Hive Kitchen and Bar: New chic gastro pub for nightowls

New Delhi

"After being a social media influencer for so many years,I realized the importance of networking. That is when I imagined a place where people could come together to enjoy a meal or a drink and network. This is my first venture in the restaurant business and I hope it will be amongst many ventures in the future," the eatery's co-founder, Abhinav Mathur, a lawyer by profession, told IANS.

As I took a seat beside a large window that allowed me a partial view of the market, I was greeted with a red wine with orange caramelised honey as a welcome drink. As I gazed around the restaurant, I realised what creates the atmosphere is perhaps the lighting. It softens the edges of the wooden, chic furniture and lends the place a hazy, almost tipsy air.

In fact, the interiors seemed to be an amalgamation of New York attic grunge and a Parisian cafe. It has been intelligently designed to serve both party-goers and families together at different levels of the outlet.

The lower level is in a cheerful cafe style and the upper level is the pub-cum lounge area with aesthetic, monocycle bar stools and chic industrial furniture.

The food menu is much inspired, introduces the concept of "dinner theatre", with some interesting, tempting options on the list, a combination of light finger food and Spanish tapas that sit well with a round of cocktails.

"The alcohol selection in the bar is for mature lovers of premium spirits accompanied by a small plates' menu that allows you to pair your favourite short eats with the drinks," Mathur pointed out.

The kitchen serves lively world fare with diverse flavours: Moroccan tagine cuisine, hearty Italian dishes and Spanish tapas-style finger food with a touch of fusion. Among the others are Saked sea bass with hummus, mint & tahini served with quinoa tabbouleh and braised lamb shank served with mashed potatoes.