It was my sister’s 40th
wedding anniversary and my nephew was all excited about this new place ‘Hopscotch-Bar
and Brasserie’ that has been launched in the month of May on S.V.Road, Bandra.
His enthusiasm had aroused my curiosity and I was equally eager to visit it.
The entrance to this
restaurant is interesting, as the name suggest Hopscotch, the floor game takes
you back to your childhood memories when you would spend hours in building
compound, hopping on one foot, picking up a coin or a tile. You enter the
restaurant and you are tempted to hop, only the game rules change here, you may
be blindfolded with a drink on your head, gyrate over the numbered squares,
taking a dance step over the latest raps till you hop on number four-five or
seven-eight where you land on two feet and twist. The idea is to have pure fun.
The mood is already set
with the foot tapping music as you look for a place to sit. On the wall, LEGO
blocks stare back at you, while another wall
exhibits Tic Tac Toe with wooden Xs and Os planted on it.
For selfie lovers,
there are emoji cushions all over the place, that bring a smile and comfort.
Two room (inner and
outer rooms) are separated by a bar. While my family enjoyed a private party in
the inner room, the other side of the bar was bustling with vibrant youngsters. Late evenings, lot of drama
happens at the bar with drinks jugglers and liquor shots drained down the
throat in seconds (I missed that but the family had enjoyed it)
The menu was carefully
chosen by my nephew before the party. Endless cocktails and mock-tails, four
vegetarian and four non-vegetarian finger foods and one veg and one non-veg for
the mains.
Of the selected Malaysian
Paneer, Mushroom Tacos, Dilwali Nacho dal Makhani and Pesto slider, the Dilwali Nacho dal makhani was very innovate and tastes better than its traditional Mexican
cousin of baked beans, the lone disadvantage being that nachos tend to get
soggy under the weight of dal, so should be consumed as soon as they arrive.
(not a good idea to serve at a party where people come to eat only during their
breaks in dancing, when the music pauses.)
On non-vegetarian
front, Chipotle Prawns was the winner, the melt-in-the mouth delight, I simply
loved it, although Galouti kabab lamb, Serani Fish and Korean Chicken are
equally good too.
The Thai vegetarian
curry in the mains tasted very good and I would love to visit this place just
to have this meal the second time.
The brainchild of
first-time restauranteurs Roshan Sachdeva, wife Neha and her brother Gaurav
Khetwani, with Suved Lohia as its managing partner, the prospects of this place
looks good. With many Bars and Brasseries mushrooming all over Mumbai, the
restaurant has tough competition and if it maintains its same standard of
providing good music and good service, its popularity is sure to rise to higher
decibels.
