In October 2014, Bandra’s popular Escobar nightclub was forced to shut down when a fire completely gutted the property. A little less than a year later, they’re back in full service, and you should definitely pay them a visit.

The owners could have done a lot with their décor – starting from scratch meant they had carte blanche to give the look and ambience a complete overhaul. Instead, they’ve stuck to the original design, so when you walk in, it’s just like returning after a very long time.

What has changed, however, is the far superior quality of food than ever before. We’ve never really ordered much to eat at Escobar, but whatever we did was good without being excellent. The highlights of our meal included sinfully cheesy Bacon Stuffed Chicken, a generous portion of Peri Peri Tiger Prawns (the sauce is addictive, trust us) and a Thai style preparation of Patatas Bravas.

Escobar’s pizzas have always been a favourite, and that doesn’t look set to change. We ordered the Hawaiian, along with another bar favourite – Chargrilled Chicken Supremes – and had no complaints about either. Signature drinks include the Whisky Sour with a strong hint of orange, and a superb Escotini that mixes vanilla vodka, passion fruit puree and sparkling wine.