After a decade of presence in the north and west of the country, Raasta, a Caribbean-themed lounge bar co-owned by Rahul Kundan and Joy Singh, has finally made its way to Kolkata's Park Street. the city's signature street that has turned into a favoured location for the new and emerging lounge bars. Spread across two sprawling floors with an extended rooftop area, this 9,000-sq ft lounge will win you over with its bright decor and mood-lifting Reggae beats. Everything about the place, be it the open area shack bar, the live charcoal-oven pizza counter or the cane bar stools, will take you to any of the faraway Caribbean beaches and make you forget your stress for the while.
We loved the adequately spaced out interiors, one of the major concerns for any diner in the post-pandemic world. Like most other lounge bars in Mumbai, Raasta has tried to retain a chilled-out casual atmosphere about the entire place with a makeshift elevated platform dedicated to the deejay console that can be otherwise innovatively used as a podium for impromptu karaoke sessions with friends or random live poetry, music and comedy nights.
Choose to sit under the warm sun or make yourself comfortable in one of the window-side zesty orange lounges for a majestic view of the busy thoroughfare. As we flipped through the menu we couldn't help but marvel at how painstakingly they have tried to incorporate varied food preferences yet offer something different than the rival lounge bars around. There's an extensive list of entremets spanning across Lebanese, Oriental, Asian, Indian and Continental fares, which is such a relief for the teetotalers, given that most gastropubs usually tend to pay more attention to drinks.
We flagged off the tasting session with a comforting plate of Chicken Kothe and Tokyo Prawns and a tall glass of Fog Cutter served in Bong tail tumbler. A rejuvenating punch of vodka, gin, tequila, white rum, cranberry and guava juice, this house-special cocktail has a unique smoky texture and can be had with most of the dishes, spicy or otherwise. The fried dumplings were well-made with mildly spiced minced chicken soaking the flavours perfectly and the prawn tempuras tossed in harissa sauce made for an addictive entree too.
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We followed it up with the mains comprising Chicken Faffa and Seafood Jambalaya. The crispy fried chicken dices tossed in hot chilli sauce and coconut milk, soaked every bit of the sauce well turning the former dish into a delight. We washed it all down with a Passion Fruit and Kafirlime Margarita and this is one drink that can pull us back to the eatery soon again. The sweet pineapple zest and the intoxicating kaffir lime flavour melded beautifully, creating a lasting impact on your tastebuds.
We recommend this place for a hearty time with friends and colleagues for its relaxed and tropical ambience, foot-tapping music, great food and unique drink options.
Meal for two: Rs 2,000+
Timings: Noon to 11.30 pm
Twitter: @sharmidas