Expensive? Yes.
Value for Money? Maybe.
Fun? Certainly!
The Big Brewsky(TBB) off Sarjapura Main road(near Wipro) is one of those places which catch your eyes right from the first photos you see on the web, and then proceed to pleasantly surprise you once you are there and discover that what you see in the photos is not a photoshopped image but very real and very enticing.
The Entry:
I happened to visit TBB on V-day - and was surprised by the crowd outside the gates. There were about 200-odd people, all in a queue to get in. Luckily, I had a reservation, and the staff did honour the same by making sure I got my seat within 10 minutes of reaching the place. Yes, the place gets very crowded, so make sure you have a prior reservation. More so, if you are visiting on a special occasion where crowds are expected. If you walk in on a normal weekend, there may be a small waiting of around 30 minutes, which is okay.
The Decor & Ambience.
Extremely pleasing. Central to the whole theme is the pool with fish swimming inside. Depending on your preferences, you can choose a poolside seating, terrace seating or indoor seating. We opted for the pool side seating and it was very relaxing. The tables and chairs are a turn-off though since they have used run-off-the-mill iron chairs. Something more comfortable like wicker chairs or cushioned ones would be lot more welcome.
Excellent use has been made from used bottles to make decorative items - you get to see lampshades, wall-decor and singular decors all made from empty bottles.
When I visited, the was mostly a mishmash of english numbers from the 90s which I actually liked a lot. However, the volume was too loud for my liking and didn’t go well with the overall theme.
The Food & Drinks
We were served two glasses of champagne once we were seated. The champagne was average - I’ve had better champagnes at places like Caperberry - so it wasn’t really the best I’ve had. The starters were all nice and portions were good. We had opted for fish fingers and chicken lollipops, both were very well-prepared. The choice of cocktails are very good too, and you have an option to order your custom-recipe cocktails. I did miss trying their homebrewed beers, though my colleagues who have sampled them say they are excellent.
The main course is a bit of a disappointment in terms of taste and quantity, you’d do yourself good by avoiding continental and exotic items for the main course.
Pricing:
It’s definitely on the higher side. Being Valentines’ day, we were also charged an additional cover charge of Rs.750(which included the complimentary champagne and a complimentary dessert). On an average weekend, a relaxing evening for two would cost you around Rs.2500. Special days would levy you with additional charges.
Conclusion:
While some may argue that the prices are high, I’d say it’s worth the ambience and the relaxing feel that you would get in return. After all, it’s not a place which you’d plan on visiting every weekend. I am notmally very sensitive with issues live prices and VFM and I certainly didn’t feel it was too much for an asking. My recommendation to visit TBB would be to visit around 6PM when the sun is just setting - and sit back by the poolside to enjoy a relaxing dusk till the night takes over.