Bar Reviews > Kolkata > Someplace Else

The Park, 17, Park Street
Ph.22499000
Timings: 4:00 pm - 12:00 am

It's been a long time returning to Cal., but somehow I felt that I'd never left, because things don't seem to have changed 3 years hence, or maybe it's just the city is not at its best @ 7 pm on a Friday night on a drive from the airport to the hotel. The feeling of deja vu persisted however as the evening continued. Work took me to CCFC first, where a couple of drinks later I retired to the safe haven of a Single Egg Double Mutton @ Kusum's. The bright lights of the Park and the much heard of Roxy, drew me in then.

The Park has carved out a cocktail lounge bar from what used to be a godown and most ingeniously so too, with a mezzanine level and a subterranean grotto feel to it. The best part of Roxy however are the all female service staff attired in what appeared to me leopard strip tops. The hostess recommended a Crazy Monkey to me, for Bacardi, fresh lime juice and fresh banana! I chose a watermelon Daiquiri instead with Bacardi, watermelon syrup and fresh lime. A nice frozen drink, no doubt, but a bit too sweet for me. Roxy, considering it was a Friday night, was fairly dead @ 11 pm with a few couples and a sizeable single / couple stag population to which I had added.

I had dropped in to Someplace Else, where the band was playing and had a brief chat with Gautam, the outlet manager. Having had enough of Roxy, the sound of the band @ Someplace Else, drew me in. Someplace Else was rocking as always. The crowd were bowing their heads and playing reverential air guitar as Hip Pocket broke into Shine on you Crazy diamond. They should rename Someplace Else to Somethings Never Change aka Kolkata. One of the best cover bands in India, said Gautam and I could well beleive it as I sat at the bar, ordered a Mojito and sank back into Greil Marcus territory as the band raced through one cover after another and the beer kept flowing. My mistake, I squeezed the lemon wedge which came as a garnish into the Mojito and the drink became too citrussy. A good Mojito should have the flavour of the mint coming through and not drowned by the lemon. Someplace Else opened in 1994 and over the years has become a centre for live music in Cal. They've just finished celebrating their 11th anniversary celebrations and Gautam, the manager handed me a copy of Someplace Else Forever, a book to commemorate the pub; it was indeed a valuable gift. SPE also sells t-shirts (not inspiring) and posters (sold out). My mojito having run out of drink, I elbowed my way to the front of the room, right in front of where Hip Pocket was playing. One more song I said, as they burned their way through Jumping Jack Flash. Three songs later, with the Who's Teenage Wasteland going at full throttle and me singing "my love is vengeance" along with Sumit, I thought to myself, "What's the rush?" (lets give credit where it's due - tag line for an ad campaign for Jameson's Irish Whiskey). I stayed on till the last song and then headed back home. A good pub is about enduring through the times and about creating a strong sense of community with a core of regulars who come back again and again and again... SPE is all that and more. One of India's top 10 pubs definitely. Next time you're in Cal, eschew the charms of Roxy or the glitter of Tantra, just head for SPE.

Tulleeho!