If you sit and mull over your first drinking experience or perhaps even your first pub visit in the city, chances are at some point Sera — The Tapas Bar would’ve featured in those thoughts. Formerly known as Zara, this popular watering hole was Friday night hotspot. With its intimate setting and no entry fee, the pub took pride in the fact that they were one of the first joints in Chennai to kickstart the city’s nightlife graph. Here’s something to put it into perspective: It has been 15 years since Seras first entered the city. How’s that to make you feel old? The pub served small portions of food and while it wasn’t swankiest bar in the city, it sure scored high in comfort and copious amounts of sangria. At the same time, it came to be known as the ‘coming of age’ bar for a lot of young adults who were just turning 21.
Bigger and better
While Sera in Cathedral Road continue to extend their warm welcome, Arumbakkam will now have a favourite drinking spot. Sera Lounge is all set to launch at Ampa Skywalk, in the first week of March, with an impressive three-level restaurant and bar. SM Bablu, brand head at Oriental Cuisines, says that the lounge is still owned by the parent company, with the mall owners as the franchisee. “While most of the bartenders have been roped in from Sera, the menu for food has undergone a rather drastic change. The vibe of the lounge however, is very different from that of the bar.” The 100-seater located on the third floor of Ampa has a larger DJ console, a dancing floor with ample space and a dazzling bar, unlike Sera.
We dive straight into the drinks menu and order the Strawberry Lips, keeping in mind Valentine’s Day colour et al. A heady mix of vodka, Baileys and strawberry pureé, this concoction is sweet with just the right amount of alcohol. Next was the Passion fruit martini, which had gin and passion fruit.Even if you don’t like passion fruit, it sure tastes mighty fine with a splash of gin. For the rum lovers, there’s Storm n’ Dark — a mix of white rum, dark rum and orange juice.
Classic Lagoon is another cool blue drink that takes you right back to a beach in a straw hat. With vodka, blue curacao and cherries at the bottom, the drink is a visual delight. They also have a great variety of shooters like a pepper-infused vodka and a vodka, bacardi, tequila, grenadine and dark rum.
The grub counter
When it comes to food, Sera Lounge serves up everything from bacon-wrapped sausages (reminscent of the bacon- wrapped chicken at Sera) to Khakra Paneer. A major overhaul in cuisine, the lounge offers an array of continental and Italian food as opposed to Sera — The Tapas Bar that serves only Spanish and Asian plates. We try out the Wingman wings that come with peri peri and bbq sauce. Although we’d prefer it with a generous lathering of sauce, the wings turned out to be quite scrumptious.
For pescetarians, the Prawn Thai Curry is a must-try. We recommend the prawn ghee roast and the honey chilli chicken as they pair perfectly with the alcohol. For dessert, we had a luscious baked cheesecake with strawberry compote.
Sera Lounge will launch in the first week of March
Meal for two: ` 1,500+taxes.