The Bar at Tote

Res : Tote
Meal : -
Loc : Race Course, Mahalaxmi

Tote is a pretty decent restaurant with a superlative ambiance. Having been there twice for dinner, i really wanted to try out their humongous bar.

Located on the mezzanine, the bar is nearly 40 feet long and has a row of comfy couches opposite it. There is another level above. It is safely one of the largest bars in the city if not the country.

We were there on a weeknight and the dining space was pretty packed, however the bar was not so full. We got in around 10.30, there was a trickle of people into the space as the night wore on (teens, adults, celebs) but the space never got quite packed.

I got a regular bloody mary, versus the Tote Mary which is with a dash of Balsam… i like my cocktails classic. The Sangria is the same formula developed at Indigo Deli. While i do enjoy it, its ultimately all about using cheap wine, sweetening it and serving it to gullible folk (in Spain anyway)

Now, Tote has a tremendous bar food menu, probably some of the best seen yet. The herbed goat cheese looked so desperately inviting but the wife nixed the idea due to the extra calories, which i very obviously dont need anymore.

Instead we chose the falafal, sundried tomato chips with a blackbean hummus. That is pretty much as awesome as it sounds. I cant wait to go back just to try the rest of the foods menu. They also offer a selection of olives as munchies, nothing special that, except they had these fried cloves of garlic in there. Talk about using your imagination and elevating a simple bowl of olives to another plane...

Overall: The ambiance is great, the crowd is decent and the service slowish. Pricing wise, its a well priced bar, especially when compared to places like Wink & Aer. Considering the recent price increase at Geoffreys and the stale ambiance, Tote is my new local !

Food : 9/10
Service : 7/10

Damage : For 2 drinks, a mocktail and a snack 2500

Tote
Mahalaxmi Racecourse,
Opposite Gate No. 4 & 5,
Phone: 61577777