B Cuisines & Cocktails reinvents the 90's lounge culture

It presents Mumbai’s decade-old Baroke lounge in a renewed avatar

Mumbai has long held the place of pride as the city that never sleeps, where the nightlife can keep people on their toes till the wee hours of the morning. Tucked away in the city’s Grant Road area, The Baroke lounge bar used to a chance to unwind over drinks, dance and delicacies in an elegant setting since its launch in 2012.

Now, its owner, Saurabh Shetty, who is also director of Krishna Palace Group of Hotels, has reinvented the classy lounge into ‘B-Cuisines & Cocktails’.

The high-energy bar and lounge features a statement-making emerald green door, and has an array of selfie-worthy wall of artworks. But the highlight of the place is vast room that promises to transport guests to the 1990s.

An era defined by nostalgic rock music, easy cocktail conversations, dim lighting, and a world where grandeur, drama, and exuberance collide with the entity of memes, Tiktok and Instagram reels, resulting in a vibrant space for the never-sleeping generation. The quirky decor exudes an unforgettable personality, whether it is through the interactive selfie corners or the sarcastic art that adorns the walls.

Guests are also offered a culinary experience through Chef Aseema Mamaji’s food menu that takes guests through the hotel’s Mangalorean and Mumbai lineage, a world tour for the global palates.

Talking about his hospitality sojourn, Shetty recalls how his friends called him Baroke the ‘the after-party starter’ when it opened in 2012 – because it was always open way after other night clubs had played their last tracks. At 21, he had joined his father’s business in 2005 and launched a 24/7 coffee shop first to draw in the after party crowd of Mumbai. This paved the way for Baroke that catered to the night culture of Bombay for party goers who just didn’t want to end the party.

Since day one, Shetty worked towards creating a space that echoed the pulse of his generation. In 2014, he was also part of the launch of Krishna Palace Hotel in Ambernath, later Krishna Palace Hotel in Mira Road in 2018. Now, as Director, he oversees operations for the entire brand and continues to push the envelope for new openings.

With the world finding a new way of life in the pandemic, Shetty believes it is finally time when people are ready to step out. He conceptualised ‘B-Lounge’ as an intimate space with a good song list, a satiating food menu dotted with Mangalorean and Shetty specialties like Ghee Roast and a well-priced cocktails menu.

Shetty always dreamt that Nana Chowk, which is reputed for its bhaji gali, the ever-buzzing commercial shops and humble mom-and-pop food stores, to be transformed into a vibrant and culturally-rich district. “When you offer people something of value, they will create their own interpretation around it. Just as New York’s meatpacking district was accepted as world’s most famous nightlife district, B-Lounge attempts to push for a similar shift for Nana Chowk, setting the roadmap for more destinations here,” he said.

A student from IHM Goa who later completed a hospitality management course from S.P. Jain, Shetty believes in creating concepts that effortlessly conserve cultural roots. He embraces his Mangalorean roots, his Shetty lineage and some fond memories of his favourite bars across the world. “During my time abroad, I have studied F&B offerings and drawn inspiration from them. For example, a New York jazz club in a basement showed me an intimate vibe, while the best cocktail bar in the world, Red Rabbit, showed me how to create spaces that matter,” he summed up.