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December, 2004 |
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For the Breaks |
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J Bar Amidst all this There was a time when the general consensus was that Nepal was marching ahead. People and companies were investing, business creativity was on the rise and people were daring to dive into the world of entrepreneurship but gradually there was a 180 degree change in the consensus as the beginning of anarchy was witnessed.
But then J Bar….. amidst all this. Today, there are no indications that this mindless violence will stop in the foreseeable future and the members of the business community move around with a 24/7 threat looming. The food and beverage industry was also affected as expected but at that precise moment something like J Bar is opened up, and things take a different turn. An expensive funky bar opens in Thamel. And ? Well, these days readers reserve the right to express their scepticism, but then J Bar symbolises much more. It symbolises a fragment of Nepal’s drive way back in the mid nineties when anything available in Singapore or New York was also available in Nepal. US had the Internet before and is available in Nepal now, SUV launched in Singapore today would be in Nepal’s drive ways tomorrow. That was a different era. To put it simply, things were on a high. J Bar was opened up in Thamel right behind the infamous Himalayan Java coffee shop a couple of months ago and symbolises the arrival of a true funk bar and an option for one’s personal or business evenings. Designed by Sonia Gupta, based on an ivory shades and tones with modern adaptation of the seventies’ pop culture furnishings nonetheless with pronounced clean lines and finishing, J Bar is ‘what the world ought to be’ as you may realise when you negotiate your way in. Started by a trio of men about town, Gagan Pradhan, Cabinet Shrestha and Anand Gurung, J Bar would perhaps be the only bar in town (outside of the almost dingy five star hotel bars) where you would want to take your foreign associates for drinks in the evening and not worry about violating his/her astute corporate sensibilities. ‘Lights on steel’ is how Gagan, the managing partner, describes the interiors of this bar. Walk in and discover a huge range of cocktails. Mixed, swirled and served by performing bartenders. Yes, it is easy to reach the ‘world that ought to be’ even in Kathmandu. Pretty soon, the very urbane Nepali temptation to gulp down a stiff scotch or an ultra chilled beer subsides as one rides into the cocktail street. In J Bar ‘Cocktail’ is the word. Open three days a week (Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays) and entry reserved for members only, the crowd is surprisingly cosmopolitan though it is not unusual to encounter brooding gentlemen expressing their reservation about the quantity of vodka in his Kamikaze and characters who refuse to accept that the whisky in his tumbler is not his favourite brand - Black Label - and but again, these serve as reminders that we are still in the good old Kathmandu. Interestingly, J Bar can be hired on its official closing days for private and corporate dos and comes across as an exciting option for receptions laced with concepts and good times for that all-important event. Anyone up for Slippery Nipples, 4th of Julys, Mojitos, Flaming Ferraris, B52s, Pinacoladas, Poison Arrows, Orange Blossoms, SOBs, Dark Side of the Moons, Salty Dogs, Kamikazes and Brave Bulls ? Then head towards the J Bar. Positioning Rs. 1,500 per person. Either you have arrived or there are quite a few dance restaurants down the street. The X Factor: The uptempo lounge music and Capriosca to sink into the atmosphere. The Inside Deal: Call Mina Lama or Naresh Shrestha at 4422519, 4422712 to secure admission in advance. Introduce yourself. If you want your eighteen-year-old son dressed in his hip-hop outfit to join you, chances are that you will be denied entry. |
Send your feedback to the editor: bizline@mos.com.np |
