If you’re Mangalorean, East Indian or Goan, or a mix of all the above and are in Dubai, then there is no way that you still haven’t been to Casa Goa. You probably would not know the way to St. Mary’s Church but you sure do know the way to the sixth floor of the Palm Beach Hotel in Bur Dubai.
For those who are not Mangalorean, East Indian or Goan, or a mix of all the above and are maybe even not in Dubai, then let me tell you that Casa Goa is more than just a place that has Goa suffixed to its name. It’s a right of passage for all the Mangalorean, East Indian or Goan, and a mix of all the above and those by chance who are in Dubai to go and let their hair down, dance their worries away when they are quite drunk and get high licking the masala of the dish that probably had pork sorpotel about thirty seconds ago.
This place is easily the first place that I had been to when I first came to Dubai. Just like then, almost 3 years back, I didn’t think too much of the interiors which very sadly bears no resemblance to any sort of character that is remotely Goan. The ceiling is sort of layered with a bit of cross thatch, to probably give you the idea that you are in a village, or give you that feeling that you are at home (this is assuming that all the brethren there have come from thatch houses). Well very frankly it does not work and nor does the arrangement of the tables, which according to me can be a lot lot better. But yet it still works for all the very undemanding and very understanding clientele that come in there. There are no TV screens around except for one, which kind of limits your options of watching any sport games. With movies normally being the popular and unanimous choice to be played on mute, I guess it’s only when there is a cricket match that involves India that there is any sort of sport that is actually shown there.
But what it lacks in interiors and character is very well covered up and taken care of by the wonderful food and the live entertainment that they have to offer. Now the live entertainment is one man, one band, one of a kind show. Going by the stage name of Cajjie (short for Cajetan) and responding to Cajjie otherwise as well when seen on the streets of Bur Dubai, he is Dubai’s very own Stevie Wonder (not blind though). Earlier he would seem very limited by his choice of play list, but he has gotten a lot more diverse and better since the first time I saw him play there. The music does vary on what kind of crowd is present on the night and what kind of requests they have, but there is a good chance you will hear him belt out the all time Konkani classics such as Mog Tuzo, Meera Meera, Juliana and Claudia. And be sure to be brave enough to join the blokes on the floor when he is belting out the ever popular, never say die, baila. Other than the Konkani regulars, there is a lot of English that he sings as well, varying from James Blunt, to Stevie Wonder and the Eagles, to the Beatles as well. So there is something for almost everybody.
Prior to the recession hitting in, the place was one of the most popular places to hang out at and was kind of hard to get a table if you didn’t have a prior reservation. Sometimes you were given a table but didn’t have enough chairs to sit on. The busy schedule and the success they enjoyed sometimes drove the staff there to be quiet cocky and a very big turn off. But post recession, unfortunately the place bears a deserted look where you can walk in on any day very easily and get a table and even manage to get service with a smile with an option of which chair you going to park yourself on.
Now if you’re onto some good goan masala and can handle the spice, then you have to give the food a good try. It’s a welcome change from the usual pub fare that is to offer in most places here. It’s quite relishing to eat a form of pork that has a decent serving of gravy on it. They do serve the butter chicken masala and maybe even a fried rice, but if you going to indulge at Casa Goa, there is no way you can give the pork ribs a miss. Very popular for its Goan cuisine, try out the pork vindaloo, potato chops and also the chicken cafreal all served with either rice or pav (Indian bread bun). Once again, be sure to check you level of spice tolerance, because for the few of you cant handle it, you will be eating more tissue than anything else if you are not careful.
Coming to the prices, over here, most things do certainly come at a price. Both food and drink are priced slightly higher than most other establishments. Many may wonder what keeps them from reducing their prices as most places may be faring better by slashing the prices a bit. Plus there does not seem to be any sign of offers or happy hours on either food or drink. But I do think that it is very smart economic sense that is keeping the prices high. With a table of four easily spending a good 300 bucks on food and maybe a drink each, it hasn’t stopped the footfalls through the door. Offer or no offer it sure does become a habit and does make many a regular. Comparatively empty is what I said earlier but if you have had a taste of what they have had to offer here before, you will keep coming back, so it does have its regulars. The place will definitely burn a small hole in a poor mans pocket, but it’s a nice place to entertain friends, family, visitors when money is not an issue.
If you look back at what’s written you tend to wonder what is it that is so novel that brings people back to this place. Is it the food, is it the drink, is it, or the very apt location? Or maybe and just maybe, it is that one thing where you understand the meaning of casa is being at home and where you do get the feeling that everyone there has come in for the same. It kind of reminds me of the song by Gary Portnoy, where he goes
Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name.
Cheers ☺
Saturday, October 31, 2009
How I wish I could believe in...YESTERDAY
Dubai lacks originality in sort of coming up with apt and appropriate names when it comes to naming bars or pubs. Almost catering to the English, pubs would have names that revolve around animals like lions and snakes with a crown on it or it would be one of the most common names that you would give a guy, say like Johnnies. But if you looking to get peoples attention, why not just call it “Yesterday”. First time I heard of it, I almost had a good laugh at the intelligence of the person wanting to name the place as something that was as good as yesterday. You know what I mean.
So it came down to another day of discovery, and a sms blast to gather the crowds and kind of let family know of my movements, so that they could kind of sleep easy. As has always been the case with the country, the telephone rates being so high, I shouldn’t really be expecting too much of a response. So then it took a phone call to the husband of the one they call “The Saint”. Now for all those who don’t know the Saint you will have to get the lowdown from an earlier post. Now the husband of the Saint is Mr. Clean, a good reflection of his character and the fact that he has decided to wipe off the growth they call a moustache, so as to make him look 20 years younger and grant him a licence to be questioned of his age whenever he enters an establishment that don’t allow under 21s. I think it makes everyone feel good when they stop you to know your age.
So leaving The Saint behind at home, Mr. Clean joined The Viral, Banger, Punk and his girl (yes we had one more girl, I think this whole thing is catching up with the fairer sex), and of course me the Beerman to find out what happens at Yesterday and find answers to some pressing questions like “What in the world can choke our balls in this lifetime?”
With some disturbing thoughts and a very odd feeling originating from regions not worth mentioning the few of us made our way through the doors of the Four Points by Sheraton in Mankhool. This is not to be confused with the Four Points on Bank Street in Bur Dubai. As we walked in with our sandals on our weary feet, it came as no surprise that the concierge knew very well what we were looking for and pointed his finger in the direction of a hallway. Not one to ask too many questions when thirsty we took his word and filed down through the door with a huge sign screaming YESTERDAY on it. If one expected to be walking through a time machine or portal that would take you backing time, they sure would be disappointed, because it has nothing of that sort. There isn’t any music or a jukebox belting out the oldies off vinyl records. The only thing that sort of takes you back in time, are black and white photos of events that aren’t really captioned. So it did come as no disappointment that such a drab name could actually throw up a drab environment as this. It’s like something I read off the net, that the place true to its name is nothing more than a place for has beens.
Not too packed either and I guess it really does not try to hard to attract too many clientele and I guess it does work for those who just want to have a quiet drink without having to scream their lungs out. The interiors have nothing new to say. It is fairly bright and thankfully the service and the staff are not as wooden as some of the people I have met at bars, who give the furniture a hard run for their money. It is only later when I was leaving the place did I find a corner that was dedicated to watching all the live sports. A small tunnel that houses four flat screens resembles a games room that Playstation may want to sponsor and brand sometime soon (I have a very good eye for marketing opportunities)…With four flat screens sitting next to each other, it could be really hard to be watching a game over there if there were to be a good crowd. I couldn’t say for sure but I will give it a try on a game night and let you all know what the experience is like.
The menu is not that expansive but better than most establishments that we have been to and some of the food on offer didn’t seem to be very expensive as compared to places of a similar nature. You could easily get a plate of greasy buffalo wings for around Dhs 30. And that is the price of most of the dishes that are there. The cost of the beers are more or less on par with most pubs in the country. They did have an offer on the beers, where a bucket of five caronas came in for about 108 bucks. Definitely not the best deal in town when it comes to serving cheap beers, but still works for some.
Well with a couple of beers down and buffalo wings taking flight in the belly region, and the shutters coming down in my weary head, it was time to take leave and make sure that the evening came to an end at a respectable hour. After some good chat flirting with the topic of marriage and wondering if it could be one of the things that could possibly make you go down on your knees in pain, we all settled the not so high bill and went our ways, wondering if we really know what to expect when our balls get choked…
So it came down to another day of discovery, and a sms blast to gather the crowds and kind of let family know of my movements, so that they could kind of sleep easy. As has always been the case with the country, the telephone rates being so high, I shouldn’t really be expecting too much of a response. So then it took a phone call to the husband of the one they call “The Saint”. Now for all those who don’t know the Saint you will have to get the lowdown from an earlier post. Now the husband of the Saint is Mr. Clean, a good reflection of his character and the fact that he has decided to wipe off the growth they call a moustache, so as to make him look 20 years younger and grant him a licence to be questioned of his age whenever he enters an establishment that don’t allow under 21s. I think it makes everyone feel good when they stop you to know your age.
So leaving The Saint behind at home, Mr. Clean joined The Viral, Banger, Punk and his girl (yes we had one more girl, I think this whole thing is catching up with the fairer sex), and of course me the Beerman to find out what happens at Yesterday and find answers to some pressing questions like “What in the world can choke our balls in this lifetime?”
With some disturbing thoughts and a very odd feeling originating from regions not worth mentioning the few of us made our way through the doors of the Four Points by Sheraton in Mankhool. This is not to be confused with the Four Points on Bank Street in Bur Dubai. As we walked in with our sandals on our weary feet, it came as no surprise that the concierge knew very well what we were looking for and pointed his finger in the direction of a hallway. Not one to ask too many questions when thirsty we took his word and filed down through the door with a huge sign screaming YESTERDAY on it. If one expected to be walking through a time machine or portal that would take you backing time, they sure would be disappointed, because it has nothing of that sort. There isn’t any music or a jukebox belting out the oldies off vinyl records. The only thing that sort of takes you back in time, are black and white photos of events that aren’t really captioned. So it did come as no disappointment that such a drab name could actually throw up a drab environment as this. It’s like something I read off the net, that the place true to its name is nothing more than a place for has beens.
Not too packed either and I guess it really does not try to hard to attract too many clientele and I guess it does work for those who just want to have a quiet drink without having to scream their lungs out. The interiors have nothing new to say. It is fairly bright and thankfully the service and the staff are not as wooden as some of the people I have met at bars, who give the furniture a hard run for their money. It is only later when I was leaving the place did I find a corner that was dedicated to watching all the live sports. A small tunnel that houses four flat screens resembles a games room that Playstation may want to sponsor and brand sometime soon (I have a very good eye for marketing opportunities)…With four flat screens sitting next to each other, it could be really hard to be watching a game over there if there were to be a good crowd. I couldn’t say for sure but I will give it a try on a game night and let you all know what the experience is like.
The menu is not that expansive but better than most establishments that we have been to and some of the food on offer didn’t seem to be very expensive as compared to places of a similar nature. You could easily get a plate of greasy buffalo wings for around Dhs 30. And that is the price of most of the dishes that are there. The cost of the beers are more or less on par with most pubs in the country. They did have an offer on the beers, where a bucket of five caronas came in for about 108 bucks. Definitely not the best deal in town when it comes to serving cheap beers, but still works for some.
Well with a couple of beers down and buffalo wings taking flight in the belly region, and the shutters coming down in my weary head, it was time to take leave and make sure that the evening came to an end at a respectable hour. After some good chat flirting with the topic of marriage and wondering if it could be one of the things that could possibly make you go down on your knees in pain, we all settled the not so high bill and went our ways, wondering if we really know what to expect when our balls get choked…
Monday, October 12, 2009
Fibber Magees
It’s very rarely that a city like Dubai can take you by surprise… Well after an afterthought and a blink of an eye, I stand corrected. It does surprise me how a road that used to turn right, now turns left without as much as a hint of a warning, how speeding and flashing lights to get out of the way are as normal as downing a shawarma with a little bit of tahini sauce and screaming for more pickles, or how you can have one of the city’s oldest bars tucked away in the heart of a construction war zone and still be standing tall among all the skyscrapers around it. Ladies and gentlemen…it’s time you said hello to Fibber Magees.
Well going by its name and the colours associated with it, definitely Irish and from its website (yes it has a website of its own but unfortunately does not give much about its history), we learn that the place reopened in 2004. Why did it shut earlier or is it really one of the oldest bars in town as most people claim calls for a lot more than investigation. It calls for beers at the fibbers.
So donning by detective hat and sporting my imaginary magnifying glass, we ventured out on a Wednesday night to find answers to questions that were left unanswered and very seriously causing an uncomfortable dry lump in the throat. So as responsible residents of the city (a very rare kind) we jumped into a cab and headed to discover the unknown. Now I did happen to ask an ex sometime back as to how to get to this place. She seemed a frequent drinker and a quizzer there. Well all she said then was that I would not be able to find the place. Well me being also smart (another rare kind) knew when I was not wanted and realized that there will be a time and a place…Well not exactly what you guys are thinking, this story of mine has a happy ending, there will be a time and a place to find the Fibbers and down the lagers…
Anyways snapping out of the unnecessary flashback, which I may delete at the end of this write, lets get back to the story. So in the cab zipping on what has been labeled the deadliest road in the world, we really didn’t need to have one of the most friendliest drivers in the world, who thought it absolutely fine to look at me, leave the steering, and share a laugh with me and Cyril over some inane joke on something I don’t remember right now (yes the alcohol seems to be taking away those brain cells, but no complains there as it makes us forget easily things that are really worth mentioning) all at the same time while speeding at over 100km/h and changing lanes. Trust me like Cyril says, it’s probably safer to drink and drive these days.
So after missing a few exits, going down the wrong alley and asking about two and a half people for directions, we realize we were just five minutes away from uncovering for us one of Dubai’s oldest and maybe even one of the few well kept open secrets of the city. Now for all of you who do decide to go there, this is how you get there. So you are headed to Jebel Ali from Dubai on Sheikh Zayed Road. As you come out of the Trade Centre roundabout, there is an immediate exit for a service lane taking you to the Fairmont Hotel. The service road runs all the way after the Fairmont Hotel to the Crowne Plaza Hotel. So drive past the Fairmont, look out for the KFC, after which you will come across an Indian restaurant by the name Jashn. This is where you get out of your car and walk into the adjacent alley. Not much of very exciting entry, but take a few steps down and turn left, there is one lantern that should and will catch your eye. By the lantern don’t miss the wooden board, which basically was the Big X for us that marked the spot. Incase this description causes any problem in making you get the directions right. Just jump on their website (www.fibbersdubai.com) for a look at the map.
Now if you are a fan of football, the beautiful game, and a fan of London club Chelsea, then there is no better place for you to be. It so seems that the Dubai chapter of the Chelsea fan club, have made Fibbers their home for the moment. All matches that Chelsea play are without a doubt on the big screen, be it the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup and the Carling Cup…No better place to see the elephant strong Drogba stumble to the ground and wince around in pain after being brushed by a hair, or JT show people around what it is to don the Blue.
As it happens this night was Champions League night, Chelsea playing Apoel from Cyprus, so was a good night to get a good feel of the place. So as we walked in, first impressions were smoky, beer, drunk women and some awesome gigantically sized burgers…now that’s the way we like it. Not able to find ourselves a table, and seemingly a bit lost, we suddenly heard a voice over my shoulder. Not sounding like God for sure, and looking heavenwards (we were one of the shortest people in the bar, even the women seemed taller, wonder if it was the beer…good stuff I must say…). Tall white man ask, “you Juny (or something like that)…I say no…he say, “I’m sorry, I think you Juny (or something like that). I wait for coloured man, if you see another one of your kind, who look lost, please send my table.” Well not much happened after that conversation other than us taking the white mans table after he had waited long enough for Juny (or something like that).
So seated at the table and watching at least three live games at the same time, certainly seemed like a good start. We were later to be joined by none other than Dom, Kingsley and his wife Scarlett. Yes people we finally do have our first official woman beer drinker on Discover a Bar on Wednesday (DABOW). A big first in my campaign to let and help people attain beervana…To celebrate this great occasion we managed to get a few of our pics clicked and Scarlett drank straight out of the pitcher. Not much conversation this time round as people were engrossed in the game, except for this one man. It was an encounter of the racist kind (a very common kind here) who for some reason believed that you could support a team only if you were from that country. His nationalistic approach and narrow minded thinking got me a bit wound up, but Cyril immediately got the pitcher in front of me and hypnotically I seemed to forget. This time round thankfully it wasn’t the brain cells going blaaah…well it saved me the effort of clenching my fist and not holding a glass. But other than that Dom very carefully continued sipping away on his Carlsberg and Cyril watched the game. On the other hand Kingsley worried about when he would get back home so that he could catch up on his mandatory 8-hour sleep. Shetty refused to come out because he needs to study and get to work the next day. I ask you what is happening to the 25 year olds these days. The adventurous, the enigmatic, the dynamic, the plain stupid and drunk, they are a diminishing kind. Dubai is making these people stare at mid life crises a little too early, don’t you think…
The menu does seem diverse but it does end up being pub grub again…all fried and crispy most of the time. Do check out the offers on though, they do seem to work out more reasonable. Especially the lunch offers are worth a try if you can sneak up to there during a workday. Be ready to down a pint as well when you are down there. According to their website they do seem to have a lot of catering going on as well, so maybe somebody could give them a try and let me know what they think of their services. Prices on the menu not a poor mans price, but it can be done once a week. Check out some of the other activities they have happening there as well. Believe they have a comedy night.
Now most reviews on the net do not really give it too much credit on its interiors. But according to me its one of those bars that don’t really have too much pretense going on, and the décor of the place very intelligently maintained giving the bar a great ambience which makes you just want to revel and drown the night away in your beer. The crowd on the night was mostly football fans, who quickly disperse once the games were over. But I do believe that there are a few regulars over there and plus I like mentioned earlier the quiz nights are certainly a big draw. In addition to it being close to quarters of air hostesses, they do sure seem to make an entry there, thus leading to more footfalls of pot bellied fifty plus men. And that certainly does not make for bad business.
Bad business is not what we gave them either. Another review calls the place a workman like bar, but the prices of the beer or the food are definitely not workman at all. Pretty much the average cost of a beer in Dubai. This is the city that probably serves the most expensive beer in the world. Can you beat the fact that a mug of beer in this city costs close to $10. Don’t know if that’s workmanlike at all. Certainly does not work for me, but you cant really help it. There are some things that just have to be done no matter the cost or the consequence. Like me writing this blog and putting people through the torture of listening to my rants.
The evening on the whole was definitely a good one, with Chelsea winning in Cyprus, us discovering a bar, Kingsley probably going late to work the next day and Shetty continuing to fool himself that he is studying at home while watching Hindi reality TV at home. By all means a place to visit for one and all when in Dubai. Just make sure to get there early and be equipped with your best humour for a hearty laugh and probably some not so smart quips from the uninformed…I’m sure the best of us will be able to handle it. Not fibbing at all…
Well going by its name and the colours associated with it, definitely Irish and from its website (yes it has a website of its own but unfortunately does not give much about its history), we learn that the place reopened in 2004. Why did it shut earlier or is it really one of the oldest bars in town as most people claim calls for a lot more than investigation. It calls for beers at the fibbers.
So donning by detective hat and sporting my imaginary magnifying glass, we ventured out on a Wednesday night to find answers to questions that were left unanswered and very seriously causing an uncomfortable dry lump in the throat. So as responsible residents of the city (a very rare kind) we jumped into a cab and headed to discover the unknown. Now I did happen to ask an ex sometime back as to how to get to this place. She seemed a frequent drinker and a quizzer there. Well all she said then was that I would not be able to find the place. Well me being also smart (another rare kind) knew when I was not wanted and realized that there will be a time and a place…Well not exactly what you guys are thinking, this story of mine has a happy ending, there will be a time and a place to find the Fibbers and down the lagers…
Anyways snapping out of the unnecessary flashback, which I may delete at the end of this write, lets get back to the story. So in the cab zipping on what has been labeled the deadliest road in the world, we really didn’t need to have one of the most friendliest drivers in the world, who thought it absolutely fine to look at me, leave the steering, and share a laugh with me and Cyril over some inane joke on something I don’t remember right now (yes the alcohol seems to be taking away those brain cells, but no complains there as it makes us forget easily things that are really worth mentioning) all at the same time while speeding at over 100km/h and changing lanes. Trust me like Cyril says, it’s probably safer to drink and drive these days.
So after missing a few exits, going down the wrong alley and asking about two and a half people for directions, we realize we were just five minutes away from uncovering for us one of Dubai’s oldest and maybe even one of the few well kept open secrets of the city. Now for all of you who do decide to go there, this is how you get there. So you are headed to Jebel Ali from Dubai on Sheikh Zayed Road. As you come out of the Trade Centre roundabout, there is an immediate exit for a service lane taking you to the Fairmont Hotel. The service road runs all the way after the Fairmont Hotel to the Crowne Plaza Hotel. So drive past the Fairmont, look out for the KFC, after which you will come across an Indian restaurant by the name Jashn. This is where you get out of your car and walk into the adjacent alley. Not much of very exciting entry, but take a few steps down and turn left, there is one lantern that should and will catch your eye. By the lantern don’t miss the wooden board, which basically was the Big X for us that marked the spot. Incase this description causes any problem in making you get the directions right. Just jump on their website (www.fibbersdubai.com) for a look at the map.
Now if you are a fan of football, the beautiful game, and a fan of London club Chelsea, then there is no better place for you to be. It so seems that the Dubai chapter of the Chelsea fan club, have made Fibbers their home for the moment. All matches that Chelsea play are without a doubt on the big screen, be it the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup and the Carling Cup…No better place to see the elephant strong Drogba stumble to the ground and wince around in pain after being brushed by a hair, or JT show people around what it is to don the Blue.
As it happens this night was Champions League night, Chelsea playing Apoel from Cyprus, so was a good night to get a good feel of the place. So as we walked in, first impressions were smoky, beer, drunk women and some awesome gigantically sized burgers…now that’s the way we like it. Not able to find ourselves a table, and seemingly a bit lost, we suddenly heard a voice over my shoulder. Not sounding like God for sure, and looking heavenwards (we were one of the shortest people in the bar, even the women seemed taller, wonder if it was the beer…good stuff I must say…). Tall white man ask, “you Juny (or something like that)…I say no…he say, “I’m sorry, I think you Juny (or something like that). I wait for coloured man, if you see another one of your kind, who look lost, please send my table.” Well not much happened after that conversation other than us taking the white mans table after he had waited long enough for Juny (or something like that).
So seated at the table and watching at least three live games at the same time, certainly seemed like a good start. We were later to be joined by none other than Dom, Kingsley and his wife Scarlett. Yes people we finally do have our first official woman beer drinker on Discover a Bar on Wednesday (DABOW). A big first in my campaign to let and help people attain beervana…To celebrate this great occasion we managed to get a few of our pics clicked and Scarlett drank straight out of the pitcher. Not much conversation this time round as people were engrossed in the game, except for this one man. It was an encounter of the racist kind (a very common kind here) who for some reason believed that you could support a team only if you were from that country. His nationalistic approach and narrow minded thinking got me a bit wound up, but Cyril immediately got the pitcher in front of me and hypnotically I seemed to forget. This time round thankfully it wasn’t the brain cells going blaaah…well it saved me the effort of clenching my fist and not holding a glass. But other than that Dom very carefully continued sipping away on his Carlsberg and Cyril watched the game. On the other hand Kingsley worried about when he would get back home so that he could catch up on his mandatory 8-hour sleep. Shetty refused to come out because he needs to study and get to work the next day. I ask you what is happening to the 25 year olds these days. The adventurous, the enigmatic, the dynamic, the plain stupid and drunk, they are a diminishing kind. Dubai is making these people stare at mid life crises a little too early, don’t you think…
The menu does seem diverse but it does end up being pub grub again…all fried and crispy most of the time. Do check out the offers on though, they do seem to work out more reasonable. Especially the lunch offers are worth a try if you can sneak up to there during a workday. Be ready to down a pint as well when you are down there. According to their website they do seem to have a lot of catering going on as well, so maybe somebody could give them a try and let me know what they think of their services. Prices on the menu not a poor mans price, but it can be done once a week. Check out some of the other activities they have happening there as well. Believe they have a comedy night.
Now most reviews on the net do not really give it too much credit on its interiors. But according to me its one of those bars that don’t really have too much pretense going on, and the décor of the place very intelligently maintained giving the bar a great ambience which makes you just want to revel and drown the night away in your beer. The crowd on the night was mostly football fans, who quickly disperse once the games were over. But I do believe that there are a few regulars over there and plus I like mentioned earlier the quiz nights are certainly a big draw. In addition to it being close to quarters of air hostesses, they do sure seem to make an entry there, thus leading to more footfalls of pot bellied fifty plus men. And that certainly does not make for bad business.
Bad business is not what we gave them either. Another review calls the place a workman like bar, but the prices of the beer or the food are definitely not workman at all. Pretty much the average cost of a beer in Dubai. This is the city that probably serves the most expensive beer in the world. Can you beat the fact that a mug of beer in this city costs close to $10. Don’t know if that’s workmanlike at all. Certainly does not work for me, but you cant really help it. There are some things that just have to be done no matter the cost or the consequence. Like me writing this blog and putting people through the torture of listening to my rants.
The evening on the whole was definitely a good one, with Chelsea winning in Cyprus, us discovering a bar, Kingsley probably going late to work the next day and Shetty continuing to fool himself that he is studying at home while watching Hindi reality TV at home. By all means a place to visit for one and all when in Dubai. Just make sure to get there early and be equipped with your best humour for a hearty laugh and probably some not so smart quips from the uninformed…I’m sure the best of us will be able to handle it. Not fibbing at all…
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Nasha hi Nasha hai...
Well its been a long time coming, People were beginning to ask if the Beerman had disappeared never to return again. And though a bit bizarre and ridiculous to be asking such things, it did seem like a very quiet month not actually being able to say much and not really having an audience to listen to the rants.
Well it being the holy month of Ramadan and me being as tolerant as most people are to beer and its following antics, I decided to take a sabbatical to get some thoughts in place. The place was easy to find but not the thoughts. It all just felt so empty with no beer.
It’s not like there weren’t visits to the bars and there wasn’t opportunity enough to down enough and more beer. But as is my endeavour to find stories before and after every beer, everything during this period of fast, abstinence and government restraint everything just seemed monochrome. I did come across the Mallu with the double cuffs, there was the swine flu party at D’Cellar, visits to the Belgian Beer Bar and Café and there were visits to places that just missed their soul during this period.
But all that aside now and back to the Wednesdays. Yesterday was the first Wednesday after Eid and it felt like just perfect to get the whole show on the road again. It feels nice to know that people actually come up to me and ask me, “Where is it going to be tonight?” It’s a totally different story as to why not so many people actually turn up. But keeping the faith and lifting a beer mug every Wednesday the few that we are, we shall go on gulping.
Well yesterday ended up being a long day at my job that brings in the bread and butter. It’s the very job that pays my internet bills that helps me post the verbal diarrhea on the world wide web and hope that someone or somebody sees potential and even money to invest in this beerchild. But yeah it was an unusually long day. Tired, weary and almost resigned to ending the day with no beer which could have proven to be sacrilegious to the whole concept of Discover a Bar on Wednesday (DABOW), the Gods aligned the stars and threw a bit of the moon into the mix for a fair amount of gravity, thus bringing in front of me the one we know as the ‘Saint’.
Now the Saint is no ordinary person because the Saint does try hard to live up to the name. Not one to point a wrong finger and not one to place any sort of inconvenience on anybody’s lap. Going by these traits, examples set and wanting to be in close proximity to something so saintly, I agreed to give her a lift back home. Now the drive back home is long, strenuous, distracting and just one long straight road. So after dragging the car all the way to the other side of town, it would have been plain stupid not to have a glass or two of lager and just finally relax. So after making a total of exactly one call I decided to don the cape of Beerman and hit the streets of K-Town…Let’s all thank The Saint to making the Wednesday happen now…Clapclapclapclap…
Now K-Town is no ordinary place and nor is it a very cheap place as per many peoples misplaced notions. As you can notice, nothing in my stories are even remotely ordinary. But yeah coming back to the whole thing about K-Town. It does give you this illusion that it was just meant to be the way it is, crowded, cramped and Asian. Speaking of Asian reminds me of this one conversation I had with one of my few exes in my life. How is it that when people say Asian, most people who live under the delusion that they originate from the West (haven’t they heard that Christopher Colombus lost his way and went round in circles, hence proving to the world that its round and no longer flat), seem to give credit to all the chinks. Now no offence there, nor am I even trying to be racist here, but I do believe that people from the Arab world, the Indian subcontinent would love to be associated with the worlds largest continent. Well if I remember well, and from my past experiences, its best to let women believe whatever they believe, because what goes on in their head, very seriously just goes on in their head. And if you try to play with that, you just going to be banging your head on a wall. So it’s best sometimes to let them love and live in ignorance. But I do seriously believe that all those people with the grand delusion, must make a point to sit in a geography class. Its like all of them seemed to have skipped a class together.
But seriously that’s not why you people are here, not to hear my views on the east or the west…we are here to know what yeast can do to make some feel like a waste…yes and that is my poetic streak there. But yeah after the grand call, and with Dom turning up we knew there is only one place that we could and wanted to go, without having to drive too long or look for a darn parking. Plus we trying to be good citizens and making sure that we go somewhere that wouldn’t actually make us drive back home. There was only one place that suited us and the dark night. So off we went straight to Nasha in Karama Hotel. Well the way to Nasha is not really a straight one. There are just too many rights and lefts, but we boys have been down those hall ways so many times that we could probably walk over there with our eyes closed. There was no way that we would make a wrong turn there. So as we came to the end of a long stretch of tiles, and before we took that final left turn that would take us through the doors of Nasha, we were greeted by the friendly smileless bouncer, who must have flirted with the idea of checking if we were underage. But with the confidence of gymnasts and with the help of looks that screamed that we were well over 21, we skipped into the bar, mazed our way through tables, squinted to see through the dim light and stopped by a waitress to ask for directions to an empty table. Seated and thirsty and painfully tired, Dom and I went through the motions of ordering our beers and a plate of buffalo wings. Hungry I almost polished off the whole plate of wings, with the fries included. Must say that they were dry and surprisingly quite alright to chew on.
Now since it was just the two of us seated there and not much really happening, We discussed the day and some family business that shall not make its way into the blog right away, and that’s about it. I really don’t have much of a story to say. But here is the scene with Nasha. It’s a very dimly lit and dingy looking joint, which has Filipino waitresses wearing white, so that the light from the TV would bounce off their tops hence spreading light into the room. Mostly frequented by the men who are looking for a cheap drink a malyali movie or just a cricket game. Gets pretty crowded and smoky as well. You do see a woman here or there, but in general all you Church going, Buddha Bar frequenting crowd, could easily be put off by the place’s ambience. It’s a good social experiment to see if anybody can get a bunch of women to come into the shady Nasha have a drink and a good time and walk out. I’m sure we can, but I just haven’t been successful with the women that I have been with. But here is the good thing about Nasha. If you like your beef, and you like it spicy, this is where you have to go. Very good Kerala fare and cheap beers. A sure shot combination for a good evening. In fact I would recommend the place to people who would like to throw a party for colleagues, friends and me.
Well after practically getting bored watching a cricket game, and then being forced out by the language that we don’t understand, Dom and I walked out into the bright hallways of Karama Hotel not knowing if this was the end of the night. We were very pretty sober, it was pretty early and we both had to report to work tomorrow. This could only mean one thing to the both of us. Slow steps, pretty determined, and led by the music and the sound of dancing feet on a stage we took a right turn... :D
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