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The violent glam of the eighties disco gave way to the more elite pubs in the nineties. But for the hip and the happening, the haze of cigarette smoke is rapidly clearing up. They no longer want to patronise pubs but would rather take shelter in the elegance and allure of the latest nightlife niche—the lounge bar. They are informal, cozy and hark back to the fifties. While pubs focus on ear- shattering music and skull-crushing alcohol, lounge bars are different. Intimately tempered and luxuriously snug, these bars sport minimal furniture, soft lighting, exotic cuisine, soothing music, and, of course, an entire range of drinks. "Our guests include affluent people who come here to have a drink or two, nibble at snacks and have a fine dine experience," says Virender Sekhri, Director of Dine Esty, a lounge bar restaurant in Gurgaon. With the trend catching up rapidly, all major cities of the country are scrambling to have a few lounge bars of their own. Mumbai and Delhi are already home to over 80 and Bangalore is not far behind. Even places like Hyderabad and Kolkatta are eager to have more than just a few—and fast. "Pub hopping no longer holds the charm it used to. We would rather go to a place where seats are comfortable and the ambience relaxed, have a few drinks and catch up with friends," says Aditya, a regular party-goer. Evening revelry Theme nights such as
fashion shows, belly dancing and global food festivals are also a big
draw. They give a different dimension to evening revelry. Pubs are
very informal and very loud as people go there to drink. But lounge
bars offer a more of a relaxed atmosphere where drinks and food are
served from a lavish menu," says Satinder K.Sharma, General
Manager of Bonsai—the Garden Restaurant and Lounge Bar in
Delhi’s And that’s not all. Lounge bars are becoming a much-preferred venue for private parties. Says Shalini, a regular party animal," when I wanted to throw a graduation bash I wanted all the essential ingredients of a celebration – excellent food, great music and superb alcohol — all at a place where we could relax and bond over the evening. A pub with its blaring music, snacks and cramped atmosphere was out of question but a lounge bar fitted the bill perfectly." A lounge bar is a place where people can talk over some great food and a few drinks, says Shankar, owner of Fusion 9 in Hyderabad. "Our interiors are neat and uncluttered with the high point of the d`E9cor being the low sofas." When Fusion 9 started, there were some reservations about eating on low sofas because the concept was new. For such people the bar provided regular tables and chairs. Now, however, the bookings that are made (it is impossible to get a table without a booking at most lounge bars) are specifically for the sofas. Because of the cash rich clients, Lounge Bars are taking the price route and not the volume angle. Services are offered at much higher prices than at most pubs which, in a way, also screens out undesirable people. Brand loyalty In fact these bars are becoming so trendy that even leading apparel brand Provogue is redesigning its stores to set up lounge bars within their confines. Says Nikhil Chaturvedi, Managing Director of Provogue, "this was a great move and has profited us both economically as well as in terms of brand loyalty." These "format stores" sell clothes during the day and get converted into informal watering holes by night. Some of their Mumbai outlets boast of over 250 guests every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and around 100 on other days. This dual role of a retail store-cum-trendy lounge bar is fast catching up and many other stores and coffee shops are looking ready to reorganise their set-up. With the competition getting stiffer, lounge bars are sprouting up practically every month. New entrants in Mumbai include Zaha, Liquid Lounge, The Jazz Bar, Rain, Lush, Redlight, Indigo and Olive. Even Delhi has been taken by a storm with about 25 such bars strewn all over the place. Suede, F Bar & Lounge, Dublin, Buddha Bar and Forum are just some of the outlets which offer a tranquil, upmarket ambience, a place to relieve stress and bond with friends. So if you want to boogie
the night away but in a serene, dignified and elegant way, the lounge
bar is the place to be in. The soft leather couches amid the city’s
maddening scenes woo you back to the elegance of an era gone by. —
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