You might expect umbrellas, big and striped and speared into the sand, pink and wispy and floating through your drink; you might expect salty air; the crash of ocean; the comfort of a deck chair laid out in front of a shack. Considering the bar is called Beachcomber and situated on the ground floor of Hotel Sun-n-Sand on Juhu Beach, you might expect all of those things - you would, alas, be wrong.

Instead, you'll be greeted by an onyx bar, dark wooden ceiling, cheat-wood sunmica flooring, a weird metallic mural that made this writer think “gladiator outfits of snails”, too-formal sofa seats and a sea-facing view that's rudely interrupted by a kebab restaurant.

But despite this disjointed, disconcerting setting, you'll soon settle in, lulled into comfort by a spiced signature cocktail and smokey basa fish. And, at the end, another surprise, this time a good one: a driver and drop service to get you home.

Sip and Sliders

When we visited, we decided to skip over beer, whiskey and wine sections and go straight to "signature" cocktails—a list of about twenty Indian-inspired concoctions starting at Rs 500. We got Planet Of The Grapes because the name made us chuckle, but discarded it as soon as we saw that the grape, supposed to be a hero, had drowned in an excess of cognac (a common fate amongst heroes, a friend pointed out). The Exotic Spices cocktail fared much better, prettily presented in a copper tumbler with toothpick-skewered raisins, nicely balancing the discordant flavours of vodka, ginger beer and pepper syrup. 

From the limited list of starters, onion seed tender chicken drumsticks (Rs 650) and fresh basa tikka (Rs 630) were easy, no-fuss winners. Vegetarians, we suggest you ignore the skinny list of options listed and request for off-the-menu Subz Galouti. These soft mince vegetarian cutlets, served with triangles of thin naan, are as delicious as the meat versions, enough to fill two people up and a perfect accompaniment to the booze.

Cool Drop Service

Thanks to multiple cocktails, we decided to partake of the bar's "drop-off service", where they provide a driver for your car. The driver’s fee is Rs 300 ( standard no matter where you stay), and we had to give him an extra Rs 100 for his auto fare. But the total amount is still pretty reasonable if you compare it with Party Hard Drivers, who charge Rs 750; plus, you have to call them hours beforehand to book.

Considering this place is pretty steep - a Kingfisher will cost you Rs 260, a regular whiskey around Rs 450 - we'd say come back here to savour a spice cocktail, fish tikka and the galouti, while watching a game on their big screen TV. During breaks, you can even crane your neck above the adjacent kebab restaurant and try to catch a little glimpse of the sand and sea.

Getting there: Hotel Sun-n-Sand, 39, Juhu Beach Road, call 66938888, Rs 4,000 for two people including alcohol.