Agni

This attractive hotel bar takes its name from the Sanskrit word for fire. The space oozes sophistication. Its muted, earthy tones are accented with subtle splashes of orange - and a trellis of bronze on the back wall has been designed to look appropriately flame-like.

An affluent crowd of media types perch on comfy leather divans and rest their drinks on the glass-topped tables. The bar is sweeping and elegant and there's a small dance floor should the mood take you. DJs play laid back beats into the night, keeping things cool; no pounding techno. And though it's not in-your-face flashy, you'll still need a well-fed wallet to really enjoy a night here.

For more reviews visit http://www.adhysteria.com

Zenzi

Zenzi
Waterfield Road
Bombay (Mumbai)

The owners of the brilliant Vakzuid Bar in Amsterdam are co-owners of this just-opened gem in Mumbai's happening Bandra. Who said globalisation was a bad idea? A classy lounge bar and restaurant, your food is a selection of rich and spicy French, Thai, Japanese and Indonesian cuisine best enjoyed with some of the finest wines in the city - many from South Africa. But it's the sumptuous glass-paned, wood-floored lounge area that you really want to spend most of your time, packed as it is with hordes of leggy Bombabes - local models, actresses and TV stars - sipping specialty cocktails from the sultry sofas while their boys sample a variety of Dutch and Indian beers. Your soundtrack is a mix of soothing western and Hindi tunes. Mumbai is the New York of the sub continent and it's getting just as global. Go Zenzi!

Olive Bar & Kitchen

14 Union Park Khar
Bombay (Mumbai)
Telephone:
00 91 22 600 8248

The hippest hangout in trendy Bandra, north Mumbai, popular with models and Bollywood stars not to mention cricketing demi-Gods like Sachin and Kapil. You get LA-style valet parking at the entrance where hanging vines and creepers tumble over the whitewashed walls, and you enter to find a lush oasis that's more The Ivy than India. There's a pebble dash garden with low tables and chairs outside to eat or drink at and a restaurant and sunken bar inside where the rest of the glamour set gather. Every cocktail you can think of is served by smiling green-uniformed barmen 'hello Raj' and the menu is continental and classy. Concentrate on your drink though: when you see the dusky beauties packing in here it‚s easy to lose your composure. Music is from Hindi to trip-hop and back.