By Shubhra Krishan & Preethy Rao Patel
Moments after you step out of The Drawing Room, all gin-trified and sated, think of a word to describe your experience. Cosy? Quirky? Cool? Sure. And as Gen Z would say: lit.
Set on the 100-feet road in Indiranagar, The Drawing Room by Impresario & Smoke House Deli has snagged one of the best locations in town. And once you walk up the first floor and sink into a plush lounge couch, you’re whisked far from the outside world anyway.
It is a cocktail-forward place, cosified for meeting friends over food, drinks and laughter, justifying the “drawing room” in the name. The decor is faithful to the theme, too, with a ‘come-let’s-chill’ vibe. Done up in myrtle and lush green offset with creamy white, it’s the perfect blend of elegance and whimsy, modelled on ‘Through the Looking Glass.’
We stepped in at dinner time and loved the intimate lighting, but it’s also easy to see how beautiful The Drawing Room would be, awash in egg-yolky sunshine. With live music and stunning cocktails, it created just the ambience for a cosy evening out, or rather, in.
Cocktails Galore
The charmingly named cocktails sounded one more seductive than the other, so amongst ourselves, we sampled many! Through the Looking Glass (Ballantine’s Finest
Scotch, Homemade Grapefruit, Basil and Honey, Ginger and Lemon Soda), and Raspberry Foam (Absolut Blue, Swedish Vodka, Milk-clarified Fruit Punch, and Raspberry Foam)—wouldn’t be fair to pick a winner here, but resident mixologist Kaushik Patra’s Timekeeper’s Smoke (Jose Cuervo Tequila, Cointreau l’Unique, French Orange Liqueur, Cold-pressed Oranges, Smoky Lapsang Souchong Tea and Himalayan Pink Salt) was just va-va-voom!
Creative Cuisine
Coming to the food: this is where things started to get truly interesting. Often, when cocktails and conversations take centre stage, the food gets quite the casual treatment. At The Drawing Room, the food will compel you to take notice.
We started with sake-soaked edamame beans. Super juicy, and when you sucked out the beans you could taste the sake and the furikake seasoning starring nori and sesame seeds. Next came juicy corn ribs with smoked mayo and panko crumbs. We nibbled the cobs right down to the last bit of the seasoned kernels! The slow-cooked potatoes were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, topped with a peanut and tomato aioli—full marks for the cheffy artistry.
Oh, and the roasted vegetable tartlets filled with caramelised onions and pulled oyster mushrooms are an absolute must-try—you’ll get beetroot, banana pepper and aubergine accents in there. The softness of Avocado Inc. was crunchified with granola and quinoa, then cushioned up with truffled mascarpone, winning instant approval from our taste buds.
After these adventurous presentations, pizza took us back to familiar territory. The rustic ratatouille was crested with eggplant and bell peppers on a perfectly baked crust. If you wish to continue on the adventure trail, it’s the slightly sweet burrata pizza you should go for. The one you see in the picture below is cured tenderloin pastrami; a fabulous, frill-free flatbread with Emmenthal cheese and truffle oil.
Comfort Zone
After all this, we didn’t think we had room for dessert until the tiramisu and cheesecake appeared on the table. Guess what: we polished off every crumb! Our vote would tilt slightly toward the tiramisu, but we cannot suggest you miss the cheesecake either.
The best thing about The Drawing Room is that it is age-agnostic. They’ve created an inviting space where sober meets lively and fantastic 70s-80s music plays to a youthful crowd. Just make sure you go with plenty of time, a big appetite and your favourite chill-buddies!
Smoke House Deli: 1209, 100 Feet Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore
