Three reasons why The Bar Stock Exchange in Kurla, Mumbai, gets my vote: quirky concept, it's open air, and food is great!
The large open terrace at Equinox Business Park has been converted into an outdoor bar space where drinks don't have fixed prices. It's all based on the demand and supply that day! My sister says her biggest win was getting a rum and coke for only 19 rupees one evening. That's quite something I think. A large dynamic trading display board tells you what the current price for various drinks is, and shows you the highest and lowest prices for the day, in real time. All you need to do is download their app, which also shows you the trading board, and use it to place your order. I wanted a caprioska, and managed to hit the order button just in time to save myself 10 rupees! Now don't go rolling your eyes at me, every paisa counts.
Why an app to order instead of a waiter? That's a no brainer - the prices are constantly changing, so you need to be able to order instantly. Why no food on the app, to make it an all-inclusive mobile experience? No idea.
But I won't grumble for too long, since the food surpassed all my expectations and may even have been better than the drinks, and definitely worth the slightly slow service. So what did we eat perched on our bar stools out in the gentle spring breeze of a Bombay evening? Some chicken tikka kalimirch (that's chicken tikka with a black pepper marinade), chilly cheese toast (this is a very popular Indian snack special - grilled cheese toast with plenty of chopped green chillies), and a pizza with olives, mushrooms, basil and mozzarella. The chicken tikka especially was really very good. Succulent and spicy, ever so slightly charred. Overall, the food menu at Bar Stock Exchange is very extensive and varied - there are burgers and sandwiches, pasta and pizza, sizzlers and a tandoori selection, as well as momos, risottos, salads, Mexican, Italian, American and English starters, and "lavish dishes" on offer! The drinks menu does not disappoint either - imported and domestic wines, beers, spirits and liqueurs. And a separate menu for cocktails and shots.
If we didn't have a flight to catch that night, I reckon we'd have been there well into the morning! The novelty of the stock exchange concept wears off, as expected, so it's a good thing Bar Stock Exchange are more than just a quirky concept.