A New Brunch in town - B:Brunch at Bene, Sheraton Bangalore

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I'm always on a lookout for new and interesting experiences. What I get even more excited about is; sharing with you a new and exciting experience that I really enjoyed. Sheraton is probably a hotel I frequent often for it houses splendid dining options in the form of Feast, Bene and Persian Terrace.

Last week, Sheraton Bangalore at Brigade Gateway launched not just the newest and the coolest brunch in town but also an exclusive and unique brunch in various ways viz..

 - While every brunch focuses on world cuisines, this one is exclusively; I repeat exclusively an Italian and Mediterranean brunch.

 - This brunch at Sheraton is a lavish spread of food with 80% or more coming from live counters; the way you'd like it prepared.

A perfect outdoor setting with the lovely Bangalore weather, live music and DJ, 3 bar counters (Main bar, martini & Mojito Bar, Bubbly bar), activities to keep the kids entertained and live counters dishing out freshly prepared food. The ambiance and set up is perfect for a relaxed and leisurely Sunday Brunch.

We were welcomed with shots of different liquor base setting the mood for the rest of the brunch.

There is loads of food and drinks laid out all the way from where you enter (indoors) to the end of the Al-Fresco (outdoors) section. It begins indoor with soups, salads and dips, live counters serving up customised salads, cold cuts, cheese platters, desserts at the heart and extending outdoors to the live Persian and Italian mains and grills. All of this, well alternated with different bar counters.

The salads and dips as always were delicious and aplenty to choose from. Puja loves the cheese platter with crackers, nuts and fruits by the side to accompany. We sat outdoors, enjoying the lovely weather of Bangalore, the fresh salads, delicious dips, cheese and sipping on Kir Royale (a sparkling cocktail) and wine.

My new favorite was the finely sliced Parma ham with Parmesan cheese strips. A really simple combination of cured and thinly sliced parma ham with cheese slivers and that's all it takes to enjoy this lovely dish with a glass of medium bodied red wine.

On the weber grills were assorted starters for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. I tried the chicken sausages and the fish from the non-vegetarian section and cottage cheese and mix veg sticks from the vegetarian. Except for the sausages which were perfect, i found the marinade on the rest to be quite bland for my liking. I'd have preferred it to be a little more robust in flavor.

All through the brunch, I tried various beverages like the Kir Royale - a champagne/sparkling wine based cocktail, the very innovative Paan martini, mojito and some good wine as well. The cocktails were well concocted and made for a good company for the day. My personal favorite of them all was the Paan martini which apparently also made for a great finisher after a complete meal - Well, that's the paan lover in me speaking. 

Moving on to the next course or the mains if they may be called - It again primarily comprised of live counters for burgers, Italian and Persian food. We settled down with pasta of mix sauce, pizza from the wood fired oven, and also some delicious Persian rice and kababs - both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Like always, they all tasted good but would have preferred to have more options to choose from bot in terms of dishes and the meats offered.

Desserts were inviting right from the the very beginning and our eyes were all set on them. So when we arrives to this final course, we were in a fix on what to eat. We settled for an assortment that we plated ourselves from a really generous selection. Oh Boy! I absolutely loved their Banana-Walnut cake, carrot cake and the subtly flavored coconut cake.

Tiramisu at Bene has always been a signature creation and it wouldn't be justified to not have dug my spoon into it.

To sum it up - it was a lovely day, perfect weather, great ambiance, live music, fabulous spread of delicious food and the premium beverages and interesting cocktail concoctions to add to the zing. For the kids, there was tattoo art, interesting balloon creations and more. Memories are to be treasured and hence, Sheraton goes the extra mile to get you photographed during the brunch and as you are all set to call it a day and step out; Surprise! the you'll spot your picture printed and ready for you to take back home.

Address: 4th Floor, Sheraton @ Brigade Gateway, 26/1, Dr. Rajkumar Road, Malleshwaram - Rajajinagar, Bangalore - 560055
Landmark: Adjacent to Orion Mall in the same campus

Phone Number: +91 80 4252 1000

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 

Monkey Bar - Indiranagar, Bangalore

Double the Fun... Two's better than One...

A new monkey is in town... Indiranagar holds the crown...

Yes, you may have heard the buzz or read the words - Monkey Bar opened doors of its 2nd outlet (3rd in India) in Bangalore earlier this month. If not for the crazy schedules for the last 3 weeks, Monkey Bar was my go to place to enjoy a piece of Bangalore Nightlife.

Unlike any other weekend, this specific Saturday was different, I was at Monkey Bar, Indiranagar not at night but at noon. No, it was not for breakfast either. There was a bloggers event organised where we got to tour the venue, and indulge in some lovely eats, drinks and monkey business.

What We Ate:

It was a day out for us friends in the blogging community. There was too much of everything - be it food, drinks or fun. I got to try various drinks over the course of the next few hours which included the fantastic 'Copper Monkey' - a whiskey based drink, my drink for most of the day - 'Ginger Roger' which is a gin based drink with peach syrup and ginger ale. This was not all, there was also a vodka based 'Red Riding Wood', an interesting 'Wild Leaf' cocktail; which is a subtle drink and a new favourite of mine. How can one miss the Monkey special Mangaa!

Giner Roger

You know this.. It's Mangaa

Wild Leaf (Photo Courtesy: Kunal Chandra - Monkey Bar)

For food, there was a never ending menu or it at least seemed to just go on and on right from starters to mains and finishing with dessert. While the menu lay emphasis on the non-vegetarian food, there was sufficient for the vegetarians to savour too.

As you may suspect, it is true that my focus remains on the non-vegetarian section of the menu. In starters, I thoroughly relished the 'Pirogies', 'Crab Rangoon', 'Devilled fish' and 'Tempura Calamari' the most. The pirogies are pan seared dumplings which come with various of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. I absolutely loved this preparation especially the one with a filling of chicken, celery and jalapeños filling.

The crab rangoon is a New York classic wonton filled with crab mean and cream cheese. Pop one in your mouth to enjoy a burst of textures like crunch from the fried wonton wrapper, the freshness of the crab meat and the generous proportion of cream cheese.

Crab Rangoon (Photo Courtesy: Kunal Chandra - Monkey Bar)

Devilled fish is a Thai inspired stir fried fish which got its flavors from the Thai spices, galagal and lemon grass and Tempura Calamari was a preparation having very subtle tasting notes. Both these dishes exuded the use of fresh ingredients and were thoroughly enjoyed. If not treated well both the fish and calamari can be a total disaster but in this case they seemed to be treated with a lot of love and care in the kitchen. We couldn't keep our folks off these preparations.

Tempura Calamari (Photo Courtesy: Kunal Chandra - Monkey Bar)

The Goan Chorizo Pav was very nice too. In vegetarian, the only dish I tried was the lovely roasted beet and orange salad.

This doesn't end it all at all, there was pork sliders and Sloppy Joe. From the two, my vote undoubtedly goes for the barbecue flavoured shredded pork in between the buns and all the works in between and alongside it. Yes, that's Sloppy Joe.

For the mains, there was the Monkey Bar classic Pandi Curry and Pita, the Parsee orderlies' mutton curry and rice and berry pulav - an Iranian berry pulav with chicken in it.

The mutton curry and the coconut rice creates for a fabulous whole some meal for an individual and the Pandi curry with Pita is a crowd pleaser. If you love pork; the coorgi style, Pandi curry with Pita Bread has gotta be on your table.

The berry pulav is a classic preparation at Monkey Bar and is always a delight to eat. It has morsels of chicken kabab and shredded chicken in an Irani berry pulav with flavours also being contributed by saffron, fried onion and potato salli.

Berry Pulav (Photo Courtesy: Kunal Chandra - Monkey Bar)

In desserts, there was 'Chocolate Pot De Creme with salted caramel' and a 'Lemon Cake'. It's hard for me to pick one as I liked both the desserts. On our table though, there were many who were not big fans of the Lemon Cake; but for me - it was a thumbs up.

Lemon Cake

Chocolate Pot De Creme with Salted Caramel

Verdict:

In between all these food and drinks, we enjoyed a few games of pool and foosball available on the mezzanine floor. After senior monkey, the new Monkey Bar did set high expectations and very well lived up to it.

Is the new Monkey any different from the old? My answer would be a 'Yes' and a 'No'.

Yes, it is different -

 - The new Monkey Bar on the 12th main road of Indiranagar is more spacious than its predecessor.

 - The new Monkey Bar has new introductions on its menu

 - It does not have a basement like the one in Ashok Nagar. But, fret bot my friend; it has an equally amazing mezzanine floor.

No, it is the same -

 - It has the red scooter too. (Manu, what's the story behind the scooter?)

 - It's got the same feel, the open brick walls, the rustic interiors like a New York style pub

 - It lays emphasis on natural lighting

 - The menu does have the Monkey Bar classics

 - A foosball and pool table.

 - Buzz speaks fun, food, drinks and monkey business.

Quick Tips:

Head here for pure monkey business. I hear a new cocktail has been introduced in the last few weeks and it's aptly called 'Kalabandar'. I' won't say more about it, but here's a picture to leave you with.

Drink responsibly & most importantly eat well as you drink.

Cheers!!!

Address: #610, 12th Main Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Near Crosswords, Indiranagar, Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 80 4411 4455

'A Pinch of Persian' at The Persian Terrace, Sheraton Bangalore

And it ends on March 2, 2014.......................

It is a rarity that something beats the Bangalore weather; especially the way our evenings have been for the last few days. It only goes one notch up when you can dine in with a starry sky right above you. Isn't it?

Now, what if I say, “the levels become hard to match when the food and ambiance have you wishing to just pack your bags and travel to the Mediterranean land; if not teleporting you to the wonderful land right away”?

This is exactly what Puja and I experienced when we dined at Persian Terrace. Persian Terrace is a highly acclaimed restaurant and one the 3 jewels of Sheraton Bangalore at Brigade Gateway; the other two being Bene – their Italian restaurant and Feast – the coffee shop serving global cuisine under one roof. It was a long pending visit and we couldn't resist visiting it last night after being tempted by the food photos of their ongoing festival ‘A Pinch of Persia’. 

Seating @ The Persian Terrace

As a part of this festival, a special menu has been curated by ‘Chef Abdel Wahed’ who is the visiting chef from Sheraton Sharm Hotel, Resort, Villas & Spa. This specially curated menu has a wide range of selection across meal courses which include hot and cold mezze, salads, mains and desserts. The menu has a bit of various Mediterranean cuisines which include Persian, Lebanese, Turkish and more; hence the name ‘A Pinch of Persia’. There is plenty for non-vegetarians to choose from with a fairly decent selection for the vegetarians too. 

With a menu listing food dishes as delicious as it can get, we were soon in a fix on all that we can eat. Chef Abdel was kind enough to help us pick food for each course of our meal. It may come as a surprise to you all, but we had more vegetarian food on our table last night than non-vegetarian and I equally enjoyed relishing the vegetarian as much as I did with the non-vegetarian. Over the course of the next hour or more, we treated our senses and stomach to some hot and cold mezze (small plate servings or starters), salad, mains and dessert. Below is a pictorial review of what we ate (I wish, I was here for lunch only to do justice to the food photographs). 

Hot Mezze: Sambousek Cheese  - A nice crunchy pastry casing with all the delicious goodness of feta cheese, herbs and Arabic spices stuffed inside.

Salad: Olive Salad - Olives stuffed with red capsicum mixed with veggies and feta cheese. topped with a drizzle of olive oil and pomegranate sauce.. WOW!

Cold Mezze: Vine Leaves - Wrapped with a stuffing of rice, onion, tomato, fresh mint and pomegranate sauce

Cold Mezze: Baba Ganoush - Roasted eggplant with yellow and red capsicum, olive oil and pomegranate. Have eaten this before but none anywhere close to this wonderful preperation

Hot Mezze: Sojok Roll - Minced lamb marrided with Arabic spices, spread on Arabic bread, rolled and deep fried..  By looks or thoughts it's hard to imagine how exquisite the flavor of this lamb preparation was. I couldn't help but prolong eating these rolls

Veg Main: Tagine Couscous with mixed veggies - Nice and subtle flavors

Non-Veg Maincourse: Kebab Azmeer - Delicious, tender, melt in mouth Lamb kebabs with pine nuts and mozzarella cheese served with Syrian bread. 'Goodness on a plate!!!'

Dessert: Maamoul Walnuts - Semolina dumplings stuffed with nuts and dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Mild sweetness coming from dusted sugar and a nice flavor of Cinnamon. Nice!

Dessert: Mohalabia - Traditional Egyptian dessert made with milk, pistachio and dry coconut. Custard like consistency, this was delicious. Guess what - this dessert got it's zing from the grated orange zest which was also used in preparation. You get the zest in every spoonful.

At the end of it, Puja and I were happy souls who drove back discussing about making a trip to the Mediterranean land. 

An average meal for two? 2500 ++ - Definitely worth every penny being spent. 

Just 2 days left!!! To reserve your table at The Persian Terrace, call Sheraton Bangalore on - 080 4252 1000 or click http://goo.gl/EuXn5i