Loveshack, Bangalore
Just a couple of days back I read a blogpost about the 10 best roof-top bars in India. The following day I read another article on Tripoto.com and Loveshack was mentioned among the list of top ten roof-top bars in Bangalore. Now, that the expectations were set in my mind, all I needed was to visit. Little did I know that Loveshack had been under renovation of sorts for the past few weeks (maybe months) and were planning to relaunch themselves with a revamped menu. It appears they did that a couple of weeks ago and I was invited to a bloggers table last Friday to sample the new menu.
The bloggers table event was organised at around 8 pm and finding my way to this resto-bar was quite easy. Loveshack is located at Domlur- a locality surrounded by offices of multinational software and BPO companies. So, one thing is for sure- the location is prime for a roof-top restobar to flourish. Loveshack is located on the top floor of the building that also houses the Maruthi showroom on the ground floor. Although a slight crunch for parking, let the valet parking folks worry about that. The ambience at Loveshack is interesting- imagine a beach shack like you would see in Goa, paint the roof white and let the concealed neon lights reflect off it- gives a misty feel. The contemporary hanging lights haging fromt eh ceiling are visually appealing but besides that the overall interior decor is just a bare minimum.
We started off with a couple of cocktails to elevate our appetite- among them, the Blue Frog, 18 Till I Die, Georgia Peach L.I.T and Tokyo L.I.T where the only ones I enjoyed. The Tequila L.I.T on the menu although sounds interesting was a complete joke- it felt like just a mix of tequila and iced water. Long Island Tea’s are an alcoholic concoction made from tequila, vodka, light rum, gin and splash of cola. This cocktail when prepared correctly offers a perfect balance between something sweet and alcoholic at the same time. The idea of adding any more of the liquor than what is necessary would only spoil it- the Tequila L.I.T was exactly that- dont bother ordering it.
The idea of Loveshack relaunching was complimented with a revamped menu and so I was curious to see what they had in terms of starters and entrée dishes. When the starters were served the first thing that appeared to me was the plating skills were under-par and the choice of cutlery were also pretty casual. All the more, service was agonisingly slow- this kind of made me formulate my impression about this place- pretty laid back. But the food- in a way, was compensating- among the starters, the standout was the Mutton Seekh Kebab which I felt they can do without the deep-fried crust (weird isn’t it). The Kache Kheema Kebab (entirely beef)was also delicious and an appetiser I would recommend to go along with your drinks. As for vegetarians, the Shack Chilli Panner, Jalapeno Croquette and Schezwan Crispy veg were delicious- though not outstanding.
The Mezze platter of Hummus, Ganoush and Labneh was sort of a let-down only matched by the Falafel. Now, a little insight into Labneh- which is a Greek yogurt- made from unstrained yogurt in order to preserve its natural sour taste. The Labneh at Loveshack tasted funny- like many of us called it ‘Fermented Yogurt’. But, there was a silver lining after all- a couple of main course dishes that we thoroughly enjoyed- Shack Meat Bowl and Goan Fish Curry. Shack Meat Bowl was a thick chowder of chicken kheema, cheese and egg- served with garlic bread. The Goan Fish Curry cooked in coconut milk and delectable spices, served with steam rice was very delicious. I was excited about seeing one of my favourite dishes, Chicken Ghee Roast on the menu and eventually placed an order for a portion- the dish never came. It was little upsetting but I had a friend coming from Mangalore the following day and I had already asked him to parcel a full portion of Chicken Ghee Roast from my favourite restaurant- Maharaja. It also happened to be one of our foodie friend’s birthday and so we celebrated it in a small way by cutting a chocolate brownie. I pretty much called it a day and decided to skip dessert. My overall take on Loveshack- a place to chill out with friends over drinks with a few selective dishes in the appetisers and main course sections. Far from being a one-of-a-kind experience but something that would stand between a beach shack and a lounge bar.
