Did Kolkata’s mecca of music and tipple’s BKC avatar meet the standards of our in-house Probashi Bengali? The nostalgic vibe is amiss, but at its heart is the same ol’ sound
Kalari cheese toast
With its wood-panelled bar, brick-exposed walls and laid-back ambience, Someplace Else (SPE), Kolkata, spells warm nostalgia — the kind that puts a nervous 18-year-old who’s fought for an un-chaperoned night-out at the city’s iconic pub at ease, even before the band begins to play. Since 1994, the British-style pub, which thrives on live music, has drawn the likes of Michael Learns to Rock, Mumford & Sons, Parikrama, Indian Ocean, Skinny Alley, Hip Pocket, Ehsaan and Loy, Anjan Dutt, Usha Uthup, and several other musical legends. So, imagine our surprise when we walk into its first outpost in the maximum city, at BKC’s Jio World Drive, and discover we’ve arrived someplace, else.
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The band Soul Temple performs at Someplace Else in Jio World Drive, BKC. Pics/Sameer Markande
Amid a rainbow-finned façade, vinyl-walled reception, giant hanging jute lamps, neon-hued pillars and a riot of loud colours and textures, the quiet charm of the Kolkata SPE is amiss. The departure in look and feel is a conscious call, we’re told, though we wonder why. Priya Paul, chairperson, Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Ltd that runs the space, reveals that the pub has been reimagined for Mumbai: “My brief was to create a place that will be a spectacle for the senses. The designer has taken cues from the technicolour in nature.”
Although we’re informed that the stage can be viewed from every corner, we struggle to find a seat near it in the packed-to-the-rafters pub. Pina de feugu (Rs 990) — a crisp punch of tequila, green chillies, coriander and agave — comes to our rescue as we sit through a drawl of a corporate networking event that’s underway during our visit. A cursory glance at the menu reveals that the Tangra chilli chicken from Kolkata hasn’t made the cut. Instead, the menu is designed to cater to Mumbaikars’ palates — enter, Bombay-style fish fry, nachos, fried lotus stems, and a range of flatbreads, sushis, dimsums, and kebabs. Light bar nibbles remain the focus, but they also have a tight curation of soups, salads, pastas, burgers, and the works. Bentos to cater to white-collared BKC corporates are also on the menu.
Kalari cheese toast
Starving after a workday, we pair a caramelised whiskey (Rs 945) with a crispy, stringy Kashmiri kalari cheese toast (Rs 595) and gun fired uramaki (Rs 725) that makes for a silky sweet appetiser. We start to vibe with the place once the band, Soul Temple, takes over, belting out a mix of rock, pop and country numbers by John Denver, The Train and Coldplay, among others. It’s our first live gig in the past two years, and judging from the little eavesdropping we did around our table, we reckon it’s the same for several diners. With Hard Rock Cafe and blueFrog shuttering, we’re thankful for a new live music hangout in the suburbs. Paul shares that SPE will feature all genres — rock and roll, blues, metal, jazz and indie. “We’ll also have comedy, poetry, book readings and more.”
Grape fruit martini
As Soul Temple croons to Shania Twain’s You’re still the one, we head for some luscious, melt-in-the-mouth jimmikand and chukander (elephant foot yam and beetroot) galouti kebabs with sheermal (Rs 595); we would have liked a chutney alongside. We recommend you skip the crumbed squid with kasundi tartare (Rs 625) that fails to pack a punch; the chicken spaghetti AOP (Rs 725) fairs better. We sign off with a pleasant grape fruit martini (Rs 975), content with our discovery of the local band, which is onto Bruno Mars’ Count on me by then. SPE Kolkata was the OG Spotify to discover new sound, a launchpad for many. We hope its Mumbai peer keeps the legacy alive.
At: Level 2, Jio World Drive, BKC,12 pm to 1.30 am
Log on to: @someplaceelse.mumbai
Call: 7045245183
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