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MANY MOONS AGO, an acquaintance – we were in the same WhatsApp group – holidaying in Egypt, sent us a video of an armada of party boats bouncing along on the Nile. They were packed with patrons on the upper decks, waving their arms in the air like they didn’t care, fairy lights were flickering in the distance like the title card of Focus Features, and smoke seemed to swaddle the whole scene. But through this buzzing, beautiful blur emanated the pulsating promise of a good time. A wave of FOMO had washed over us on viewing even that little snippet of Cairo’s nightlife.
Cut to Kai, a newly opened bar & kitchen perched on the 13th Floor of the Du Parc Trinity on MG Road. We slipped through its red-lit, dark and intimate lower floor, took a spiral staircase to emerge into its open-air rooftop – an imposing, proud bar, dotted with towering stone sculptures seemingly moulded by wind and plush seating: we had a feeling that this place is destined for the good times.
City lights
For decades, the bars and restaurants nestled on the 13th Floor of the Barton Centre have been an old Bangalorean’s only bird’s eye view of the city’s business district. And now, Kai provides a new perspective on this view that still dazzles. There are far taller buildings in the far, far distance, but that doesn’t dampen the thrill of taking in all of the city. And our drink orders – an Akari for my artist friend while we got the Trinity Paloma – had the city’s blaze burning brighter with our first sips. Fresh musk melon juice spiked with gin, Campari, agave syrup and topped with vegan foamer in the former, and for the latter, a familiar spicy Paloma elevated with a dash of plum syrup.
We were starving – acting like we climbed up the stairs to the thirteenth floor – so we ordered up some small bites. We crunched on the sweet-spicy-sticky delight of the maple and cajun lacquered nuts, devoured delectable chilli and mustard fish – grown-up fish fingers – dunked into a chunky sun-dried tomato tartare and polished a plate of plump prawns slathered in browned butter and bright basil. Our bellies lined, the lilting tones of the Buddha Bar-esque soundscape were lulling us into taking in the starry sky around us.
Booze goggles
We broke the hold of this striking view to pile up the table and refresh our drinks. My companion decided to go down the classic cocktail route and got a Penicillin. It’s a healing brew of whiskey and malt with the heat turned up with ginger and a dash of honey sweetness. We continued down the Asian lane and got a Meiju, a tequila punched up with plum brine and the refreshing bite of green apple. These spirit-forward cocktails had us asking for the tomatillo tostas – for the toasted sourdough to sponge up the alcohol. And the steamy dumplings of pork and bok choy with an apple salsa, soy glaze and shiitake dust to ward off the little spike of chill in the air. The dumplings were a dance between heat, tartness and an earthy hit of mushroom flavour.
For mains, the artist continued down the boozy trail and dug into a Vodka Spaghetti Prawns – an old-school dish, we were chuffed to see making a cameo. We’d wrapped ourselves up in a shawl and decided to warm ourselves up from the inside with a Lamb Tagine. Our spaghetti dish was subtle but smacked with a hint of vodka and the comforting slickness of butter. The warming tagine was comforting and perfectly pungent with little bursts of sweetness from the sun-dried apricots.
We closed out our night serenaded by Stevie Wonder and Phil Collins – with a party beat – and shared a freshly-baked cookie dough tart secreted with chocolate chips and chunks smeared with fresh mascarpone cream – a pish-posh version of a childhood spent licking up baking trays. Kai made a lasting impression – not just pretty plates, but also potent cocktails and a new stunning view of my favourite city.
Kai-Bar & Kitchen is on the 13th Floor, Du Parc Trinity, 17 Mahatma Gandhi Road, Bengaluru. Call 9071510777 for reservations | Monday-Sunday, noon-1.00 am.
