Restaurant Review: With options to work, dine and unwind, resto-bar on IT Corridor woos techies

Set up by textile businessmen S Naveen Chandra and his brother as a passion project, the name Bass and Soda, is inspired from music (three different kinds on each of the three floors) and the soda-based cocktails that stand out on the menu. “We got into food business as my brother and I have been passionate about it. We have been working on this project since 2018. We wanted to find a space on the IT corridor as it doesn’t have many options among resto-bars,” shares Naveen.

Enter the ground floor and one will be greeted by plush couches and soothing music, fit for meetings and family outings. Go one level up, and it’s a different world altogether —music gets louder and the lights get a bit dimmer — making the floor a huge pub for friends and colleagues to unwind. There’s also a one-of-its-kind communal table set around a tree, a standout feature on the floor, for a smoke and to socialise. The top floor, which lies under the open skies, is meant for private parties and will be set up in a month’s time. Architect Sidharth Ninan, who has lent his creative vision to the space, says, “The aim was to give three different experiences on three levels, so that a person visiting gets to keep discovering the place more with each visit. The place allows CEOs, executives to hold gatherings on the ground floor, and for young crowds to have fun on the first floor with its quirky vibe and for families to dine on the rooftop.”

We settled on the first floor, as Drake’s beats kept us company. Chef Ravi Suvarna, who has won many awards for his south Indian food, has curated the menu, which highlights food from the southern states. Besides a range of soda-based cocktails, and classic ones, the menu has small eats in south Indian, north Indian, Chinese and continental cuisines, sliders, sandwiches, thin-crust pizzas and rice and noodle bowls — something to please everyone’s taste buds.

We opted for a burnt rosemary soda, which comes with a pleasant fragrance and taste of the burnt herb, and an addictive sweetness, accompanied by the chef’s special pachi mirapakai kodi vepudu, a fried chicken and egg delight from Andhra. There’s also the mutton munthiri chukka, which delivers a spicy hit and crunch from the cashews. Mangaluru-style karida yetti, of fried prawn and caramelised onions packs the freshness and crunchiness of prawn. Malai broccoli, a creamy dish, pairs well with the soda cocktails. Food is ensured it’s light and non-greasy, so one doesn’t feel full too soon.

The rice and noodle bowls are good to be shared among two or three people, and come in variants like Nellore fish curry bowl, gongura mamsam (mutton and sorrel leaves curry) and a flavoursome mud pot biryani. With so much to explore, this resto-bar promises to be the kind that will have one going back.