A newly-opened workspace cum café-bar by restaurateur Riyaz Amlani allows collaboration and interaction between tables through a cool app. Samiksha Raj reports
Here food arrives on gramophone records, enamel plates or wooden spiked boards. A ‘chandelier’ of naked yellow bulbs hanging from the ceiling illuminates the space. The interiors are not plastered, shelves are made from aam ki petis and water is served with the word paani hash-tagged on the glass. While you are there, you feel the expression ‘out-of-the-box’ has got a new name — Social.
You must have heard of ‘work from home’; it’s time you start working from Social. Amidst the cultural hub of South Delhi — Hauz Khas Village, bustling with designers and a plethora of young talent, sits Social, an all day café and bar which has proved to be a game-changer in the history of restaurants as it offers the concept of a ‘second place’ after home.
Right from the décor to the drinks, food and ethos, nothing is run-of-the-mill stuff here. It is the perfect abode of the ‘free’, the freelancer and all those creative souls looking for an exhilarating break from a typical work day.
The hospitality wiz, Riyaz Amlani, also the CEO & MD of Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality has surpassed all levels of creativity with his latest venture Social, designed for networking and valuable collaboration to happen over lip-smacking food and refreshing beverages. “I see youngsters coming to restaurants and cafes for reading, working and debating. Hence, the idea was to come up with a place that is an alternative space to work and have discussions,” says Riyaz.
An entrance resembling a cave with graffiti on the walls will lead you to a towering musty door which opens to the enthralling world of Social. The first section, the bar is no less than your living room. Read a book, or just sit on the comfy recycled and upcycled wooden furniture or take a corner seat to gaze at the picturesque view outside. The central section, dedicated to the Djs would greet you with some foot-tapping music meant to rejuvenate the soul. This leads to the dining space where you can sample an array of delectables listed in the menu with quirky names. An antique wrought-iron circular stairway leads to the upper section which has everything that an office has; a boardroom, wall-space, conference facilities, wall-to-wall high-speed WiFi and built-in social interaction. And yes, there’s an app for that (in beta). The app lets you order and review food, check out the restaurant’s playlist in order to like and recommend music. You can even check in on what other guests in the space are up to, to allow room for collaboration and interaction between tables. Once you plan to retire for the day, this ‘workspace’ seamlessly shifts gears to become a high energy bar that makes it easier for you to grab an after-work drink without travelling.
Talking about the avant-garde aesthetics employed in designing the slightly grungy and faux rustic interiors, Riyaz says, “We didn’t want the usual decorated stuff. Rather we wanted something as real as possible. That’s why plaster has been removed from the walls and bulbs are without lampshades. The idea is to give a simple, relaxed feeling.”
When it comes to food, the effort has been to offer something offbeat. Here street food gets as much spotlight as a gourmet meal. You can choose watermelon vs feta salad from the tabloid-styled menu for starters. Fresh watermelon tossed with feta cheese and argula leaves is topped with tangy balsamic reduction. Also try spicy paneer cubes topped with crunchy noodles, cottage cheese, crushed black pepper sauce and bird eye chilli.
If you care for creamy beverages, you must try the Oreo shake mud pot — a scrumptious concoction of milk, ice-cream and Oreo chips. What catches the eye is the presentation of the beverage. It is served in a tiny mud pot with a small sapling at the top. Then there is deconstructed Moscow mule, which is served in a mule mug, with a beaker tied up in muslin cloth with smoked vodka and a pipette with bitters. The ‘reaction’ is served in a glass beaker with an injection syringe full of vodka and blue curacao.