A Goa bartender bets big on Chennai with Roc-A-Coe, a 1930s-style cocktail bar

A man from Goa sets up a bar in Chennai. This may sound like a plot twist. But for Karl Fernandes — an experienced bartender-turned consultant — who just opened the doors of Roc-A-Coe to Chennai, this seemed like a natural progression.

“I’m an opportunist who looks at markets that are new. There’s a huge audience here that appreciates this whole art of mixology and cocktails. It’s nicer to step out into a less populated world because what you reap is much better,” says Karl.

menu spread
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Roc-A-Coe is a modern interpretation of a 1930s cocktail bar. The interiors are dictated by Art Deco influences, symmetry in lines, partitions with quirky posters of cocktails from the late 1920s and ‘30s, and a palette rich in brown, burgundy, grey and pops of teal. The bar, bathed in lights brighter than the rest of the space, commands attention first.

Karl who has been part of the F&B industry for 16 years, says he had been studying the Chennai market for two years before setting up shop here. What surprised him is the spending capacity and the appreciation people have for experiences. “That pushed me to open here,” smiles Karl, who has also been associated with Bar Tesouro in Goa, Bar Kin Ru in Hyderabad, and Permit & Co, in Mumbai. The market evolves very fast, so the bar menu was only finalised a month-and-a-half before it opened, he adds. The menu will keep evolving based on favourites and availability of ingredients.

While Roc-A-Coe was ready earlier this year, the team wanted to launch it at the same time the overhauled Khader Nawaz Khan Road opened. There is even a whisky-based drink — Cobbles & Hooch with lime juice and mango ginger cordial — dedicated to the new cobblestone path that KNK now flaunts.

roc
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The cocktail menu is divided into three: The first segment named The Vestiges of Old Madras, looks at Madras of yore, opens with Esplanade, First Served, because in the 1700s, Esplanade, in George Town, was where the whole era of drinking houses began. The old pubs were called punch houses then.

Given this city’s love for pickles, Karl and his team experimented with pickling techniques for the savoury cocktails. An ode to Madras, they have names like Black Town Bitter Paloma, #11 House Pour and The Keeper’s Preserve. Ingredients include raw mango brine, narathangai cordial, jackfruit, brined plum mix, and coriander. Chennai likes a savoury and sour palate, observes Karl. No wonder the Nine ‘O’ Clock Shandy, heady with tequila, beer, and a green savoury mix of cucumber, celery, and coriander is already a hit here.

Team at Roc-A-Coe
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The other favourite is The Rosette which falls under a section titled: Cool Cups and Dainty Drinks. This gin-based drink has a fragrant, fresh strawberry flavour and is adorned with a white chocolate bread (I could do with more of this).

The food menu is compact, a deliberate move to keep the attention on the cocktails. I get myself beef empanadas — addictive with minced beef, cheese and truffle oil, though the grey charcoal dip does not do anything for the dish; and bread and butter, the eternal comfort food jazzed up with sourdough bread, gochujang butter and spicy chickpea miso.

Chef Anburajakumar from Chennai helms the kitchen and Chef Adrial Branco from Goa is the consulting chef. “Chef Anbu reimagines the city in different ways for the menu with dishes like coconut crusted prawns, RAC butter garlic prawns, and chicken quesadillas, while young Adrial brings in modern interpretation of bar food with small plates like charred carrots, street-style crispy spinach, mush and chips etc.,” says Karl.

roc
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Although it is 6pm on a busy Tuesday evening, my next pour — from the Modern Art of Polite Drinking segment — makes me feel like I am on vacation on a tropical island. A pink flamingo gently bobs in my glass. I take a long sip of my boozy dessert cocktail and sway to the swing jazz that plays in the background. The first sip evokes notes of pandan and rum, and eventually custard apple and cream. This is Roc-A-Coe’s take on Pinacolada and I recommend this as much as the Horchata De Masula if you have a sweet tooth like me.

At this point, I am ready to call it a night but Karl insists not without trying the drink named after the bar. Roc-A-Coe it is. The bitter sweet symphony of vermouth and sharp, crisp flavours of dry gin blend well to give me a solid kick that makes me stumble back home singing happy songs and channelling my inner Shirley Temple. After all, I am in the 1930s.

Interiors of Roc-A-Coe
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Meal for two costs: ₹4,000. For details, call 8925977804. Roc-A-Coe is located at 11, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam

Published – March 23, 2026 03:33 pm IST