What's getting people hooked to Delhi Aerocity's popular bars, nightclubs

Veer Arjun Singh goes knocking on the doors of some of Aerocity's most popular bars to sniff out what's getting people hooked

In case you haven’t noticed, a sin city has sprung up in the capital — a veritable city within a city. And conveniently for those who don’t live in Delhi, right next to the airport. Veer Arjun Singh goes knocking on the doors of some of Aerocity’s most popular bars, restaurants, pubs and nightclubs to sniff out what’s getting people hooked:

Dragonfly

Unlike the insect, this one stings. Especially if you leave your fate in the hands of its mixologists. But the olfactory and taste buds must wait. Dragonfly will enamour the eyes first. It uses open spaces splendidly and dazzles with its interiors. Tables are neatly sprinkled on level one, which has an open balcony where people can be found sipping on colourful drinks and overlooking a sprawling bar where they were invented. Handsome staircases on either side lead down to ground zero: a customisable space in a semi-circle that has a spread of bespoke tables and chairs, which are usually removed on the weekends when the place is packed beyond recognition. But it’s a lot less Bollywood than you would expect from a place co-owned by rapper Badshah. Seems like his association with serial restaurateur, Priyank Sukhija, has them rooting for posh. The stuff an Instagram influencer’s dreams are made of. But even for the less glamorous, it’s a fine place to drink and dine, especially in the afterhours.

Start with the bar and move to a table only when the shimmering dragonflies pasted across the walls start to double. Not just the cocktails in dressy glasses, but the ambience and the hip-hop will also have this hypnotic effect. The house mixologists’ bible, on the other hand, called “Manga Mixology”, an exclusive menu of cocktails beyond the regular stuff that the restrobar serves, can have you spinning in a drink or two. The mixes are named after Japanese comic characters. Major Motoko, which combines vodka and a sorbet of passion fruit, is highly recommended. It is topped with sparkling wine and the acidity elevates the fruit punch to the hype of its eponymous anime. Moving on to better-known stuff, the whisky sour made with the 12-year-old Japanese Yamazaki and infused with lemongrass is the kind of sweet in the sour that I like. Perhaps it is because the syrups are freshly made behind the counter. It paired well with the avocado and baby spinach salad that appetised my hunger. So much so that I polished off an entire portion of prawn sushi. And if you round it all off with the homemade vanilla and mango-raspberry ice cream, it’s a satisfying washing-down of the spicy flavours. A sweet nightcap indeed. 

Location: Worldmark 1

Cost for two: Rs 3,000 (with alcohol)

Imperfecto Shor

If it gets too charming to call it a night, remember that there’s a city within the city that never sleeps. Gurugram has many ways to grab a drink late in the night — the open-window thekas are one and the reasonably priced bar at the Taj another — but a true Delhiite knows the pain of finding a late night bar that does not rip you off. 

Take the highway next time and turn up at the doorstep of Imperfecto Shor at the Pride Plaza Hotel. No D&D, please. It could be 1 in the night or 5 in the morning. The staff at the gothic-themed Shor, which might remind you of a midwestern American salon from the movies, will make you feel at home.

I am not talking about another 24/7 café that serves bun maska and tea, but a restaurant and a full-service bar that takes its food and cocktails seriously through the night. My recommendations? Chef manager Akanksha Dean’s signature quinoa salad is phenomenal. Ask the bartender to fix you a watermelon martini or an old fashioned and pair it with the classic fish fingers. You will understand the seriousness that I am talking about. 

I am not sure if the folks still call it clubbing, but if drinking and dancing and more drinking is your thing, Shor also has a nightclub that opens (pay attention) on Fridays at 10 pm and does not shut (pay closer attention) till Monday morning. It’s an all-day, all-night weekend marathon. While I absolutely recommend visiting Toy Room at Aloft Hotel and Hong Kong Club at Hotel Andaz on Saturday nights, Imperfecto Shor’s unmatched commitment to keeping people intoxicated is a whole new level of service. Better yet, drinks cost the same at the club and the café, and the prices don’t skyrocket at nights. I am not sure if it should be called development or devastation, but getting drunk just keeps getting easier.

Location: Hotel Pride Plaza

Cost for two: Café: Rs 2,000 (with alcohol), Nightclub: 5,000 (cover charge)

Monsoon

This restaurant in the Worldmark 1 building, the focal point of the popular F&B spaces in Aerocity, is a sister establishment of Café Lota and Triveni Café in Delhi and Roots - Café in the Park in Gurugram. But it feels like a distant cousin. It’s a delicately done, closed space next to the food court. Manager Udit Maheshwari tells me that the scorching summers had them thinking. The capital deserved an air-conditioned Monsoon. 

The menu, though, is refreshingly similar. Taste their signature tinda matar before it goes out of season. The focus remains on local and seasonal ingredients. You can, however, always fall back on the all-weather broccoli makhni. The lightly spiced gravy is similar to my favourite chicken pasanda at Lota. But I was there for new. So I had to try their lemon and ginger chicken, which is as close to slow-cooked, homemade chicken as it gets. It’s the antithesis of the greasy tandoori chicken that Delhi prides itself on.

The interiors are minimalistic and feel like sitting at a family dining table where everyone is dead serious about what’s on their plates. 

A good place to actually have a conversation.

The fusion that its salted-caramel kheer brings to your palate is unique. But it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Speaking of beverages, Monsoon has an extensive collection of wines. Try a chardonnay or a rosé with their chocolate torte, which is a molten mix with 60 per cent dark chocolate, before you bid them adieu. But only if you can put aside the jackfruit stir-fry, goat meat kulcha and yogurt cheesecake for next time. 

Location: Worldmark 1

Cost for two: Rs 2,000 (with alcohol)

Daryaganj

Its name may feel out of place in a swank setting like Aerocity that hopes to flaunt a new tide of avant-garde restaurants. There is certainly some truth to that: unlike places that have sprung up around it, Daryaganj is not an extravagant attempt at creating intricate dishes that culminate in unexpected modern twists. The food here is unpretentious yet unique — a rare, appealing simplicity. 

The name is owner Raghav Jaggi’s tribute to his grandfather, Kundan Lal Jaggi, the man believed to be behind North Indian classics such as butter chicken and dal makhani. Jaggi, who hailed from Peshawar, was among the founders of the original Moti Mahal Delux, the Old Delhi eatery that famously popularised his inventions after Partition. “A tremendous amount of hard work was put into getting the old recipes right. We wanted the food to taste exactly the way it did 70 years ago. Authenticity was everything,” says co-founder Amit Bagga. 

Daryaganj is best enjoyed through its legendary classics. Bagga recommends the original butter chicken, cooked in light tomato gravy and topped with green chillies. Equally impressive is the tandoori chicken, prepared with little oil and the right amount of spice. But what surprises the most here is an old-school dish — historically restricted to Punjab — that no longer finds a place on menus of contemporary Indian restaurants: dal meat. The Daryaganj version has aromatic mutton mixed with chana dal, rounded off with generous amounts of ginger and green chilli. The mild spices act as an ideal foil for the more explosive mutton nargisi kofta, meat balls cooked in rich onion gravy. 

Among other standouts on a fairly limited menu —a great thing, by the way — is the fluffy and airy phirni, made with semolina instead of rice, and flavoured with saffron. Daryaganj is a relaxed Indian restaurant that enchants with subtle flavours, lavish portions and unusual warmth — all at a surprisingly affordable price.

Location: Worldmark 1

Cost for two: Rs 1,500 (without alcohol)

Liv Bar

I spent the first 15 minutes I was there wondering why Monsoon’s neighbour was so crowded on a Tuesday evening. Could it be Mananjay Prakash, the lone performer gently singing on his guitar? The tall hookah that everyone was puffing? Or Zomato’s 2+2 offer on drinks working its magic on a dull workday? It was definitely not the English cricket team’s spectacular batting that had people dressed up and dancing. 

It was the drinks, especially those not on the menu. All became clear when I was handed a cardboard, paper and a pen and asked to choose a base and ingredients, and then check with the bartender if there’s any way on earth a cocktail could be salvaged from them. I balanced my Maker’s Mark with some lime, orange and finished it with spices and honey. “Excellent choice,” said the bartender. I downed it and quickly moved on to better tastes like everyone else.

The live music gives way to trending pop charts after 10 pm and people start grooving soon after. It’s that bar next door where you bitch about your bosses and have cocktails on repeat without having to ask twice.

Location: Worldmark 1

Cost for two: Rs 1,800 (with alcohol)