At this swanky new bar in Alwarpet, size does matter. The 23,000 square feet place woos you with a seating capacity of nearly 400 and a television screen that spans an entire wall at 24 feet by eight feet! And as we gawked at that apparition, the DJ at the console played a clip of a Spiderman film — suffice to say we are coming back here for the next cricket match! Launched with a series of rocking parties last week, Sekhmet Lounge & Club (named after the Egyptian lion-faced warrior goddess) impresses also with exotic murals, generous and overflowing bars on different levels. However, what we cannot stop talking about by the end of the evening is the food! From Oyster Thermidor and Chimichurri Grilled Prawns to the exceptional galouti kebabs, we savour signatures from the vast menu that are all about distinct flavours and memorable taste. We catch up with Ashok Kumar, managing director, Sekhmet, who does agree that the eclectic menu was curated after numerous tasting sessions and a demanding palate. “I am very particular about the quality of ingredients,” he says and adds that their café on the rooftop is yet to open and to soon expect an in-house bakery.
We start with an exotic cocktail called the Egyptian Kiss which arrives misty with dry ice and is vodka-based with a sweet lychee mixer and a hint of rose. We pair that with a series of vegetarian delights that include a melt-inthemouth spinach galouti that tastes fresh from the garden and a bharwan paneer tikka that makes us ask about the source of the delicious cottage cheese (they get it from Mumbai). The chimichangas stuffed with chicken are delicious and feel like a distant cousin of the much-loved deep-fried samosa. Ocean vibe For seafood lovers, the sea bass cubes grilled to perfection with masala infused with ajwain, are flaky and delicately flavoured. However, the OysterThermidor is a fantastic conversation starter with the shells stuffed with an interesting crunchy salad with the sweet cooked oyster meat. The prawns have a delectable coriander flavour and cooked in the shell. Continuing with the coriander notes, the Spicy Chicken Coriander is juicy and repeat order worthy.
Soon we are distracted with pretty pouches of purple dumplings stuffed with water chestnut bits and hints of truffle. The translucent Crystal Shrimps dumplings, fragrant with kaffir lime leaf, make us sigh that we were too stuffed to eat more than one. Those were famous last words indeed, because soon we found ourselves stuffing our faces with chicken tikka-topped pizza slices and if that didn’t do it — the syrupy, flaky Baklava and the scrumptious Tres Leches was our undoing. We declared gluttony and called it a night!
Meal for two at about Rs 2,000 (not including beverages). Jain menu available on request.
— Sabrina Rajan