Delhi’s newest watering hole is not monkeying around

From “botanical-forward” speakeasies successful Vasant Vihar to high-concept “cocktail laboratories” successful Greater Kailash, the cocktail scenery successful Delhi has evolved into a blase theatre of consumption, wherever menus often work much similar literate anthologies. It is not uncommon to find your beverage accompanied by a multi-paragraph backstory oregon your repast described arsenic a “sensory journey” done lands acold away. While this whitethorn person pushed the boundaries of mixology, determination is an undeniable fatigue mounting successful for the mean diner. Honestly, sometimes each 1 wants is simply a reliable portion that hits the spot, a bully repast that doesn’t necessitate lengthy explanations, and a country of a country wherever the ambiance is defined by your friends’ laughter alternatively than the bartender’s script.

Along comes Top Banana. It could easy walk disconnected arsenic the sanction of a fancy detective agency, but it is, successful fact, the newest watering spread successful the capital, by Rajan Sethi, created on with Chef Tarannum Sehgal and beverage specialists CounterTop. Inspired by a fashionable American slang for ‘top boss’, the sanction surely is simply a conversation-starter, and arsenic the evening progresses, we observe that overmuch of the abstraction and F&B programme too, heads successful that direction.

Located connected the 3rd and 4th floors of a gathering that besides houses Rajan’s Ikk Panjab, 1 feels instantly astatine easiness with the green-grey micro concrete, the barroom elevated by softly glowing greenish solid bricks, the adjacent tables with comfy seating and the partition airy illustrations with witty one-liners specified arsenic ‘Babe, he’s lone arsenic heavy arsenic a kiddie pool’ and a relatable favourite – ‘Too galore tabs, excessively small time’. On the 4th level which is besides a rooftop terrace, determination are much tables, a cocktail lab, a washroom that doubles up arsenic a quirky selfie constituent and an outdoor smoking country with the astir gorgeous presumption of a silk fabric tree.

The cocktail bar’s been 2 years successful the making owing to assorted factors, and Rajan acknowledges that the archetypal imaginativeness was scrapped to marque mode for Top Banana – a spot which is “neither excessively simple, nor excessively nerdy”.

From down the “zero-concept bar”, Beverage caput Sushil Pant presents america with Salt Before Sense. An casual to sip highball, the tequila-based portion with lychee and salted Sakura sets the pace. Another tequila-based drink, Fat Chance, made with bacon, plum and hoisin sauce, stands retired for its somewhat savoury and smoky notes. Shadow Play is simply a martini-style portion with gin, vodka, pickled bulb and olive and is suitably briny and punchy, with a sophisticated, umami-forward twist. But the portion we extremity up ordering doubly turns retired to beryllium the quirkily named Debate Over Debauchery, a strawberry whisky, Hojicha, plum and yuzu portion which balances the earthiness of the roasted beverage with a citrusy tartness. Pro tip: get idiosyncratic connected the array to bid astatine slightest 1 of their 3 zero ABV drinks – they truly clasp their ain against the cocktails, offering a blase complexity that ensures nary 1 feels similar they’re missing retired connected the craft. 

When it comes to the food, Tarannum wanted thing that would entreaty to anyone visiting a neighbourhood bar. The inspirations travel from everyplace – places she has travelled to, drank astatine and textures that spoke to her. The Fritto Misto rootlike chips that get arsenic an accompaniment to the drinks are fried and sprinkled with a salty bulb chive particulate and served with a homemade ketchup of veggie trimmings. It is simply a crunchy, umami-rich snack that goes perfectly with cocktails. The Silverfish Crunch stands retired for the crisp food paired with the rich, nutty creaminess of a pesto-cashew sauce.

Until the clip the nutrient doesn’t effort excessively hard, it works truly well. Take the Scampi Prawn Frenzy for lawsuit – the buttery richness of the prawn-head condiment finds a vibrant, smoky counterpart successful the charred seasonal narangi. The TBFC Blitz is simply a karaage style-fried chickenhearted with an addictive pickled condiment of gherkins, chillies, onions and radish. These are dishes you support digging into. But some, similar the Kimchi Corn Popper with kimchi-stuffed charred cobs; oregon the Oeuf Mimosa – devilled pickled eggs with salmon roe consciousness overly conceptual and cluttered. Give america different sheet of Fritto Misto, anyday!

Top Banana is astatine Third and Fourth Floor, M-5, M Block Market, Block M, Greater Kailash II, New Delhi. They are unfastened from Tuesday to Sunday 6pm to 1am. Cost for 2 is ₹2,000. For reservations telephone 8929096135.