I first heard about Aer bar when I did a hotel tour of Mumbai's superlative
Four Seasons hotel in Worli back in June. Then, with monsoon bearing down on the city, it was muggy as hell and there was sweat dripping down my back even inside the air-conditioned confines of the hotel. The PR girl took me up to the rooftop, 34 flights up, delicately stepping through the rubble in her stilettos. Despite the rooftop being little more than a building site, I could already see it taking shape: 360° views, a cool breeze, nary a whiff of Eau de Mumbai (sewage, fish, salty sea air, pollution, heady anticipation).
Now, Aer Bar has opened, and last week I got sent the first publicity images:
Is this Mumbai, seriously? It could be Hong Kong, or Shanghai. Sure, there's undoubtedly a lot of Photoshop liberty - and you can't photograph a smell, but this is way at odds with Mumbai's reputation. And, decor-wise, not a touch of anything Indian: no Devanagari script, no paisley motifs, no lotus flowers, no turbanned waiters, nothing to set this bar apart from bars in modern cities in booming economies.
Very excited about going there.
4 comments:
Great pictures indeed. And so is your blog. But seriously, tell me, what is so bad about turbanned waiters and wax painted walls?
We're Indians aren't we? Yet so inclined towards western ambiance. It is our culture, but it doesn't give me a high looking at people appalling Indian ambiance.
Nothing against you or the western restaurants. They're classy no doubt. But so are the Indian restaurants.
This place almost makes it look like Mumbai's worth visiting! Maybe next time.
Sigh... have you even been to any other restaurants, bars, lounges or nightclubs in Bombay anytime in the last two decades?
Devnagari script? Paisley motifs, lotus flowers and turbanned waiters? Jeez... it almost sounds like the last you were in the city was in the 60s. No seriously. What Bombay nightspots still actually look like that, I'd love to know.
What you say about Eau de Mumbai, I completely agree. Bombay is still, or probably now more so, a filthy city. However, if you've ever really been out in Bombay any time over the last decade, you'd know that the nightlife is actually pretty decent.
This restaurant looks gorgeous! It looks soo high up though! Would be funny though if on a busy night the customers and staff start feeling short of breath due to the lack of oxygen. Meh - But that's just me being silly!
Congratz on the nominations and hell yeah your posts are long!
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