AER Bar and Lounge, Thumbs up for the view of the city!

Aer Bar and Lounge, on the 34th Floor of Mumbai’s Four Seasons hotel, is perhaps the roof of the city. This open air lounge makes for a perfect setting for a romantic date or a business meet or a romantic date (more suited for this, hence the weightage) or just hanging out with friends. Since it is located in Four Seasons, or rather, on top of Four Seasons, Aer boasts of well-heeled clientele. Now now, I wouldn’t say I  am one amongst the well-heeled but heck a special occasion called for a special place. And besides, find me a place that gives a 360 degree view of City.

The ambiance, is governed by the weather. If it is hot, you are not going to enjoy sitting here but if it nice and breezy then there is no better place. I guess, this is why the place opens only at 5:30 PM in the evening. Makes for an amazing place to watch the sunset.

The place is set up pretty well. The bar area is surrounded by 2 pax tables while the rest of the place is a mix of group seating and some cosy seating for couples. The setup is really good but it isn’t something that will make one go ‘WOW’. But the view, well, that is something you do say WOW!

But the same cannot be said for the drinks. We ordered for a couple of mocktails. There was nothing special about the mocktails and my companion even joked that the same can be made at home very easily! Well that was true. How difficult is it to make a Mojito? The other drink was titled Blue, made of Lychee Juice, Mint Leaves and Blue Curacao. Again, nothing special. Move on.

While we sipped on our drinks, we were still going WOW at the view. Haji Ali on one side and the Bandra Worli Sea Link on the other was one thing, but imagine seeing the Powai Lake in all its glory? To give a perspective, it takes an hour to reach Four Seasons from Powai Lake which is about 30 kilometers away from the hotel. (assuming all roads are empty and all signals are green!!!).

As the sun set, lights started to come on – one by one. Street lights, followed by a few residential complexes, the city was being transformed. Living here for 25 years, this was the first time I saw such a transformation on such a grand scale. The city lit up slowly and if the view during sunset wasn’t pretty enough, with the lights on, the city looked beautiful, almost sexy in many ways!

Again, the panoramic view was a sight to behold. Mumbai, officially, looks pretty at night.

But before I bore you more with this, I ordered for a New York Cheese cake. The cake was accompanied by the strawberry and cranberry sauce and strawberry ice cream. The first thing to note here was that the strawberry ice cream wasn’t pink like it is in most places. Second thing, the cheese cake wasn’t heavy. Probably used Parmesan cheese but not sure of it. It was a pretty good cheese cake!

Overall, the drinks disappointed but the cheese cake was the saving grace but what really gives this place the charm is its view. Come here after 7 pM and you will not be disappointed!