Touted as a world tapas bar, this restaurant follows the typical formula: spend a lot of money on interiors, do something different (projected on the ceiling are different designs and images), offer shisha, have a menu with 101 items and the crowds will follow. They do!
I had to visit La Roca twice, because I was so disappointed with my first visit that I wanted to check whether they were simply having an off day. Unfortunately, La Roca fails to deliver any culinary magic. Perhaps what goes against them in the food department is that chef Akshay Bhardwaj has left and the new team is just about settling down. I do hope they up their game.
The vibe : Loud. Very loud. So loud that my seat was vibrating (in an unpleasant way!) from the beginning of my meal at 9.15 p.m. to the end. But the music, I must admit, was good. No expense has been spared in making the place look posh and it is clearly aimed at the young, upwardly mobile crowd. But the crowd is a mix of yuppies and families given just how busy Worldmark, where La Roca is situated, is.
The interiors at La Roca
Do try : Very little, to be honest. I liked that their bar, called the Nectar Bar, adds no sugar or synthetic flavours to cocktails but the cocktails themselves were hit and miss. The only two I enjoyed were The Green Fairy, an absinthe, cream and apple-juice based cocktail and the Cold Pressed Juice Long Island Ice Tea.
The menu is a mix of Asian, Italian, Indian and Japanese dishes. They all sound delicious on paper but the kitchen fails to execute them properly. The chilli-cheese balls were stodgy; the beetroot carpaccio was too thick; the baos themselves were soft and light, but the fillings were tasteless; and the pork ribs were tough (the creamy potato mash accompanying it was excellent though).
I was keen on trying the desserts, because again, they sounded good on paper, but when I was told they would take 30 minutes because, “It’s a busy night”, I decided to pass.
Skip : if you’re going for the food, don’t. Spanish tapas its not, and they make no bones about it. But its not tapas either — what they are slightly smaller plates of regular dishes.
Go with : A date, friends, or the office crowd; not family, unless they’re a bunch of 25- to 35-year-olds with cash to burn.
Space bar : 3,000 sq ft; 110 covers
How much : ₹3,000 for two (sans alcohol). Cocktails ₹645 upward
Getting there : The Metro to Aerocity and a five-minute walk for the adventurous, but an Uber or Ola is the most sensible option.
