We heard about its opening (in Phoenix Market City) in the first week itself, courtesy Instagram and the ” 2 Beers for Rs.2” promotion, but could drop in only a day after the promo ended. It was a Saturday night, and that meant we had to wait for more than an hour to get a table! The open area in the mall made that quite easy, and we sat gawking at people, and watching movie trailers on the giant screen outside PVR.
When we finally did get a table, it was a community table! Thankfully, our request for a different table was soon granted. The plush, comfortable seating in the outdoor section, was most definitely better. The place was quite crowded that night, so I couldn’t really get a good look inside. But a visit later, on Christmas day morning, gave me the chance to look around, since the place was almost empty. Pravesh, who seemed to be in charge of the outlet, gave me a little guided tour when he saw me snooping around. One of the walls has a history of Whitefield (wiki-like) and another has a huge blow-up of Whitefield’s first citizens. The bar decor includes tiles like the ones found in Irani cafes, there are some antique chairs and in essence, the place has a uniqueness even while somehow retaining the standard ‘social DNA’.
Meanwhile, the long wait meant that we had figured out exactly what we wanted, so we took only another 15 minutes to order. 😀 (menu) I had never tried the LIT at Social, and thought there was no better time to test it out. D got herself a Screw Social Driver. Chicken Farcha and Pork Belly Pops for starters. The LIT was quite potent, and I was glad I hadn’t asked for the larger version. D’s drink was milder, only on a relative scale, and the mix of orange, pomegranate and vodka was quite smooth.
I loved the pork, well cooked meat with a wonderful texture. The curry leaf powder and the apple-chilli chutney served as superb complements. The Farcha wasn’t bad either, less greasier than the ones we have had earlier, and served with a mango based dip.
For what can be vaguely termed our main course, we chose the Anda Shammi Pao and the Nothing But a Hound Dog burger. The kabab also had mozzarella and fried egg, and was quite spicy, just the way we liked it. The burger patty was superbly juicy, and that bit of peanut better added a nice touch. I’d have liked a little more generosity with the bacon, but that’s always an expectation. 😀
We hadn’t had the Chocolate Blood Bath in a long time, and since we had half an appetite for it, went right ahead. Cake, brownie, truffle, mousse, sauce, fudge, this is all chocolate and probably one of my favourite desserts!
We had been waiting for a chance to try out the breakfast trays and landed up on Xmas morning to do just that. I chose Riyaaz’s Breakfast of Champions, and D went for Sid’s Very Posh Breakfast. Apparently, these trays have all been created based on the founders’ preferences. As almost always, I had dish-envy soon as I saw D’s tray! I don’t know how she manages this! My tray had Anda Shammi, a steak sandwich, (way smaller than I expected) PBJ (these were really well made) and a fantastic milkshake. I never got the Irish coffee! D’s tray had many things – bacon, sausages, eggs made Akuri style, hash browns and toast! And yes, she also got a coffee! Both of these were quite filling!
The ‘damages’ for dinner was a little less than Rs.2300, and just over Rs.800 for breakfast. We quite liked the place on both occasions, and the good thing about Social is that there is always something you haven’t tried. The service was excellent, the music was good, the drinks were strong, the food was largely fine, and that means that we’ll definitely go back.
Whitefield Social, Ground Floor (next to Chili’s) Phoenix Market City, Whitefield Ph: 40515253