A place to visit this Winter

Situated amongst tall buildings of Pani Pokhari, Lazimpat is Pauline’s Rooftop, a bar that was opened in 2020 with the intention of becoming an after-work junction. At first, I was surprised to hear about a bar at Lazimpat because it is not a party hub of the valley. Regardless, I visited and was met by a pleasant surprise. With its cosy ambience and comfortable seating arrangements, Pauline’s Rooftop is a perfect place to take a break from everyday hassle. On top of flavoursome and unique cocktails and food, the warm setting and lighting really sets the mood to relax. 

I chose to sit indoors to escape the chilly winds of Kathmandu’s winter. The floor-to-ceiling window with leather-bound low height chairs along with harsh fluorescent lights created an adequate atmosphere where you can easily unwind yourself. The outside is surrounded by high-rise buildings and has heaters to keep you warm. I was making myself comfortable when Naresh Shrestha, owner of Pauline’s Rooftop brought me the menu. 

As soon as I saw the menu, the drinks menu caught my eyes. All drinks in the winter special menu were served warm and the theme of the menu was ‘Winter is Coming’. Naturally, all the drinks were also named after characters from Game of Thrones. The Lannisters/Rum Eggnog, Daenerys Targaryen/House Buttered Rum, Jon Snow/Classic Irish Coffee are some examples. As a fan of the series, I was very excited to try some of these drinks. 

My first order was Jon Snow, Classic Irish Coffee. The concoction of hot coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar and whipped cream in it was rich and flavourful. With an overwhelmingly sweet and rich taste, the drink lightened up my mood briskly. The drink was smooth to swallow like coffee and it left a delicious after taste of the whiskey in my mouth. All this time, the rich texture of the whipped cream stayed in my mouth.

As I enjoyed my Irish Coffee, Shrestha and I chatted about their unique winter cocktail menu. “The general understanding of most people when the word ‘cocktail’ is mentioned is usually a drink served chilled, preferable with ice. However, a cocktail does not mean just that”, Shrestha says. “We wanted our guests to enjoy their cocktails even in this growing winter. Hence we came up with our winter menu, especially for people who enjoy cocktails”, he explained. “Just like people have several options for winter and summer special dishes, we wanted to add alternative drinks to keep our customers warm in these icy-cold days”, he adds. 

Cocktails served at Nepali bars and pubs are mainly sweet and sour. People have not had the chance to try anything else in terms of cocktails. Shrestha explains that cocktail actually means mixture and is not limited to just sweet and sour flavours. “We intend to serve our customers with unique mixtures and blends of flavours, textures and drinks”, he says. “Our main goal is to make people understand that cocktails are more than pretty colours and sweet or sour flavours. It is more than just ice and soda”, he further adds. 

Around this time, Amrit Tamang, the head bartender at Pauline’s Rooftop brought me my next drink, Arya Stark, which was Twist on Old-Fashion, a classic cocktail with whisky, bitters, sugar and toasted walnut. This drink tasted more like alcohol than the first one and was delicious. I could feel the bitterness of the drink on my tongue as I took a sip. A subtle burn of the whiskey went down my throat as I swallowed. The taste of toasted walnuts hit my taste buds after, completing a well packed mixture of flavors.

Tamang enjoys working with different flavors and experimenting with textures, drinks and flavours. “I try to work with so many flavors here, sometimes I infuse with fats which are brown drinks”, he says. “There are a lot of fats you can play with. We burn bacon to remove its fats and then infuse it with drinks”, he adds.

Shrestha says, “We often experiment with local ingredients found in Nepal to create cocktails that are only found in Nepal”. Previously, they tried local ingredients like Shiitake mushroom and Jimbu, condiments that are easily found in the mountainous region of Nepal to make cocktails. After receiving a lot of positive feedback from customers, they were motivated to make new batches of it.

Tamang is very creative and loves experimenting with the drinks he makes. His talent and skills and bartending helps his creativity come to life. “I sit down and sketch and brainstorm ideas for my drinks for hours. After I think I achieved something, I ask Naresh and Pauline to try it first. Only then I take feedback from customers”, he says.

With such a friendly and equally hardworking staff, good cocktails and a cosy, relaxing environment, Pauline’s Rooftop is the place to go enjoy a drink or two after work. Occasional live performances by good musicians can also be enjoyed here.

Contact Details:

Phone No.: 014002711

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulinesrooftop

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulinesrooftop/

Address: Pani Pokhari, Lazimpat