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North

QashQai Kitchen & Bar : 4350-7880

M-89 & 90 Connaught Circus
Rajiv Chowk

Daily 7pm-1am.

Thank god the manager told us a kiddie birthday party was wrapping up at the time of our visit. The balloons and thermocol fairies nearly made us skip this place entirely. Thankfully, when the spangled trappings were swept away, QashQai (well, at least its bar section) showed its true colours. We liked the bar, which has a sharp feel to it with glass baubles strung together and hanging down from the ceiling. The sofa settings with low-lying tables are perfect to camp out on and the head-rests are cushioned frames attached to the walls. Top marks also for the music, which is a mix of uplifting ambient that’ll keep you bopping. It’s still quite new, and that inexperience is reflected in the service. We had a chipper but novice waiter who was very chatty but knew nothing about the menu (but we liked the fact that he admitted it). He was replaced by an equally pleasant man who didn’t know his Jack from his Daniel. It was third time lucky with another personable, and thankfully knowledgeable young man, who finally allowed us to get about our business. Here’s the low down – order the desert jewel and the oddly named ginie’s navel (Rs 379 each). They’re both vodka-based and delightfully fruity. The brumble (Rs 429) is a gigantic shot in a martini glass that mixes gin, lemon and blueberry. We had to send it back once because the lemon was too overpowering (as was the gin). The vodka-based apple al piler (Rs 379) is serviceable but stuffed with far too much mint, which gets tiresome after the first few sips. We munched on the nachos supreme (Rs 159), a hearty platter of chips served with heaps of jalapenos, cheeses and refried beans (translation: rajma). The paprika lavosh (Rs 189) is ordinary at best because it’s really quite bland. It’s a good option if you’re already in Connaught Place, with a few glitches that, in a place this new, are only to be expected. Here’s hoping they iron them out quickly. Ambika Muttoo

Atrium : 2683-5070

Crowne Plaze Hotel, New Friends Colony
New Friends Colony

Daily 11am-1am.

One of the best parts of this job is scouting out new, potentially exciting watering holes. It’s like a treasure hunt of sorts, complete with suitably alcoholic blue lagoons to dive into. Cliff dive we did, because Atrium’s version of the azure sparkler is top-notch (Rs 450) – all citrus freshness and just the right amount of alcohol. And if you like pina coladas (Rs 450), you’ll gulp them down by the glassful here. This lobby bar will keep you coming back, and not just for the drinks. Situated right in the centre of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Atrium is a posher version of your neighbourhood bar. It’s comfortable and well-lit, with a soothing dark wood and cream colour scheme; even the waiters look genuinely happy to ply you with pints (Rs 210). It’s fun to sit perched up on high stools and look around – there’s a towering wine rack in the centre of this oval space. The noise is a bit of an issue; it’s a combination of the tinkling sounds of the waterfall (cascading over glass) on one side of the bar, and the thumping bass of Royal Mirage (their disco) which is around the corner. But even then, Atrium will grow on you. It’s the ideal place to pop in after work, if you’re in the vicinity and especially if you’re a wine aficionado. They have a phenomenal selection of red, white and rosé, and better still, they serve by the glass. The friendly maitre d’ helped us pick the perfect white wine. While the reds are served per glass, a few of the whites aren’t – we wanted a Pouilly-Fuissé which could only be bought by the bottle. But make a long face, and anything could happen: Atrium is that friendly. Ambika Muttoo

The Yum Yum Tree : 4260-2020

Community Centre, first floor, opposite Nathu Sweets.
New Friends Colony

Daily 7pm-midnight.

The Yum Yum Tree sounds like Enid Blyton’s “Faraway Tree”, only this version has alcohol, which bumps it up to an adult rating. This particular tree in New Friends Colony makes you realise what Jo, Bessie and Fanny (in this case, the Nightlife, Food & Drink and Theatre reps of this magazine) felt like upon discovering their secret, magical hideaway. Intrigued and hooked. For one thing, it’s huge, with a massive glass display showcasing the work of that pop-art prince, Manish Arora, right in the centre. While the spacious dining area takes over two-thirds of the space, with its plush seating, perfect lighting and windows that overlook lit-up trees, our business was with the remaining one-third, namely, the bar. It takes its cues from the pink-accented, minimally-lush vibe of the restaurant, only it’s darker and, dare we say it, sexier. The baroque swirly print is engraved into the long rectangular bar (it runs parallel to the high dark wood tables and deep cream couches). These last are comfortable and extremely bottom-friendly. We encountered two glitches and these must be recounted, wonderful evening notwithstanding. The first was that our starters plate (nice bone china, incidentally) featured a dead fly. The second was that our order was messed up. We got a strawberry mojito instead of the requested strawberry-basil mojito, but the swiftly-replaced corrected drink more than made up for it (Rs 400). The glasses are huge and the drinks come perfectly chilled and mixed – our wildberry sour (Rs 400) had chunks of blackberries that complemented the vodka brilliantly (keep stirring, it gets pretty strong). The Tahitian mai-tai (Rs 350) had green bananas and rum, and frankly made us want to try every single other drink on that massive cocktail list. Snack on duck spring rolls with gooseberry (Rs 300) and asparagus brown garlic (Rs 225) while gulping down those tumblers (two of those and you’ll realise why they’re known as tumblers) or a frosty pint (Rs 175). An