Ruh, the resto lounge at Novelty restaurant in Jamshedpur. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Sept. 19: Now there is a new address for people to chill out. A swanky resto lounge is the latest novelty for people in the steel city.

Half a century down the line, the dhaba that primarily served South Indian dishes, snacks and sweets in the 1950s, has undergone a rapid transition. Novelty, located at steel city’s famous Regal building, now has a lounge bar Ruh to boast of.

The restaurant, which drew a packed crowd even while the renovation was on, has been transformed into a happening place. Everything has undergone a complete change, from the colour scheme, furniture, ambience to the music and uniforms of the staff.

With a white and walnut colour scheme, the lounge has been given a sober and sophisticated look. Soft lighting and the right accessories create a relaxing ambience.

Being one of the few lounges in the city, it accommodates around 12 people. The idea behind the lounge was always on owner Prashant Soni’s mind. “I wanted people to chill out, watch television and enjoy their food,” says Soni.

The lounge is ideal for family get-togethers, corporate business lunches or dinners and small gatherings. Bookings need to be made in advance and the rates are quite nominal.

With the lounge concept still new to the steel city, Soni claims that Ruh is the first proper lounge in the city. According to Soni, the lounge will offer a totally new experience to visitors. The music has also been carefully chosen by Soni himself. “We wanted soft and soothing instrumental music and lounge music at Ruh,” he said.

Architect Saurav Ghosh Choudhury of Yantra Architects is responsible for the design but Soni says that he went along with the architect to choose every piece of furniture and accessory from New Delhi.

With the décor changing, could the menu be left out? Exciting additions have been added to the menu. And with the change, Soni, apart from the middle income group is also targeting high-end customers, who previously preferred elite restaurants.

Regulars at Novelty can also look forward to Indian desserts.

Novelty, with its new look, is also improving its personal touch to become customer-friendly with the introduction of customer comment card where each comment would be analysed and suggestions would be implemented wherever possible.

Soni says that the personal details furnished by the customers would be converted into a database.