Chennai | Try cocktails in a davara and idiappam with Thai green curry at this new neighbourhood restobar

With inventive cocktails and unusual food combinations, The Neighborhood Bar aims to become a T Nagar hangout

A door much like that of a red British telephone booth takes us to a basement where The Neighborhood Bar is gearing up for its opening. A part of the Mango Hill Central hotel in T Nagar, the space previously housed a bar as well. The interiors now however, are vastly different with plush seats, chandeliers, and a warmly lit up bar, seemingly inspired by a speakeasy. 

“We wanted to create a bit of intrigue. People should want to come in and discover the space,” says Balaji Kathirvel, corporate head, Food and Beverage, Mango Hill, when asked about the telephone booth door. True to its name though, Balaji says the restobar has been conceptualised keeping in mind a comfortable neighbourhood bar, with crafted cocktails and a menu with a twist. “While we were definitely inspired to create the vibe of a speakeasy, we want this to be a neighbourhood hangout spot, with themed events and planned occasions as well,” he adds. 

The city and its neighbourhoods offer much inspiration for their menu; the Besant Breeze is a fruity and refreshing vodka and whiskey cocktail with passion fruit syrup and mint, and the Flaming Coffee, a creamy concoction of dark rum, espresso and vanilla ice cream comes in a steel davara set.

We also try the purple-hued T Nagar Tingle Tequila, which combines ABC (Apple Beetroot Carrot) juice and tequila. The cocktail is a tad too sweet and mild, but is an interesting blend of flavours nonetheless. 

Apart from their signature cocktails, LIITs, cosmos, margaritas and other classics find a place on the menu. The alcohol menu at The Neighborhood Bar is modestly priced, and this will probably give them a strong advantage in Chennai’s ever-expanding food and alcohol scene. 

While their cocktails are inventive and yet not too offbeat, a first look at their food menu leaves us with several questions. What is a Naanza? Are idiyappam and Thai green curry actually a good combination? And what twist can fried cheese balls possibly have? 

Of course, there are some favourites like a regular paneer butter masala, and a Kung Pao chicken on the menu but we decide to take the adventurous route. Warm idiyappam with a juicy chicken Thai green curry does make for a great comfort dish, but the Naanza, a naan with pizza toppings doesn’t quite hit the mark. The cheese is chewy and the naan needs to be a lot more light and flaky. Among the starters, the karuveppilai prawn fry makes for the perfect crunchy and peppery accompaniment to the drinks.