In today's world of Instagramable moments — when your drink is ‘sprayed’with a fine mist of whiskey infused with cinnamon, you know you are in the right place. We discovered that the BFF Margarita is a delightfully potent mix of red wine and tequila that was enhanced with the misty aromatics. As we savoured the cocktail, we caught up with the enterprising couple Atreya and Reema Tiwari, at their 200-seater restobar in Alwarpet.
The striking contemporary black and white floor beautifully plays up the vintage vibe of the all new BFF (Bar For Friends). As we chatted with the duo about the changed environment across industries thanks to the pandemic, we were soon distracted when a wooden box was placed at our table. Called Thottu Naks, our curiosity was tickled when we found sections with local and familiar snacks including the popular street food raw mangoes (maanga) with chilli powder, pickle (oorugai), masala peanuts and fresh potato chips. “We want our patrons to find familiar food and wholesome options as well,” says Atreya.
The next box comes with shot glasses with small puris balanced on top and the one with vodka in the pani validates the name Drunken Puris. A plate of watermelon and feta salad works as a palate cleanser and the dash of barbeque sauce gives it a twist. While the scotch eggs are heavy with meat and could be a complete meal for some, our favourite is their bite-sized BFF signature chicken pops — they are spicy, crunchy and reminiscent of local chicken 65 along with spicy fries.
For mains, we tried their Grilled Chicken that is coated with creamy mushroom sauce and were smitten with the rich flavour along with crunchy veggies and mash. Though we were well-satiated Atreya insisted that the biryani was a must-have and we were indeed glad that we gave in. A spoonful of the said dish and we were taken by surprise as the palate experienced an explosion of flavours that include Chinese noodles and long-grained basmati! The fascinating Chinese Biryani comes with a spicy Chicken Manchurian. For dessert, we dig into a light vanillaflavoured, fresh fruit-layered pastry cake that is stuffed with whipped cream — and though there was a sensible gluten-free walnut cake option, we merrily followed the decadent one.
Meal for two at Rs 1,000.