Being a devoted fan of Douglas Adams, I fondly remember the protagonist of his famous novel The Hitchhiker?s Guide to the Galaxy and how, at one point when he is flying about, he is hit in the small of the back by a floating party. Since then, I had always marvelled at a party that could float in the clouds?to be high, and not just on alcohol and definitely not, as many a hippie will claim with euphoria, on life.
To this extent, I made a pact with myself to visit rooftop bars in whichever city I visit. Consider it a late bucket-list entrant if you may, but it went well. Bangkok had a few, as did New York, London and Paris. Hong Kong and the Emirates have also provided options aplenty, but closer home, we didn?t have that much going for this concept. Sure, Mumbai has some nice ones, but they have fallen prey to archaic laws and hence have been shut down.
But Bangalore, that city of lovely weather, the siege of technocracy and perhaps India?s most civilised and liveable city (once you get used to that giant 24×7 parking lot they call traffic), has the right mix of it all for the perfect rooftop place to exist.
Touted as the highest bar of its kind in south India at 4,220 ft above ground level (I can?t think of any in north India to quite rival it), the High Ultra Lounge spreads out over 10,000 sq m, divided into four neat sections. I love that sensation when you take the dedicated lift to such a bar and your ears pop as you ascend to the top. Here, you get a sweeping view of the surroundings, which, if you suffer from vertigo, is definitely not the view for you.
Nirupa Shankar, the brain behind this unique project, knew what she was biting into. She approached all the top clubs and lounges across the world to see if they would be interested in operating such a space, but the rather austere time restrictions on the city?s party life proved to be a serious deterrent and nobody was willing to put their name behind it. Nevertheless, she saw a market and pushed on. What emerged a few months later was a lounge, which she cleverly segregated into sections, so as to be able to manage crowds (and moods and private affairs) better. The view is definitely breathtaking and nothing that I can convey in words can quite capture the emotion of the first time you stand there and look out.
But Shankar knew that the view, no matter how unparalleled, would never be enough, at least not in the long term. People wouldn?t pay for it alone and it would eventually come down to the drinks and food to keep the place going. So she put together a very talented team of bar wizards and kitchen extraordinaires, who ensured that the people who came here had more than just the view to keep them coming back. The cocktails are innovative and fun, even if sometimes a tad too sweet for my palate, but that didn?t once keep the decade-younger crowd around me from ordering them. The food is not just good?primarily south-east Asian with quirky touches here and there?it is so good that one could mistake this lounge for a speciality restaurant. I lingered on and the last thing I did before I left was to take in for one last time the majestic view of the jewelled sparkling city sprawled out before me in every direction. Definitely a worthy tick on my list.
The writer is a sommelier