Dive into the Bangalore dives

Before you can even mourn Dewar's passing away, or roll along to your old dive and say "Hey Sammy, can I have a Caiporoshka to chase my beer with", new joints have already pushed open their glass doors

Dive into the Bangalore dives

Finally we have a bar where tony people can go all dressed up on Saturday nights, swish in with a cloud of perfume and airkiss other tony people. Skye is quite a nice place once you overlook the nouveau riche d ufffdcor.

The view is brilliant and the waiters are pretty decent, even if you've never seen them before at any of the old favourite haunts. But what is it with the bouncers who really can't differentiate the riff from the raff and are universally impolite to everyone. Now you can't afford to do that with a certain Bangalore billionaire scion and expect her to come back, can you?

But still overall, so much better than its neighbour ufffd that unfortunately-named City (perfectly rhymes with sh*tty) Bar that wears a rather empty expression on its non-ambience. Chances are it took longer to set up than it was in existence. But then, you really can't foist sub-standard food and service on people, accompany the non-evening with a stiff bill ufffd and expect one to become a frequent flitter.

Across the city, on Ring Road, is Love Shack. It has all the potential of becoming the Cosmo Village of Bangalore of the 2000's - the place where everyone who was bright and beautiful went to have a chilled out time. Where the waiters knew all the regulars and all the regulars knew all the other regulars. Wait, that was Cosmo. Not Love Shack. But it does have the vibe of the place. A little ritzy, a little chilled, just like a crisp Bangalore lager.

Indiranagar seems to have the highest concentration of bar per person. But the biggest and the bestest of the new ones has to be the improbably named 'Toit'. Means what, I say? That's for you to figure out as you get tight (toit?) with their cocktail pitchers that are bigger than fishbowls and come with straws ufffd not individual glasses. They're getting to start brewing their own beers soon. I wait impatiently, foaming in the mouth for a blonde ufffd on tap, that is.

Meanwhile, that corner of Ulsoor Lake that is turning solid from decades of abuse and trash ufffd give it a month or two before the CM denotifies it as a new layout. About the same time a new alco store will open its shutters. If you can ignore the mosquitoes and the delicate aroma that the lake exudes, this could be a perfect place for Temps 2. For drunks stumbling home in the wrong direction, the lake lends a new meaning to the term "soak in it."

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