Russia's greatest love machine at the Shack

The other night after a very fulfilling meal of brosted chicken ( will discuss that in another post ) in the Defence Colony market, we felt like a refreshing after dinner beer. Since none of us were very keen on drinking too much we thought we would go to a decent place. We finally decided on stone (located right at the corner as you enter the market in side the Moets building). Stone would have been a nice place for a beer or two but unfortunately, the place was packed. As we came out of stone, we noticed another place bang opposite the entrance, in the same building. It was called 'Shack' and is apparently a lounge which specialises in seafood. The seating is low and comfortable,It is however set too far apart and it is difficult to hold a conversation unless everyone scootches and sits crammed together. The ambience is nice and relaxed , something so often missing from the lounges in the city.Needless to say the food menu was put back unopened and a round of Kingfishers summoned. They arrived ice cold (Dont you hate it when they are anything but and the waiter mumbles something about the refrigerator being in bad health?).

I am no sure if it is always the case or if sundays is '70s pop night' but the DJ was belting out everything from Boney M to Abba and beyond. It was a wonderful change from all the other kinds of music you normally come across at pubs across the city.After a glass or two of the amber liquid we were merrily singing along to' rivers of babylon' and 'Mama Mia'. We then proceeded to request the corniest songs we remembered being subjected to as hapless kids by unrelenting parents. By the time the Dj got to 'Rasputin' we were having a hoot. At about 11 or so the DJ took a break and the new guy refused to move beyond akon so we decided to make a move.

All in all it was a fun night out and the beer was a standard 150 bucks a bottle. I'm not sure if they have happy hours. If they do then it would make 'Shack' really good value. Word of caution though, on our bill of 600 we were charged close to 200 bucks tax. Go figure.



Moola Factor: So-so
Best feature: The 70s pop
Service: Better than ok
Ambience: Very relaxed

Yummy Tummy Delhi Rating ::::: 3/5

Hookah it up!

As willworkforfood says:

So you you want to go drink at a better place for a change but dont have too much extra cash? The trick is to leave early and get there while happy hours are still on. Hookah is one of the better options and is located at Vasant Vihar, in the Priya Cinema Complex. It is supposed to be a vaguely mid eastern-meditteranean lounge bar on two floors replete with beds along one wall in the basement. Make sure you get a table in the basement even if the beds are occupied.
It is a pleasant enough place although the music varies from ok to trashy .It is however too loud for a lounge. Happy hours extend till 8:00 pm including weekends . Happy hours are good value as you can get two beers for 150 bucks plus tax. Try to make it there before 8 pm and order all your booze when they ask for your last order. This ensures you dont go overboard with drunken bouts of ordering tequila shots for everyone later. The last time we went there that is exactly what happened and , well the tequila wasnt cheap. The service is slow ( how much time does it take to get a couple of beers? they only had one brand anyway!) Its a nice enough place to hang out, especially if you bag one of the 'beds'. The hookahs are the USP of he place and add a nice , if not so unique touch to the place. Word of caution though, stay away from the desserts!

As Ainz says:

Lemme just re-stress on the reach-during-happy-hours part... REACH DURING HAPPY HOURS or end up paying with everything that might come out of those drunken pockets! Its not a cheap place but the ambiance and crowd more than make up for it. The music is indeed too loud for a place like that and the speakers can be heard blazing away some fusion of Indian classical and Middle-Eastern music... though it does start sounding better as you go from tipsy to sloshed! ;-)

Also, you know how they say that if you stand long at Times Square in New York, you meet everyone in the world.... well I say screw that... If you stand long enough in the middle of the square at Priya Cinema Complex... you'll meet everyone in the universe! :-p

Moola Factor: Ok
Best feature: The beds
Service: so-so
Ambience: Pretty good

Yummy Tummy Delhi Rating ::::: 3/5