Travel Diaries - Breakfast @ Hot Breads, Pondicherry

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Back in the days as a kid, I'd visit my grandma who lives in Coimbatore. In the heart of R.S Puram; there was this lovely bakery dishing out some delicious breads, savoury eats and pastries. Not sure if it even exists now, the memories this place lingered in the back of my mind. On my first visit to Pondicherry, I was sure that my very first meal there had to be a french meal that'd involve crossaints, pastries and coffee to wish for the least.

Passing through canal road, Hot Breads was a random find that brought back old memories to the forefront. Since this visit,  it's been a regular joint that I visit on arriving at Pondicherry. This might be an understatement because in reality; the first place of visit on arriving in Pondicherry for this hungry soul is always Hot Breads.

It's an a-la-carte cafe cum bakery. They serve up some delicious eggs made to order, gourmet breads to accompany, croissants - both classic and with a twist, danish, coffees, desserts and a lot more. One can choose to dine in here or take food to go. The place is nothing fancy without any thrills from frills. The food here too is soul satisfying.

While there might be better places in Pondicherry for breakfast; in its segment it's hard to not fall in love with Hot Breads. It's got good food freshly baked as replenished, nice service, centrally located and is pocket friendly and worth every penny. Over numerous visits, I've eaten a lot and still love going back there for more. Here's what been relished over the course of various visits to this place:

Any day Breakfast - Omelette, Toast & Orange Juice

Croissants

Chocolate Danish

Spanish Omelette

Cuppa to kick start the day

Hint of added sweetness

The Pastry Counter

mmmBurger Festival @ Smoke House Deli, Bangalore

My tryst with Smoke House Deli began with a friends visit one Sunday afternoon. It was an afternoon that left each of our stomach and heart very well satiated. The food was fabulous; most of the dishes hit the good notes be it the appetizers, the burger, Italian or continental. Desserts provided for a perfect end to a fantastic meal. This was enough to make for a good reason to visit Smoke House Deli again and again.

Burgers have always been successful in tempting me into submission. And this is what happened when I  heard about 'mmmBurger Festival' being hosted at both - 'Indiranagar' and 'Lavelle Road' outlet. One fine evening, I ended up at SHD with a cousin and no points for guessing, it was an evening spend over conversations and burgers.

Menu:

First off, the special Menu - mmmBurger Festival menu. specially crafted by the chefs at SHD. This special menu on offer till 8th June, has an interesting selection for burgers and something for everyone; be it vegetarian and non-vegetarian. In addition to this, their regular menu is also on offer so there is plenty to choose from if you do not wish to go for burgers.

What We Ate:

Burger.. Burger.. Burger.. Yes, we tried 3 of the burgers that evening. It was 'Fried Chicken with Peri Peri Sauce', 'Lucy's Juicy' and the 'South-West Lamb Burger'. We also called for a martini each which we drank while the burgers arrived. All burgers come with a generous potion of french fries and a small portion of side salad. 

The star of the evening on our table was the 'Fried Chicken with Peri Peri sauce'. Do not get deceived by the hint of sweetness as you bite into it because by the time you think of peri-peri, you will then be introduced to the heat that comes from the sauce. What a wonderful transition! If heat is what you love then this has got to be your pick making this festival a must visit. 

'South-West Lamb' was a burger that I looked forward to get my hands on. A first bite into it and I could say the meat was of great quality and cooked perfectly to keep it moist and juicy. What did't work for me though was (in random bites, not all) a mystery ingredient that brought in a distinct flavor. Must have been a one off thing because a few friends who gave a shot at the SHD mmmBurger menu loved this burger.

'Lucy's Juicy' was an interesting take on the original Jucy Lucy, introduced and made famous by 5/8 Club (well, this can be debatable), Minneapolis, MN, USA. The original is a mined beef patty which comes with melted gooey cheese oozing out of the center of the patty on the very first bite. Here, it was the chicken patty with the melted cheese oozing out. This was nice but I'd have preferred the patty to be a minced lamb patty instead of chicken for the sheer flavor lamb meat imparts.

While these burgers will be gone post 8th June, I find solace in the super delicious Lamb burger from the regular menu at Smoke House Deli. I have enjoyed eating this on numerous visits and am glad it is a part of the regular menu.

For dessert, like always we indulged in a White Chocolate and Orange Creme Brulee.

Verdict:

The food, ambiance and service standards here have been quite consistent making me want to visit SHD on a time and again. The burger festival per say has a very interesting menu and some burgers do make their presence felt. A burger meal for 2 without drinks will cost around Rs. 800 plus taxes and charges and is more than sufficient to keep you away from hunger for the rest of the night.

SHD offers valet parking in both the Indiranagar and Lavelle road outlets.

Quick Tips:

This special 'mmmBurger Festival' menu is available only till the 8th of June. Go give it a try; it surely is worth a visit.

Read more about Smoke House Deli Here - SHD Review

Address: Ground Floor, No. 52 & 53, Lavelle Road, Bangalore 560011

Phone Number: +91 80 4127 6272 

Smoke House Deli, Bangalore

"When are we meeting?" was a question one friend asked. Almost instantly, the others replied, "this weekend."

The conversation ended here for the rest of the week. Come Saturday and we go all around Bangalore before we all strike a chord for our lunch meet up..

Where?

The much heard and talked about restaurant currently - Smoke House Deli.

Menu

We usually are at least 8 of us and an extensive menu of food and drinks always excites us. Smoke House Deli has one such Menu - An extensive listing of both food and beverages. 

The food menu includes varied cuisines primarily European and Continental while the beverages menu is very impressive too. It holds a range of very interesting cocktails like smoked pineapple mojito, smoked melon martini etc. They also have an additional placard style menu for the appetizers. Both vegetarians and non-vegetarians are well thought out for by Smoke House Deli and this can be said from their menu listing.

What we ate:

It was a lovely Sunday we spent over a couple of drinks, loads of fabulous food, fun and conversations. Being a good number of us on the table, I think we covered every section of their menu, well if not everything, it has to be pretty much everything. Let’s go over a pictorial review of what we ate at Smoke House Deli and what we think about it:

The Customary Start: Assorted Bread Basket

Breakfast Section: Yes, they have a section on their menu listing breakfast dishes like cereals, pancakes, scrambled eggs, range of omelet, French toasts etc. The good news, all of this is available all day long.

Masala Omelette

Appetizers - These are listed on a placard placed on every table. Our pick included:

Chicken Fritters: Dry and chewy meat; Can be avoided

Three Cheese and Jalepeno Toast - Gooey cheese and crunch bread. A good pick

The Cottage Cheese and Chicken skewers were delicious with chicken being juicy and tender and the cottage cheese - melt in mouth.

Spiked Cottage Cheese Skewers

Coriander Chicken Skewers

I am not very fond of mushrooms, but the mushroom lovers on my table liked the Mushroom crostini.

Mushroom Crostini

Moving on from appetizers, we decided to go with 2 Italian dishes, 1 burger and 2 Smoke House Deli signature mains. In Italian, for us it was the Ravioli that stole the show. 

Spinach & Ricotta Cheese Ravioli

Do not recollect the name of this dish

The cottage cheese steak was nice and crunch on the outside with well seasoned and minced cottage cheese on the inside. Ratatouille provided a nice blend of flavors and texture to this dish. 

Cottage Cheese Steak with Ratatouille

The Lamb burger was delicious and was all eaten up without ever being placed back on the plate.

Fish 'N' Chips - another SHD special was fabulous. The fish was flaky and moist; perfectly cooked with encased in a really light and crispy fried batter coating. 

Desserts – We were over stuffed with a lot of food and drinks but were in no mood to settle without desserts. We thought we could do with 4 desserts to share but the decadent looks got us calling for 5. The best we liked was the White Chocolate and Orange 'Creme Brulee' closely followed by the 'Hazelnut Mousse Flan'. The 'Raspberry and Oreo Cheese Cake' was nothing exceptional. Oreo only constituted to the crumble base. To our surprise, the 'Molten Chocolate Cake' was a total disappointment. The melting chocolate or the cake lacked any trace of flavor and sweetness.

Hazelnut Mousse Flan

The super delicious White Chocolate & Orange 'Creme Brulee'

Raspberry and Oreo Cheese Cake

Roasted Almond Ganache Torte

Molten Chocolate Cake

Verdict:

It was an afternoon that left each of our stomach and heart very well satiated. The food was fabulous; most of the dishes hit the good notes be it the appetizers, the burger, Italian or continental. Desserts provided for a perfect end to a fantastic meal. The only disappointment being the molten chocolate cake. 

The cocktails were a disappointment with Bellini being an exception. The smoked drinks like the melon Martini lacked any smoked flavor; the smoked pineapple mojito was not very refreshing and also lacked any flavor of pineapple.

The ambiance was really captivating. We got to sit by the lovely glass facade that provided for natural light. The interiors are done up in all white adding to the brightness. The service started off on a weak note but caught up really well for the rest of our visit. The staff seemed well informed about their menu. They were quick to suggest when asked for an opinion. Everything we ordered was served well in reasonable time. The food and desserts were well plated too. The portions are well sized and more than sufficient to feed a very hungry person.

A worry on a busy 100 FT road has to be Parking space. You need not work, Smoke House Deli provides for Valet service.

Two diners can have a good and relaxed meal at an average cost of Rs. 1500 (without alcohol) plus taxes.

Quick Tips:

To me, Smoke House Deli definitely qualifies to be one of the restaurants I’d love to visit again and again. I’ve already been here 2 weekends back to back and look forward to visiting them soon.

The menu is extensive but from what I've eaten so far, here are my recommendations for when you are at Smoke House Deli –

Spiked Chicken Skewers, Smoked Lamb Burger, SHD Fish ‘N’ Chips, Spinach and Ricotta ravioli, House spiced smoked Chicken with 5 spice Jus. To give a perfect end to a lovely meal, do not miss the White Chocolate and Orange ‘Crème Brulee’.

Address: 1029, 100 FT Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 80 2520 0899

Pasta Street, Bangalore

Pasta Street, a relatively new restaurant made its presence felt on Cunningham road a couple of months ago. This restaurant has been on my list for a couple of months now. This Sunday I finally headed here for lunch with my wife who was looking to grab some Italian food. We did go here with some expectations that were set based on the feedback from my brother who had dined here a couple of weeks ago.

Menu:

The menu comprised of a long list of pastas and pizzas for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians with some options of lasagna available as well. To whet our appetite the menu also listed garlic bread and bruschetta with a variety of toppings. In addition to this there were non-alcoholic beverages like tea, coffee, mocktails etc.

What we ate:

For starters, we called for a mixed bruschetta which was an assorted platter of pesto, red pepper sauce and marinated tomato bruschetta. The platter was very appetizing with the toppings giving a good flavor to the perfectly toasted bread.

In the mains, we picked ‘Rocket Pizza’. This was a 9 inch; crispy, thin crust pizza topped generously with pickled jalapenos, green chilies, green pepper and something called rocket leaves. The pizza was very light and crispy. It did taste spicy for it was topped with chopped green chilies but definitely not as spicy as the name would have suggested. In all, we like this one.

Our second pick in main course was fusilli pasta was Primavera veg sauce which came along with a slice of toasted garlic butter bread. Primavera sauce was a rich and creamy mixture of cream sauce and tomatoes, assorted peppers and zucchini with some black olives thrown in on our request. Needless to say, “it was a big hit with the two of us.” The portion was very good with one dish being more than sufficient for a person. Having arrived after the pizza, finishing the pasta would have been a big task had it not been for the taste to which we gave in.

We ended our meal with a nice cup of hot green and Assam tea.

Verdict:

Though the food was really good, the service was a disappointment. We had to wait really long to place our first order, food service took longer than usual, we had to look out for the staff every time we needed to place an order. So much so, we sat unattended post lunch before we could spot someone to call for tea. On observing, we also spotted other diners around us disappointed with the service.

We were on a two wheeler and finding parking on Cunningham road was easy. However, for four wheelers, they do not have valet parking and trust me finding a place to park on Cunningham road can be a task.  

A meal for 2 here would cost an average of Rs. 600 + taxes for two. I must say, it is money well spent.

Quick Tips:

While the service is slow, the food served is fresh, hot and delicious.

Address: 27/2, Chicago Avenue, Cunningham Road, Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 80 40975678

Secret Garden Cafe, Bangalore

Secret Garden Cafe is a nice quaint little place located at the end of Edward Street off Queen’s road on the terrace of a lovely bungalow. Tucked away in one corner, what caught my wife’s attention was how this place has distanced away itself from all the hustle and bustle of the city yet located in the very heart of Bangalore. This has been on my list of ‘to visit’ places for quite some time now. Finally the day arrived when my wife and I decided to head out for a Saturday lunch and I just knew ‘Secret Garden Cafe  is where we should head.

Menu:

The menu changes frequently and is listed down on a big black board placed on a stand. This board along with the stand is moved around the cafe from one table to another as the need arises. The menu is limited to a few dishes under salads, mains, dessert and some non-alcoholic beverages category; yet offering enough variety for both the vegetarians and non-vegetarians to choose from. The menu on our day comprised of some salads, European and continental, Parsi, and Moroccan dishes along with some cheese cakes and other desserts.

What we ate:

We started off with a very refreshing salad of avocado, tomato and figs to share along with a glass of ice tea each. The salad was a wonderful cocktail of flavors and textures – juiciness of the tomato, sweetness from the fig, creaminess of the perfectly ripened avocado, crunch of the sweet vinaigrette soaked lettuce. Must say, we were happy to have gone by the recommendation of one of the owners of this café.

For the mains, it was Moroccan veg Tagine and cous cous for my wife and Greek Moussaka and minced lamb for me. Moroccan Tagine was a flavorful assortment of chick peas, sweet potato dry fruits and more all served up with cous cous. My wife was all praise of the dish.

I was happy savoring the Greek Moussaka which was baked dish of minced lamb chunks, veggies served on a bed of eggplant slices and topped with a generous layer of cream and cheese. This dish was creamy and delicious. This was all mopped up by me in no time.

The portions here are good and well sufficient for one person. Having had a main each and a salad too share, we decided to share a dessert too. Our pick was ‘Passion fruit cheese cake with mulberry sauce’ which was a slice of passion fruit flavored cheese cake in the middle of a plate filled with mulberry sauce. Nice… The cheese cake had a mild passion fruit flavor and the tanginess of mulberry sauce was a good accompaniment to tickle one’s taste buds.

Verdict:

A first glance at this cafe and we were reminded of the cafes in Pondicherry housed on the terrace of residences that are run or rented out by food lovers. This place had a very relaxed non-restaurant like feel. The occupancy was about 50% which was a good mix of Indians and foreigners who came in as groups or just couples and spent time savoring the food, along with enjoying the ambiance and weather of Bangalore and/or reading a book.

On the service front, one of the partners attended to diners while another along with staff managed the kitchen. The show is run with minimum staff with each managing more than one department unlike a restaurant where normally each staff member is assigned a specific role to play. The service was friendly, prompt and fast. This cafe has an open kitchen and at no time it was difficult to grab one’s attention to our table. The food served was fresh and hot.

Located in a residential street, finding parking was not difficult. Yes, they do not offer valet parking.

For all the food we ate and beverages we consumed we paid about Rs. 1100 all inclusive.

Quick Tips:

Secret Garden Cafe is only open for lunch, Monday to Saturday. Sundays are holiday. This is definitely a good secret to know and I am most certainly going back here. 

Go here for a good food, chilled out ambiance  escape from the cities hustle and bustle (yet being in the heart of the city). 

Address: # 7/1, Edwards Road, Off Queens Road, Bangalore 560052

Phone Number: +91 80 41131365

Willy Vanilli, Bangalore

Quite often we friends tend to hang out in Koramangla for the fact that – one; a common meeting point is a friends restaurant, two; a couple of us love the momos served on the street side there and three, we love the burgers and sandwiches at Willy Vanilli (WV). This is exactly how we land up at Willy Vanilli every time. Multiple attempts have been made by us to skip rest of the places and head straight to WV. All I can say yet is, “We need to make a couple of attempts more.” WV can be classified as a cafe with simple yet nice interiors. The cafe has both indoor and outdoor seating.

Menu:

The menu mainly comprises a vast section of burgers and sandwiches. To give them company are a few continental items like stroganoff, quiche, waffles and some beverages like coffee, canned juices etc. There is a good range of selection available for both vegetarians and non vegetarians and are easily identifiable based on the color indicators.

What we ate:

My quest for good burgers in Bangalore brought WV into my radar of places to visit. This drive not only compelled me to try out the burgers here but also rest of my friends who have dined with me at WV. While the ultimate burger I’d like to devour is WV’s Gourmet burger, I must say, “This is yet to happen.” The only way to allow this to happen will be avoiding visit to the street stalls serving momos.

Burgers to have visited us are classic veggie burger, classic chicken burger and cottage cheese burger. Apart from the burger, our table also welcomed mushroom sandwich, veg stroganoff, and cappuccinos.

Classic veggie burger comes with a slice of cheese on a nice juicy patty of minced vegetables and mashed potatoes while the cottage cheese burger comes with a nice and chunky cube of marinated paneer and fried onion rings. Both these burgers come loaded with mayo, coleslaw,  and sliced veggies; all in between the bun. On the sides, both these burgers come in the company of more coleslaw served on a lettuce, French fries and vegetable chunks. What’s also common between the two is; how wonderfully the ingredients blend together to bring in a burst of flavor in every bite.

The classic chicken burger being no different comes with a nice patty of chicken topped with cheese. All other ingredients in between the bun and on the side remain the same as the veggie burger. The burger was awesome. The marinade of spices was perfect; not less nor overpowering in flavor. Unfortunately, no one waited for its picture to be taken. Ruthless carnivores; we must me.

All burgers had a good contrast which made every bite enjoyable. Softness of the patty/paneer in the cottage cheese burger and crunchiness of the onion rings, the spice blend in the patty to the sweetness from the coleslaw.

The mushroom sandwich was a Double Decker sandwich toasted to perfection and generously filled with mildly spiced mushrooms and cheese. The sandwich was plated with slaw, fries and fresh vegetable chunks. I am not a big fan of mushrooms the buzz on our table for this sandwich was – ‘A mushroom lover’s delight.’

The veg. stroganoff was a disappointment. Just by the look of it, the portion of stroganoff was insufficient for the amount of rice served. Being served some additional gravy on the side was not an option as we learnt this dish was pre-plated and sourced from a vendor. The taste of the veg stroganoff failed to excite our palate.

Verdict:

Willy Vannily is definitely a great place to hangout and for sure one we love to visit. Having said this, I must point out, “we do not love everything about Willy Vanilly.” We love the food they serve, but not the service. The service has numerous weak links. To start with, the staff is not very attentive especially when you are seated outdoors. At times, you might actually be required to invite them personally to attend to you. Water is not served here until asked for and when you ask for I recommend you specify the number of glasses of water to be served.  Other issues include, non functional air conditioners, card machines for bill payment, etc. Yet, a place I love to revisit for good food and a casual lunch or dinner with friends.

Parking on week days, especially during lunch or early evenings can be difficult for Willy Vanilly is located in a busy 80 FT road and also does not offer valet parking service.

The food served here is definitely not economical yet not unreasonably expensive. A meal per person here can cost anywhere between Rs 200 to Rs 450.

Quick Tips:

A great place to visit for good burgers and sandwiches and accepting the fact the service may not be up to the mark. 

Address: # 58/A, 80 Feet Road, 5th Block, Koramangala, Bangalore

Phone Number: 080 - 65470742