Review: With jazz, martinis, and sharp mixology, Upstairs brings back the golden era

Varun Sharma, EVH International’s head of bars, is beaming with pride and joy. And, it has nothing to do with the festive season. For, he has been given his own playground – Upstairs at Indian Accent.

The new intimate cocktail bar sits pretty in the first-floor space that used to cater to a handful of tasting menus-only guests at the famed restaurant. Awash in candlelight, the tall bar is its pièce de résistance in a warm setting and tones. Sabyasachi-designed wallpaper and upholstery add another touch of premium to the space.

And, as in-house jazz vocalist, Alyse Pascoe, starts crooning some old holiday favourites, the place seems like a throwback to an era of grandeur. An era of soft indulgence, conversations, and serious drinks. “We had been planning to bring something like this, an exclusive late-night bar experience, to the city for a long time,” EVH founder-chairman, Rohit Khattar, tells TGE as he welcomes a select few guests.

Currently it is open from 6pm to 1am, with an aim to extend the hours till 4am. While the team oscillates between making the 35-seater bar exclusively a members-only destination or for select hours and days, the place is humming with quiet accolades from the Indian Accent regulars and invitees. The ‘martini trolley’ that goes around the floor pauses many conversations to start new ones. And, rightly so.

The moment the trolley comes into action and I take the first trip of that ‘desi dirty martini’, the philosophy behind Upstairs becomes clear – complexly simple. While Sharma’s bar programmes are known to hold their own in acclaimed dining spaces like Comorin, Hosa, Fireback, and even Indian Accent, it is now that his menu comes first. And, as he tells me, those wheels of innovations had been motion for almost a year, ever since the EVH management started thinking about the bar. But what is he doing upstairs that he wasn’t downstairs?

“The bar at Indian Accent is merely a service bar in the highest-grossing fine dining restaurant in the country,” Sharma says. “The cocktails at Upstairs are very intricate and purely rooted in Indian ingredients.”

So, do not be surprised when that desi martini gives you the comfort of aloo ka paratha and nimbu ka achaar, all in a glass – in-house lemon-infused vermouth, and lemon pickle brine, in gin. Amid a quick tour of his ‘laboratory’, where he makes infusions and clarifies fats and liquids, the chat gets directed to chai. For someone who has always been in a no love lost relationship with the country’s elixir of life (read tea), Sharma almost takes it as a challenge for his ‘Chai Manhattan’.

Indian Accent head chef, Hitesh Lohat, continues with the nostalgia in his food menu for Upstairs. No overlaps here too. Set to feature quarterly themes, Lohat has started with markets of Delhi. A bowl full of homemade paapads with masala bhutta mousse and carambola chutney appear first on the table and collectively jog the childhood memories of spiced corn and sweet potato chaat with kamrakh (also star fruit and carambola).

I, for one, will be eager to be back to see what comes next from his kitchen and Sharma’s lab. For now, I have that ‘Bone dry martini’ on my list. With its serving apparatus order running a bit behind, it will take Sharma a few days to introduce all to this mix of bone marrow-washed vodka, nihari spiced vermouth, smoked tamarind and lamb patthar kabab. Though it sounds a gourmand’s delight, and a non-vegetarian’s wish for the winter come true, but for just a tiny moment I am sceptical of the result. Still, having tasted many of his creations, I am sure this one will be work of art too.

While martinis and cocktails seem to steal all the spotlight, Sharma is also adding to the bar’s collection of single malts and whiskys to further add to the seasoned suave vibe of the place.

Rating: ★★★★★ 4.9/5
Address: Indian Accent, The Lodhi, Lodhi Rd, CGO Complex, Pragati Vihar, New Delhi
Timings: 6pm to 1am (could extend to 4am)
For reservations: 9205747968

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