Restaurant review: Lost Society (Lounge bar)

Claiming to be Hyderabad’s first dedicated cocktail bar, Lost Society serves both classic evergreen cocktails (such as a Dirty Martini mixed to the original recipe), as well as in-house signature specials.
Says owner Bobby Gada, himself a keen mixologist, who honed his bartending art in Melbourne as a student, “Hardly any place in town crafts its cocktails with the care and precision required or with the perfect, authentic ingredients.We wanted to recreate this lost world of the perfect cocktail, served in the perfect glass, and where people chatted up with the bartender and told him how they wanted their drink.”
Decor
Dark and grungy-chic, with rugged walls and flooring, a painted white tree stump in the centre, and a bright red antique (dummy) phone booth, providing the visual contrasts. The highlight has got to be the 40-feet long white corian bar, reflecting the focus on all the action happening behind the counter! There is a DJ console and music played is club, lounge or EDM.
Food
The drinks menu lists martinis, mojitos, margaritas and daiquiris, as well as whisky-based cocktails. Try LS Mule (`490) vodka and lime, topped with ginger beer. Served in an army-style mug on a bed of ice, this signature special is difficult to part from, with its fresh and zesty feel. BBC (`360) is for beer lovers with beer, ginger ale and lime, with a ‘special flavour’.
The classic martini (`390) is presented on the menu with an array of choices, gin or vodka, dirty\extra dry\dry\wet, stirred or shaken? Im privileged to have Bobby mix a classic dirty martini for me with gin, and the martini is quite unlike anything I have had before, both in terms of sheer aroma, as well as in the ‘spiritedness’ quotient! I also try a Bellini (`420), sparkling wine spiked with vanilla liqueur and peach puree.
The more rigid-spirited needn't worry, there is the usual choice of wines, whiskeys and beer. The food menu has finger foods, such as pizzas, sandwiches, French fries\potato wedges, as well as more substantial fare. For munchies, the soft and creamy Spanish Potato Bravas (`210) will appeal to any palate. Chicken BBQ Pizza (`490) is also a good choice and Fusion Chicken (`350), as well as the huge-portioned-Fried Shrimps is for spicier, Indian palates.
Plus & Minus
The pricing might be a tad steep, but according to Gada, “It’s our uncompromising stance on using only the best ingredients. For instance, in martinis, we use only international brands like dry gin, and not common, local ones.”
Lost society: 1259/A/1, 5th Floor, Road No. 36, Jubilee Hills (Next to Heritage Fresh)
Night Out for Two: `2,000
Timings: 2 pm to 11.30 pm
Rating
Décor: 4.00
Food: 4.00
Buzz: 4.00
Must try: Ls mule, Dirty martini, bbc, Potato bravas, Fusion chicken