Living in Poona now for more than two years one can’t help but be constantly reminded of the whole priority of enjoying yourself, academics be damned.
One such place where text books and work pressures can be very efficiently forgotten is Thousand oaks or ’T Oaks’ as the youth has decided to christen it. With a steady flow of college people and young executives, it has a reputation of a great place where one can let their hair down.
One sultry May evening, with our allowances just coming in we decided to go there for a couple of beers and basically unwind. It was my first trip there and although friends and foes alike had told me about the place I did not quite know what to expect.
T-Oaks (as I shall call it from now), was actually made up of two very segregated parts. One area was cordoned off outside with seating arrangements for the family (and guys who do not want their girls to be objects of public affection and otherwise) and situated inside was the pub.
It was a weeknight so there wasn’t much of a crowd when we walked in (circa 2030hrs) but the crowd started picking in after an hour or so and by 2200hrs the place was jammed with youngsters and other usual wannabe teensters with pounds of makeup and little else.
The ambience was nice, although it would be a lot nicer if it were a bit darker, things were too bright for my liking.
The DJ, not surprisingly by Poona standards, was a great one, who kept the tempo going with genuine Blues and Classic Rock tracks (from Doobie Brothers to Led Zeppelin and the ocassional pseudo-trance, or ’just in’- Rave).
The cover charges were high, I remember, but I also remember paying helluva more than that when the final bill arrived.
Drinks were aplenty, with all sorts readily available albeit at a price. Food prices were a wee bit higher than other restaurants but were worth the price. The Fish Kebabs, I recall were excellent.
T-Oaks was certainly a great date. Both with its lovely ambience and tasteful decor it is quite a favourite haunt of mine. For the students pocket, it might prove to be slightly expensive, but do visit the place (in the beginning of the month when you get your allowance)if you can. Cover charges might be a restraining factor to some, but I do assure you that once inside you are sure to recover it.