A shot at fun

When He Said She Said—a Delhi-based 'shot bar'—threw open its doors last month in Mumbai—the owner was rather anxious about how well the pub would be received by people. A month later, however, business has picked up so well for this shot bar at Andheri, that they are planning to expand and work has already begun on the first and second floors, which are meant to house a fine dining restaurant and a rooftop café, respectively.

Situated on Veera Desai Road, He Said She Said seems to tap into the pulse of the teenagers and young twenty-somethings living around the area, who throng the place for its interesting shots, ranging from Rs120 to Rs350. If you are not feeling upto a whole glass of cocktail or want to try a few different brews without emptying your wallet and clouding your brain, the pub has a solution—its USP is its special in-house shots (40 to be precise). Not just regular shots, they offer chocolaty, creamy, fruity, zesty and spicy versions along with a couple of 'ice-cream based shots'—a rarity in Mumbai. The 30ml shots have different bases, including vodka, rum, whiskey, tequila and liqueur.

"With the opening of He Said She Said, all of a sudden people want to experiment with shots," says Jaysel Meledath, one of the dna readers invited to the shot bar. Joining him was Sonia Thekknedath. Also, present was fashion designer Alisha Jain and her three friends Apeksha S, Viddhi Bhuta and Alisha Anand.

A young engineering graduate, Meledath took great interest in the shot games and soon encouraged the others to join him in the popular drinking game 'Never Have I Ever' game. For all those who have not seen Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, the rules of the game are simple: participants have to reveal something that they have never done before, and anyone on the table who has done what the participant has not, must take a sip. As Meledath started by announcing that he had never gone scuba diving, the other three participants gulped down their shots!
Jain and her three friends chose to play the Quarter Game, where shots were set up in a square, at the centre of the table, and participants had to toss the coin into the glass, turn by turn. When Jain's coin landed into a glass, she chose to nominate one of her friends to drink the shot, "The point is to get your friends drunk," she laughed.

This shot bar has a great location, lovely ambience and foot-tapping music. But, it is the shots that make the experience at He Said She Said memorable—it is one of those places that is helping change the public perception of a spirit once thought mostly in terms of 'hard drinks' and 'monster hangovers'. With an interesting section of ice-cream shots like Black Current, Charlie Chocolate Factory, Strawberry Forever, Vanilla Sky and Pineapple Express, He Said She Said has thrown the red-carpet to welcome people not fond of the hard drink-based shots too. Other attractions include the cosy, well-stocked bar and a gigantic red photo booth, which encourages patrons to step in and take selfies against a backdrop of 'He Said She Said' murals. Quite enamoured by the place and its ambience, Jain and Meledath promise to return soon. "I liked the shots and the music played by DJ Tasneem. My favourite shot will be the Cha Maila. The place is visually attractive and is turning into a favourite nightspot in the suburbs. Compared to its ambience, drinks and music, I thought that the food menu could be more elaborate with pastas and main course," gushed Jain.

OUR FAVOURITES
Cha Maila, a deadly combination of caramel and whiskey (Rs 150)
Masala Chai, a fusion of tea and vodka (Rs 149)
ABC, Baileys, Cognac and Whiskey Mist (Rs 249)
Coco Chanel, duet of dark rum and chocolate garnished with bars of Kit Kat chocolate (Rs 199)
Aamsutra, mango flavoured shot with white rum (Rs 199)
There are also regular cocktails and mocktails. The food menu is very simple with kebabs, pizzas, appetisers and side dishes.

dna verdict
Ambience – 4
Food- 2
Drinks- 4
Staff friendliness- 2
Value for money- 3

Address: Remi BizCourt
Behind Yash Raj Films Studios and Fun Republic
Veera Desai Road, Andheri (West)