The World Trade Centre (WTC) at Cuffe Parade is silent on a weekday night. Outside the WTC gates, the city is hosting its noisiest festival but inside, it’s as quiet as a tomb. Many twists and turns through the arches of the arcade later, we are at Hammer & Song. The newest venture from Fountain Hospitality (the name behind Fountain Sizzlers, Boardwalk by Flamboyante and nearby Flamboyante), it’s 4,000 square feet spread over two levels.
The taproom and cocktail bar is run by father-son pair, Amrish and Ayush Arora. The name, a dedication to their plan of having live music – there is no stage but they’ve tied up with the True School of Music for gigs. Coming soon is a lounge/club, for those who want to party within the soundproof glass doors. Upstairs is set to be private dining space for their upcoming membership programme – targeted at women, it will involve deals at all Fountain properties and customised bar service.
Hammer & Song has a lot of space but the décor doesn’t do it justice. We do love the seating options especially the plush chairs and sofas. On grey walls hang abstract art, chalkboards mentioning specials, and a cocktail wheel of fortune. For a place that wants to be known for its cocktails and beers, the actual bar area is quite dull: harsh lighting focused on a blue tiled wall stacked with shelves that contain a few bottles. As a fellow diner said, it looks like the bar in someone’s bathroom. A better section is the whiskey bar alongside the staircase leading upstairs, featuring some of the liquor’s biggest names (and possibly future sponsors for live music gigs).
Cocktail hour
The bar is Ayush’s domain. After studying mixology in Sydney, he spent two years experimenting. The result is the bar menu, which features some classics and his riffs on them. In keeping with the current trend, the syrups and mixes are made in-house and customers can select which brand of liquor goes into their cocktails.
The much-hyped Negroni Spritz (₹455) delivers. It is suitably bitter and has a sweetness form the vermouth. Vacation Forever (₹455) throws together gin, rum and a citrus IPA, but it’s the tart passionfruit that makes its presence felt. The Citrus Club (₹455 to ₹1,273) and Piña (₹545) are fruity drinks, both made with a citrus mix and bitters.
The former mixes gin with a potent limoncello liqueur and has slight bitter notes; the latter is sweeter and drowns tequila in pineapple juice and homemade honey syrup.
Small eats
As Ayush leaves us with our drinks, Amrish makes an appearance – food is his purview. He gives us a tour of the kitchen, which is compact and stores prepped food in modular drawers. “We have ten chefs working with us now. They enjoy it here because they get to do actual cooking. There’s no prep work involved,” he says. Prep is done at the central kitchen.
The food is multi-cuisine and focused on bar snacks – smaller plates and lighter dishes. We start with a Baked Brie (₹526), tiny samosas of soft brie drizzled with a truffle honey emulsion, which is earthy, woody and a little sweet. Feta and Roasted Beetroot (₹472) flatbread also heroes the cheese – bits of feta nestled on roasted beetroot, with caramelised walnuts for crunch and rocket leaves for that bit of freshness. Though the beetroot itself is plain and bit too soft, we swiftly polish off the dish. Rawas is roasted in a clay oven and served up as Portuguese Peri Peri Fish (₹499); essentially a fish tikka that’s fiery but delicious. Prawns Burnished Garlic (₹499) is your staple starter proving that garlic can make everything better, especially when it is fried.
Filled up on bar snacks, we choose the (non-veg) Cambodian Bowl (₹435) for our main. A bowl of sticky rice is covered with an aromatic curry that is redolent with kadipatta. It reminds us of curries from down south. Dessert comes recommended by the chef, a plate of Mexican Churros (₹363), finger-sized and dusted with sugar, paired with a sickeningly sweet chocolate sauce. Through the meal, pop music and the latest chartbusters float through the speakers, giving the place a lounge-like ambience but without being deafening.
Once the live music begins, Hammer & Song could become the go-to for tasty snacks and good drinks. Just don’t look at the bar.
Hammer & Song, World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade; 12 p.m. -1:30 a.m.