Actress Koneenica Banerjee jives away with her sister at the launch party of Red Kitchen and Lounge and (right) June Maliah at the same do. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

Finally, Calcutta has a place where it can truly take it easy and chill-out on a weekend night. Sans the blaring music, the rush of wannabe party animals and the hordes trampling on each others’ toes.

Red Kitchen and Lounge at the Enclave in Alipore was officially launched last Wednesday. It is every laid-back party-goers dream come true. Just ask those who showed up on the big day to congratulate the men behind it — the trio of Ashim, Maanas and Bharat — and warmed up the opening night at the red hot night destination in town.

The classy, comfortable 4,000 sq ft eating and lounging destination is the first of its kind in the city. The low seating arrangement and exclusive corners lend a cosy feel, while the lavish bar (yet to be opened) in the centre with a giant screen as the backdrop gives a busy and upbeat look to the place. The small dance floor with the DJ console next to it completes the party picture.

Needless to say, the interiors are a riot of red, offset by soft yellow lighting, with mirrors placed strategically to give the place a spacious feel.

The guest list on the big night included the ever-sporty June Maliah (in black sari) who didn’t let go of an opportunity to hit the dance floor. In fact, Tollywood turned up in numbers to have a great time. Koneenica, dressed in the colour of the evening (red), Deboleena in a black leather jacket (good for her that the AC was working fine), Bikram Ghosh (with trademark beads, wristband and repartee in place), Arindam Sil with wife Shukla in tow, were there too.

Party veteran Bull ‘Versace’ Banthia was in the house, too, voicing — or rather whistling — his approval of the place, loud and clear.

Also seen were Lovey and Sekhar Burman, Nilanjana Chakraborty, Ahalya and Naveen Pai (celebrating their first anniversary), DJ Girish and a host of others.

The do at Red Kitchen and Lounge had all the right ingredients for the start of a success story, with the right ambience, rocking music, lovely people and great food. The best is that this was just the beginning. So, give us red.

Fling with fun

Weekend nights at the Hyatt Regency are turning out to be fun. The Bar, which is doubling as a makeshift disco thanks to a promotion of vodka brand Fling, is a nice place to be in the evenings. Fridays and Saturdays are when the music flows and the heads begin to turn to that side of town.

Though the authorities agree that “it’s a little far away from the city”, if it draws the right people this place can be a good haunt for the private party person.

The long bar and the small but compact dance floor can be just right for a long evening over drinks interspersed with some light steps on the dance floor. And with Fling drinks going out free for guests, no one is complaining.

Saturday nights are hot, while Fridays are just about warming up. With DJ Ravi at the console and little girl DJ Pari trying her hand at the turntable, the music is essentially popular. A mix of hip-hop, remixes, Hindi and English chartbusters is what you can expect.

This Friday, we bumped into Sanjeev Goenka there. In the hotel for a private party, he walked in to check the place out. A group of the younger brigade of social names, among them the Goenkas and the Kumars, dropped by, too. “We just got attracted by the nice music and wanted to dance,” said one of them, enjoying the mix of familiar faces in an unfamiliar place.

Calcutta parties late and it isn’t before midnight that this place gets its share of party people who move out by about 2 am, possibly hopping back to some other nightclub. It lasts for a little while, but while it does, the Fling nights at The Bar make for good entertainment.

Himika Chaudhuri

Ladies’ man

Ayaan Ali Bangash is a perfect gentleman. But a ladies’ man? Well, anyone who saw this young musician at the Taj Bengal on Friday night at a party celebrating the launch of the first Botox clinic in the city would say: YES. Sharing a joke with fashion designer Sharbari Dutta or introducing himself to jewellery designer Nilanjana Chakraborty, this chocolate-faced hot guy melted quite a few hearts with his quiet style. The only time we saw him deep in conversation with a man was when he discussed music — and maybe muse — with tabla player Bikram Ghosh.

A flair for frolic with fire

Bartender Bobby displays his act at the International Club

The International Club keeps on dishing out fun evenings for its members every now and then. The latest to stun them was a fun show with fire. With the bar at Skittle (the makeshift disco) doling out heady vodka-based cocktails, people at the party were in for some real excitement. And flair bartender Bobby ensured that they had enough of it.

Juggling with bottles on fire, making a circle of flames in a dimly-lit room, the young bartender managed to hold the attention of the crowd even as members had no other option but to stand and stare. Bheege honth tere… playing in the background fell on deaf ears for the first time in a busy evening, as flashes of yellow, red and orange ruled the show.

Party Pooper

There is no way you want to meet him every place you go, but there is no way you can avoid him either. Once in a while he’s fine, with his gags and his gimmicks. But you know you’ve bumped into this musician-actor-anchor-appearance man (he’s even there at women’s jewellery line launches) once too often, when you can finish one of his stories even before he’s started it. So, buy him a new joke book or buy yourself some cottonwool.