Sofia is an experience, a feeling

As the evening shifts, and the music melts into new moods, everything begins to feel like a scene from a European film. Call Me Sofia is that in-between moment where the city pauses, the light softens, and evenings take their first delicious breath. It is described almost as a character rather than a bar and the idea behind it is interesting.

AD Singh states, “We've always had this space here. When we opened Olive back in 2000, we created India's first Moroccan bar here and introduced Sheesha to India at that time. It was very popular and a part of the wider Olive lifestyle experience. About 2-3 years later, I read about this ice hotel and tried to create racks and blocks of ice every evening with the Moroccan bar inside. That was also a really special, unique experience. It would be very cold, so we were doing shots and giving warm jackets to guests. That’s how we used the space for the first few years of Olive’s existence in Bandra. And now, as Olive approaches 25 years, we thought let's create a really cool bar here with its own identity and space, and a different menu, positioning and vision. So we created Call Me Sofia.”

He adds, “The thinking behind this was that, as the trend goes, I myself for example, end up starting my evenings drinking low alcohol drinks like aperitifs and light spirits. Very often, I don’t even go into the spirits that I used to have. So we’re finding that amongst the younger new audience as well, where many of them are not choosing to drink and they are having healthier evenings. They want to have fun, socialise, and party. But drinking is not a key component of that like it used to be for us. Therefore we thought, let’s create this aperitivo bar serving low-alcohol aperitifs, and a very conversational space starting at 6 pm. A space where you can go out, post work or begin your evenings early, where you can chat, converse, drink and have a lovely different experience.”

A unique concept in Mumbai’s nightlife

As a bar, Call Me Sofia is unique, and it’s the thinking that sets it apart from the bars in Mumbai. She puts her own spin on the rules of traditional bar culture, and this is the energy that breathes life into its cocktail programme, guided by Lead Mixologist Harish Chhimwal along with Chong, a seasoned mixologist, and Italian Chef Alessandro Piso. Their approach blends Italian flavours, Mediterranean nostalgia and a sense of storytelling.

AD points out that his team has integrated his vision, food and cocktails well. “For me, what's great is that I've got a really strong team across different aspects. It’s India's first Italian-styled aperitivo bar with a focus on aperitifs and lots of food prepared by Chef Alessandro Piso, who’s an Italian, and has worked well to get food that fits into this space. He really understood what kind of food should be there and has created a menu especially for this place. Similarly, our bar team led by Harish, who's Delhi based, has a lot of young and creative people,who are very spot on. They spent a few weeks getting the menu right for our cocktails.”

AD Singh sees this concept fitting well into Mumbai’s nightlife scene. “What's lovely to see in Mumbai and in India is that the consumer is very travelled, and very exposed, and wants new and truly international experiences. On its own, trends in drinking and dining are evolving. I think Sophia is not for everybody. It's not a high energy party bar, but I think that there is a very strong audience that will really relate to it, love it, and prefer being here than many of the other choices that we have in Bandra and in Mumbai.”

A new spin on the rules

At Sofia, the food does not overshadow; it enhances. The menu is made of small plates alone— beautifully plated, thoughtfully crafted, satisfying without weighing you down. Certain cocktails come with their own petite edible companions, flavour accents that create a sensory duet between sip and bite. And unlike traditional wine bars where dishes lead the conversation, Sofia flips the script: bartenders step out from behind the counter, move across the floor, speak to guests, and guide them first to the right cocktail.

The cocktails are driven by a low-ABV philosophy that champions aperitifs, lighter spirits, and a style of sipping that keeps the evening unfolding with charm and conversations that refuse to be rushed. Think Select, Campari, Vermouths and infused apéritifs layered thoughtfully to capture the lightness of Italian drinking culture, while still offering the comfort of familiar spirits like gins, vodkas, and bright house blends. There is whimsy in the glass: a traditional Caprese salad reimagined as a cocktail, a cantaloupe-infused selection that tastes like summer with a secret, or a house-made lemon–strawberry blend softened with merlot that flows like satin across the palate.

The bar’s aperitivo-driven philosophy reflects the broader trends in the food and beverage landscape. He explains, “India is a big country and there are many trends driving us. People are curious, so they want to try. At the same time, we are growing and want to know what are the trends defining us—for instance, being healthy, having fun, for sure, and we all want to go out, have a good time. There's much more disposable income today than there ever was. So I'd say that there's a range of customers and for many of them, they'd have to go to a place where they can chat, get really good cocktails and food, and have a great bar experience, not necessarily a drunken bar experience. So this aperitivo bar fits in very well here with great starters for the evening and low alcohol drinks. You can keep drinking, talking, eating, and it's all very gentle on you.”

Playful design with little surprises

The intimate bar is built around slow glamour and unhurried evenings—a mood that is translated into its design, operations, and guest experience. And the interiors echo this same philosophy of surprise and softness. The decor is gently, subtly, but unmistakably Italian.

There’s fun built into Sofia’s rhythm with whimsical elements: a cheeky little window where guests can simply ring a bell and an iconic tree that’s the heart of the bar. The design includes lemons, for example, whether in the plants or in the tiles, that truly stand out. The uniforms, the colours used are very Italian. These little surprises and playful touches are what AD is especially excited for guests to discover.

Designed by Sabina Singh, Group Director of Design, and her in-house team, the space has rustic Italian influences, brought alive with a refreshed palette.  “My wife Sabina Singh is our Design Director, and all this design is actually by her. I had the brief, and she translated that vision into what you see around you, and brought the whole design and elements together,” says AD.

He winds up the conversation with Sofia’s unique identity: “Call Me Sofia has got its own identity. It's different from Olive and stands on its own. My wish is that it attracts its own customers. People who like what we have here, the experience, and then they discover Olive too. Just like the Olive customers discovering Sofia.”

5 Mins with AD Singh

The vibe of this place

Cool

One dish you’re most proud of

Cheese Wheel

Ingredient you’re obsessed with

My family laughs at it because I try to sneak bacon into every meal. I'm a big pork lover.

Your comfort food after a long service

Ghar ka khana.

The cocktail you’d put your signature on

Espresso Martini Affogato with little bacon on the side. It marries all my favourite things — coffee, ice cream, bacon, and alcohol.

A food rule you love breaking

I don't think there should be any rules in food.

If the restaurant were a movie genre…

It would be a period piece, thanks to the styling, the vibe.

Your “secret sauce” as a restaurateur

The harder I work, the luckier I get. And I think that the success of the Olive Group has been hard work and building and supporting great teams. And that, I think, is the secret sauce of our success.