Barrels is all about beer and sub-standard food. However, the graffiti and rock music pass muster, says Iknoor Kaur
There are only two things that come to mind when you hear the word barrels — beer or wine. Well, that is probably why Akshay Ohri along with his band of cousins decided to name their new thematic bar Barrels. Quite off from the way it looks, Barrels is quintessentially a beer café that offers over 17 kinds of domestic and international beers. However, that has nothing to do with its graffiti empowered, psychedelic and overpowering interiors.
As you enter, rock music hits your ears and a sculpture of a lady juts out of the wall on the left. The same is surrounded by abstract graffiti depicting women empowerment, which extends itself to a small stage made for live band performances. The wall facing the entrance displays the youth of the country breaking free, following which the wall on the right displays the pressures one faces in life. The floors and ceilings too are decorated. The ceiling has clouds made on them which light up at night. According to Ohri, the entire décor gives out a social message. “We wanted to do something creative. So the idea of opening a beer café was always there and then we thought of using graffiti as a theme. And not just normal graffiti but high speed graffiti. I think when people drink, they imbibe things that are told to them. Thus, through the graffiti we spread messages of women empowerment and youth freedom,” he shared.
Barrels is a typical bar with regular food, specialising in no specific cuisine. First up from the menu were the piri piri chicken skewers. The chicken was tender, however, the flavour of the piri piri lingered on the palate for a short while. The Vietnamese chicken skewers were not the best thing to order. They were bland and almost crushed our appetites. A high content of salt, too, managed to spoil a few dishes like the grilled fish with lemon butter sauce and classic chicken tikka.
Their drink’s menu was interesting. Apart from the liquor and spirits, there is a section in the menu called Director’s Cut which has been designed by the four owners of the restaurant. Since Barrels has its own bakery, all the breads and puddings are prepared there.
Overall, the place was a sports bar-cum-pub that ignored the quality of food a little too much. However, Ohri had a justification ready, “When we opened we didn’t have a liquor license. At that time our clientele was very less. It was only when we got the license recently that the crowd started to pour in. Thus, we realised that people like to drink and the food is just an accompaniment.”