Exclusivity Gets A New Avatar At The Quarter Club In Mumbai

When it comes to dining out, ‘exclusivity’ is a magnetic word that attracts customers across cuisines, price points and taste preferences. Restaurants everywhere are coming up with unique ways to provide exclusive dining experiences for loyal customers; while some have nights where the restaurant is reserved only for regulars, others offer regulars lower price points. In Mumbai, there are a variety of restaurants that fall within the ‘exclusivity’ label; the newest kid on the block is Q Bar, or The Quarter Club at Vits Luxury Hotel in Marol.

The Quarter Club

Over the past couple of years, the space in which Q Bar is now housed in has undergone several makeovers; from Behind Bars, it became Jalsa Bar which then transformed into The Quarter Club or Q Bar. What’s remained the same is the restaurant’s wonderful location; situated in VITS basement, guests can enjoy poolside dining paired with an upbeat ambience thanks to the neon, lounge like decor of the bar.

When it became ‘The Quarter Club’, Q Bar gained the ‘exclusivity’ tag with a members-only offer. For Rs.1000, a customer can become a member and redeem half their amount on the next visit. Members can then enjoy a separate menu with alcohol priced at a reduced rate as well as a complimentary mezze platter with their orders.

Q Bar clearly has an eye out for attracting regulars; with the membership offer, it will appeal to customers in the immediate Marol area, as well as in the Andheri East area at large. To make things even more tempting for corporates (who have countless offices in Marol), Q Bar offers a discount for customers who can show them their corporate identity card.

Since they have their eye on a regular customer crowd, Q Bar has gone out of its way to ensure that members will not suffer from the tenth or fifteenth visit ennui. Each month, they hold different festivals which feature a specific dish, cuisine or drink. Additionally, each night offers a different theme for customers; while one night is retro night, featuring music from the 80s, another is karaoke night, where you can belt out classics to a (hopefully) approving bar.

Some Liquid Courage

Of course, very few people can take to the karaoke stage without a little liquid courage; read booze. Luckily, Q Bar has an extensive, moderately priced alcohol menu which becomes even easier on your pocket for members.

We visited Q Bar to taste the talk one Thursday night and immediately called for the Master Blaster Iced Tea and the Crimson Sunset, one of the bar’s signature cocktails. The vividly colored Crimson Sunset combines a strong dose of gin, lime juice, wine and grenadine to make a zingy, tongue tingling cocktail.

Meanwhile, the Master Blaster Iced Tea, a spin off the Long Island Iced Tea, was just as strong as its namesake, combining a variety of alcohols with cola to create a drink that will hit you after the first two sips.

All Booze And No Eats…

Makes Jack a drunk boy, as we like to say. So, after a couple of sips of the cocktails and that tell- tale buzzing in our heads, we decided to exercise some caution and order some eats. The chef recommended the Panko cheese poppers which proved to be a brilliant idea; they were crispy and crumbly on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside, thanks to a combination of mashed potatoes and cheese. Paired with a bowl of masala peanuts, the poppers were the perfect accompaniment to our cocktails.

We followed the poppers up with a mutton biryani from Q Bar’s biryani menu; it arrived in a bronze handi, covered with a doughy sheet of naan. As we peeled back the naan, we were enveloped with the heady aroma of spices – tasting the biryani had us applauding the delicate combination of spices as well as the tenderness of the mutton.

A Taste Of Italy

This month, Q Bar is holding a pizza and calzone festival as a part of their rotating event schedule (next month, it’s a rum festival – rum lovers take note). So, we ordered a chicken tikka pizza and a chicken and mushroom calzone. Paired with a glass of fruit rich sangria, the calzone had a warm, soft crust and a creamy chicken and mushroom filling creating a great balance of textures.

Straight out of the oven, the pizza was warm, richly cheesy and topped a generous spread of olives and coriander.

Looks tempting, doesn’t it? If you want a taste of this pie, better hurry over to Q bar – the festival is on till the end of the month. However, if you miss it, rest assured that Q Bar will be offering you delicious cocktails and fare all through the year at competitive prices – even more so if you choose to become a member.