You are at home when you open the door and step into your house – you are also at home when Door No. 1 opens up to you. Yes, this bar and restaurant located at Bandra Reclamation feels just like home with its comfy vibe, sofas and settees just like you would have at your home, even a rack of books that you may decide to read while you listen to good, old retro music. Yes, Door No. 1 is definitely the best retro bar in town, but then it has in the console DJ Russel Almeida, 25 years in the business and winner of a few awards and noted for his rocking range of retro tracks.
You can say three cheers to Door No. 1 for the place is three years old, you can also give it a high five if you consider these five reasons to visit it:
Sunday Mutton Curry Faux Pas Pav Bhaji Maggi Inner Peace a star concoction of Vodka, Cranberry Juice, Grape Juice and Mint syrup
MUSIC
It’s retro music all the way here, be it the oldies or classic retro pop or even Bollywood retro with only originals and not remixes like they play in most places around town. While there is a ‘no request’ policy, on Monday you get to play your choice for its jukebox night.
LIVE
Live music sets the groove on certain days. On Tuesday it’s Hindi live, second and fourth Wednesday it’s English music, once a month you have a big band. On Sunday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. you can jam with the musicians. After that, there is the Sunday karaoke with only English songs on the list.
BOTTOMLESS AFFAIR
A big attraction is The Bottomless Affair (TBA), an all-you-can-drink offer at Rs. 999. On offer is beer, wine, spirits and cocktails. This package is valid for three hours from the time the first drink in served, a repeat will be served only once the guest has consumed the earlier one. And with every package, you get one serving of any chakana from the Rs. 99 menu. There is also a bucket list menu with pitchers, etc. From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. you can avail of the Rs. 99 a drink offer, what is dubbed as the happily ever after work menu.
FOOD
The cuisine is a fusion of Indian and Continental fare. Popular items are the Maggi pau bhaji, Szechuan and chapati, chakli and sambhar, beer batter fish, messy naan since it is wrapped with many items that pop out when you break it or take a bite, but is tasty nevertheless. The Sunday mutton curry is also a hit.
WOMENS CARE
At any given evening you will notice that the women outnumber the men. But then this is such a homely place that they feel so comfortable as a group of girls or perhaps with a few boys. Another thing that has pleased them is that the women’s room is equipped with sanitary napkins.
Door No. 1, founded by Vishesh Khanna & the late Mihir Bijur, along with tremendous support from DJ Russel & his wife Ayesha with interiors done by MS Anuradha Arora, is home to many regular guests like Amrita Arora, Neha Bhasin, Owen Roncon, Luke Kenny and Brian Tellis among many others.
Door No 1
Shop No. 1/2, Ankleshwar, ONGC Colony, Reclamation, Bandra West, Mumbai 400050
For reservations: 9082046382
