Chef Amninder Sandhu has a new bar in Bandra, and here's all you need to know about it

OG Punch and Too Good Lamb Ribs. PICS/SHADAB KHAN

From Pirates of the Caribbean to The Great Gatsby and Bridgerton, the punch is a favourite with on-screen period dramas. College and house parties hit closer home. Punch was the easy-to-fix OG cocktail because all ingredients went into one big community bowl. Celebrating the drink, chef-restaurateur Amninder Sandhu, along with bar stars Jeet Rana and Chirag Pal open Punchline in the same spot where IBar once stood in the ONGC Colony lane at Bandra Reclamation.

Today, the lane is abuzz with eclectic eateries and nightspots. Punchline's cursive neon orange sign with an artsy façade mural of punch bowl and ladle renditions in orange polka dot patterns, is eye-catching. The cosy space is decorated with wall murals inspired by punch bowls, a wooden almirah with silver filigree work. The bar wears earthy pop colours of rust and deep orange that continues on the acrylic tables.

"While punches existed since the 17th century, the East India Company played a part in spreading its fame across its colonies, including erstwhile Bombay, where the ‘Panch', a community serve was created with five elements: Alcohol, originally arrack and later, rum, along with citrus, sugar and spices and fruits. It travelled to Europe including the UK, which made its version with gin," Rana explains.

Iberici Ice Cream

Every guest is welcomed with a taster of the OG punch (Rs 845 single serve; Rs 3095 community serve). It comes in a wine glass with an Olive stuffed with Smoked Blue Cheese (also available to order for Rs 620). It follows the recipe of how Bombay made it. Spiced fruit and rum-forward, it is in the flamboyant company of spiced rum, apple, apricot, cinnamon, bay leaf, saffron, clove, green cardamom.

Rana explains the craft of gravity filtration where all ingredients come together for a clear juice, "This juice gets an infusion of lime and spices to extract the flavour. No stir or shake; the punches get a build-up, which is throwing ribbons for aeration, making it lighter."

Jeet Rana, Amninder Sandhu and Chirag Pal

T Root Bomb (Rs 845) has a stiff vodka sip made fragrant with bergamot, first flush tea and akarkara root. Verjus (unripe grape juice) gives it a sharp tart. The refreshing highball establishes the bar's craft-forward approach.

Like the server promised, that ‘The Punchline wings don't fly, they disappear,' our palate is enamoured by Made Wings Great Again (Rs 710). Chicken wings glazed with lemongrass and Thai ginger, come coated with black rice pops. We dunk a wing into a dollop of orange crema and red chilli.

The Punchline Paradise (Rs 845 single serve; Rs 3095 community serve) is a tropical getaway blending dry gin with milk oolong tea, and five juices - mango, coconut, litchi, passion fruit and pineapple. A celery leaf swims in the glass for an aesthetic, fresh appeal. After a long day, this is the drink to unwind with.

Our favourite is Funk You (Rs 1095), a pungent lowball cocktail made with a strawberry ferment and spiked with tequila, and smoky Mezcal Creyente. Herby notes of tisane tea and angelica root interact with umami of Japanese fermented rice seasoning shio koji.

Sandhu ensures our stomachs are lined as we dig into Hot Puppies (Rs 800), housemade milk brioche buns packed with onion relish and pork sausage, and garnished with mustard, tobiko and chilli. The Too Good Lamb Ribs (Rs 1655) is buttery, medium rare and served with a buff marrow made zesty with parsley lemon and garlic gremolata. The Naga Pork Belly (Rs 1250) with fermented bamboo shoot, with spiky sawtooth coriander, is served with compressed layers of potato sheets topped with green apple sauce. The gutti aloo of the North East adds a comforting crunchy texture.

For chocolate fanatics, the Sparkling Mamma (Rs 620) is a decadent slab of Namma chocolate with popping candies that leave a tingle on the palate. Flaky feuilletine, made of crispy crepes, is folded into chocolate shards. Old-school nostalgia comes alive in the Black Forest Trifle (Rs 620) laden with cherry brandy, mascarpone, cherries, and chocolate ganache. A revelation is the Iberici Ice Cream (Rs 575), a savoury, cold and chunky dessert of creamy vanilla scoop topped with mango pieces, ham bits, and a garnish of Bhavnagri chilli.

AT Punchline, Geliki Building, ONGC Colony, Reclamation, Bandra West.
TIME 5 pm to 1.30 am
CALL 8591186885

On home turf

Chef Amninder Sandhu is no stranger to Mumbai, where she started her career at the Taj Land's End, later joining standalone eateries with Coast and Mumbai Times Café in Bandra. With Arth, she introduced gasless cooking.

Amninder Sandhu

"Bandra is the coolest neighbourhood in the city where guests are open to experiment. I love that we see an ageless demographic - from grandparents to youngsters frequenting the same spots. Punchline is our ode to the city," she shares.

"While my cooking always embraces north-eastern ingredients, I don't follow a food philosophy except that it should have a hearty bite. I've put dishes I feel should be in a bar, and I enjoy eating. All my favourite food is on this menu," admits Sandhu, reminding us that, "Punchline is a result of our love for Bombay."