A Chic Watering Hole

A charcoal black entrance with the bar’s name in slim white font,Vinoteca by Sula is easy to miss. But once you manage to locate the Spanish tapas bar on Worli’s Dr Annie Besant Road,the city outside will temporarily cease to exist. Inspired by wine and tapas bars in Barcelona,Sula’s first property outside of Nashik is already popular among Mumbai’s wine drinkers and has potential to turn many more into patrons.

The outside section of the bar is decorated to exude understated elegance as at the entrance. The inside section is well-lit and the red walls add an element of romance. Black-and-white photos of the Nashik vineyard adorn one wall,while another has been converted into a wine rack with house wines from Sula in addition to international labels. The menu offers tasting notes in the wine section and food pairing in the tapas section. The pricing for wines is reasonable and starts at Rs 950 for Sula Chenin Blanc 2011 and goes up to Rs 4,600 for a French Joseph Drouhin Côte de Nuits-Villages 2006.

The Pintxos (pronounced Pinchos) are part of the special menu that change every day. Served in twos on crisp toast,these are good for the evening with a glass of white wine sangria. The Salmon Pintxo with its centre of crème cheese and capers plays with different textures — dry from the toast,smooth from the salmon and soft from the cheese with a hint of sourness from the capers. Among the tapas,fans of Konkani-style Tisriya would love the Almejas marinara — clams cooked in a garlic broth with hints of lemon,butter and tomato. Though it isn’t on the menu,the bar is currently trying out a Cabarnet-Shiraz Gelato that is surprisingly nice,though the sticks of chocolate take away from the flavour of wine.

One rue is that the menu,for most part,is in Spanish and requires assistance from the service staff. On the upside,the staff is pleasant,knowledgeable and trained to address most issues.

Meal for two with alcohol: Rs 3,500