With the number of Pop Tate’s outlets that are splashed across Mumbai, it would be unfair to generalize the experience that the brand provides, based on one experience at one of its dozen branches in the city. To draw a parallel, Indra Kumar gave us Masti, but he also gave us Grand Masti and Great Grand Masti, if you get what we mean. Our bar hopping escapade brought us to Pop Tate’s in Lokhandwala on a Thursday evening…
When ‘The Unrestaurant’ hosted The Unsobered Squad
We’ve seen a couple of other Pop Tate’s branches in Mumbai and they’ve all appeared to be situated bang on main roads, waiting to unleash a headache which goes by the name of ‘Parking’ if you are in private transport. The Lokhandwala Pop Tate’s though, is tucked inside a nice spacious compound with ample dedicated parking space, a rare facility when it comes to bars and restaurants in Mumbai. The little things that win you brownie points…
We aren’t jumping the gun here, but there’s something about this place that gives you a vibrant welcome the moment you step in. Was it the chequered flooring, or the bevy of old school lamps that hung from the ceiling, or the overpowering shades of red all around, or just a combination of everything, we don’t know.
Down to business then and Pop Tate’s awaited its true test. So far so good, one would imagine. The menu card didn’t throw up any innovation in terms of the dishes, not even through the booze. But Rs 270 on an average for the standard cocktail, Rs 340 for a Caipiroska, and Rs 475 for a Jager bomb, cancelled out the lack of innovation in the menu. ‘Why do you want innovation when we’re offering you value for money?’, said no menu card ever. Also, “Tea based cocktails” is not innovation.
We settled for a Mai Tai and the Blue LIT, priced at Rs 265 and Rs 390 respectively. You can’t go wrong with these, can you? While the Blue LIT was bloody good, the Mai Tai was overpowered by the pineapple juice. The zing that the rum usually provides to the Mai Tai was like logic in a Rohit Shetty film, it was just simply missing.
The high point of this film though came in the form of the ‘Spicy Grilled Chicken Squares’. Talking about value for money, this succulent and juicy chicken starter packed in a lot of mojo and a lot of spice, all for a relatively decent 210 bucks. The portion was on the lesser side for sure, but the taste buds were too pleased to be complaining.
A quick glance at the neighboring tables revealed a versatility in the footfalls at that time of the evening. A family of four, a young college group, and a couple on a date probably suggested that this particular Pop Tate’s appealed to a diverse Mumbai crowd, and we’re not surprised.
We don’t mind staring at a television screen in a bar if there’s something interesting playing out. But two gigantic screens like conjoint twins playing the same live IPL match tells us that Pop Tate’s doesn’t quite get the pulse of the TV audience. If you were ever wondering if the cash rich league was as popular as it was a few years ago, that sight would’ve probably led you somewhere, even though the sample size was as small as the quantity of their chicken starter.
The service was prompt, but lacked flair; it’s that little thing that differentiates good service and great service. You’ve pretty much made an impression by now that this is a very ‘run of the mill’ piece. But that’s only because our experience was, well, run of the mill.
Also, a tagline (for the lack of a better word) that reads “The Unrestaurant” doesn’t quite make sense on first thought. But hey, even we’re called The Unsobered Squad. 😉
Cuisine: European, Italian, Continental, Mexican
Food you must try here: Spicy Grilled Chicken Squares, Chicken Stroganoff, Fish Fingers and Chicken Lasagne
Drinks you must try: Bloody Mary, Blue LIT, Cranberry and Apple Cooler
Dance Floor: Nope
Music: EDM, English Pop
Average Price: Rs. 700 per drunk head
