Bounce @16th Road (opposite Mini Punjab)

How to get there: Get to Pali Naka, take the last right turn before the hill goes upwards, and then when you're down that road, take the first left. Keep going straight until the end of the road, where you'll see Mini Punjab and look opposite that for a place with a chrome exterior and a bouncer.

This is a badly taken picture of my new favourite place (apologies for the quality--cell phone camera). Bounce in Pali Naka is TOTALLY what Bandra has been needing. It's new (yay!) and doesn't play retro music (I heart the 80s, but dude, time for a change, no?) and well, SUPPOSEDLY, it plays hip-hop all night, though the DJ in a desperate bid to get people on the dance floor kept changing genres, so it went from Promiscuous Girl to World, Hold On to (ahem) Uptown Girl and (wheeeee!) Tease Me.

Here's why I like it: primo, it is brand new so not too crowded; secundo, because of aforementioned brand newness the waiters are solicitious and you don't have to wait for a hundred and fifty years to get your order, tertio, couple entry and girls are free (the rest have a cover of about 500, not entry, cover) quatro, the drinks are cheaper than the Shack down the road and the music is more appealing, quinto, the bathrooms are AWESOME, there's this red sink with a tap hanging down from the ceiling and MINTS and PADDED DOOR HANDLES and finally (aren't you impressed I can count in Latin?) sexto, cold enough that you don't turn into a little sweaty piggy after dancing for ages. I love it. Even the LIITs are cheap.

Basically last weekend, my friends and I thought we'd go check out the new "hip hop scene in Bandra" as PROMISED by Time Out Mumbai who LIED. Oh, the perfidy. (Back story: Time Out spoke glowingly of a new club called Sin City that played underground hip hop in the same location as an old shady club we had been to called Pulse. We go there and it turns out Pulse still exists and Sin City is not a new club, just some new hip-hop nights. For shame, Time Out, you got my hopes all up and everything. RESEARCH next time. ) But they also spoke of Bounce and we had seen it before so we thought it was worth a look. Bounce does indeed play (mostly) hip hop and it's fun, the crowd's not too shady (lots of men, but not lechy), the lighting and music volume is just about right and it's basically, yeah, my new favourite place.

Want a place reviewed? Want to review something yourself? Send me an email with the subject line DD review to thecompulsiveconfessorATgmailDOTcom

Bonobo@ Linking Road (just off KFC)

How to get there: Get to Linking Road. Keep going straight down till you see a giant red KFC sign on your right. Take that left turn in and walk towards the shopping complex next to KFC. Look for an elevator on the side, take it up to the third floor. A bouncer should be there anyway, to guide you.


(Stephen in the comments on the last post asked me to do a review of Global Fusion, because they're considering taking it to Bangalore. I don't do food reviews on this blog, but I can give Global Fusion (opposite Bonobo, by the way!) my full five star recommendation. Excellent buffet lunch at very reasonable prices and GOOD SUSHI! Do it!)

Bonobo is the new Zenzi. There's no doubt about it. It was packed on a Friday night when we went visiting, and I believe it's had many packed nights before that. The music is, eh, a little too electronic for my taste, but there are lots of pretty people and a smoking section outside.

They're known for their martinis, which I did not try, but I did have a Kamikaze shot, which tasted exactly as it should.

It gets really crowded though. Like standing room only, crowded. If you're not the kind of person who can stay vertical on high heels for over four hours, I'd suggest you wear flats or risk winding up on a stool all night like I did.

It is a little pricey though, definitely not your everyday local bar, but the people are pretty, the waiters effecient and the atmosphere lively enough to get your money's worth on a weekend.

Want a place reviewed? Want to review something yourself? Send me an email with the subject line DD review to thecompulsiveconfessorATgmailDOTcom

What to do on a Thursday night? (Olive @ Union Park, China House @ Grand Hyatt)

How to get there: Get to Carter Road and take the right turn after the Cafe Coffee Day. Go uphill, past a bunch of restaurants, till you see a white wall. It's right next to a restaurant called Out Of The Blue.


This will be a pricey evening.

Olive will be full--it began as some form of expat night on Thursdays and now Thursday is Olive Day.

Eat beforehand if you want to just drink tonight--the food will be expensive.

If you must eat--get a pizza, less commitment, easy to pick up.

Have a caprioska or a margarita.

Indoors, the A/C's turned up to full blast and you can't hear yourself think.

The dining tables are not where you want to sit. Dining tables are for big groups of non-partiers, people who just want dinner.

Pick, instead, the white cane furniture on the gravel by the outside bar. This has the added advantage of being the smoking section.

Stay till it's nearly closing time, stumble outside, get yourself into a rickshaw for Kalina.

Follow the signs for the Grand Hyatt till you reach the gate.

You'll probably really have to pee by this time, and the walk towards the club is long and seems longer on a full bladder.

Make up a story about being on the guest list. Bat your eyelashes, wait around.

Invest in a little debit card thing for your drinks and spend all of it on one Long Island Iced Tea.

This is huge and should take you most of the night to drink.

Find a small round table, park your things there and dance.

Kick off your high heels and bounce on your bare feet.

At 3 am, the bouncer will suggest you leave.

Satisfy your rumbling stomach by going upstairs to Cellini, the Italian restaurant, home of the BEST pepperoni pizzas in the CITY, serving food all night.

(I told you it was going to be a pricey evening)

Go home against the backdrop of early morning Mumbai, crows squawking, milkmen making their rounds, early morning joggers glancing at you disapprovingly.

Enjoy your long weekend!

Want a place reviewed? Want to review something yourself? Send me an email with the subject line DD review to thecompulsiveconfessorATgmailDOTcom

Hawaiian Shack @ 16th Road, Bandra

How to get there: Get to Pali Naka, take the right for Toto's and then the first left. Straight down till you see a blue neon sign on your left and there you are.


Ah, the Shack. I have a sorta love-hate relationship with it. Some good times, some bad times. Some nights of free tequila being poured directly into your mouth (they do this on most public holidays; Independence Day etc), some nights of weird men trying to chat you up (and there are usually loads of weird men.)

Cover to the Shack is about Rs 400 per person, most nights. (A commentor here asked me the difference between entry and cover charge: for a cover charge you get drink coupons worth however much you pay at the gate.) I think this is reasonable, considering we almost always run out of coupons. The music is at two levels--one plays 90s hits, and I mean the really cheesy ones--Ace Of Base, Roxette, MC Hammer etc, and the other plays a mix of popular hip-hop and Bollywood. You can transition between both, but the upper level normally doesn't take credit cards, something you might want to keep in mind before you move.

Except for some weekdays; actually, except for Mondays and Tuesdays; the Shack is normally packed full of people. If you want a table, your best bet is to get there by like 8.30-9. After that, you should be able to find standing room, but nowhere to park your things.

The service at the Shack is pretty good, the waiters are frequent, and if it's a good night, you can coax the DJ into playing your song. It's a fun place to dance as well, AND you don't have to get too dressed up. Most people go straight from work--well, in the lower level, anyway. The hip-hop regulars always appear to be more dressed up.

I take a lot of my out-of-town visitors to the Shack and they LOVE it. Bombay locals, on the other hand, eh, much like me, they have a love/hate thing going on. A lot of people I know have found significant others there, but I wouldn't count on it.

All in all, the Shack makes for a nice, upbeat evening, if crowds and familiar music is your scene.

Want a place reviewed? Want to review something yourself? Send me an email with the subject line DD review to thecompulsiveconfessorATgmailDOTcom

Zenzi Mills vs. Zenzi Bandra

How to get there:
Zenzi Bandra: Get to Waterfield Road and head towards Linking road, away from ICICI bank. It's an orange building with fairy lights on it.
Zenzi Mills: Get to Lower Parel and go under the third flyover (which will take you past Phoenix Mills). Look for the ICICI bank on your right and a gate after it that says 'Todi & Co.' Take the gate inside and it's on your right.

As a Bandra loyalist, I should be all about Zenzi Bandra, but, what can I say, their quality seems to be falling a little bit. And so to help me (and possibly you) out a little bit, I'm going to make a list of pros and cons for each establishment and then we'll reach a verdict. Cool? Cool.

FOR Zenzi Bandra

1. Is in Bandra (Duh)
2. Can smoke in the outside section (obviously, smoking in a bar is all I need these days)
3. Is slightly cheaper
4. Can wear whatever you like, even though some people dress up, there doesn't seem to be an obligation.
5. Used to be able to bump into your whole social circle there, but I don't know if that applies anymore, since no one seems to be going these days.

AGAINST Zenzi Bandra

1. Has become a little bit run down, specially their interiors
2. The outside section is HOT, crowded and basically uncomfortable.
3. No one goes anymore.
4. They did away with quiz nights.
5. Still pricier than a lot of places with better service.

FOR Zenzi Mills:

1. Posh enough inside to justify you spending all that money.
2. Nice little dance floor with hip-hop nostalgiac music.
3. Usually meet lots of people here, and not just townies either.
4. Very nice interiors--just the right amount of darkness and dim lighting and no dining tables which just make me feel like I'm cheating for only drinking and not eating any food.
5. Is in Lower Parel, which, granted, is not Bandra, but if you get bored there are loads of fancy places you can hop to next which are only a stone's throw away.

AGAINST Zenzi Mills:

1. Is NOT in Bandra. I only go to town when I really, really need to.
2. Is more expensive. (So, I make the trek, which means I need to justify it, which means I will drink more alcohol. Q.E.D)
3. Really, really limited seating, which sucks. In Zenzi Bandra, you are almost always able to find a bar stool.
4. AND you can't smoke inside. Boooooooo!

Oh my, I didn't expect that. Looks like all in all, Zenzi Mills (just about) defeats Zenzi Bandra. We'll keep that in mind next time we have a Zenzi craving. That is weird.

Want a place reviewed? Want to review something yourself? Send me an email with the subject line DD review to thecompulsiveconfessorATgmailDOTcom