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

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

Soul Fry @ Pali Vegetable Market, Pali Naka

How to get there: Get to Pali Naka, take a turn after the HDFC bank. Go straight up and at the T-Junction, take a right. Then uphill again to another t-junction, where you turn right again. A little way down, you should see it on your right.


The first time I went to Soul Fry was awesome. I had just moved to Bombay, and was very, very new. I went with a friend and a friend of a friend, who happened to be a singer. This was great, because Soul Fry is the most fun on Monday nights where they have karaoke--a relatively new concept for me, because they don't do karaoke in Delhi. (The one place that did, Aquafir, is now defunct.)

Anyway, so Singergirl and I choose Bohemian Rhapsody--which is one of my all time favourite karaoke songs--and she was standing behind the pillar and I was in visible view of the screen and of other people. Of course, she rocked that song, and I sang as best as I could and people cheered for me (because they could see me) and it was a most triumphant moment. Also, the same night I saw Malaika Arora Khan and they played Chaiyya Chaiyya just for her and she got up on the table and danced.

Subsequently, I love karaoke nights and I love Soul Fry. It's just a tad small for the crowds that come in, and back in the good old days when you could smoke at bars, you emerged with every part of you exuding nicotine and alcohol. They do a really good Bloody Mary as well, and the food is fabulous.

Here's what you should order off the menu: 1) green chilli garlic calamari 2) prawns on toast 3) Portugese prawn rice and 4) Bombay duck. Trust me. I've ordered pretty much most of the stuff on there, and this is TRULY the best.

All of Bandra is usually at Soul Fry on Mondays, and you'll always get one old dude singing My Way and one singer chick type group doing Breathless. It's nice that some things don't change.

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

Cavala @ Baga Beach

How to get there: Get to Baga beach, ask for the Britto's road. A little while after the crossroads, look for a sign with a fish on it on your right.

Previously at Cavala:
eM has THIRTEEN tequila shots.
eM has no memory of the ensuing evening.

So, I was kinda embarrassed about going back, but seriously, off-season time in Goa isn't exactly party central and Baga beach is the only one with a little life. Besides, Cavala, sober, is lovely. It's quite cheap too--1350 per room for the non-AC superior kind--and they have the nicest pool, which we had pretty much to ourselves. (More details on The Compulsive Confessor).

Cavala has three retro-ish evenings on the weekends--a live band all three days, but I liked the Friday night band the most. The drinks are a little more expensive than the shacks, but they do lovely food and hey, expensive for Goa is 250 for a drink as opposed to 150.

We asked the band to play Breakfast at Tiffany's or Wild Thing, which they didn't know, but they did oblige with a very nice version of Ain't No Sunshine. All in all, Cavala + off season = lovely mix of liveliness and having the place to yourself.

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