Perched on the 24th floor of the Movenpick Hotel is their swanky rooftop bar ‘Vistas'. Fancy cocktails, delicious tapas, and stunning views are a few things attached to its name.   

AMBIENCE 
While Movenpick sits at the heart of Colpetty surrounded by tall skyscrapers, their rooftop bar boasts a stunning view of the Indian Ocean. An open-air lounge, Vistas occupies a good portion of the 24th floor with its scattered seating.  From couches to lounges and hightop tables, the bar has a range of different seating options to choose from, depending on your mood and this spaciously scattered seating gives plenty of privacy. 

What's even better about Vistas is that they don't have loud, can't – hear – each – other- talk music playing in the background so we were grateful to have a conversation without having to scream over each other. Instead, a few muted upbeat tracks played in the background as we continued to sip over our cocktails.

The best time of the day to visit would be during the sunset. You have an unspoiled view as the sun sinks into the waves and then an uncensored view of the clouds changing colour into hues of pink, purple and orange. 

DRINKS 
The Drinks menu at Vistas is a glossy magazine full of quirky quotes and tempting pictures. While they have a massive range of beer, imported spirits, and wine, their curated cocktails are the real showstoppers. 

Their shining glory (in our biased opinion) is the Achcharu. Tastefully presented in a martini glass, this is a cocktail made with achcharu pulp and tequila. For Rs.990, we thought the cocktail is well worth the price because we absolutely love the flavours of the cocktail. The achcharu pulp made with mango, ambarella, and pineapple was given a burst of spice with the inclusion of black pepper and chili flakes. The spicy pulp together with a dash of tequila had the perfect spice factor for a cocktail and if you don't want an alcoholic beverage, you can order it as a virgin mocktail!

We then tried what is dubbed as the ‘ladies' drink'; the Winking Pinky (Rs.990). True to its name, this pink cocktail was a concoction of vodka, pink guava, strawberry liqueur and lime juice. Neither sweet nor sour, the drink has struck a perfect balance and we can confidently say that even gents can enjoy this drink too! 

We were also curious to try out their Ebony (Rs.1190) which envelopes all things chocolate and sweet. Nutella, Oreo and Butterscotch ice cream with a dash of cognac, this cocktail is a complete sugar rush. The drink is very thick and because of the overwhelming taste of the Nutella and butterscotch ice cream, the taste of cognac is barely there but if you have a sweet tooth, we doubt you'd mind!

Other interesting cocktails on the menu include the Gal Pol (coconut arrack, soursop and passion fruit puree), Nanana Na Banana (vodka, banana, almond, milk and cinnamon powder) and the Blonde (vodka, coconut ice cream, mango, whip cream and corn flakes). 

FOOD 
Their tapas menu has a variety of twenty or so snacks to choose from. A combination of local flavours and international dishes, the menu is an eclectic assortment of cuisine.  

You can always judge a bar by their HBC and we weren’t about to let Vistas HBC go untried. At Rs.990 their Hot Butter Cuttlefish is a generous portion of crispy battered cuttlefish rings tossed in garlic, onion and capsicum. The cuttlefish was perfectly cooked, soft and melting in the mouth. 

We then tried their Moroccan Style Lamb Wrap (Rs.1150) which is four pockets of soft pita bread stuffed with pulled lamb and chickpea filling. The lamp shoulder is slow cooked for 7 hours, shredded into pieces and tossed together with spicy chickpea, capsicum, onion and chili filling. Accompanied by a dip, the pockets of lamb were filling and delicious! Each pocket had plenty of filling that it was almost falling out of the wrap and the overall flavours of the dish were savoury and tasty.

With the recommendation of the staff at Vistas, we tried their Hummus (Rs. 850) which was our surprise dish of the day. Creamy and zesty, this hummus had authentic Turkish flavours and we just couldn’t get enough. Served with soft pita bread, we cleaned the plate in seconds. Hummus is usually not really a tapas you’d think you will want with your drinks but their take on Hummus is so genuine it’s worth taking a risk and trying it out! 

Finally, we had their Chicken Sliders (Rs.1150). The chicken slider features three tiny chicken burgers on a platter. These mini burgers each feature a meaty patty, caramelised onions, fresh lettuce, and tomatoes. Though small in size they are very stuffy so you do get your money’s worth. The platter is also accompanied by three batter-fried bites of camembert bites and this oozing cheese bite is the perfect accompaniment that ties the whole dish together.

For dessert, we tried their Chocolate – Walnut Brownie (Rs.750). Served as a popsicle, this dessert is heavy on the chocolate side. A gooey chocolate brownie is covered by a frozen chocolate ganache and served with honey and nut crackling.

SERVICE 
The staff at Movenpick is generally well trained so it comes as no surprise that the staff at Vistas were very accommodating and friendly. They have a good knowledge of their menu and have no hesitation in shooting off a few recommendations when you are stuck. They also pop by from time to time to ask if you are satisfied with your meal and you never have to wait around for service.

OVERALL – Very Good
All in all, Vistas didn't disappoint. They've got a killer view, some yummy cocktails and some delicious food! They even have a very good shisha set up for anyone who is interested. Friendly staff was a plus point but our selling point on Vistas is that we walked away with no complaints in mind!

Pictures by Zeeshan Akram Jabeer