A Himalayan bird, Barbet, painted in blue on the door, greets me as I arrive. She follows me inside – her footprints are on the floor and the bar counter. This bird stays with me throughout, be it in the artwork on the wall, the small wooden sculptures kept at the bar or the stirrer in some of the cocktails.
I am curious about the name of this bar, which has been a passion project for owners Jeet Rana and Chirag Pal since many years. “Barbet is a colourful and charming bird from my hometown Uttarakhand. It represents my roots, where I am from.” The other half of the name, Pals, comes from Chirag’s surname and also reflects their long friendship that predates the bar.
The name plugs one into the buzzy vibe – it can easily become your friendly neighbourhood bar where you could walk in alone and never feel out of place thanks to the super friendly and warm bartenders. Their uniforms resemble those of birdwatchers.
As I settle down to chat with the duo, I am served barley water and kambucha. It’s an introduction to the bar’s specialty – a lot of in-house fermentation, flavour-building.
One of Jeet’s favourite drinks, which takes him back to his college days, Pal’s Lugdi, is served as I study the cocktail menu with them. It is a local drink in Himachal and Uttarakhand made by fermenting rice. Throw in some passionfruit, mulberry and pink peppercorn and it turns into a fizzy vodka cocktail which is so easily sippable that I could have had many more, but I stopped at one.
The colourful and playful menu is divided into two parts, each with its own philosophy and stories. Bird’s Eye View is a travelling menu which will keep changing every three months, while The Nest Menu is inspired by the cocktails Jeet and Chirag have poured and served over their years in the
bartending world.
The current version in the Bird’s Eye View menu is ‘Kumaon’, that has five drinks. The ingredients here recall the Himalayan hills – pine nuts, acorn berries, Jakhya seeds, madua, and more.
“We will keep changing the menu depending on where we travel over the next few months in India. We plan to go to Majuli in Assam, the largest river island and Wayanad in Kerala after that,” Chirag tells me.
Later that evening I sip a drink named Gundryani, which is a root used widely in Uttarakhand. They turn it into a cordial to mix in this tequila-based cocktail which comes rimmed with Pisyu Loon, a green-coloured salt from the Garwhal region. The fizzy drink makes Jeet nostalgic. “These drinks made us who we are today.”
As I called for a cocktail named OTP, One True Pair, Jeet regaled me with some fun trivia – he said when he made this at Sancho’s in Mumbai, Shah Rukh Khan once had four glasses. I had a sip and understood why the King of Bollywood did so. The combination of Bacardi Ocho and Campari with lemon, curry leaves and a touch of pineapple pickle hits the right spot – bold yet beautifully balanced.
I really enjoyed Tickle My Pickle, a gin and pickle brine drink that messes both with your head and flavour palette too. It is served with three different garnishes — carrot, blueberry and grape and as one bites into each separately, the flavour of the drink keeps changing going from fruity to sweet to a tad bit briny. It’s a real conversation starter.
The food menu by Chef & Co Founder Amninder Sandhu, is snacky — most dishes are nibbles that you can easily have at the bar as well. “She’s like our industry mother since we’ve worked together for so many years – so she had to curate the menu.” Jeet tells me smilingly. I begin with the Gol-Gol Bread – four warm pieces of bread served on a hot pan with two types of butter – chilli fennel and Nolen Gur. Its best to have it the instant it is served because when you slather that flavoured butter on the hot bread, it melts like worries should and is so comforting.
One of the dishes I loved, has been created by Jeet Rana’s wife. “My wife cooks really good fried chicken with chimichurri so the chef called it Mrs. Barbet.” It is like a chicken satay with desi chimichurri and caramelised onions – a perfect accompaniment with drinks.
Even the humble masala papad gets a makeover. Khichia, a rice papad, is served with cumin, raw mango chutney, mulberry chutney and avocado. The idea is to make a mess and eat it, much as you might at home.
Don’t be surprised if the team breaks into a dance in the middle of pouring the drinks. This is the charm of Barbet & Pals – it’s the kind of bar you return to because you feel at home and also perhaps because there is a bird to welcome one back.
Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.7/5
Address: Ground Floor, M Block Market, M-51, Block M, Greater Kailash II, New Delhi, Delhi
Timings: Wednesday to Monday from 5pm to 1am
Price for Two: Rs. 3,000 + taxes
Phone: +91 9205645151
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