Many More Reasons to Visit Smoke House Deli, Bangalore

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It's been raining new menu introductions and this time it is none other that my favourite restaurants in Bangalore - Smoke House Deli. Smoke House Deli is a national brand and what's special about this newly introduced menu is that the new introductions are driven, crafted, and integrated completely based on the needs of the Bangalore market. It might be for the first time at Smoke House Deli that a menu is introduced in Bangalore and will be taken to the other cities and adapted there on.

The new menu has over 40 new dishes in categories like appetisers, soups, salads, sandwiches and burgers, pastas and risotto, mains, desserts and beverages. Phew! Without much ado we started with Wine Cosmopolitan in the company of a magnificent bread basket and an overload of assorted cheeses that came as a part of the SHD cheese platter.

Giving cheese platter a break, we moved on to the next round of drinks and it was SHD's twist to the classic mojito. In it's new avatar, the rum is replaced with bourbon whiskey which exudes a nice fruity and smokey taste and aroma . I enjoyed a couple of rounds of Jimi's mojito in the company of some starters which went well and kept good company for the drinks coming my way. Of the starters that arrived on our table, my pick was the 'Cheesy Chicken Triangles', 'Prawn Fritters with Mustard Aioli'.

The goodness of food only kept increasing from here with the arrival of two soups - a vegetarian and non-vegetarian. The vegetarian one was 'Full of Goodness Minestrone + Barley Soup' which was think and dense in texture and the flavors stood out beautifully. The non-vegetarian one was SHD's take on the Asian 'High Street Chicken + Noodle Soup' light and thin in texture with an equally good and aromatic broth. Dependant on weather I want a light or dense soup on my next visit, I'll pick one off the menu but on that day; I enjoyed the vegetarian one.

In the burgers, for the lamb lovers there is a South-West style lamb burger with sautéed onions, beans and chili as the works. This introduction is a testament of love from fans who enjoyed this burger during the burger festival a few months ago. Another burger that reads goodness is the Pulled Roast Chicken burger that come topped with Béarnaise sauce and a double cheddar melt. Mildly flavoured, this burger is for the ones who are limited to meat options.

From the salads and sandwiches what also well received were the 'Salad of Pear and Mango Chili Emulsion with Flax Seeds' and a 'Popcorn Shrimp & Chipotle Mayo Sandwich'.

From the very start, my brother and I knew we wanted to try the 'Coriander Crusted Basa with Saffron Coconut Rice' and the 'Chicken Schnitzel with Caper Sauce'. When it was time, we did exactly as planned. Each dish was wonderfully plated and was portioned generously for a person.

The fish had a lovely crisp and light crust, came topped with Veloute sauce (a french tomato based sauce) all placed on a saffron coconut rice base. It was indeed a medley of wonderful flavors and texture.

'Chicken Schnitzel with Caper Sauce' was crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside. Served in a cylindrical form like a bread roll, the chicken schnitzel was served on a bed of slides and roasted veggies. A nice wholesome meal in a plate it was.

Another main that we did sample from a friend was the slow cooked Brazilian pork belly that came with kimchi apples. What a fat chunk of belly it was! I'm not a big pork eater and to me this cut of pork belly was the biggest and the thickest I've ever seen. Loved it and if you love pork belly, this mean plate of pork can really mean a lot. What am I saying? I don't know.. Just get it on your table.

Now to the last course of our lunch; many await this and claim to have an additional stomach dedicated for the required sugar rush - Desserts. We tried 4 of them, each was better than the other but the top of the lot for me was the 'Oats and Caramel Tart' which was a real surprise package. This was followed closely by the 'Warm Apple Cake with the Vanilla Cardamom sauce' and 'Bitter Chocolate & Hazelnut Feuilletine'.

An average meal for two without alcohol will cost about Rs. 1500 plus taxes and charges. The new menu at Smoke House Deli is exhaustive and comprehensive in terms of offering to both vegetarians and non-vegetarians and also the alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage drinkers. For me, it's many more (new) reasons why I must keep visiting Smoke House Deli and so I believe will be the case with you once you've given their new menu a try.

Address: 1029, 100 FT Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 80 2520 0899

Street Food Fest @ Church Street Social, Bangalore

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Church Street Social never seems to get tired of bringing in and introducing innovative creations in the food and beverages segment. Celebrating a year since its launch, Church Street Social is hosting a #StreetFoodFest where in the best of street foods mostly from the country are being dished out in the very apt style Social is known for.

Available only till the end of this month, Church Street Social with visiting chef have customized and curated an elaborate menu with some great listing of foods available on streets. Going beyond food, the beverages too have received a quirky social twist. They are not just innovative but also bring in some nostalgia with drinks like Panpasand shots, masaledar nimbo-soda pani served in classic goti bottles and lots more. Does this ring the bell of nostalgia?

It was a crazy Saturday afternoon, and here's what I enjoyed the most and highly recommend for you to go and give it a shot.

SHOT! Well, that exactly what we started with. There was mango bite shot, hajmola shot, kaccha aam shot and do you remember 'PanPasand? Yes, Pan Pasand shot too. I tried the mango bit and the hajmola shot. It surely was a good start. Head out here for these assorted jars of shots. An assortment of 10 shots comes for a steal - Rs. 1299 only.

From the small plates what worked best for me was the Ballistic Bhajiya - a chilli bajji of the streets stuffed with cheese and the Punjabi Samosa which is a classic and came served with chutneys and pindi chole on the side.

In small plates non-vegetarians; it was the spicy and flavorful Malabar Chicken Lollypops,  the classic chicken kababs, Prawnstar (no there is no spelling mistake here) and what clearly stole the show was the Mutton Biryani Buritto. The mutton biryani buritto was topped with gooey cheese and stuffed with boneless mutton biryani. The meat was succulent and the flavors rich.

A street food festival without golgappa and other chaat items would be incomplete. Though chaats are usually something I really don't venture into beyond the streets; the names of these at Social intrigued me and I ended up trying two of the dishes from the menu. One that really impressed me was the was 'Karari Bhindi Ki Videshi Chaat'. 'Dimaag ka Dahi Bhalla' which another chaat dish I tried. For a moment, the name had me carried away thinking it might actually be a chaat dish that contains mutton brain. But that was just me the non-vegetarian being wishful. It was a Dahi Bhalla with a kick of wasabi in the curd and hence the name.

There were a host of classic stuffed parathas that came with a serving of makhan (butter), curd and pickle. Of the lot, I tried the mutton keema stuffed paratha and was bowled over by the flavor and the amount of meat stuffed in the soft, melt in mouth paratha.

Again, making us nostalgic were the servings of the goti soda bottles; yes the ones that used to be commonly available and sold by street vendors. Here, in goti soda bottles were really interesting cocktails like 'Masaledar Vodka Nimboo Paani', 'Gin and Ginger Soda', 'Raspberry Cream Soda Vodka' and likes. These were the 3 best drinks I liked and hence the specific mentions. 

Having gone through all this, of course in a good way; my attempt at mains was very limited. I was curious to try the 'Moilee Seafood Laska' and called in for a portion of it which came in the company of steamed rice. The flavors of the sea food were quite evident and I did enjoy eating this dish.

Desserts are and official finish to a meal and between our group of 9 we shared a portion of 3 desserts - Izzat Ka Faluda, Gulab Jamun Cheesecake and Tiramisu softie. Just the thought of eating a medley of Gulab Jamun and cheesecake did not appeal to me and so I didn't venture into it. I love coffee and clearly this Tiramisu stood out the most for me of all the desserts on the table. It was not the best Tiramisu I've had but was definitely a good one to end my meal on a perfect and happy note.

To sum it up, it was all street food in the confines and comfort of Church Street Social. Well, not just confines and comfort but also a nice Social twist to the classic street food preparations. An average meal for two has a good wallet factor. Including a couple of drinks and shots a meal will cost about Rs. 2500 plus taxes and charges. 

The festival is on till the 31st of March and can be best be experienced in a group for the sheer listing of interesting food and drinks. 

Address: 46/1, Cobalt Building, Church Street, Bangalore 560001

Phone Number: +91 80 4171 3016

Cocktails with Shatbhi Basu @ Harry's, Bangalore

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It was two evenings back to back when I got to meet Shatbhi Basu. On the first, it was an evening when Shatbhi introduced us to American Whiskeys and on the next evening, it as an introduction to the signature cocktails of the recently opened Harry's . Yes, the very same Harry's; one of the most popular bar from Singapore opened doors in Bangalore on Indiranagar's bustling location - 100 FT road. 

The evening started with us munching on some starters which included Margarita Pizza, Thai Chicken Pizza, Wasabi Paneer, Spicy Potato Chilli and Fried Lollypop Singapore Style. Of these the Thai Chicken pizza and the Wasabi Paneer was a big hit for its innovation. I tried some vegetarian stuff and liked the potato chilli starter and the classic margarita pizza. 

As we munched on some starters, we also got set to witness India's most renowned mixologist and beverage consultant Shatbhi Basu create some of the most famous cocktails that trail down all the way from Harry's Singapore. 

Coming from the legacy of Singapore, the first drink we witnessed being concocted was the ever famous Singapore Sling. This blush pink drink is a gin based cocktail and was originally know as 'Gin Sling' before getting its current name 'Singapore Sling'. This cocktail served on ice nicely brought out the flavor of gin, cherry, pineapple, lime and vermouth; some of the key ingredients.

The next drink was quite interesting. It was a tequila based drink which gets its prime flavors from pineapple and bell pepper chunks which were muddled and shaken with the other ingredients. I loved the complex flavors of this spicy and mildly sweet drink. Oh! What is it called? 'Pineapple & Bell Pepper Margarita'

The other cocktails that we tried on this evening were 'Harry's Old Fashioned' and 'Caramel Popcorn Matini'. 'Caramel Popcorn Martini' was a nice twist to the age old classic caramel popcorn. It had a lovely balance of flavors and vodka. 

Harry's Old Fashioned is a twist to the classic. The recipe is again flown down from Harry's Singapore where this was originally made at first. For me what gives a kick about this drink is the Cinnamon sugar rim with orange zest.

While this event was more about the mixology session with some good starters keeping company, I'd definitely want to revisit Harry's to be able to try some of their signature food which includes their Fish N' Chips, Nachos and the likes.

Address: No. 2006, First Floor, H.A.L. 2nd Stage, 100 FT Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore

"In a Shell" - Seafood Festival @ Bene, Sheraton at Brigade Gateway, Bangalore

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My love for the food at Bene has been quite evident in the previous blogpost(s) made. My visits here have been frequent and have continued to enjoy the food coming out of Chef Hemanth's kitchen. What appeals to me about Bene is the sophisticated and elegant ambiance, wonderful service and the consistently great food being dished out in each of my visits.

In my most recent visit early this week, I went on to explore the new menu at Sheraton that has been crafted for the ongoing festival 'In a Shell'. This 10 day long sea food festival boasts of dishing out exotic offerings from the oceanic life in a traditional Italian form. The menu is is not extensive but apt for a 10 day festival which is on till June 25th, 2014.

Our evening started off with the traditional serving of bread and spreads, a customary beginning at Bene. Keeping us company was a wonderful Australian red wine from Jacobs Creek. Over the course of dinner, I switched to a white wine by 'Two Oceans' from South Africa. 

Our  food course started with Anti-Pasti, 'Duo of Bruschetta' - One being slow poached prawn with a fresh cherry tomato and the other being steamed crab meat with pickled onion. Both were really nice but for me it was the steamed crab meat bruschetta that provided a kick-start to an evening of deliciousness. The meat was sweet and perfectly steamed to a melt in mouth consistency. The bread though was too thick for my liking. Meat as is but a slightly thinner bread would have made for a perfect marriage rather bruschetta.

Prawns Bruschetta

Crab Meat Bruschetta

Oysters in its raw form are the most commonly eaten form of oysters. In this form, you will either love it or totally hate it. Here, it was 'Oysters "Reinvented"', yes the name of the dish. It was fried oysters with agrodolce, fennel, onion and peppers. It was not slimy as I expected raw oysters to be but of course these were fried and not raw. I will probably have to eat more of it to really write more about it. 

Primo - For me the highlight of the evening was clearly the 'Seafood Chowder'. This was still the second course and I had made up my mind already. It was all fragrant and delicious bowl of earthy tomato base seafood broth with fresh clams, mussels, prawns and crab meat. Actually, I also remember seeing squid rings. I could have made a complete meal of just this one course which I will do on my next visit before the festival comes to an end.

Secondo - In the mains, my pick was 'Lobster, Asparagus & Pasta' which was a delicious looking open faced lobster ravioli with asparagus, vilted spinach and zucchini sauce. The lobster was perfectly cooked and was really easy to cut and melted in the mouth with no effort at all; clearly a preparation with a lot of love and care. The lobster came together very well with the pasta and the zucchini sauce which was of a wonderful consistency. What didn't work for me and and some friends on the table was the overpowering asparagus which actually killed the smooth and subtle flavors of this dish. Without the asparagus this dish is a clean sweep.

On the table, was another main which got rave reviews 'Smoky Pasta and mussels'. An innovation form the kitchen, the pasta was smoked and served with clams, mussels and crab meat in a tomato and basil sauce. As I dug into this, the smoke flavor was really clear and comes through very well. The seafood in it brought in a nice balance and texture to the dish. While many loved this dish, for me it was the Lobster ravioli that did the trick.

Smoky Pasta with Mussels - Shared between a couple of us for tasting

Dolce time: It was 'Walnut & almond tart' which came served with a scoop of Vanilla ice cream. I dont enjoy nuts in my dessert and this tart was too nutty for me. So for me this was a 'No'. For you? Well, I must tell you it was really rich and gooey though. So, if you like nuts, this one will sure please you.

A lovely coffee is a perfect and befitting end to a lovely Italian meal. So 'Cappuccino' it was.

Bene and award-winning restaurant by Sheraton at Brigade Gateway needs no introduction and especially if you have been following my blog or the FaceBook page, you know it all. As for the seafood festival, its delicious, is different in its offering and definitely a lot more that a mere fish festival. What impresses me is the pricing which is clearly the standard pricing of the regular menu at Bene. Yes, the prices here are not jacked up just because it is seafood festival yet, as one would expect from a brand like Sheraton - freshest of the seafood is procured each and every day. 

An average meal for two at Bene will cost about Rs. 2500 plus taxes and charges. It is definitely worth it and I urge you to go give this limited period menu a shot. 

So what are you waiting for? 25th June is the last day...

Address: 4th Floor, Sheraton @ Brigade Gateway, 26/1, Dr. Rajkumar Road, Malleshwaram - Rajajinagar, Bangalore - 560055

Phone Number: +91 80 4252 1000

Tiffin Box etc, Bangalore

Working in Whitefield, Many of us are in a lookout for a quick meal and buffet lunches fit the bill for the following few reasons:

- No hassle of reading through the menu, 

- Waiting for the food to arrive post preparation,

- Covers various meal courses.

What becomes difficult is to find the right balance between spread and pricing. Most of the times, the spread is too large for what can be enjoyed in a quick meal or the pricing is too high for the spread that is being offered. 

Being in close vicinity, I decided to give 'Tiffin Box Etc' located inside 'In Orbit Mall' a shot and must say, "I am happy to have dined there." It is a fast paced restaurant offering delicacies from various regions of India. The emphasis lays on the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western specialties represented by major cities of the regions. In addition it also has a focus on Brimingham which is famous for Chicken Tikka Masala.

Menu:

Tiffin Box Etc boasts of being the first of its kind restaurant that offers novelty tiffin box options like Bangalore Tiffin Box, Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi tiffin boxes on the menu. Each of these boxes contains delicacies specific to the respective regions. In addition this, there is a fair listing of A-La Carte selections and a lunch buffet that offers diners a fair spread at decent prices.

What We Ate:

We mostly focused on the buffet but also called for two of the tiffin boxes to get an idea of the offerings in it. The lunch buffet available Monday to Friday, includes a fairly sufficient spread of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. This spread includes a soup, a few salads, pickles, an appetizer each for both the vegetarians and non-vegetarians, mains, breads, rice and desserts.

Like always, my focus remains on the non-vegetarian food but based on the recommendation of my friends on the table, I tried the soup of the day, some papdi chaat and moongfalli vada from the buffet.

On the non-vegetarian front, I relished 'Chicken Tikka' - an appetizer was a nicely marinated boneless preparation from the tandoor. It was soft, juicy, succulent and went very well with mint chutney.

In the mains, it was 'Chicken Kohlapuri', 'Mutton Korma' that were delicious and were best enjoyed with fresh and hot butter naan which is served on the table.

Desserts offered on the buffet were blueberry cheese, caramel custard and butterscotch ice cream. Simple yet classic offerings. My favorite of the lot was the butterscotch ice-cream and the caramel custard.

While this was all about the buffet, in between we also tried a vegetarian Delhi and non-vegetarian Kolkata tiffin box. The Delhi tiffin had paneer butter masala while the Kolkata thali offered 'Kosho Mongsho Mutton' in the mains in addition to the rice, chapatti, yellow dal and gulab jamun which come with every tiffin. 

I absolutely loved the Kolkata signature; tender mutton in the 'Kosho Mongsho'.The flavor of the mustard with the other spices was bang on. The food was very much like home cooked food and the portions in the tiffin box were more than sufficient for two (may be with a side call of a few more chapatis).

Available on the a-la carte menu, the Nalli Nihari was another wonderful preparation from the kitchen of Tiffin Box Etc. Slow cooked mutton fell of the bone effortlessly and the gravy was rich in flavor. This makes for a delicious meal in the company of steaming hot white rice.

Verdict:

The buffet was really nice and did not go overboard in terms of the spread. Having said this, "I'd have loved to round of my mains with a serving or two of chicken or mutton biryani which apparently was not on the buffet that given day." Being an ardent lover of biryani, for me this was the only negative point in the buffet spread. The a-la carte presents some interesting dishes and the tiffin box concept is really nice and makes for a nice fixed meal menu for 2 in the company of some additional phulkas or chapati.

The ambiance is very simple yet very attractive with a lot of wall art, tiffin box lighting and more setting or representing the whole theme of TiffinBox etc. Very thoughtfully placed is a take away counter on the food court side of the restaurant where folks can do a quick grab and go lunch.

The buffet is priced well at Rs. 350 and an average a-la care meal for 2 will cost anywhere about Rs. 750 both exclusive of taxes and charges.

Quick Tips:

- Buffet is a great option for a quick meal with a nice spread to keep you content. 

- A-La Carte is available only for dinners on weekdays and both lunch and dinner on weekends. 

- Tiffin box is a great concept and the portions are large enough to share between two.

- Stay tuned to hear about the door delivery service of the TiffinBox meal...

- The counter in the food court is a nice option for a 'Grab N Go' meal.

Address: 1st Floor, In Orbit Mall, EPIP Industrial Area, Whitefield, Bangalore 560066

Phone Number: +91 80 2802 9599