A Day At Unlocked – Bar, Kitchen, Escape Room

In this blog post, I cover the latest addition at 32nd Avenue by the name of Unlocked – Bar, Kitchen, Escape Room, the first Bar Lounge cum Escape Room in Delhi NCR that has everyone talking.

Think of how Delhiites look at dining these days and you’ll probably notice a commonality. With a myriad of food and beverage options available at their disposal, the new customer of today is indeed spoilt for choice!

He wants to taste the best concoctions, is not afraid to shake a leg … yet if you were to ask him to rate his overall dining experience, it’s hardly a ten on ten ever.

Like all young and talented entrepreneurs in the F&B space, Sanjali Nirwani also wondered how she could resolve this rigid dichotomy between customer satisfaction and profitability. 

Sanjali Nirwani

With Unlocked, her second venture, she successfully introduces her concept of ‘Eat, Drink, Play’.

To be completely honest, never before have I seen a designer board game collection with over 150 titles, including Catan, Coup, Exploding Kittens, Pandemic, Hanabi, and Scotland Yard - inside an imposingly fashionable and elegant restaurant.

Unlocked provides a familiar setup for casual dining, with the added comfort of modern board games that may turn out to be the X factor. Choose a classic to warm-up like Uno, Quoridor, or Dominoes. If you’re someone like me who takes his game night seriously, then go for a strategy game like Puerto Rico or the notoriously complex Terra Mystica.

Unlocked offers an expansively curated library, including quirky titles that are sure to leave you in splits with the best ‘Laugh Out Loud’ moments; a few games will cater to your competitive spirit with focused gameplay, elaborate rules, and cutthroat strategy. No matter what mood you’re in, there is always a board game for you at Unlocked!

Apart from board games, one of the major highlights around which the brand is built is the Escape Room, real-life gaming experience for a group of two to six people, where they need to enter a room called “The Explorer” filled with hidden secrets, cryptic clues, and intriguing puzzles. Once you’re locked inside the themed room, you and your team of investigators need to make your way out in flat 60 minutes or less.

Before entering “The Explorer” though, you’ll be briefed about the theme through a short AV clip. The theme has been inspired by Alexandra Lionheart’s adventures. Alexandra who? A British explorer who made her way to India way back in 1897. Her story revolves around revenge, black magic, and an Indian Prince who betrayed her love and trust. You have to find her necklace and unlock yourself from the room!

From the moment you step inside the Escape Room, spanning 3,000 square feet in covered area, you are drawn into a lifelike game. The bold hues of color combinations set the tone for an adventurous, fun-filled evening. With geometric shapes adorning each wall, featuring as partitions to effortlessly segregate spaces, all the while maximizing efficient circulation within it, the space borrows from the works of renowned Dutch artist MC Escher.

With interiors inspired by the works of Escher, Unlocked establishes its ground as the only restaurant in Delhi NCR to come up with an Escape Room.

Eat

The food menu at Unlocked is inspired by Sanjali’s travels to different parts of Europe. She leverages the latest culinary trends in global cuisine. Not only that, she focuses on sourcing the freshest produce to serve authentic flavors. All the dishes are made from scratch in-house.

The elaborate menu at Unlocked is replete with playful names and recipes. The food menu combines classic European cuisine, with subtle twists from in-house chefs. 

The selection of small and large plates at Unlocked brings together a mix of traditional classics and creative avant-garde cuisine. And they also have an Avocado story, dedicated to your love for the fruit!

To get your meal off to a delightful start, try the Homemade Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil, and Balsamic. A huge dollop of cheese has never ceased to put a huge smile on my face!

My other favorite dish at Unlocked, the Smoked Salmon Fillet with Horseradish Cream, will burst delightfully in your mouth. The slight peppery flavor from the horseradish cuts through the smooth fillet, with the freshness and rich taste retained impeccably.

If you are looking for something lighter while strategizing a game of Battleship, go for the Bianco or Quattro Formaggio Pizzas, overflowing with the goodness of cheese!

Fun Fact? If you’re here with your pooch, flip over paw-some treats from their Pooch-Patio menu!

Drink

At a time when crafted drinks are securing their place in the Indian culinary landscape, Unlocked has roped in their ace mixologists to carefully curate a menu of delicious full-proof drinks and libations. 

For Potterheads like yours truly, it was absolutely outstanding to see a collection of Harry Potter Cocktails – Unicorn Blood, Polyjuice Potion, Amortentia, Wolfsbane Potion, and The Goblet of Fire.

From classics like the Whisky Sour and cocktails from the prohibition era like the Old Fashioned to new twists on Gin Tonics and signature board game-themed drinks like Intervention and Exploding Kittens, Unlocked serves some of the most innovative drinks Gurugram has to offer.

For those on a detox, try their cold-pressed juices and fresh kombucha, both of which are made in-house. If you don’t mind indulging in sugar-sweet ice-cold drinks, take a look at their thirst quenchers. And of course, there is freshly brewed cup of coffee, like always.

The What Do You Meme classic is a throwback to simpler days when playing board games was a luxury, reserved only for weekends or summer holidays. Combining cold-pressed pineapple juice, delicious homemade plum jam, and whiskey, it is a refreshing and unique blend, just like the game it is named after.

Unlocked also has a curated list of gin and tonics, among which the Red Wine Cordial stands out. The wine is balanced by the gin, each showing its individuality. The revered Savoy Bar in London serves as the inspiration for the drink, served in a chic wine glass. And while you’re at it, click and post a picture and see your social media explode!

Play

Unlock your inner child to rediscover that sense of play and joie de vivre, as soon as you enter the space. They’re dead serious about having fun, albeit in the good old way.

It might be a great idea to disconnect from your screens while playing. Who needs a desktop in any case when you have the table-top games. You won’t even feel the need for smartphones. Escape into a much richer, more intriguing mystery with the Escape Room.

At Unlocked, everything from the food, cocktails, and board game library to the Escape Room is designed to bring you closer to the people you’re with. This time, unlocking involves stepping into a different world–in reality, and together!