I had gone with a friend to the Bikes n Barrels pub, situated in Residency Towers, Chennai. The place was really packed and loud music being played. The pub has two levels- the ground level and the first level. The ground level is for couples, families, girls and male friends having female friends in their group!.. All the single male guys are shunted on the first floor!..

So obviously, we were shunted on the first floor of the pub. However, later we realised that if you are a regular here, then even single guys are also allowed on the ground level!. The contradictory set-up is that there is the bar on the ground level with the typical bar stools, which is ideally suited for single guys like us, but then since we were new to this place, we were shown the way up!..

The decor is like a mix of a old british/western ranch pub, with wooden floorings, old beer/ wine barrels lined up, - some of them making quaint tables, one old ancient bike hanging with steel supports in the middle of the room!.. Dont know why!?? but it hangs!... Hence the name- Bike(s)? and Barrels! There are family rooms also on both the floors, which has the pool, TV, billiards etc. Also there are small cubicles designed like a texas ranch benches, at the same time they also have some couches and tables.

The first floor is like a viewing gallery, with the ground level being seen from the centre and the tables and the railing bar counters being placed next to the railing on the floor. Most of the single guys are either standing on the railings and seeing down on the crowd or the bunch of guys sitting on the table and having their own fun!..But the entire first floor gives you a feeling that you are in a ’’all-male’’ bar!!... And more so, there is a net-a kind of basket ball / hockey goal net hung over the top, covering the viewing gallery, so that when you are standing on the first floor near the railing and looking down, you see through the net and not a direct view.!.. This way, the view is obstructed and claims to provide some privacy (hardly!) to the people sitting down. (Later on i found out the real reason for putting up the net- It seems some guy got drunk and toppled the beer bottle down on to someone and had created an uproar, so they decided to net the wild animals!)

Being a curious guy, I went downstairs to see the crowd and the ambience. It was nice. Nicely spaced tables and the bar stools. But then when i looked up to wave at my friend who was looking down through the net, i felt like a circus animal/ performer being watched by hundreds of eyes from above!!.. It was a strange feeling!.. The music is ok, nothing to boast about. The crowd also is more of a young crowd. There are many regulars who probably come there for a drink/ beer after work or dinner, there are the hotel guests and also some couples who have come out to have a good time!..

The food is really passable!.. Nothing great about the food. The drinks are reasonably priced, but the bartender really messed up my cocktail- The classic Long Island Ice tea. He really did not probably know the right quantities of the all the ingredients!.. The service is also not upto the mark. It takes pretty long to be served and you have to probably stand up on the chair and wave frantically to catch someone’s attention so that you can be served!.

The aircon is fine, but when it gets crowded on weekends, especially due to the split levels and the net etc..it tends to fill up with lot of cigaratte smoke!... ( looks like chennai has more smokers than bombay!)

Overall, its a quaint place to hang out with your friends, have a beer and some snacks! Be prepared for loud music and the partial treatments - especially if you going there with a bunch of your male friends!

Entry Charges:	None
Type of Music:	Mix of all
Couple Entry:	No