Sotally tober, Harry's here!

Singapore’s iconic bar makes a saddi Dilli grand entry with heady cocktails & good food

Harry’s has walked into Delhi unpretentiously and nestles aptly on the high pedestal of Select City Walk’s third floor. Don’t read too much into the Bar tag as – thankfully – not deafening music but an inviting warmth envelopes you as you enter this “drinking eatery”, an icon of Singapore for more than a decade now.

Welcoming you to your table, the young and vibrant manager Kuldeep tells you this is the second outlet to be opened in India after the unprecedented success in its inaugural edition in Powai, Mumbai. He is surprisingly knowledgeable about all that’s there on the menu, both as liquid diet and solids too!

By general bar standards, Harry’s is a refreshingly cozy place with an imposing bar opening out horizontally. But it’s the high seat table running vertically across the bar that makes it look and feel different from all its peers till, of course, the food and drinks start wafting in to tell you casually that it’s really a differently enabled pub in town. Strangely for what we rudely call watering holes, Harry’s is much too sumptuous on its eats menu which has a wholesome mains listing to keep your palate occupied while the stunning variety of tantalizingly tweaked cocktails start warming up your throat.

Harry’s started out as a jazz bar in Boat Quay in Singapore in 1992. Its popularity soared on its location, elegant yet laid back charm, jazz music and prompt service. It quickly became an after office hour haven frequented by bankers and professionals working in the financial district.

Back in Delhi, the Harry’s Bar is a place that makes you comfortable and at home. It’s a place for friends and colleagues to unwind, relax and recharge. Kuldeep tells you that there has been rigorous training of cocktail mixers, servers and other staff behind all this laid-back charm. Asia’s best lady mixer has, for example, trained all its cocktail makers. “At our bar, it is mandatory for all the mixers to always measure the alcohol content in all the cocktails and that’s what makes our mixes so sought-after,” he says as you bite into a succulent piece of malai chicken tikka.

Harry’s houses one of the widest assortments of beers from India and across the world, including Tsing Tao from China, Asahi Super Dry from Japan, Leffe Blonde from Belgium, Murphy’s Irish Stout from Ireland and Schneider Weisse from Germany among others. But it is its cocktail menu that takes your breath away.

Be it the old world whiskey tweaked with a lemon that is on its fastest selling list, or the martinis and the vodka mixes, they are all meant to stun you gently. They are delicious, they are different and they are refreshing. To top it all, they are modestly prices too, the showstopper being the Fiery Lamborgini which is a dash of three shots of liquor and liqueur with a dancing blue flame enveloping the concoction to be sipped with a straw. Not to be missed this one, it is the sexiest drink one has seen in a while.

While being taken in by all the alcoholic smoothies on roll, don’t even think of missing out on the eats, starting with keema nachos. The big bang specialty of course is Harry’s signature Jazz Burger which is fully loaded with a juicy mutton patty, sautéed onions, mushrooms, bacon and cheese served with fries and pickled vegetables. This is the best burger I’ve had in a long time though Harry’s Club, a triple layered sandwich with bacon, egg, chicken, cheese, ham and the Fish and chips are no less. Among the small plates, do not miss the Wasabi Paneer, Cottage Cheese Salt and Pepper, Prawns Salt and Pepper and the Sichuan Barbeque Chicken. And, by the way, its cheese cake is the one to die for.

Grounded in a strong bar culture, Harry’s offers the widest variety of beer on tap, including our pride and joy, the Harry’s Premium Lager (HPL) beer which is its in-house speciality.

Though in Singapore, Harry’s is targeted at corporates, it might discover that its major customers in India, especially Delhi, will be the young crowd hip-hopping across the city for viable jam areas.  

Source: 19 January, 2014