Cocktail bars are having a moment in Delhi. Among bars that are otherwise doing delicious drinks, what we are missing are fuss-free sips that can be enjoyed without having to Google the ingredients or the techniques that the mixologist has worked with. However, Top Banana, a new entrant in GK2-M Block Market, is turning things over with their compact yet impressive roster of craft cocktails and bites that don’t just pair well with the drinks but also make for competent standalone options.
Located just a floor above Ikk Panjab, the cocktail bar is an addition to the repertoire of restaurants that restaurateur duo Rajan and Deepika Sethi have gifted to the capital. What truly worked for me was how the start of the evening was as much a banger as the end.
Star Dish
Whenever visiting a new restaurant, my way of going about their menu is to request recommendations from the server. “Try our midnight monaco. If you have relished cheese with monaco as a child, then this is the preparation you will come back for,” he said. That was it. Monaco with cheese. Always a yes. Cut to 10 minutes later. A coupe cocktail glass arrived with 5 crackers peeping half out of it. The other half was dipped in a four-cheese sauce that filled the glass.
I plucked one cracker out of the cheese sauce. Opposed to the expected Monaco, it was a parmesan cracker. It was like eating cheese with cheese. The sauce was creamy and had acquired a texture that can only be achieved when there is a lot of cheese in there. It was a perfect start to the meal. The preparation also came along with the trimchi sauce— an in-house take on kimchi, which made very little difference when placed before the cheese sauce and crackers.
Your learning? Well, always listen to your server.
Food Menu
I stepped into Top Banana expecting an impressive cocktail roster but the monacos made me believe that I had also signed up for a delish evening on the food front too.
Next up, I must talk about their buffalo cauli stubs. The dish arrived in two parts: the buffalo sauce on the side with a bowl full of cauliflower stubs. While the fault was mine to have poured down the entire sauce on the stubs, but even when poured in moderation, the buffalo sauce was more hot and spicy than I would have liked. The stubs were like many others I have tried earlier. So all in all a must-try if you are a sucker for spice. Else, skip.
A preparation I enjoyed was the artichoke ice riot. Fried artichoke fritters paired with goat cheese frost and chilli gremolata. A simple, comforting, and flavourful preparation that is tough to go wrong with. I enjoyed and so should you.
I also went in with their butter chippery, considering it would be something many would like to pair with their drinks. So I decided to taste test your chakhna for you (thank me later). The preparation featured vinegar crisps paired with nori furikake butter (which I absolutely loved). The crisps and butter were great on their own, but I was slightly wary of pairing them. My suggestion would be to try it for yourself.
What I was only disappointed with was the dessert. From the two options on the menu, I went in for the truffle trove. I rarely mess with my desserts but for once I thought I wanted to try truffle, vanilla, and chocolate together. And a bad decision it was. The fresh truffle shaved on top, that was expected to add the cherry on the cake, only made things worse. For me, it was a big no.
Drinks Menu
Now to the drinks. Something most people would end up at Top Banana for. And for good reason.
Like with the food menu, the server held the ropes for the drinks menu too. He suggested that I start with good on paper. The whisky-based cocktail featured notes of starfruit, passion fruit, and quinoa. Another element in the drink that stood out for me in every sip was the red wine float. The coming together of whisky and red wine paired with fruitiness led to an impressive drink. A deep sip rather than a kiss is what the drink demands. Do that and find yourself loving it sip by sip.
The second drink of the evening was panic at leisure. Featuring Gin, spearmint, passion fruit, and pineapple curd, this one was just how I like my cocktails: balanced and leaning towards the sweeter end of the flavour spectrum. It is the kind of cocktail you would like to sip on, when the mood is to unwind but with taste intact.
Vibe Check
While you may come for the drinks and the food (and for good reason), but you might just stay for the space. The two-level space is designed by Anirudh Singhal of Speed X and features a vinyl corner curated by Avishek Bhowmik. From round, rotating, playful tiles to telephones suspended in front of a funhouse mirror making you feel just a little more tipsy than you are, elements at Top Banana make the space young and charming for people across age groups.
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