Tonic @Mahalaxmi, Mumbai : New Bar Menu!

As the winter bids adieu and summer approaches, Tonic gets ready to help you beat the heat with their all new Bar Menu. With South Mumbai’s longest Happy Hour (Tue – Thur : 5pm to 1.30 am and Fri – Sun :5pm to 9pm ), this  is one place you can go for good music and a drink. With the T20 world cup going on and the IPL just round the corner, if you wish to watch the match after work over a couple of drinks, head to Tonic.

The other day when we landed there, the match between West Indies and Sri Lanka was on. As the first drink of the evening, we asked for a Mai Tai (Rs.250). The drink was good. I had planned to go slow on alcohol and hence went by the server’s recommendation and opted for a cooler called Hangover Cure (Rs.150). Little sweet and tangy, this one can be a mild cure.

What caught our attention was they had GOLAS in their menu; Kaala Khatta(Black Current, Smirnoff, Lime Juice, Sugar syrup, Chat Masala, Ice Cube),  Vanilla Te Rose (Rose Syrup, Bacardi, Ice Cream, Ice Cube) and the Nutella Craving (Chocolate Syrup, Old Monk, Ice Cream, Coffee Powder, Ice Cube) being the signature ones. P had a Nutella Gola and he loved that. The Golas are all priced Rs.100 without alcohol and Rs.150 with alcohol. Finally my dream of having a Kaala Khatta with alcohol came true. I loved the idea of the masala on the rim of the glass.

The Bartender offered P, my other half, one of Tonic’s signature cocktail “Spiritual Healing“ (Rs.350) .Though P was not exactly looking for any healing, he found this one better than the Mai Tai.

While the drinks were good, the same cannot be said about the food. The first dish that we asked for was Hawaian Chicken Salad with Maharaja dressing. We were not too impressed. Then came the Mixed Grill Platter of Chicken, Fish and Prawn which was really good and very flavourful; the Arabic Shish Tawook Wrap was disappointing with very chewy chicken filling. We liked the Chicken Croque Monsieur with Egg. This came with a portion of French fries. From the mains, we asked for Risotto which was really well prepared and presented with 3 different flavours – Pesto, Balsamic and Mushroom. However the other main course of Basa wrapped Prawn was average. I found that slightly high on salt which was off putting.
The Tonic lounge is an ideal place to chill over a drink with friends and work colleagues over Happy Hours or simply let your hair down to the music spun by their in-house and guest DJ. As the logo suggests,TONIC is all about its bar. The menu is pocket friendly. In addition to the classic Mojitos and Long Island Iced Teas, the menu includes signatures cocktails, shooters, and molecular cocktails among an array of other alcohol offerings. As for the food, after a few down, you wouldn’t care much anyways. J

Ratings (Out of 5)

Food: 3 | Service: 3 | Ambience: 3.5 | Overall: 3

Address: Tonic, Famous Studio Lane, Mahalakshmi, Mumbai. | Tel: +91-9167999239/8 or +91-22-43472505/06

Timings: Restaurant: 4.00 pm – 1.00 am| Meal for two: ~1500/++ | Alcohol: Yes | Disabled Friendly: Yes

(Disclosure: This review was done after repeated anonymous visits to the restaurant with food paid for by reviewer in full)