There’s yet another addition to Bandra’s constantly changing gastronomical offering. Door No 1 – The Retro Bar invites customers to walk through an orange door into a space with several sections that validates its name. Designed like a den, the restaurant and bar can be many things — a neighbourhood drinking hole, party pad or a house you regularly hang out at. For instance, the mezzanine has a comfortable looking couch where you can read, have a game of chess, strum a guitar or play on their PlayStation3. Below, a smaller area has a community table which can become a private space with the music muted.
The bar allows patrons to access their Wi-Fi so you can get some work done. Plus, there’s a dedicated community table section where groups can brainstorm on an assignment , make presentations or conduct meetings during the day. However, the work space gives no additional amenities to help make it a frequent affair.
We are here around noon and nurse our mid-week afternoon blues with a lemongrass and ginger martini, stirred not shaken. For food, we opt for a Maggi and pav bhaji out of sheer curiosity. It’s part of the Single Faux Pas on the menu and plays the fusion card. For instance, there’s the Leftovers with a half-eaten pizza slice and half-eaten cupcake; and the Milkshake with half-eaten pastry, a chocolate bar, Pikwik biscuit with a Phantom cigarette. For a few bites, the combination of Maggi and pav bhaji is okay, but we cannot imagine eating the entire bowl. The two different fast foods clash, and we prefer to have them individually instead. Another dish, the Kerala Calamari is served with a delicious curry ginger mayo. It is dripping in oil and we wish the chef had at least put it on a paper to soak before serving us. Another section of the menu is Real Food which offers wholesome Indian fare, from makhanis to biryani. Not too hungry, we opt for Chicken pesto on in-house flat bread, a pizza with melt-in-the-mouth meat pieces, and a fresh pesto on a crunchy bed.
The bar plays the nostalgia card in its décor. For instance, all tables have vinyl records that can be taken home. The one we pick reads, “I walked out of Door No 1 with this”. While the vibe is casual and homely by day, the nights bring on some old tunes with hits from the 1960s and so on. For Bollywood buffs, always grumpy that no one plays ‘ Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast ’, Tuesday nights is when you need to drop into this new Bandra spot.
Door No 1 – The Retro Bar, Shop Number 1&2, Ankleshwar, ONGC Colony, Reclamation, Bandra West. Phone: 70214 16556
