A tale of two pubs

LEGEND HAS it that: Geoffrey, the old English sailor, having settled down in Bombay and having got known in all the local watering holes of the city, was getting restless again.

He wanted to move to a community where he believed he was not known at all. So, he decided to travel South - to faraway Madras.

Little did he realise that the news of Geoffrey's love for alcohol and the good life had spread all over the country. Madras was waiting for him with a thirst that surprised even a seasoned buccaneer like Geoffrey.

He loved the people of Madras and their totally cool way of life and he decided to drop anchor here. Legend has it that folks who love a good time will always find it at Geoffrey's.

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Contemporary history has it that:

Geoffrey's, touted to be the `first pub' of Madras rather Chennai today, threw open its doors for thirsty Chennaiites at Radha Park Inn Hotel, Arumbakkam.

The action started with a Saturday night party when the hosts welcomed the guests with `shots'. ``If you want to get into Geoffrey's, you better drink. Else, you could spend time at the coffee-shop,'' jokes Mr. Abhi R. Thakur, Regional Director (South India) Sarovar Park Plaza Hotels and General Manager of Radha Park Inn.

For those new to the name, Geoffrey's in Chennai is the fourth pub in India under the same brand name after the pub opened counter in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

``It's a pub with a British feel with artefacts imported from London. The music is very retro and the place appeals to people from 20 to 60, meaning different things to different people,'' the management says.

And more than anything else, it is about spirit and good times. That was more than evident when the elite of Chennai got together at the inaugural on Saturday night with Tommy and Brenda playing live.

Yes, Tommy and Brenda played tributes to Elvis, Beatles and even jazz. The Goan band, it turns out, had played all over the world including England and the Mediterranean. The pub also houses a local DJ Michael Nicholas, who would churn out pure retro music.

``We are looking at a target profile of women coming here during afternoons apart from corporates who want to do business and meet their clients. We are looking at the young working generation and the old, all those who want to spend quality time with food, drink and music,'' the management reveals.

The pricing? Considering that the pub is housed in a four star hotel belonging to the Sarovar Park Plaza group, the fourth biggest in India, the prices are a pleasant surprise.

What's more, there's no cover charge and you could just settle for `Death by Chocolate' (warm chocolate cake, served with vanilla ice-cream) for Rs. 55!

If spirits are taboo and four star hotels aren't your style, settle for any of the other vegetarian pubs littered all over town. They are the toast of the season.

The Chennai winter may not be of the teeth-clattering variety, but a warm drink - of any flavour - down the throat is still welcome in December. And the teetotallers among you can settle for some freshly brewed steaming coffee. Or maybe a chilled, iced one.

Qwiky's Coffee just added one more to its list of pubs in Chennai. The launch of its latest watering hole on I Main Road of Gandhi Nagar in Adyar on November 16, right after Diwali, was an occasion for some more fireworks, which the Qwiky's people said was an `amazing display'.

It would become an `exciting popular spot' of Adyar, Mr. Ashok Balakrishnan, Country Manager of Qwiky's, said. He was also confident that the new pub would give his organisation a wider presence in the city.

Throughout the evening, a live band kept the city's young alive, as did the strong servings of coffee. It was a crowd all right, the lights and balloons bouncing the colour of them. The Qwiky's `Bell' was alive too, ringing in the group's fourth pub in the city.

By Sudhish Kamath

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