It was a lonely weekend evening in Pondicherry, a former French colony in the Indian East Coast. You will find a lot of bohemian cafes and would look perfectly at home in Europe, but this is Pondy. Some people here still speak French. The older ‘French’ part of town is full of quiet, clean streets, lined with bougainvillea-draped colonial-style town houses. Restaurants and ‘lifestyle’ shops here sell a seductive vision of the French-subcontinental aesthetic, enhanced by Gallic creative types. After experiencing a perfect blend of beach, heritage, adventure and culture me and my friends headed out to explore the not so lonely night streets in and around the older French part of the town looking for some Jazz Clubs. We stepped into Greasy Tin. Don’t get fooled by it’s name as it may sound like a motorbike themed cafe for weary riders. In fact it is. But believe me for the quintessential jazz club experience if you can’t afford to go to New Orleans then Greasy Tin it is. As you step inside you will notice the basses and electric Fenders hung up the wall. A wide variety of music magazines. We knew we were at the right place. This stylish, date night setting brings out a dressy crowd. The bar and kitchen menu was great. Wide variety of beer to choose from, as Pondicherry is famous for its tax free liquor stores. Food menu was mostly continental and we ordered their house special classic beef steak. While I prefered to drink Budweiser my friend ordered Jim Beam, told me it is the rockstar’s drink. As we went towards the stage the music became louder with heart thumping bass with perfectly synchronized piano tunes. And finally we were here enjoying the evening with some Jazz with a fusion of Rhythm & Blues. I requested the lead guitarist to play Red House by Jimi Hendrix but he told me some other guy is gonna play that. Soon he handed over his guitar to another blues guy. And there he played “Ah yeah! There’s a red house over yonder” The story doesn’t ends here. Soon the musicians were no strangers and were happy to chat after the show. So wandering around the French Quarter and beyond if you end up here, grab a bite or a drink while you take in a live jazz performance or whether you want to jam in the cozy Inn.
As always I love sharing in Google to help people and our fellow community out there to take decisions based on our experience as a Google Local Guide, I hope this post will help people out there looking to spent a cozy evening in Pondicherry.
What’s your favorite place to hangout in Pondicherry? Tell us in the comments below!