Plan B an American themed pub is located on Castle Street just off Brigade Road
started by a couple of friends. Why they named it ‘Plan B’ is something I'm trying hard to recollect. Anyways, Plan B has been on the Bangalore food scene for close to
two and a half years now and has been successful in making a mark in the hearts
of the foodies, music lovers and beer lovers. To be able meet demands of its
patrons, Plan B has spread its foot prints with the opening of another branch
and is aptly called ‘Plan B Loaded’. Having been a regular visitor to Plan B,
I’ll retain the focus of this review to just Plan B.
Menu:
We were
presented with the menu drafted on an oversized cardboard. After nearly 2 years
Plan b expanded on their original menu which ruled since the times they opened
doors to public. Coming to the present, their menu has really grown in terms of
listings. They now offer a much greater choice in terms of food selection. The
menu is well thought off from the perspective of both vegetarians and
non-vegetarians. The main offerings are mostly American/Mexican - wings,
burgers, steaks, tacos, Quesadillas etc with some Italian and Mangalorean
options available too.
What we ate:
There is
no visit I have ever made to Plan b when Chicken wings have not made it to our
table. You can choose between a dozen or half a dozen wings. Not just this, you
can pick sauces to suit various taste buds. Different sauces have been
classified based on their spice levels – Sweet, Mild, Hot and Insane. Considering
I love higher spice levels to the sweet or mild flavors, I usually call for
firecracker wings. A hint of sweet barbeque flavor is the first to be felt but
finally leaving a lingering taste of spices on the palate. To me, this is a
wonderful blend of flavor and spice. Here is my equation of Plan b and Chicken
wings:
Want
to eat chicken wings? Go to Plan b
Going
to Plan b? Do not miss the chicken wings
Moving on,
we called for ‘The Big Veggie’ burger for my wife. This came plated with potato
wedges and a sauce which looked like mustard-mayo sauce. We were wrong, it was
mango-mayo sauce and in a word it was awesome. Caught between the toasted buns
was a big veggie patty made of mashed potato and minced vegetables deep fried;
topped with cheese, sliced tomato and onion and herbed mayo. The burger was
non-spicy and was very mildly flavored with black pepper. In all, the big
veggie is a nice option for the vegetarians to pick and certainly very filling
for an individual.
In my most
recent visit to Plan b, my brother and I got insanely adventurous. I say this
because we dared to try the ABS sauce – the claimed insanely HOT sauce made
with lots of dried red chili. True to every word, we were literarily sweating
in a few seconds of taking the first bite and only imagined – If ABS sauce is
so insanely spicy; what would be the impact of Ghost chili (also known as bhoot
Jholakia)? Yet, not the ones to give up easily; we struggled to down 4 of the 6
wings served only to leave our lips burning of spices and our head sweating
profusely. After this insane experience I must say, “Adam Richman (host of Man
vs. Food a show on TLC), hats off to you for taking down so many wings
challenges.” Will I try it again? Definitely NOT!
‘Don’t be
a Chicken burger’ with 2 patties of minced chicken, topped with cheese, mayo
etc in between the toasted buns waited to be devoured. Like the veggie burger,
this too came with potato wedges and mango-mayo dip. The burger was meaty and
non spicy; exactly the way we would have loved, especially after the chicken
wings in ABS sauce.
Needless
to say, all of this was accompanied by chilled beer.
Verdict:
Plan b is
a quaint little place with rustic wood interiors and gives a feel of an
American neighborhood hangout. The crowd is quite peppy with a nice mix of
college students, working professionals and couples who hang out here for 3
main reasons - Beer, food and rock music.
The
service is quick with orders being dished out in 10 – 15 minutes even when the
pub is running full house (which means most of the times). Music is something
that I have always enjoyed here and nothing beats it when accompanied by good
food and beer.
Plan b
does not offer valet parking and it can get tough sometimes finding parking on Castle
Street especially if it is a weekday.
An average
bill for 2 which includes a couple mugs of beer, a starter and two main course
dishes will be about Rs. 1000 - 1200 plus taxes.
Quick Tips:
Plan b
does not take reservations but it’s worth taking a chance; for the wait may not
be too long.
Plan b
runs happy hours Monday – Friday; 12PM to 6PM except Fridays when it ends at 5PM.
Tuesdays are wings special. On this day you get a dozen wings for a price of 6.
Killer deal!
Go for:
Beer, chicken wings, good food, good music, in all; a good time.
Do not go
for: a quiet meal – the music is nice and loud and so can be the crowd.
Address: # 20, Castle Street, Ashok Nagar, Bangalore 560025
Phone Number: 080 - 41119225
