Swinging in the Hip City of Bangalore
Spend at least an hour schmoozing on beanbags at The Park.hotel's i-BAR -- one of Bangalore's most happening spots -- or dancing to house and trance on the small dance floor, where DJ Deepak mixes up a swinging party (Rs 500/$12/£6.15 entry). Alternatively, head for 13th Floor (Ivory Tower Hotel; M.G. Rd.), a sexy 120-seater rooftop cocktail lounge where you get a large dose of the Bangalore skyline while you sip cocktails named after weapons. Liquor Café is a groovy lounge bar on the covered rooftop of a building that houses several smart restaurants; it attracts a hip young crowd who come for the funky, laid-back acid lounge music (Cosmo Village, Magrath Rd.; tel. 080/4112-7373).
Named for the Greek god of sleep, Hypnos is a cocktail lounge that does anything but, even in the Moroccan Square, where you can smoke sheeshas (hookahs) filled with apple, strawberry, or grape tobacco while tucking into Lebanese and Mediterranean fusion cuisine (Gem Plaza, Infantry Rd.; tel. 080/4111-3361 through -3364; Rs 500/$12/£6.15 entry fee). Single men are technically unwelcome at 1912 -- The Living Room (previously 180 proof), where the Mafioso-style management ensures that the industrial-chic atmosphere is enhanced by the highest-profile Bangalorean crowd. Housed in a lovely stone building that looks like a historic monument, this is probably the place in Bangalore to strut your stuff on the dance floor: Three locally based DJs run the show with a blend of rock, hip-hop, and from 8:30pm on, trance music, occasionally joined by record-spinners from Mumbai, San Francisco, and the U.K. (40 St. Marks Rd.; tel. 080/2299-7290). Fuga (No. 1 Castle St., Ashok Nagar; tel. 080/4147-8625 or 98-4524-7914) is the city's latest lounge bar; elegantly wasted would be the way to be if one had to blend in -- it's got plush interiors, a mix of hip-hop, house, and club seeing the night through, great food, and a trendy crowd. Noir (Le Meridien; tel. 080/2226-2233) has taken the place of the club previously known as Insomnia, and competes quite comfortably with the top rung as it belts out retro and house music till 11:30pm. Also in Le Meridien is F-Bar and Lounge, a franchise of the Fashion TV bar chain, with screens beaming Fashion TV while fashionistas nibble Japanese and Korean starters or dance to the music of DJ Ganesh; the bar occasionally hosts live fashion shows. Another see-and-be-seen nightclub is Spinn, located in a 1940s Art Deco bungalow (80 3rd Cross, Residency Rd.; tel. 080/2559-0902 or -0901) where hip-hop, funk, and house music rule. NASA (1/A Church St.; tel. 080/2558-6512) is worth a giggle: Staff is decked out in pilot outfits, and the interior is like the inside of a sci-fi space module; the bar is called the "Fuel Tank" and the loo is known as the "Humanoid Disposal" area. It's good for an afternoon pint, but happy hours draw massive crowds. For loud rock music and a crowd that likes to sing along, Purple Haze (M.G. Rd., near Richmond Circle; tel. 080/2221-3758) is one of Bangalore's more popular nightclubs. The Oberoi Hotel's smart Polo Club combines deep leather sofas with the ubiquitous TV sports entertainment. Cigar aficionados should head for the Jockey Club (tel. 080/6660-4444) at the Taj Residency, popular with expats; while Dublin, the watering hole at the ITC Windsor Sheraton (tel. 080/2226-9898), serves up -- yep, you guessed right -- an Irish pub vibe.
