Under-rated Under Deck

"Heck, it's Under Deck!" - was my first reaction, when Rajeshwari, the editor of 040 - the local magazine I was freelancing for - laddled me my next restaurant. It would be my first pub review for their magazine and scuttling over the Ahalas and Poisons of the city, she found me Under Deck? Heck! What if it's at Taj Banjara - it's quaint and so not brag-worthy! To make the best of it, I asked Don to tag along. IMHO it's disrespecting alcohol if you let go of opportunities to have it for free. 

The PR person from Vaishnavi, who took me around, turned out to be an Assamese, and so did the bartender. While that was a sure seller - as other than food we had a world of exchanges that kept me riveted throughout - I believe I could do justice to the review I was expected to do of Taj Banjara's past-card sized, but amazing...as it turned out...watering hole.

Quick low-down:
1) No cover charge.
2)If you find it too crammed, you can walk right out into the extension and lounge by the Taj Banjara's artificial lake.
3) The bartenders are an award winning lot and can churn you the most delicious blends (beyond the menu) as per your taste. I absolutely loved Sam's betel and mint leaf cocktail served in a glass rimmed with sugar.
4) With the likes of Touch and Poison swooping away Hyderabad's crème de nocturnals, Under Deck is left with the Taj Banjara residents and some old loyalists - not a reason enough to head if flash that smile at Page 3, Hyd Times, you must!
2) Being a Taj thingie, it's a tad tooooo expensive.

Here's the official review for 040:
Have you known of evenings when the thought of unwinding over your favourite spirit by a serene lakeside, with great music for company, can drive you even to the other end of the globe? Or those, when you are in a mood to pub-hop till you land at a place where you can party till you drop and crawl up to a hearty meal – just in case you’re still hungry? Well, you should head for Under Deck, then! And in case these cravings sound unfamiliar, you will still like this cozy ship-themed pub, strategically positioned by the lakeside at Taj Banjara, for its beyond-the-menu cocktails, warm hearted bartenders and familiar faces.
The city woke up to pub-culture some nine years back with Under Deck – an exhilarating change from the insipid house-parties. The pub warms up with DJ Lucky spinning anything from Retro, House and Hip-hop to the ones you can go “balle balle”, as per the flavour of the crowd. Its bevy of award winning bartenders keep their guests well entertained with their usual juggling bit, the not-so-usual magic tricks with cards, matchsticks, and of course with your pick of concoctions. The must-try is their flagship Long Island Iced Tea, while those with experimenting taste-buds can go for Spike’s (head bartender) Jack Daniel and Crème de Banana based cocktail “Sexy Baby”, or Sam’s vodka based, mint and betel leaf drink “Magic Lips”. Teetotallers would relish their Apple Mojitos and Power Punches. Team your drink with some scrumptious starters from Kebab-e-Bahar (Indian) or Strings (Oriental). For a late night hearty feast, drop by at the 24-hour Waterside Cafe.Thursdays are Bollywood Nights and Fridays’ Lipstick Nights. And since there is no cover charge, all you pay is an average of some Rs. 4000 per couple. So what if the lake is artificial and the ship doesn’t sway, Under Deck is for those you’d never hear saying “let’s call it a day”!
### For "040" - Hyderabad's popular local mag by the Explocity group - go grab your copy for more news of use...