Shareable plates you can exchange stories over. This is the ethos behind the all-new tapas-inspired menu at The Promenade’s Storytellers Bar. Here’s a quick taste of what you can look forward to — mini pizzas, sliders, patata bravas and hummus platters. So, the plates are not restricted to Mexican, as executive chef Sathish Rajasekaran clarifies for us. Instead, he says, “Our new menu revolved around a tapas concept. In 19th century Spain, tapas was served as a meal to travellers who in return would share their stories. The Storytellers Bar is about meeting interesting people over a drink and sharing experiences, so why not over tapas?”
We respond in agreement by taking a big bite of the Chicken Tikka Sliders (mini burgers) that arrive at our table. Expect juicy with a splash of desi, courtesy the mint chutney in the mix. Of course, if you’re looking for something a bit more classic — platters of Beer Battered Fried Fish and Peri Peri Onion Rings work just as well accompanied by a golden pitcher of beer. We get fancy tonight, and opt for a Cosmopolitan instead, with vodka, lime juice, and cranberry juice for sweetness.
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A while later, the waiter places a curious green hummus bowl on our table — that, we discover, after a quick dip of our pita bread, includes a healthy addition of green peas. Just as creamy and enjoyable, however. Our second cocktail for the night, called the Blue Frog, comes just as our mains arrive. This one bears an interesting blend of tequila, gin and blue curaçao topped with Red Bull! Fuel for you to stay up all night long, perhaps?
Alongside, we dive into delectable slices of Mediterranean Pizza with roasted eggplant and feta and later, a lip-smacking Mojito Chicken variant with morsels of chicken cooked in a mojito marinade with white rum. We’re thinking to ourselves that the phrase ‘high on pie’ might now be a literal possibility — the flavours are just as full-bodied with the use of organic flour and cheese sourced from artisanal cheesemakers in Auroville.
Meal for two at INR 2,000, including beverages.