There's a curry leaf in my drink

This new hotspot on Brigade Road brings in flavours of the east and the west in their heavenly cocktails

Zeus might like to call itself a sports lounge but its decor and interiors hardly seem to suggest so.

Located in the second floor of a shopping complex, Zeus named after the king of Greek gods does not have the trademark brightness, crowds and the constant buzz of cricket being played out on the television usually associated with a sports bar.

When we walked in after a hard day at work, the bar turned out to be a pleasant respite from the crowded atmosphere of Brigade Road outside.



A dark lounge-like space with black walls, the bar area is well-lit with tall stools around it, a booth like seating arrangement, a big enough wooden floor (we suspect this has the potential to turn into a wild dance floor if required) with cube-shaped tables lit from within and a separate cabin-like area for those looking for a little privacy, form the interiors.

In an aesthetically appealing contrast with all that black is a gossamer-like pink mesh of fairy lights that lights up the bar area in a pink and blue haze.

Forget the usual Mojitos, Cosmopolitans and the Bloody Marys, instead turn to the section dedicated to martinis and margaritas in the bar menu.
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For this is where you will find some really adventurous cocktails. Bored of the usual martini, then try the Ginger and Lemongrass Martini (Rs 300) or the Lychee Curry Martini (Rs 300) like we did.

The Ginger and Lemongrass martini, an infusion of ginger, lemongrass, sour mix and white rum was light, fresh with the right hint of lemongrass infused through the stalk that was jauntily served in the drink as a stirrer. And that's not all.

Since this cocktail was white rum based, we got another one free (the bar has a buy-one-get-one offer on white rum based cocktails).

The Lychee Curry Martini, was a cool twist to the usual fruity martini and was vodka based along with lychee syrup and a sour mix.

The spiking of the drink with the curry leaves was an unusual coming together of spiciness with the pleasant fruity flavours. Our third order was a shooter aptly named WooWoo (Rs 200).

A smooth mix of vodka, cranberry and peach, the shooter was surprisingly sweet to taste but packed in quite a punch. We slam dunked it as a tribute to the shooter section in the menu which is also called the Slam Dunk.

The bar nibbles menu contained the usual Chinese, Indian and Thai mix of starters. But here's where we met with some disapointment.

When we asked for theu00a0 Sugarcane Chicken and the Spinach fry, both were not available.

We settled instead for the tried and tested crispy Baby Corn Chilli (Rs 150), a Thai-styled fried chicken (Rs 170) and Beer Butter Prawns ( Rs 250).

The combination of crispy baby corn with Chinese sauces and stir-fried veggies usually never fails and it didn't this time either.

The dish was crispy, spicy and saucy. We found the Thai chicken that came with a sweet chilli sauce dip a little too salty for our liking.

The sweet chilli dip somehow did not compliment the chicken. But the beer butter prawns were absolutely heaven. These were real, fresh prawns and not measly frozen shrimps and were batter fried.

They came accompanied by a beer and butter sauce for dipping. The sauce had the metallic tinge of the beer, the smoothness of butter and was punched up with flakes of garlic.
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This starter took us straight to the shacks serving fresh prawns on the beaches of Goa.

More than a sports lounge, Zeus seems to be a place where a travellers, expats and friendsu00a0 come to chill out every other evening.

The television in the background was showing a cricket match but no one seemed to be paying any attention to the game.
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Most guests were busy enjoying the reasonably large space and the view of the Brigade road thoroughfare through the glass windows.
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We don't know about the sports or the view bit but we are definitely going back for the spicy, martinis and the heavenly prawns.

At Brigade Road
Call 98450 34406
Damages Rs 1000 for two
Zeus didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals.