Let’s rewind not too far, just to a simpler time when a bar was simply a bar. No elaborate concept, no encyclopaedic cocktail menu, no tableside theatrics. Just a good bartender, a good drink and enough reason to stay for one more.
That’s essentially what Let’s Kiss is bringing back.
There is no cocktail menu here. Instead, there are 100+ cocktails living in the minds of the bartenders, and your job is simply to tell them what you’re feeling. A mood, a flavour, a memory or absolutely nothing. They’ll figure out the rest.
And they do.
I was very well taken care of by Varun Singh, Senior Bartender, while Manoj Singh Rawat, Head Mixologist, seemed particularly committed to keeping my glass from ever being empty.
The evening began with a refreshing welcome palate cleanser with a little picante kick, followed by a clarified Paloma bright, clean and beautifully balanced. It arrived with milk bread and three kinds of butter: herb, mango-chunda inspired and sweet, creamy butter. An unexpectedly delicious pairing.
The mushroom and beetroot cocktail was one of my favourites. Earthy, umami-driven and carrying just a subtle hint of spice, it worked beautifully with the prawn toast.
Then came the 12-hour slow-roasted raan on sourdough rich, deeply flavoured and packing a lovely hit of spice. Slightly fiery for me, but the kind of dish I can imagine disappearing very quickly at a table.
The Bloody Mary with truffle oil was another one that shouldn’t be skipped. It had the familiar spice and savouriness of a Bloody Mary, followed by that luxurious truffle finish that softened everything beautifully.
And then came the surprise favourite: the mango martini.
Yes, mango. And not the syrupy, tropical kind. It tasted like kaichi kairi tart, nostalgic and ridiculously moreish. Instead of a traditional garnish, it came with a fragrance spray, and this is where Let’s Kiss gets particularly clever. The jasmine spray was phenomenal, as was the mezcal one. Honestly, I told Sahil they could probably start a perfume brand.
The final cocktail was a Goti Soda, Thums Up-inspired tequila drink, fizzy, familiar and completely unexpected, another example of how well the team translates recognisable flavours into cocktails.
There is also a zero-waste philosophy behind the bar. Citrus skins are dehydrated and turned into salts, making sure what would usually be discarded gets another life.
The interiors are just as understated as the concept. Raw, textured walls meet warm, low lighting, red lamps and a beautifully moody bar backdrop. Deep seating, patterned chairs and the intimate lighting make it feel less like a place designed for a quick drink and more like somewhere you accidentally spend three hours.
And then, somehow, dessert happened.
I had no room left, but Manoj wasn’t particularly wanting to let me go without any dessert. The dessert options included Alpenliebe and Tiramisu, both translated into drinkable shots.
The Alpenliebe dessert shoot was pure nostalgia caramel-like, immediately reminding you of the candy but somehow transformed into a cocktail. It was one of those moments where you genuinely wonder how they’ve managed to recreate such a specific flavour profile in a glass.
And that’s probably what I enjoyed most about Let’s Kiss. The drinks are serious. Everything else is effortless.
There’s no pressure to understand a cocktail list or pretend you know exactly what you want. You just walk in, tell them what you’re feeling, and let the people behind the bar do what they clearly love doing.
Let’s Kiss feels personal, slightly mischievous and refreshingly unbothered by the need to explain itself. And sometimes, that’s exactly what you want from a bar.
Where: GK-3, below Nadoo
Rating: Overall: ★★★★½ / 5
