Mumbai’s first Skate Spot at the brand new Khar Social

Written by

Suprio Bose

06 Nov 20155 min read11,646 views

#Riyaaz Amlani#Social

Khar’s quiet and snaking bylanes have known to been home to many things nice, and now this neighbourhood is in for a quite a surprise – a brand new Social opens its doors there, and plays host to the country’s first ever Skate Park inside a restaurant.

Roll into this fourth Social outpost in Mumbai, where you can sip on the Longest Long Island Iced Tea while skater boys and girls from the neighbourhood glide around on their DIY boards against the backdrop of a wall spray painted by artist Hanif Kureshi. Conceptualised by Social and put into action by British ace skateboarder Nick Smith in collaboration with Red Bull, this one-of-a-kind skate spot hopes to be home to the city’s burgeoning skater community.

‘The skate scene in Mumbai is at a tipping point and the city is going to benefit from this new skate spot – I need to thank the guys at Social for having the vision to include a space for skateboarders at their latest café’, says Nick. ‘For me to be involved in this is akin to being invited to come and make history. I’ve hung out with many of the skaters up here in Mumbai and know how long they’ve waited for something other than flat ground to skate. The design of this park is basically a bowled out mini-ramp offering scope for tons of technical tricks! I’m absolutely blown away by Social’s open invitation to skaters to come and use the spot 7 days a week – this alone will be such a shot in the arm for the scene.’

‘What I love about Social, as a brand, is that it’s so malleable – it’s come to be seen as shorthand for counter-culture, which allows Social to reinvent itself with every outlet, and create fun, unique venues with every opening. The inspiration for the skate spot emerged during a trip to Dharavi, where one can find local boys gliding by on homemade, DIY boards. We also realized that the city doesn’t have a dedicated space for skateboarders. They are usually skating along Marine Drive or BKC which is not always safe. This spot aims at bringing passionate people to a community centric space giving them complete freedom to skate and make new friends breaking possible socio economic barriers’, says Riyaaz Amlani, CEO and MD, Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.

The Interiors

Designed by talented Sameep Padora and Harshat Verma of Studio sP+a, this 3500 sq. ft. two-storeyed space is an ode to a city that is perennially building, drilling, grinding and welding – one in which signs (and the sounds!) of construction are everywhere. It draws from low income-housing and its interiors embody the word the ‘Jugaad’ – that is a low-cost, quick and ingenious solution to any problem, with building materials commonly used to create temporary and inherently flexible structures, in a space of leisure. Everything at Khar Social is 100% upcylced, true to Social’s vision of using sustainable materials. The furniture has been crafted from repurposed construction goods. The table tops are discarded timber framed doors, in the state they were found, with peeling layers of paint and the lights have been sourced and repurposed from doctors’ rooms!

The Work Space

Social will also continue in its endeavor to help artists, designers and innovators (and now skaters) collaborate in its co-working space, the largest of all Socials in Mumbai. Here you’ll find conference areas and independent work bays with over 80 seats that can serve as your next office, at a fraction of Khar’s monthly rent.

The Food & Drink

The menu stays true to the brand’s playful, comfort fare, putting a gourmet spin on street food, served in an interesting manner. The food is about departures from routines and deviations from the norm. The menu combines ingredients, cultures and presentation styles from around the world to open up your taste horizons and let your mind make connections that you wouldn’t ordinarily make. Here’s where street food from the world gets as much spotlight as a gourmet meal. What makes the food even more interesting is how it’s served – depending on what you order, it could arrive in glass jars, tins, griddle pans, enamel plates and even wooden spiked boards!

The drinks keep up with the innovative food, with cocktails like the Deconstructed Moscow Mule that is served in a mule mug, with a beaker tied up in muslin cloth, smoked vodka and a pipette of bitters. The Reaction is served in a glass beaker with an injection syringe full of vodka and Blue Curacao. The drinks are memorable, and easy on the wallet. The idea is to make drinking fun and Social again, and rest assured, you will not be affected by the #damages