India’s first permanent bar made of ice has been launched in Mumbai at Oshiwara, just yards from the Mega Mall. Named 21 Fahrenheit – the bar is kept at a temperature of minus six degrees Celsius all year round.
21 Fahrenheit has been created by three Indian partners, Vaibhav Tandel, Aalok Purohit, and Harshan Dharmadas. All three previously managed the Chill Out Ice Bar in Dubai, which was opened in 2007, by the Sharaf Group. They have now quit and started their own hospitality business, Hyacinth Lifestyle, in Mumbai.
The 820 square foot bar holds 45 people. The bar is lit up with red and blue lights, decorated with ice carvings on the ice chair and serving drinks in ice glass giving it a jazzy vibe. Guests are given a navy blue furry Parka coat, insulated moon boots and gloves to wear before entering.
Further, being just an ice bar, there’s also a general bar outside, and above it, there’s a swish modern pan Asian restaurant, which seats 46 people. The restaurant has a live kitchen serving Japanese, Sichuan Chinese and Lucknowi cuisine, with smart wooden tables and chairs.
Ice bars already exist in other countries, but apart from serving drinks, this bar is unique because it also serves hot food — and some of the food is served flambéed.
Vaibhav Tandel, CEO, Hyacinth Lifestyle, is a Mumbaikar, who had moved to Dubai five years ago. He used the expertise he gained there to build the bar here, leading the team of seven Indian staff who spent 20 days building the lounge bar, after renting, what had been a vacant space. It was due to open several weeks ago but kept getting delayed because the coats and boots, tailor-made in India, had not arrived.
—IndiaRetailing Bureau
