One of the favourite watering holes in town, Nght Mrkt has an endearing vibe that includes an interesting menu of street favourites and signature cocktails in plastic bags. The menu just got more expansive and fingerfood-friendly, while the plastic bags h ave m a d e w ay fo r e xc i t i n g Instagrammable cocktails in a bid to be eco-friendly. We catch up with Varun Sheth, one of the young directors, who promises us that this re-haul is just the beginning of more fun plans. “We plan to have many interactive events and gigs in the near future — including fun workshops,” says Varun who is busy shuttling between the Garden City and Chennai, and further adds that we should look out for quiz nights, live bands and thrift markets among the many events planned.
Citrus notes
We start off with one of the aforementioned cocktails — a citrusy Bartender’s Special — perched on a rough slice of a tree trunk; this one has the mixologist wielding a kitchen-grade flame thrower that makes the herb (thyme) smokey and fragrant before being tossed into the drink. The Simple Story, meanwhile, was a sweet offering of Hibiscus flavour and the Coco Beach in a tender coconut shell was a delightful Pina Colada variant. As we savoured the drinks the kitchens were busy sending out delicious bar snacks that paired perfectly with the beverages. The sushi platter had our attention as the Teriyaki Chicken Taco rolls are nestled in scooped out indentations of a wooden serving tray with the seaweed wrap of the Avocado Sushi loosely placed underneath. The Jackfruit Tacos were smothered in mayonnaise and fooled us into thinking there was mince meat in the mix!
Crunch munch
With the summer heat still raging outside, you must forgive us at this point for switching to a tall glass of chilled beer that paired perfectly with the deeply fried options like the crispy Spicy Soft Shell Crab and Chicken Tostada that is stuffed with mildly-flavoured chicken cubes. With experimental galouti all the rage in eateries across the city now, the Lotus Stem Galouti here is an easy winner and wows with flavour and texture. For mains, we try the scrumptious Stuffed Paneer Roulade with slightly crunchy Mini Chur Chur Parathas. Even as we licked our fingers appreciatively, Varun avered that they had indeed amped up the vegetarian options. The flame thrower was back as we got set for dessert. A generous slab of a classic cheesecake arrived that was promptly singed and caramelised with flames and then generously dusted with Biscoff — ensuring that the other option of a jar of mixed fresh fruit and water chestnuts in chilled coconut milk, which was probably healthier, was a tad neglected by us. On that indulgent note we put down our forks, completely satiated!
Meal for two at Rs. 1,500.
— Sabrina Rajan