BackLounge review | Lap, New Delhi
Lounge review | Lap, New Delhi
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This one was long awaited. Lap, an after-hours night club set up by actor Arjun Rampal in association with restaurateur A.D. Singh, opened in New Delhi last week. And the who’s who of Delhi and Bollywood was in attendance.
The good
An after-hours party place did not really exist in Delhi until Lap. This members-only club straddles the space between a nightclub and a lounge. You can choose to sink into the oversized sofas and golden chairs and hold a private conversation without the inconvenience of a large dinner table, or shake a leg on the dance floor near the DJ hub. Lap has six resident DJs and the music, which has been selected by Rampal himself, is largely Funky House, and Electro House music.
A huge plus is having a lot of waiters around. You don’t have to trudge to the bar and wrestle with the crowd to get your drinks. My server was prompt, yet not cloyingly attentive.
A fine-dining restaurant, to be tentatively named Lap Garden, will open in October. This global cuisine eatery will be open to all.
The not-so-good
I’m not sure Samrat hotel is the place for an exclusive club. Sure, the hotel may have grand plans to upgrade its F&B outlets, but nothing is evident as of now. The hotel is deserted, the lobby is outdated and resembles the reception area in a public sector unit, the security arrangements are minimal and the X-ray machine to check bags was not in use the night I went to Lap. Luckily, we got a parking spot near the entry; I wonder if we would have dared to hand our car for valet parking.
The double doors between the alfresco area and the club and the toilets and the club are heavy, and difficult to navigate; there is a 2ft pitch dark area between the two sets of doors and you literally have to stretch your hands out to locate the second set of doors. Since the doors swing both ways, injuries seem inevitable. Not a good idea for a watering hole.
Talk plastic
Membership details haven’t been finalized. Through the month of September, select invitees will be able to use the club. If they choose to become members, they will have to pay Rs1 lakh for a lifetime membership and Rs25,000 for renewal every year.
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