Set in earthy tones of wood, with tunes of jazz and blues keeping you entertained, Sandy's Cocktail and Kitchen is a concoction of all things good. By Devi Singh
With its name set in a font inspired from the classic cult movie, Sholay, this is one place that is an eclectic mix of a lot of classics. located just behind the Westin Hotel in Gurgaon, ‘Sandys’ enjoys the quietness of the area. Spread over two floors with herb garden which comes as a surprise and makes you think about its existence, nonetheless adding enough green to the overall appeal of the place. Besides it does work as an amazing al fresco option. The ground floor is done in wood and reminds you of the prohibition era. The large windows overlooking the herb garden is a nice distraction from the boisterous ambience inside the bar. What catches the eye is motley of paintings and photos, ranging from abstract art to good old black and whites. Interestingly, one of the photos hanging dearly to the wall happens to be of Sandy Verma's professing his love for his beloved wife.
The owner’s touch is evident in every perceptible thing at Sandys. The tables remind you of any other wood at any other place until your ears get hit by the blues and jazz numbers being belted out downstairs, either by pros or amateurs singing away in their glory, holding their microphones tight. That, is the basement which also doubles up as the main bar area. You can’t afford to miss Billie Holiday who has been painted in a mural gracing the otherwise mellow walls. She gives the much needed punch, oomph and uplifts the area in her own way. The basement is where Verma also gives out bartending lessons or two to his students in daytime of course.
It’s incontestable that Verma is a big fan of jazz and blues and wouldn’t have had the place in any other way. “I got inspired a lot from my travels around the world for this place in particular. Be it the pubs of london to Buvaria in Germany, each place has had a different vibe on me and I wanted an amalgamation of all those things for Sandys,” said Sandy Verma, founder, Sandys.
Having a mixology cum bartending experience which runs over two decades, Verma has also tended bars for the rich and famous, such as, laxmi Mittal, KP Singh, Subroto Roy, among others. So who did he enjoy tending the most forIJ Prompt comes the reply. “It has to be the Ruiyas for sure. They know how to throw the classiest of affairs in the most elegant fashion,” said the flamboyant mixologist cum bartender.
The menu touches the shores of pan Asian and European comprising Salmon Gravadlax to Carpacio De Manzo and even Chicken Shish Taouk which again establishes the eclectic approach of the entire place. Their cocktail menu is even more absorbing befitted with amusing one liners. Maybe they want to keep everybody happy or so does it feel when Verma said, “Good food is not just about taste. It’s about where and with whom you are eating it.” The vibe of the place might confuse you a bit but gradually it will catch up on you. It has the feel of everything mixed into one, jazz bar, lounge, restaurant even a café.
As we are still figuring out about the categorisation, our appetizer is served, Mezze Platter which looks and feels like deconstructed version of Falafel, Hummus with olives and perfect roundels of Pita which is served with French Martini which is Gin, Chambord and good old pineapple juice. There’s nothing outstanding about the Falafel, they finish off on a drier side than expected. But the Bratwurst which is pork sausages served with red cabbage sauerkraut with fig chutney was succulent and tender. This came with Vesper which is as seductive a concoction of Gin, Vodka and lillet Blanc just like the character it's been inspired from.
Moving on we had, Greek salad which was crisp, light and reminded us of the herb garden just outside. The dash of olive oil with a hint of feta was nicely done. This was served with last Tango in Modena which was perhaps the punch of the evening. Tequila with bell peppers and passion fruit puree, enough to kick your palate and get you ready for more.
Next came, Classic Genovese Minestrone soup finished with pesto and spinach. This turned out to be good but little on the sweeter side maybe that’s why they chose to pair it up with whisky sour which was a blend of Bourbon, lime juice with Maraschino cherry adding the fine doze of glamour to it.
Moving on to our mains, we had, Mushroom Risotto, with chunks of wild mushrooms thrown in which were a bit raw and mascarpone cheese which we found way too cheesy and gooey. We washed our Risotto down with New Orleans, a blackcurrant flavoured Vodka with peach bitters.
last came the dessert which was new age Tiramisu, an amazing deconstruct made of mascarpone, Kahlua and Saviordi. It was accompanied with an equally enticing Espresso Martini with Hazelnut foam which we foamed up ourselves, very therapeutic, must say. The drink was Vodka, Kahlua again and espresso shot which we really liked. What won our hearts was the amazingly done Hungarian Goulash with paprika, perfect to beat the current chill served with Smok’d Celery Bloody Bitch which was equally piquant with the likes of Worcester and Tobacco saving the grace of its name.