Call of Kokommo

A new bar at the Intercontinental serves up some interesting concoctions

‘Friends don’t let friends go thirsty,’ reads a board at the entrance of Kokommo tiki shack — the new bar at the Intercontinental, ECR. With its bamboo fence, thatched cabanas and a colourful bar, it almost feels like a slice of Hawaii in Chennai. A bright yellow food truck churns out music and appetisers, adding to the vibe. It’s the perfect scene for an Instastory.

There is something inherently calming about the sea. Add to that coconut-based cocktails and the soft golden sands at your feet and it’s a great setting for a sundowner.

The shack is open from 4 pm to 11 pm so you can finish a day’s work and head here just as dusk sets in. The bartender can fix you concoctions infusing local ingredients such as curry leaves and ginger, to lesser-known ones like juniper roots. The cocktails still require a little fine tuning.

Indrashis Saha, the 24-year-old chef at Kokommo is as upbeat as the ambience. “We use classic French and European techniques with Indian and Asian flavours,” says Saha as we bite into

podi baguettes (crisp baguettes generously coated in fiery red podi ) served in a conch shell. The menu includes Amritsari fish tacos, golden fried squid, scallop pollichadu , pork ribs, shahi paneer, crab gassi and signature dishes such as the Baluchi chicken (be sure to preorder it) — deboned chicken that’s stuffed with minced spiced chicken and boiled egg and cooked in a gravy.

Saha seems thrilled about the crockery which features marble pen-holders that now encase flaky Malabar parathas, mortars containing garlic chutney and rolling pin holders that serve as platters... sourced from artisans in Mamallapuram and quarries in Udaipur.

And once the IPL starts next month, a screen will pop up on the beach. “After that, it’ll be time for the football World Cup. Fabulous matches and beer...what more could one want?” laughs Saha. The sea breeze on our face, we now understand what The Beach Boys meant when they sang, “That’s where you want to go to get away from it all, Bodies in the sand, tropical drink melting in your hand, We’ll be falling in love to the rhythm of a steel drum band, Down in Kokomo...”