New Rosebank spot is for a niche market

I must admit that when I heard that bar and nightclub, Capitol in Rosebank had closed down, I was a little disappointed.

I had some of my fondest and funniest tertiary girl night out moments there, but I guess it’s just a matter of out with the old and in with the new.

The Niche Lounge and Bar that replaced the old Capitol, made its arrival on Keyes Avenue in Rosebank a couple of months ago, and I had been dying to try it out.

My friend Sihle is a medical student and hardly gets to go out, so when she gets some free time we make it a point to go out for a cocktail… or two… and sometimes we just lose count.

When she called me up on Saturday, I thought we should head out to this new spot since I’d heard good things about the ambience and of course, the cocktails.

While waiting for her to arrive, the first thing I noticed was the corrugated, manly exterior of the new spot.

It immediately made me think that the new owner and well-known DJ, Tholi B, decided to create a place where he and his male friends could go have an early evening drink.

But having followed Tholi B on Instagram, it was clear through all his posts that he wanted to introduce a venue that was more than just another watering hole.

Eventually Sihle arrived and we made our way into Niche, which is said to operate from 3pm to 2am.

Walking in at 5.30pm my first thoughts were:

• For a place described not only as a bar but also a lounge, I expected a hostess or at least someone to greet us upon arrival… I was wrong as no one greeted us at the door or offered to seat us.
• Being the new hot spot, I was expecting to step into a venue filled with a happy hour crowd of mostly young professionals. But I was more than surprised that Sihle and I seemed to be the first patrons of the day.
• As beautiful as the furniture and lighting were, I am very laid back and I didn’t know how to feel about the bold white, black and grey décor.

One thing was for sure though: the interior design was sophisticated and elegant, and had that ‘if you don’t have money to spend, this place is not for you’ vibe.

We sat ourselves in a corner a little darker than the rest of the bar, giving ourselves a sense of anonymity, but were pleased that we were immediately handed menus by a lovely and friendly waitress.

Both Sihle and I were hungry and hoped we could start with an early evening supper, but unfortunately Niche doesn’t serve food.

A little disappointing, but the owner seems to have an agreement with the food establishment next door and we were given an option to order a light meal from there.

After a yummy bite to eat, we started on our drinks: a mojito for me and a cosmo for Sihle, and I was very happy they had chillis at the bar to accompany my drink.

I was quite happy with my mojito which was mixed well and seemingly, the barman didn’t hold back on the white rum either.

The decor and space make for a sophisticated ambiance, and the friendly staff made up for what the place lacked in personality.

Personally, I don’t know what I was expecting. But, with no cover charge and friends in the entertainment industry promoting this place as the “it” spot, I think Tholi B has created what will become one of the hottest bars in Jozi.

Sihle and I may not necessarily go back in the very near future but with all the hype around it and the prospect of seeing one of the live performances the venue hosts, I feel a second visit is on the cards.