Mango Mania Festival @ 12th Main, Grand Mercure Bangalore

This fruit needs no introduction - It's called the 'king of fruits' and is my only respite during the summers. My love for mangoes got me really curious drive up to Grand Mercure Bangalore where a special menu has been crafted to celebrate the season and love for mangoes. They call it the 'Mango Mania Menu' and is available as an a-la care option at 12th Main - a fine restaurant at Grand Mercure, Koramangala.

Menu:

Being a specially crafted menu and to pay tribute to mangoes this menu will be available only until the 17th of May for you to try. 

What tempted me totally and to tempt you as well - each of the preparation on the menu; be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian; starters, mains, desserts or beverages contains mango in it. Here's a look at the menu:

What We Ate:

Pretty much all of it from the menu, Yes, we were a group of about 10 of us so tasting most of the menu listings was an easy task. Of all that we ate and drank, here's what appealed to my palate and I think you will share common views with me once you've tried them.

It all began with the arrival of the vegetarian and non-vegetarian salad. Mango Caprese Salad (Yes, you heard it right - Mango Caprese) was the first to arrive on our table and was an absolute stunner. The mango used was well ripened and beautifully complemented the creamy soft texture of the cheese. The cherry tomato and lettuce added a nice flavor too.

Shrimp and Raw Mango Salad comes with a soy-chilli dressing. The salad gets its punch from this very dressing. Hence, I recommend you ask for the salad to be served with a generous amount of dressing and you are up for an excellent salad.

Other starters included Falafel Mango poppadums and the chicken, mango poppadums. Both were baskets made out of poppadum and filled with respective fillings. I didn't get to try the vegetarian version which was filled with mango and falafel but the non-vegetarian one was nice. Distinct flavors and textures could be identified as a result of the chicken, sweet mango and the spicy poppadum. Made for an interesting appetizer but jumped up a notch when the previously served soy-chilly sauce was poured in to the poppadum baskets.

Chicken, Mango Filled Poppadums

For the mains, a look at the menu and a few dishes caught my interest right away. Let's begin with 'Stuffed chicken breast' which was served with a mash of potatoes and mango,and veggies in jus. There was a lot of mango as the chicken stuffing too included raw mango and mushroom. Great for a mango lover! I absolutely loved this preparation and only looked forward to the other mains.

'Grilled Fish with raw mango parsley picada, roasted baby potatoes and a mango tender with coconut salsa was a much awaited dish. The topping of the bean sprout was weird and to what it looked didn't complement well with the dish. Each of the elements tasted brilliant on its own but together they were unable to whip up a storm.

What tempted me to try the next 2 dish was the description on the menu - Balsamic Grilled Vegetables, Parmesan Mango Polenta and a glaze of Pomegranate'. I just know I wanted to try this preparation to savor the complexities of flavor coming from the various ingredients like balsamic, mango and pomegranate. It was brilliant and was loved by each one of us on the table.

The second was the raw mango, spinach and ricotta ravioli in a mango sauce. A real delight for a mango lover. This dish had many takers on our table and did have its share of repeat order. 

Last of the mains - 'Thai Green Veg Curry with jasmine rice' also had mango chunks in it and made for a fabulous dish. Again, this was loved so much that a repeat of this was called. I hear that the Thai Green Curry on the regular menu at 12th Main is equally good and is one dish that must not be missed. I know for sure that, the next time i'm at Grand Mercure - 'Thai Green Curry' will be on my table.

While this was the good stuff, the menu did have it's share of misses. The alcoholic menu was interesting but when served was a disappointment. Likewise, in the mains I hear, "though cooked perfectly, the tenderloin steak lacked any mango ingredient to it and this was the cause of disappointment." Anyways, there's nothing interesting about recommending what not to eat. I love food and love to share only what to eat. Moving on...

We had to end with desserts which again were; of course - Mango based. I'm usually content with the other courses and am pretty much done till we arrive to the sweet endings. Like always, this time too I had no appetite for desserts but there were 3 of them served on the table. Of the 3, I enjoyed the passion fruit mango tart though I wished the dough was slimmer than served.

Verdict:

You love mangoes and love it in every way it can be served. This festival has got to be on your mind. It clearly shows Executive Chef Vijay David's love for mangoes and trait of being experimental and innovative with food.  

The ambiance at 12th Main is fabulous with options for both indoor and outdoor seating. While the outdoor setting is fabulous, the flies can be a problem. Barring that, 12th main has always been a pleasure to dine at. Grand Mercure Bangalore nestled in the residential by lanes of Koramangala also boasts of another brilliant restaurant 'By the Blue' which is a pool side set up serving Indian cuisine.

A mangolicious meal for two at 12th Main will cost around Rs. 2500 plus taxes and charges. 

Quick Tips:

Go enjoy the Mango Mania menu at 12th Main, Grand Mercure Bangalore before it ends on 17th May.

Mango Mania menu is served only for dinner between 7 pm to 11 pm.

While you try this out, I'll soon be back with more 'Mangolicious' posts from some restaurants across Bangalore that are running a Mango festival.

Address: 12th Main Restaurant, Grand Mercure Bangalore, 12th Main, 3rd Block, Koramangala, Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 80 4512 1212 

Punjabi By Nature, Bangalore

Of late, it's been a lot of food belonging to the north-west part of our country or the north-west frontier itself. This spree continues with me now sharing with you my experience of dining at Punjabi by Nature in Koramangala. It had been on my list of restaurants to visit for a very long time and finally made a visit to this restaurant 2 weekends back to back. I'm sure the back to back visits speak about my experience but read on to know more.

Menu

It is a mouth-watering listing of delicacies from the state of Punjab. There is a lot to choose from for both the vegetarians and non-vegetarians. You will find the classics listed right from the start and all the way through to the end. The vegetarian and non-vegetrian food is well classified. I'm sure both the vegetarians and non-vegetarians will drool.

Punjabi By Nature is not just about food but also has an interesting Beer Garden; as it is called. Here, they brew their own beer and if you like brewed beer, you will find some interesting options.

What we ate:

Having made two visits back to back, I have been able to try both the non-vegetarian and vegetarian preparations. In vegetarian it was 'Tandoori Paneer Tikka' for starters which was 4 humongous chunks of paneer or cottage cheese. It was well marinated and well seasoned, the paneer was soft and fresh. The accompaniment with it was the lovely, creamy and rich mint chutney.

Moving on to the mains, we called for 'Amritsari Tawa Chicken' and 'Daal Punjabi By Nature' aka 'Daal Makhni'. All of this was eaten in the company of 'Laccha Paratha', 'Mutton Keema Naan' and 'Aloo Kulcha'. The breads here are quite large so please be cautious when calling for these. If you have a reasonably good appetite and prefer not to have left over food, the apt order might be 2 breads being called for 3 diners. 

The 'Aloo Kulcha' was nicely buttered, filled well, really soft and served fresh from the tandoor. It was delight eating this with 'Daal Makhni' which was equally rich in flavour, texture and composition. I'm a hardcore non-vegetarian but I can make a full meal of this combination. Again, this combination only gets better with some mint chutney and slivers of onion drizzled with chaat masala. I'd soon be in food coma.

Aloo Kulcha

Daal Punjabi By Nature

The 'Mutton Keema Naan' needs a special mention for its flavour and generous filling. If you love mutton keema, this has gotta be on your table. Its stands well by itself and needs no accompaniment if you wish to enjoy the flavor of the keema. The laccha paratha was nice and flaky. The image below I hope does justice and requires me to write no more.

Laccha Paratha

Mutton Keema Naan

'Amritsari Tawa Chicken' was delicious too. The chicken was tender and succulent. The gravy had a nice thick consistency and was best enjoyed with assorted Indian breads. This didn't end our meal; there was more to come and it had to be 'Lamb Yakhini Dum Biryani'. I know, you must be thinking I'm a sucker for biryani; I must tell you that, "Yes, I am." The biryani was aromatic made with tender lamb cooked on dum with basmati rice. The flavor was addictive. I wouldn't say it was one of the best biryanis I have had but it did make for an enjoyable and satisfying finish (No picture though).

For desserts, we had none but for me there is no better way to end a meal that with lamb biryani and that is how I did.

Verdict:

It was a great dining experience right from service to ambiance to the food. Punjabi by Nature is spread on a large floor area with some interesting seating options in it open roof, under roof and waterfall section of the restaurant. Whats even more interesting is you can choose to be seated by the bar. 

I'm in all awe of the food at Punjabi By Nature. I know this is the place I am heading to always for a North Indian meal. An average meal for 2 here will cost around Rs. 1300 ++ and this does not include any beverages. Of course it's expensive but you pay for the amazing food, good service and the wonderful ambiance.

Quick Tips:

Looking for wonderful punjabi meal? Head here. Do not miss to try their Mutton Keema Naan, Aloo Kulcha and Daal Makhni. 

Address: Near Forum Mall, Krishna Industrial Layout, Kormangala, Bangalore

Landmark: Between Forum Mall and Christ College

Phone Number: +91 80 4913 8800

Punjab Grill, Bangalore

Most of the times; we friends land up at a lounge or some place that served international cuisine.  At least this has been the trend since the past few months. Monkey Bar, Willy Vanilli, Toit and Bricklane Grill are a few names that come off my head. Indian food was something we missed and as we thought of where to go, one suggestion got all of us craving for this regional cuisine - Punjabi cuisine. Punjabi cuisine was something we friends had not tried in a long time. 2 restaurants that immediately struck our mind were Punjabi by Nature and Punjab Grill. Not having got a reservation at Punjabi by Nature we decided to meet at Punjab Grill.

Menu:

Both beverage and food menu were quite impressive. In the beverage menu, Punjab Grill had a special section allotted to cocktails with a twist like Khooni Chameli (Bloody Mary with an Indian twist). The food menu left our mouth watering; for the delectable listing of soups, tandoori starters, curries, Indian breads, biryani and desserts. There is a vast spread of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian tandoori starters and curries one can choose from. 

What we ate:

Quiet surprising, a couple of us thought soup would be good ways to start with while the rest of us though alcoholic beverages would be the way to go. So it was Tamatar shorba, beer and Punjab Grill special cocktail; the name of which I do not remember. With this we also placed the order for a vegetarian starter and one non vegetarian starter. The vegetarian starter was Kurkuri – minced vegetables wrapped in dough coated with vermicelli.  Each of these Kurkuri sticks came in a shot glass partly dipped in a sweet-chili sauce. First taste of this sweet-chili sauce had me thinking – “Thai infusion in Punjabi cuisine; bole to - Punjabi cuisine mein Thai tadka”. Well.. Thai Sweet-Chili sauce is what I mean. Nonetheless, this kurkuri sticks were nice and tasted well with the accompanying sauce.

The non-veg platter was what two of us looked forward to. Portion wise, the platter was good for 2 of us with 2 pieces each of Chaamp Taajdar (mutton chops), Amritsari Machhi, Murgh Malai Tikka and Murgh Tikka Punjab Grill. The mutton and fish were really tender and flavorful. The fish was fresh but the mutton chops barely had any meat on it. Both murgh malai tikka and murgh tikka were delicious and succulent.

For the main course, it was Patiala Shahi Kadai Paneer for the vegetarians - a very common Punjabi preparation of paneer, onion, bell pepper and various spices succeeded in hitting the right spot. Kadai paneer. Non vegetarians opted for another famous Punjabi delicacy; Murgh Tikka Lababdar – a rich and creamy tomato based gravy with succulent and mouthwatering boneless pieces of chicken.

Patialashahi Kadai Paneer

Murgh Tikka Lababdar

A couple of Indian breads which included butter and plain naan were called for as an accompaniment to the savory gravies. The naans both plain and butter were a big disappointment for they were hard to break into bite size pieces and also quite chewy. As a result, these were sent back and tandoori rotis were called in its place which was quite nice but really huge in size.  

The vegetarians decided to call for a pulao from the rice section and the pick was chutney pulao. This was a mint and coriander flavored preparation of rice and potato chunks. This dish was served cold and when the staff was informed about this, it was heated in a microwave and served again. This was not a big hit on the table for it was too dry and lacked enough flavoring.

While we were stuffed to the throat and had a lot of food left over due to the large portions of the gravies and the huge rotis, my friends - a dessert lover called for a highly recommended gulab jamun stuffed with chocolate that we all shared.  This was a nice finish to a rather inconsistent meal.

The most awaited part of our dinner was the finale… Paan Shots! At the end of the meal along with the check, Punjab Grill serves a sweet paan liquified and presented in a shot glass to each and every diner. I can easily say this was quite refreshing and easily formed the best part of our dining experience. We all loved it so much that we asked for another round of this to be served to us.

Verdict:

The first look that grabbed my attention was the waiting area - a very nice set up where we were seated for a couple of minutes until the staff confirmed our table was ready to be occupied. The ambiance was really nice with plush interiors, well spaced out tables and sections made for a private dinner. Diners have an option to pick between indoor and outdoor seating. Though it was a very pleasant night, we picked indoors for this restaurant is located very close to the busy main road and we didn’t want to get disturbed by the traffic sounds and the air pollution.

While the food was good but lacked the WOW Factor! Service at Punjab Grill is the weakest link which I had heard about quite often before visiting the place. Still unexpected; I can say, “We got a firsthand experience of the service lapses right from the start when we waited for a couple of our friends to arrive. To begin with, we were not attended to for 15 minutes possibly based on the assumption that we’d want to start only after the rest of the diners on our table arrived. The food brought to us was cold or got cold as we waited for the accompaniments to arrive. The staff failed to educate us about the portions of the food served especially the naans and rotis which were king sized and each could feed at least 2 people who have an appetite as large as mine. Dessert was forgotten and the check was brought out to our table.

The boon is diners do not have to worry about parking which is a big hassle in Koramangala for Punjab Grill provides for valet parking service.

Pricing is exorbitant for the poor service and overall dining experience that Punjab Grill offers. An average bill for 2 diners for a starter, a main course, breads and dessert will leave your pockets short by Rs. 1500 to 1800 excluding other charges and taxes.

Quick Tips:

Something a staff member here fails to suggest - Portions of the main course are generous. Indian breads are king sized and can be shared.

Go for: Good Punjabi food, great ambiance, Paan shots

Do not go for: Poor service

Address: SJR Primus, Ground Floor, 7th Block, Koramangla (LandMark: Opp. Forum Mall), Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 80 40902161 / 62

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