A room for no errors

We wanted the bartender to make one mistake at Durbar, a lounge bar at the Sheraton Bangalore Hotel, instead what we got were flawless cocktails

Before heading to Durbar, a lounge bar located at the Sheraton Bangalore Hotel, we happened to meet one of the hotel managers in the lobby who sent us off with the promise that everytime the bartender makes a mistake while whipping up a cocktail, he creates a new one and usually names it after the person who ordered the erroneous cocktail. And who knows we might get lucky and get a cocktail named after us too, he wondered. But no mistakes were made that night; only some great cocktails were shaken up.




Once you enter Durbar, a sense of d ufffdj vu might assail you. The classy, well stocked bar might remind you of the bar from the cult scene from Stanley Kubrick's psychological thriller The Shining where the maniacal Jack Nicholson has an interlude with a ghostly bartender. The bar is not only well stocked with both vintage and contemporary spirits but is also lit up from within, lending it a surreal yet classic look.

Designed as part gentleman's club and part lounge bar, you might expect to run into stiff upper lipped characters in their conservative suits smoking a pipe but instead what you get are three wall to wallu00a0 wine vaults stocked with vintage, new world reds, whites and sparkling wines. The design ethos involves keeping the elegance of a royal court minus the nautch girls

Framed paintings that offer glimpses of an era gone by outline the beige walls. A mezzanine floor offers seating that looks down into the bar and gives you space to discuss business and for those who like their privacy, there's a party room on the same level. But what grabs your attention at Durbar apart from the stunning bar, are the cosy four poster beds behind the bar where you can literally lounge around among lighted candles and the gigantic chair-like settees that almost reach up to the ceiling.

We started off with a Durbar Signature Mojito (R 355) and a Hazelnut Caiprioska (R 355). The Mojito was a giant glass of white rum, sugar syrup, lime juice and lots of mint. We did pick up a hint of something that reminded us of curry leaves in the drink. The citrusy flavours perked us up immediately and the Caiprioska, with its nutty hazelnut flavours coupled with vodka, brown sugar and lime juice seduced us into slow submission. While we were waxing eloquent about the Caiprioska, we kept our mouths busy with spice and curry-flavoured cashewnuts, crisps and pickled vegetables.

When you visit Durbar, apart from downing drinks you have to ask the bartender for a dekko of their bottles of Louis XIV, touted to be the world's most expensive cognac. A bottle will set you back by a whopping R 2.5 lakhs and a peg comes at R 15,000. But what will catch your attention is the beautiful hand blown glass bottle with a real gold neck and elegant design. We also lusted after the elegant designs of a Roberto Cavalli Vodka bottle with its slim shape bedecked with the signature Cavallesque animal prints. The bar also
specialises in beers and single malts from across the globe.

Our next cocktails, Strawberry Diaquiri (R 355) and Majenta (R 355) came with a Falafel Platter (R 395) served with a garlic yoghurt dip and a Durbar Nacho Platter (R 525) topped with chicken tikka and cheese. The nachos came with sour cream, tomato salsa and an avocado dip. The bright red daiquiri was a sweet concoction of fresh strawberries, rum and orange liqueur but was a bit too sugary for our taste. The Majenta, a vodka, vanilla, passion fruit and fresh watermelon cocktail came with great fruity overtones of the melon and was refreshing. It lived up to the test of a good cocktail as mentioned by food and beverages director Vikas Malik: you should never be able to smell the spirit in a great cocktail.

The nachos were a standard affair and the falafel, a nice crunchy addition to the cocktails but we would really like to see a bigger bar nibbles menu from Durbar. A couple of kebabs, Middle Eastern platters and seafood starters make up the menu right now.

Though we were informed that the music at Durbar was of the Caf ufffd Del Mar variety, we only got to hear Ozzy Osbourne crooning Dreamer and Coldplay lamenting the fact that they used to rule the world in Viva La Vida. We guess a slow weekday night does tend to make one want to bring out the evergreen hits. But unfortunately for us that night, we never did manage to get a cocktail named after us.

Where Durbar, Sheraton Bangalore Hotel At Brigade Gateway, 26/1, Dr Rajkumar Road, Malleshwaram, Rajajinagar
Call 42521000 Drinks for Two R 2,000