CHIC SIP: The interiors of the Bangalore F-Bar

The F-word in partying is coming to town.

With cutting-edge technology, high-profile fashion shows and parties, and lots of visual imagery, F-Bar and Lounge will ?open this season? (October 2005 to March 2006).

An extension of Fashion TV ? the French channel of fame and fashion (ask Sushma Swaraj!) ? the bar and lounge will rock 11/1, Sarat Bose Road, the space previously occupied by The Golden Harvest and China Valley restaurants.

Bangalore, the beer and BPO capital, is the only other Indian city that boasts an F-Bar. So why Calcutta? ?You cannot imagine how surprised I am to see Calcutta change so much in the past three years. Normally, it takes us months to decide before we make a foray in any city. But in the case of Calcutta, we took the decision within a month,? Bharat Sheth, chief operating officer, Fashion TV, India, told Metro late on Saturday.

An F-Bar, says Sheth, is all about ?being cool?, an extension of the lifestyle experience straight out of the channel. ?It is visually stimulating, stylish and has an attitude.?

So, a city must be fit to flaunt an F-Bar. ?There should be awareness about style and fashion and the city should have an attitude. We also track the spending trends and patterns of the people,? explained Sheth.

Party patterns in Calcutta have highlighted the dual need for munch and music. ?A survey in the city threw up some amazing observations, on the basis of which the format of the Calcutta F-Bar will be really interesting,? says Sanjay Mani, FTV group head, licensing.

?Food will be a very important driver in Calcutta, with an exclusive concept in place. And for the first time an F-Bar would have the concept of live band music,? elaborated Mani.

Adding a whole new meaning to lounge luxury in town, the 5,000 sq ft Sarat Bose Road hot spot would play host to high-profile parties and fashion shows by city designers, the edited versions of which would be beamed on Fashion TV. The creative team of the channel would be doing the interiors for the bar.

?The F-Bar is a novel concept not just in Calcutta, but also in India. It would definitely stand out and prove that Calcutta?s night life is no less throbbing than other metros,? says P.C Rao, spokesperson for AP Fine Dinning Private Limited, ?local operator? for F-Bar.