I know The Velevet Hookah had been open for a while but my husband and I finally got some free time this Saturday, so we went there for dinner. A few of our friends had recommended this, so I was really pumped to go check it out. It was not too far from where we lived, so that meant we could get a little tipsy and still drive home safely. Anyways, here it goes -
Neighborhood - We thought we were lost by the time we came upon this place, it was located so out there. Nothing of interest around here - cannot walk or sit outside - we found out why once we went inside.
Ambience - The thing is, this place was more of a bar/nightclub minus the dance floor than a real restaurant. I know it was stupid of us to just rely on our friends’ word and not check it out in the Digital City guide. You need an ID to get in, so be sure to carry your wallets and purses with you - all of you. It was pretty dark inside and there was some good music with fast beats playing. They strung up a bunch of chiffon (I think) sarees all over the place to create a Middle-Eastern kind of look.
There are tables only in the bar area. The rest of the place has a a carpet you will be sitting on and a bunch of pillows that you can lean on. It can be quite uncomfortable, especially if you have on tight jeans like my husband did (heh!). It does feel quite cozy though I hated being almost shoulder-shoulder with the people sitting next to us. There just wasn’t enough room or private space.
Food and Drink - I was so hungry by the time we had showed up at the bar that I wanted to dig into something good right away. Unfortunately they served only appetizers, that too a limited variety. We ordered the chicken satay - three skewers with three chicken pieces on each, served with three apple slices, a few grapes, and soy sauce and spicy peanut sauce on the side - and some roasted red-pepper hummus. The food was good, but barely enough for the two of us.
I ordered the M3 which was really good and that was the only drink I had for the evening.
The Hookah - We ordered the menthol hookah, but I suspect they gave us a vanilla one initially by mistake. It was pretty mild and tasted kinda like the Vanilla Mints you get at the Starbucks. There was barely any smoke in it and I failed to see the fun of it. They replaced our hookah with a eral menthol one later and this was pretty strong. I liked menthol in my throat but the minute the smoke hit the back of my throat I was coughin so hard my husband was embarrassed to be seen with me. I guess there ended that experiment.
Overall, it was a pretty fun and different experience and I think we will definitely be going back. The bill was about $80 for 4 M3s, 4 Amstel Lights, 2 Chicken Satay and 1 roasted red pepper hummus, so it wasn’t that pricey. Check it out - you might like it.
Update: I forgot to mention there was belly dancing. They also charged us extra by $35 on our credit card and my husband is taking care of it right now - be careful!
Posted by shanti at October 18, 2004 10:28 AMTrackBack URL for this entry:
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Death to Light Beer.
Oh you had to drive back?
Posted by: Nilu at October 18, 2004 11:47 AM
Actually, Amstel Light is the only light beer that doesn’t taste “light” ;)
Yes, we had to drive back but it was only about 7 miles so it wasn’t that bad :)
Posted by: Shanti at October 18, 2004 12:13 PM
Hummus sucks.
Infact Mediterranean/Arab food sucks completely. Its dry and usually not very spicy.
Mughlai food is the best food in the World.
Sheekh Kebabs, Koftey, Butter Chicken, Daal Ghosht. Mmmm, Damn I have to go out tonight and unload at one of the Indian restaurants ;)
I wish the Indian restaurants had buffets for dinner !
Posted by: Al Mujahid at October 18, 2004 12:29 PM
Mujahid, I know I love all the foods you are describing there. I only wish the Indian restaurants actually gave a little more importance to the ambience beyond hanging traditional ethnic paintings and playing bollywood music in the background. They are just not fun to hang out in.
Posted by: Shanti at October 18, 2004 12:32 PM
Yea whats up with the cheesy furniture at most of the Indian restaurants.
They either deck them up like a Mughal Court or a South Indian temple and sometimes both…LOL
Indian restaurants look like theme parks. I really dont want to eat sitting in Taj Mahal This fad is spreading fast and will soon take over all the Indian restaurants in the US.
Posted by: Al Mujahid at October 18, 2004 12:37 PM
I meant the fad where they set up giant screens and play Bollywood movies.
Soon every Indian restaurant in the US will have a giant screen where you can watch Indian movies while you eat.
Posted by: Al Mujahid at October 18, 2004 12:39 PM
Oh, you should come taste MY satay. I am the king of the world!!! Woooohoooo! :tongue3:
And yes, the average Indian ambience is very cliched.
Posted by: MadMan at October 18, 2004 1:18 PM
Oh, and http://www.thevelvethookah.com/ says the domain has been suspended. :p
Posted by: MadMan at October 18, 2004 1:18 PM
True, Mujahid - if I want to watch TV while I am eating, I will go to a sports bar, thank you! I really hope some Indians will wise up and come open a good, hip Indian restaurant here catering to the younger crowds. I see such a big market for that.
MadMan, you should open a franchise in Dallas - I will go eat there for sure :) I saw that about the domain too, I wonder what happened.
Posted by: Shanti at October 18, 2004 1:34 PM
Most Indians go, eat and get out as fast as possible. In the Bay Area (2 Indian restaurants at every traffic signal) most restaurants have 2 TVs showing songs from Hindi movies. That’s all the ambience you get.
Posted by: JK at October 18, 2004 3:38 PM
JK, I am pretty sure there are a lot of Indians who would actually want to hang out in a restaurant if it provided the right atmosphere - it is upto some enterprising entrepreneur to fill that niche.
Posted by: Shanti at October 18, 2004 4:02 PM
Shanti, I agree, but what I have seen is that most of these restaurants are designed to attract the office lunch crowd. They are very functional. So far I have not seen a single hangout desi place here. I wish there was one.
On an unrelated note, read the discussion here
http://www.sulekha.com/expressions/columncomments.asp?cid=305963
Posted by: JK at October 18, 2004 4:13 PM
Shanti,
You should post a survey here where everybody can list their favorite foods.
Posted by: Al Mujahid at October 18, 2004 4:21 PM
I think that is a great idea, Mujahid - I would also like for people to list their favorite restaurants in the different cities, so when we visit those places or if we live there we know new places to eat at.
Posted by: Shanti at October 18, 2004 4:33 PM
You say that there’s nothing of interest around there. Actually, Addison Circle is across the street from VH. They often have free public movies and such. I’m guessing nothing was going there on Saturday night?
Posted by: Gokul at October 18, 2004 5:55 PM
Hi, first visit to your blog. really liked it.
Posted by: Chinar at October 18, 2004 7:39 PM
You FORGOT to mention that there was belly-dancing?! The most important component of any restaurant’s ambience and you FORGOT to mention it? What’s this world coming to?
Never mind. Review the belly dancing. That’s an order.
Posted by: Dilip D'Souza at October 18, 2004 10:25 PM
Gokul, this restaurant was not near the Addison circle - at least nowhere around the Clay Pit, etc. area :)
Thanks, Chinar.
Dilip, my bad! It was pretty good. It was awesome to see this lady go through all kinds of contortions while carrying a sword on her head. My husband thought it was really sexy. We fought over who would give her a tip (he wanted me to do it - I wanted him to do it). I think he would be a better reviewer on the whole for the dancing overall. Hehe!
Posted by: Shanti at October 19, 2004 8:26 AM
If you can find someone to give me one million dollars, I will open a branch immediately. (I get an investment-based green card with one million dollars. :)
Posted by: MadMan at October 19, 2004 3:31 PM
One meeellion dollars? :mad:
Posted by: Shanti at October 19, 2004 3:33 PM
What is M3?
Posted by: Parag at October 19, 2004 10:40 PM
When you have lost someone close to a driver who had “only had a little” and was “close to home” then you’ll definitely stop drinking and driving. I lost a very dear friend this way. I have no respect for you.
Posted by: Dustin D. Cook at December 7, 2004 3:49 PM
Parag, an M3 is a mixture of Parrot Bay coconut rum, orange rum and mango rum.
Dustin, do you really walk around lecturing random people? Some people actually know what their limits are and do stop before they endanger themselves and others, you know! They don’t need baby sitters.
Posted by: Shanti at December 7, 2004 4:23 PM
Yes, actually, I do go around lecturing random people when they are endangering the lives of others.
Posted by: Dustin D. Cook at December 19, 2004 9:54 PM
Dustin, you should look up “overreaction” and “minding own business” in the dictionary. We are all adults here and we know how to live our lives without being lectured to by others.
Posted by: Shanti at December 20, 2004 8:58 AM
Haven’t tried menthol hookah tobacco, but you probably lucky you got the vanilla tobacco instead :-)
Posted by: Hookah Hub at January 7, 2005 5:17 PM