TC @ Adchini

Directions:  Straight from the IIT flyover, passing IIT on your left, keep coming down that road, till you hit a traffic light and TC is on your left. Parking is a bit of a bitch.

Back in the day, TC was IT. And then it was short for Turquoise Cottage and I even named my cat after the bar (although I tell people it's TC for The Cat) and they had a basement section and you could go in and meet everyone you knew. NOW, TC (original) has reopened and done away with the basement, but little else has changed. You can still smoke inside (hello, burny eyes!), there are still people head banging to Rage Against The Machine, it's still very loud, and the crowd is still very young. Hurray! Or not! But, cheap-ish drinks and a chance to go down memory lane--if you like a retro song, in all likelihood they'll play it for you. Be prepared, if you're a short person to get jostled a fair amount.

Toto's @ Pali Naka

How to get there: Get to Pali Naka, take the last right turn before the hill and voila! there it is on your left.

(A guest review by long time Toto's lover, S.)

Toto's is the old faithful, where you go when you can think of nowhere else to go, or don't feel like dressing up or have had a reaaahhllly bad day at work and need to vent (no, not to random strangers, friends). It could've been really shady looking, but the nice crowd ensures that it isn't.

The garage decor, complete with the models of cars and other tools on the walls and the neon lighting are really nice, if loud (Disclaimer: They sometimes make people appear more attractive than they are) Around 30-40% of the people on any given night are regulars and chances are if you keep going there often enough, you will know most of them.

The drinks are quite decent and not too expensive. The price of beer was increased a few months back so that will set you back by around Rs 500 for a pitcher.Bloody Mary's are quite tangy, and worth a try if you don't like your drinks too sweet.

The food is phenomenal, and things I would recommend are:
1. Pork/Chicken sausages (Grilled, Tandoor or Fried)
2. Chicken Cheese Omlette
3. Chicken Pepper Steak
4. Chicken Wire Mesh
5. Kheema Pao or some such which I've seen a lot of people ordering but haven't tried myself. Apart from this the kebabs and masala peanuts etc. are quite yummy too.

The music hasn't changed over the past 2 years, and I suspect it has been the same a lot longer. You will get to hear a new track or two, but expect to listen to the same sort of music on most nights. Floyd, Dire Straits, Cold Play, Metallica, Nirvana, etc. being examples of the genre.The thing I've heard from most people about Toto's is that no one can pinpoint what it is that makes the place tick, but tick it does, with barely enough standing room on Friday nights when it is the busiest, with a decent crowd on most nights.

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

Boat Club @ Pali Presidency, Pali Naka

How to get there: Get to Pali Naka, go a little beyond the HDFC bank and look on your right. It's right before Five Spice restaurant.

Shady little place, with shady people more often than not. The music is loud--sometimes Pink Floyd, sometimes popular hip-hop, dancy stuff. But, I dunno. There's an inexplicable something to Boat Club, despite its shadiness. We do go there more often than we should.

Is it the cheapish alcohol? No, because there are many places with the same price ranges. Is it the food? Erm, my seekh kebabs have been unrecognisable before. Is it the ambience? It has a funny smell and dark--not just dim--interiors.

No, Boat Club draws you back, I think, for its very shadiness. You enjoy (ironically, of course) the loud music, the thick french fries, the Romanov Vodka. You get up after much drunkeness to dance to SexyBack. You do as I do and go on your second date with your present boyfriend here, where you can be drunk and flirt wildly and no one will bat an eyelash. It has nooks.

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