Socialising Made Easy

The Good Life Restaurateur Riyaaz Amlani is quite the pro when it comes to launching concept-based hangouts that not just give you mundane spaces to eat and drink, but rather build happy communities. After Smoke House Deli, Salt Water Grill and Mocha, he gifts us another dream to live. Social, in Delhi, Bangalore and now in Mumbai as well, has rooted itself deep into the minds of independent creatives as a collaborative workspace that blurs boundaries between work and play, making both far more enjoyable. And fruitful, if we must add. After all, if a freelance animation artist gives life to his imagination sitting right next to a writer, the world is only going to get brighter with what they are bound to create together.

AMBIENCE AND FACILITIES For a place like Social, it’s the vibe that matters. And ample attention has been spared to wrap this hangout in Delhi in just the right atmosphere. A tunnel-like entrance opens into a large space divided into two floors, designed to have an unfinished industrial yet stylish feel, coupled with a mesmerising green view of the Hauz Khas lake. The ground floor has those very difficult-to-grab lake-facing tables by the window and also an open balcony space overlooking the lake. A casual space to mingle and sport discussions of any kind, this floor is more of a chat-zone. It’s the top floor that reverberates with working maniacs…writers, filmmakers, artists, thinkers, photographers, entrepreneurs and just about all of those free thinkers. The place has a boardroom, conference facilities, printer, scanner, wall-to-wall űber-high-speed Wi-Fi and built-in social interaction facilities on offer. You can rent a table or block a conference room between 9 am to 6 pm. Post six, it transforms, rather quickly, into a happening night spot. Now, imagine the flexibility of calling your friends over to your office and partying right there, without the hassle of having to get out. For all this, you are charged a monthly table rental of `5,000 per person that you can redeem against food and drinks. FOOD AND DRINK It’s surprising that they did not fashion it as a cocktail bar. Because their signature cocktails are worthy of being up there, with molecular mixology blended with perfection. Brilliantly infused and very innovatively presented, each cocktail is a pleasure to just look at as it arrives on your table. Jam bottles, decanters, testtubes, beakers and what-not have been used for serving equally quirky drinks. I especially flipped on a beer cocktail—Two Lost Souls Swimming in a Fish Bowl. Yes, it actually comes in a fish bowl, with a beer pint dunked in. Also, high on the recommendation list are Aacharoska—a Caipiroska served with sweet & sour mix and Indian lime pickle; and Old Smoke, a whisky based cocktail that comes with orange zest oil, sweet & sour mix and smoke. Order Screw Social Driver just for the twist in its name. It has a pink twist in its taste too. And if you happen to be there during the teatime and find yourself confused about whether to order tea or a drink, go for Earl of Gin—a smoked gin and green apple drink that comes with Earl Grey Tea and Tang. Of course, there is the usual line-up of beers, wines, champagne and straight-up drinks, but it would be your loss not to try their signatures. Food is comforting and fuss-free, in keeping with the mood of the place. The fun-filled breakfast menu is actually served till 7:30 pm; you get the drift? You can find everything here from the usual sandwiches, biryanis, burgers, hotdogs, and sizzlers to the satisfying Thai Thali to Riyaz’s mother’s special mutton dhansak served with brown rice. We liked the Awesomosas— assorted samosas with sheet samosas stuffed with Pizza and Mushrooms, served with Sriraja chunda and green apple chutney. There are some interesting DIY dishes too, like the DIY Kheema Bruschettas that come with all ingredients separately served. As Chef Gaurav revealed during our chat, Social does thrive on deviations from the norm and consciously places an equal spotlight on global street food and a gourmet meal. He explains, “The menu combines ingredients, cultures and presentation styles from around the world to open up your taste horizons and let your mind make connections that you wouldn’t ordinarily make.” What makes the food even more interesting is how it’s served. Depending on what you order, it could arrive on gramophone records, enamel plates and even wooden spiked boards. Everything has a repurposed, DIY feel.

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Ingredients 45 ml tequila 15 ml triple sec 30 ml margarita pre-mix 1 Corona beer A lime slice for garnish For serving: A glass fish bowl Method Place crushed ice in a blender. Now pour in tequila, triple sec, and margarita premix and blend for 1 minute. Pour it into the fish bowl and invert the beer bottle in the bowl. Garnish with a slice of lime and serve.

Two Lost Souls Swimming in a Fish Bowl Menu stars decoded for you Deconstructed Moscow Mule Ingredients 60 ml vodka 250 ml ginger ale 2 ml ginger juice in a pipette 1 lime slice for garnish For serving: A Moscow mule mug 1 cube of soaked charcoal 10 gm dry ice Method Place the soaked charcoal and dry ice in a beaker. Add vodka to the beaker and cover the opening with a muslin cloth. Add ice cubes, ginger ale, and fresh ginger juice from the pipette and mix. Stir well and serve, garnished with a slice of lime. The Good Life Ingredients 2 bread slices 20 gm mixed fruit jam 20 gm peanut butter 20 gm bacon strips Method Take the bread slices and smear them with peanut butter and jam. Now, cut the sides of the bread slices and divide them in four squares. Take the bacon and wrap it around the cut squares. Use toothpicks to keep the bacon in place. Deep fry the squares until golden brown. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

PBJ & Bacon Amazeballs with Vanilla Ice Cream TACO SOUP Ingredients 5 gm chopped onions 3 gm chopped garlic 5 gm sweet corn kernels 5 gm red kidney beans 3 gm chopped red bell pepper 3 gm chopped yellow bell pepper 3 gm chopped capsicums 10 gm tomato puree 10 gm tomato basil sauce 3 gm paprika powder Salt to taste 2 gm black pepper powder 20 ml oil 10 gm nachos 5 gm salsa 3 gm sour cream Method Heat oil in a pan. Sauté the onion and garlic. Once the onion and garlic are translucent, add all the three types of bell peppers along with the corn and red kidney beans, and sauté further. Add the tomato purée and cook further. Pour in the tomato basil sauce and then the vegetable stock or water to thin down the consistency.

Sprinkle the paprika powder and seasoning. Give it a quick boil and pour into a serving container.

To Serve: Crush half the nachos and put into the soup. Stack the rest of the nachos on the side and spoon the salsa and sour cream on top of it. Garnish with a coriander sprig and serve piping hot.