bar won't dazzle the Cocktail Connoisseurs but will set the mood for a good night out

Step into the uber cool Level 3 Lounge in Indiranagar and you will feel like you could have stepped into a night club in New York, London or Hong Kong.
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This large cocktail lounge has carved a space out for itself on level three (hence the name) above a fine dining Italian restaurant.

The lounge bar is an understated, dimly lit ultra modern space for young Bangaloreans to hobnob with each other over their favourite tipple.
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There is adequate seating for large groups and with a sophisticated yet tropical charm, it seemed a place to be at on a quiet weekday night.

We lounged back on comfy plush lounge chairs and ordered a selection of cocktails and small tapas-like nibbles. Unlike the Italian eatery downstairs, Level 3 only offers small mouthfuls of food to compliment their list of cocktails and beverages.

After a slightly staggered service, our samples of cocktails arrived and included a Margarita (Rs 350), Caprioska (Rs 300), Daiquiri (Rs 300), Mojito (Rs.300) and Cosmopolitan (Rs 300).

The salt rimmed on to our Margarita glass was too extreme and ruined the entire flavour for us. So, instead of tasting sweet spicy lime, it was more like taking a gulp of seawater.
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If you like the taste of straight vodka with soda water, then we would recommend going for the Caprioska as it was fairly banal in flavour but gave you a strong punch of a vodka aftertaste.

The lemon Daiquiri was zesty and served well as a refreshing cocktail but had large chunks of ice unlike the smooth granita texture of the traditional version.

The clear winners of the Level 3 cocktail repertoire involved the Mojito that not only looked good but was also quite syrupy and minty without being too overpowering in the herb department.

Sex & the City's token drink, the Cosmopolitan, though missing a lemon garnish, had a sweet fruity smell and left a luscious taste on the palatte.

However, I did hear another patron complain of her version being too sweet so perhaps the bartender in question was on a bit of a hit and miss trip.

After a solid round of knocking down cocktails, we were ready to dig into some tapas. Of the meat selection, we tried the Chicken & Lemon bites (Rs 200) that lacked a lemony flavour to it and tasted more like a Chicken McNugget from you know where.
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The Chilli Beef Medallions (Rs 200) were a winner, spicy to taste with a soft yet crunchy texture.

The Spiced Frankfurts (Rs 200) proved to be quite chewy and almost a rubbery mystery meat with a fusion Chino-Indian marinade. Needless to say it took us a while to figure out which one it was.
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We also tried the Batter Fried Baby Corn (Rs180), served with a spicy chilli salsa. It was crisp and packed in quite a crunch.

The Vegetable Tempura (Rs. 180) was a nice addition to our baby corn and would make a tasty snack for the vegetarian junta.

We decided to end our lounging experience with a Strawberry Sheesha or hookah (Rs 200). Level 3 offers a variety of Sheeshas with a host of flavours from Watermelon, Apple & Blackcurrant, Fruit Medley and Strawberry which grant some tasty fun as you sip your cocktail.u00a0u00a0

u00a0Five cocktails and five dishes later, we came to the conclusion that the atmosphere and high street lounging experience was what would win customers over at Level 3.

However, a night out at Level 3 can make quite a dent in your pockets. But the glam ambience and interiors more than make up for this setback.

Budget Deals

Level 3 offers Happy Hours all day on Mondays and between 6:30 to 8:30 pm on Tuesdays. But this is only inclusive of Indian beers and whiskeys.
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Friday nights is "Ladies Night" where female patrons receive two free drinks of the non-cocktail kind.

At Mannan Arcade, 100 Feet Road, Indiranagar
Call 4235 0674
Drinks for two with foodu00a0 Rs 2,000