Delhi’s New Water-Themed Lounge: The Aquarium

If one walked through Singapore’s underground glass tunnel surrounded by a gargantuan ocean-like aquarium (see here) one would know the sheer magnificence of a quasi-deep sea diving milieu. Delhi’s newest The Aquarium Lounge, located at Greater Kailash 2’s main market, is perhaps India’s closest answer to such a visual treat with its life-size fish tanks occupying most of the lounge. Not visual alone, but with plush interiors, exotic drinks and multi-platter cuisine offerings, this speakeasy is designed for a thorough evening of high-end food, cocktail delights and live music.

A dim warmth wafts through The Aquarium

A concept lounge that was borne out of the need to create an ambience that would exhale a wavy and soothing vibe, often felt around water bodies, The Aquarium Lounge sprawls across three floors. A terrace lounge and an entire floor designed with an aquarium give the lounge a charm of its own. Apart from that, two aquariums flanking the bar make for a trippy experience especially while you’re a few drinks down. Live music is one of the primary motives of the owner Ekansh Bansal. In fact, even the cuisine is predominantly finger food keeping in mind their priority of live events. Nearly 70 per cent of the menu comprises quick and light bites that go hand in glove with the smooth-flowing cocktails and invigorating music. They’ve even kept the smoking population in sight and have thus created a room prepared to accommodate nearly fifty people at one time.

The appetizers come in cuisines including American, Mexican, Thai, Lebanese, Italian, and Indian. Trying to paint a global picture of snack foods, Ekansh says, “It’s just like international street food. The reason (behind this) is that the venue is an events centric place where we are organizing a lot of events.” For now, artists like electronica producer Dualist inquiry, reggae collective Reggae Rajahs, audio-visual duo BLOT! and many others are lined up in the roster of performances. All you croakers can look forward to ‘Wednesdays Karaoke’ while Sufi aficionados can attend the Sufi nights.

For those wishing to fill their tummies to the brim, a section labelled ‘Global Cuisine’ is waiting to be skimmed through. “Anything and everything that we’ve missed in the appetizers, we’ve covered in the Global Cuisine (or main course) section.” From Gyros, Moussakas and Mykonos of the Greek realm to Fettuccine Alfredo of the staple Italian to Thai Red Curry darting one to the other end of the world, the lounge boasts big of the multi-palate pleasing food crafted for eclectic crowds that flock the place.

As an answer to Hauz Khaz Village’s perennial legal troubles and redundant ennui, The Aquarium Lounge setup shop in GK2 with a conscious decision of moving the mainstay of gigs to a fresher locality. “Now people are done with Hauz Khas. But there’s no other place that people can go to. I’m sure in the coming time (besides HKV) other markets will pick up. GK2 has around forty restaurants.” With the recently-opened Smokey’s BBQ & Grill attracting crowds by the score, GK2 seems to be sparking off a buzz that was once possessed by the Village.

The Aquarium Lounge, M 79, Greater Kailash (GK) 2. Ph: 011 3303 6753