Networking. It is not just a corporate affair anymore. It has become a kind of social phenomenon, especially since all the social networks came up. People now need not just virtual places to do networking but also real spaces. This is the thought that drove brothers Abhinav and Abhishek Mathur to come up with the concept restaurant in Green Park, Hive-Kitchen and Bar, inspired from the dynamics of a beehive.
Abhinav, one of the co-founders, is venturing into the hospitality industry for the first time. The lawyer turned social media influencer realised the importance of communities and conceived a place where people can sit down to enjoy a meal as well as network. He says that his main motive for coming up with this concept was to actually see the extent of effect of the influence of social media. In a way, it is a test for his skills as a social media influencer.
The concept of networking at the restaurant is reiterated in each and every aspect. Built over two floors, the first floor serves as a casual dining, Parisian style café. The menu is predominantly European, with nothing that is part of fine dining. For those with a taste for Italian food and things like sandwiches, or the health conscious people who like to eat salads, special attention has been given so that there is something for everyone in the menu. The interiors of the restaurant are done up simply but with great attention to detail. There are a lot of décor pieces in the restaurant that have a sort of rustic edge to them, such as a water pipe disguised as a lamp stand. Co-founder Abhishek is an investment banker turned serial restaurateur with two more restaurants in Hauz Khas Village, Moonshine Café and HKV Theka. He says: “For the café floor of Hive, we tried to have a very industrial theme. So all the furniture is quite simplistic, nothing fancy. We really wanted to create a casual vibe about the place.”
Two motifs that recur in the property are industrial wheels and the hexagon reminiscent of a beehive, and thus a network. The second floor is done up as a lounge and bar with a tinted glass roof, making it a great place to spend a sunny winter afternoon. The casual atmosphere is enhanced with the monochromatic colours of the interiors. A wide range of options are available in the bar, and the perfect pub food to accompany it. Do not miss out on the meatballs and the fried fish. The most attractive feature of the second floor is a huge metallic elephant on the wall, with a lot of wheel detailing, vaguely reminiscent of the Make In India lion! None of the tables in the restaurant have legs; the ones in the lounge have a combination of immovable wheels while the tables in the café have borrowed wheels from mono-cycles to act as legs.
The food and vibe are not the only thing that the restaurant offers. For weekends, one can look forward to performances by jazz artists, stand-up comedians and DJs.
