Bangalore's Legendary Past - 'The Cuisine of the Navaithas'

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It's raining back to back festivals in Bangalore. Food festivals or cocktail festivals a lot is happening on the Bangalore food and beverage scene. ITC Gardenia, under the aegis of Kitchens of India … brought about an experience of the rare culinary jewels from Bangalore’s legendary past 'The Cuisine of Navaithas'. A festival run at The Cubbon Pavilion between 24th July to 2nd August was ITC Gardenia's ode to the age old cuisine rich in its roots.

Navaitha Cuisine has a rich historical background dating back beyond the times of Tipu Sultan. However; it was since the times of Tipu Sultan, the Navaitha Muslims have formed an integral part of Bangalore’s living fabric. Originally brought to fill the barracks of the British army in the war against Tipu Sultan, the Navaitha Muslims are the Urdu speaking community from Gingee. Nestled in the heart of Bangalore, they chose to stay back in Shivaji Nagar, bringing with them their unique cuisine. Now you surely know what I am speaking about. :)

Like every other food festival, the Indian section this time was dedicated to the legendary cuisine of the Navaithas. Famous for mouth-watering and tantalizing preparations like sheek rolls, grilled chicken, grilled raan, pathar gosht, paya and more were reasons enough for me to head back to Cubbon Pavilion.

My focus was clearly on the non-vegetarian part of the cuisine. Being a rotational menu on the buffet, my evening saw starters like the classic chicken kababs being dished out. When I say classic chicken kababs, you know I mean the Bangalore famed kababs that you find at numerous food hangouts across the city. These were nice and succulent; perfectly seasoned and coated; and fried perfectly to offer the crunch. It is comfort food and I could not help resist myself from multiple helpings. 

There was also the brain fry which I really looked forward too. However, the lack of enough spices and marinade failed to excite my taste buds. I missed the punch that usually pepper and curry leaves can bring out in this dish. The tala machi was a very simple batter fried fish that was well cooked and nice to taste but had nothing to rave about. 

Brain Fry

Tala Macchi

There was one vegetarian starter that I really liked and that was 'Zimikand (Yam) ke kabab'. Melt in mouth and laden in ghee, this preparation showcased the connection between the Navaithas and the nawabs.

Overall, the starters was a mix bag and I really looked forward to that first dish that I really get raving about. The wait was short lived for what arrived next was the 'Paya Khamiri'. Delicate, rich, flavorful, succulent, melt-in-mouth are adjectives not enough to do justice to this dish. I enjoyed every morsel and spoon of this preparation. 

Now I really did look forward to the mains, there was a good spread of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. My focus mostly on the non-vegetarian section, Of this, I really enjoyed the Seena Gosht which was mutton in a wonderfully spiced gravy. A perfect accompaniment for this dish were the light and airy butter naan or steamed rice.

A chicken dish that I loved in the mains was 'Dum ki Tangdi' - Chicken simmered in a really rich and creamy gravy. The chicken was melt in mouth and did soak in all the flavors of the gravy. I enjoyed this dish all by itself and did not need any accompaniment to go along.

There was more, the Soya Lauki was a hit among the rest on the table but for me it didn't work its magic. The Tamatar ka dacha was an example of simplicity at its best. Palak in the palak prawns was really nice but the prawns were a tad bit dry or overcooked for my liking. The Sukka Macchi was a nice and simple preparation of seer fish and made for a good eat with the other mains on offer.

Palak Prawns

For me the highlight of the day was the 'Gosht Timatar Biryani' followed by the 'Paya Khamiri'. I admit I am a sucker for biryani but when its this good, it clearly will have be raving about it. The mutton was succulent and tender imparting great flavor. The flavor of the rice, tomatoes, spices and the mutton married to create a match made in heaven. I so wished that my evening should have started with this lovely biryani and also ended with the very same dish.

I'm not much into desserts and they just form a customary course in my meal. I like to sample and taste dessert for a sweet taste to linger post the meal. There was a lot on offer but what I relished completely was the Roohafza Kheer.

I clearly love food festivals and when a food festival has a story or a history to relate to it's clearly a treat in every sense. There's a lot on cards at ITC Hotels; both at Windsor and Gardenia - So stay tuned for interesting experiences that you can explore.

Address: No. 1, Residency Road, Bengaluru - 560025

Phone Number: +91 80 2211 9898

HIGH On Power @HIGH Ultra Lounge - A Cocktail Festival

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The bar at High Ultra Lounge headed by the able and super-talented Guru Prashanth has always been known to churn out great and innovative cocktails. This time around High is back at doing interesting stuff where in they create an opportunity for folks like us to meet with the politicians like Barrack Obama, Bill Clinton, Narendra Modi, Arvind Kejriwal, Silvio Berlusconi and the likes.

On 19th July, it was nice to be in the company of these powerful politicians at the highest lounge of South India. Wondering if it was a world summit meet or something? Nope, it was an interesting cocktail tasting session. Innovation and uniqueness written all over; High has introduced special cocktails named after and concocted based on the personalities of these world famous political leaders. To may be rephrase a part of the previous statement, "the public personalities of these political leaders."

The evening set in on the Eastern section of High while the sun set on the west, Sandeep took stage for some lovely stand up comedy and cocktail concoctions flowing all through the evening. We tasted around 10 cocktails each depicting or connected to a personality type in one way or more. Below is more about what I enjoyed the most that evening; not in any order of preference.

The first for the evening was something we at Bangalore are so familiar with as a phrase 'From Russia with love'. Does this phase ring the bell? Either way, this cocktail did ring the bell and surely in the right way. Going by the personality type, this drink did exude chivalry. It was a frozen snow drink with flavors of vodka and elder-flower clearly evident. In fact, the drink left a nice and long after taste of the elder-flower.

'Just Putin some drinks!' ~ Vladimir Putin

While the taste of the first drink continued to linger on, the next arrived and this time it was a flamboyant, cunning and a bitter sweet drink. Any guesses? No! Okay, it was 'The BARlusconi' a drink made from Campari, grapefruit and Jim Beam; all married in perfect harmony.

'For a Bunga Bunga time' ~Silvio Berlusconi

'Potus Passion' was a wonderfully concocted drinks and it ingredients included some of my favorites - Beer, Ginger Ale, Jim Beam Whiskey. Building on the flavor was passion fruit and lime.

'Uncle Sam wants you to drink' ~ Barack Obama

'SourCozy' or the 'Classic French 75' was elegant and refreshing. Lovely herbal notes from the gin, refreshing bubbly with flavors balanced with the inclusion of lime juice and sugar. Needs little to be written about - a lovely drink for a romantic evening.

18 till I die' ~ Nikolas Sarkozy

No point for guessing this association, the next cocktail was named 'Monika Blewinsky'. The cocktail portrayed confidence, charm, style and enthusiasm. Made with Caramel, honey, campari and Jim Beam whiskey at the base, this cocktail came topped with a roasted peanut bar meant to be enjoyed along with the drink. Interesting flavor profile of sweet, bitter, fruit and smoke all in a glass. A few drinks of this are sufficient to end an evening at High; well in a high.

Have you noticed the new kid on the block? I'll say no more about this personality and instead just speak about the drink which is named after an accessory 'The Muffler'. Made of warm red wine, honey and spices this drinks reminded me of the mulled wine made during Christmas. A perfect drink for the cold chilling winters (not Bangalore for sure).

While I really enjoyed the ones above, the ones below either didn't appeal much in comparison or just did not really appeal to my preferred flavor profile.

On till the 6th of August, bring your social self out and meet with all the politicians (10) with a power sampler worth Rs. 1250 or meet with interested politicians at a price starting from Rs. 450.

It's surely #HIGHonPower

Address: 39th Floor, World Trade Center @ Brigade Gateway, Malleshwaram - Rajajinagar, Bangalore 560011

Phone Number: +91 80 4567 4567 

Bengali Food Festival @ Cubbon Pavilion, ITC Gardenia

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Not often does a hotel host a Bengali food festival; I ask why? It's a cuisine rich in history and tradition with flavors being diverse right from subtle to fiery. Essentially a culmination of 5 spices (called 'Panchphoron') - mustard, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, aniseed and black  cumin seeds the food was as authentic and homely as it can get.

Like every other festival at Cubbon Pavilion, the Indian section has been converted to offer just Bengali delicacies. However, unlike any other festival at Cubbon Pavilion, I did not even see the need to glance at any other segment or cuisine on the buffet. Such was the richness and diversity this cuisine brought to the table.

Common knowledge is that Fish, Maach  as it is called in Bengali is widely consumed in Bengali cuisine with prawns, chicken and mutton following close. I knew I'd be in for a treat even before I headed for dinner that evening. Knowing me, my Bengali friend was quite assertive and authoritative said to me, "Don't just focus on the non-vegetarian food, there's a world of vegetarian that's not to be missed."

I followed every word he mentioned and am really glad that I did. Dinner that evening was like experiencing two worlds - vegetarian and non-vegetarian all on a plate. Without much ado, I'll head straight to what I ate and enjoyed the most.

'Beguni', 'Mutton cutlets' and 'Tilapia Bajja' were served as starters. Aptly, the tilapia bajja and mutton cutlet came served with onion slivers and lime on the side. Off the two, I absolutely loved the tilapia bajja which was mildly coated with freshly pounded jeera masala and fried. Cooked perfectly, the fish though deep fried was moist, flaky and tender on the inside. The flavors of the masala was mild and did not interfere in the experience of enjoying the fish itself.

Mutton cutlets were really mild in flavor but nothing to rave about. Personally, I found the mutton filling to be scarce while potato mash took prominence. Beguni was as simple Bengali food can get - Bengal gram flour battered eggplant. It was simple and a nice way to begin the evening.

The experience only kept getting better through the evening. In mains, I followed the instructions of the chef and stuck to her food pairing recommendation. Here, it was not food pairing with wine or whisky but was what food dish to be paired with another food dish for the best experience.

My first round of mains began with the pairing of fresh, hot and fluffy luchi with 'Alur Dum' and 'Misthi Doi' on the side. I went ahead and also helped myself with a 'Rosgulla' as well out of temptation. 'Alur Dum' was whole baby potatoes floating in a thick and spicy gravy perfect for the hot luchi. A perfect finish to sooth the palate was the combination of fresh Misthi doi on side.

The next round in mains comprised of the 'Kosha Mangsho pulao' and 'Murgi Jhol'. Murgi jhol as the name suggests was a thin curry with chicken and baby potatoes in it. Subtle yet well present flavors was a highlight of this dish. The mutton pulao was well balanced in flavor and the meat was tender and complimented well in enhancing the flavor of the pulao.

What I looked forward to was this next round. Steamed rice soaked with the nice and light 'Maacher Jhol' and accompanied by semi dry prawns, banana stack in curry and a semi dry aloo pawral vegetable. Eating all of this on one plate was nothing short of a feast and probably for the first time I had so many vegetarian preparations on my plate. Absolutely loved the experience and as I ate, it only felt like any experience a non-bengali might have when visiting a Bengali household as a guest.

I was wishing for the festival to be extended beyond the planned schedule but I know for sure, it's going to make a come back in the near-term. I will look forward to it so that I can visit again for a wonderful Bengali food experience and also to update you so we can share the same experience.

Address: No. 1, Residency Road, Bengaluru - 560025

Phone Number: +91 80 2211 9898

Celebrating 25 Years of Karavalli, Gateway Hotel Bangalore

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While I've been always in a look out to try new restaurants and new cuisines and dishes; there are some places I keep visiting and really look forward to visiting time and again. Karavalli is one such place where I know what to expect in each and every visit and that's exactly how I expect it to be.

The food here has been the most consistent visit after visit. It seems like Chef Naren has left no scope of improvement and that level of consistency, love and passion speaks in the form of the iconic 25 dishes. It is these signature dishes that make for a legendary menu that has been integral to the 25 glorious years of Karavalli.

I've always looked forward to an evening of conversations and food at Karavalli with chef Naren and this time around it was - Celebrating 25 years of Karavalli with its 25 signature and classic dishes. The menu for the evening was not a surprise and this was the best part about the evening.

The start was customary - A small portion of jaggery was provided to cleanse our palate and prepare it for the fabulous food that was about to arrive.

Starters arrived one after the other and like always I was in all awe with every passing dish. Read on for some food porn and this one clearly has no age bar:

‘Kuttanandan Karuvapila Konju’ – Tiger prawns pan fried with onion, tomato and fresh curry leaves. Memories of the previous visits over the years came alive; I looked forward to this preparation even before it arrived and even after it was downed with a cry as it headed to a finish. The ingredients are simple yet enough to get one on a food high.

'Koli Barthad' a chicken starter was pan - fried in a blend of roasted spices and corgi vinegar leaving a mild tarty after taste. The chicken and the spices married really well and would make for a lovely starter with a chilled pint of beer.

‘Kane Kaidina’ – Whole Lady fish was seasoned generously with fine ground Mangalorean spices and pan cooked leaving the fish downright delicious and succulent. Another fish served this evening was 'Meen Eleittad' - a black pomfret marinated in Malabar masala and pan-fried wrapped in a banana leaf. This preparation tasted as delicious as it looked with the balance of the spices and their flavor felt clearly yet not overpowering the flavor of the fish itself. Cooked a minute or two lower and this would have just kicked ass.

In the mains, it was a feast contemplated at an all new high. This indulgent course is not for someone with a weak appetite. There was:

'Allapuzha Meen Curry' - a moderately spiced curry of ground coconut, raw mangoes and ginger with the seer fish simmered in it.

'Kozhi Malliperlan' - delicious gravy of coconut milk and fresh spices with succulent boneless chicken drowned in it.

'Attirachy Ulathu' is something I've always enjoyed at Karavalli. It is a dry preparation of lamb cubes cooked with tomato, onion and fresh spices based from Travancore, Kerala.

What I've again always loved at Karavalli and in vegetarian is the 'Maavinakai Mensukkai' which is a dish of preserved mangoes cooked in a blend of chilis and coconut. It's a beautiful amalgamation of sweet and sour flavors. While this tasted great with the malabar paratha, I could mop this dish just by itself. A 'Pachakkari Stew' or 'Veg Stew' is hard to get wrong and is such a great combination with the appam and idiappam.

For desserts it was Bebinca and Dodol with vanilla ice cream. Bebinca is a coconut based Goan dessert and 'Dodol' served warm was a rice cake cooked gently in coconut milk and jaggery. Both these desserts are best enjoyed warm with vanilla ice cream and that's the way it was served.

A meal at Karavalli is never complete without a scoop of Banana-Caramel ice-cream which is a must-visit on your table before you can even think of calling it a meal.

What more can I say, "It's always been a great and consistent experience dining at Karavalli and with no surprises in store, the flavors still tend to surprise me ."

Address: Ground Floor, Gateway, Hotel No. 66, Residency Road, Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 80 6660 4545

Bangalore's 1st Bombay Irani Cafe - SodaBottleOpenerWala

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Even with a little over 2 months into operations in Bangalore, the buzz around SodaBottleOpenerWala does not seem to die down. SBOW (is the way I will refer & mention henceforth) continues to be flocked by families, couples, friends, work associates and the likes. Open all day, it does not get easy to get a table especially during lunch and dinner hours. Many find the wait for a table worth every minute spent.

This Bombay Irani cafe and Bar had created a strong buzz much before its opening all thanks to it's earlier outlet from different cities in India; not to mention, the legacy of good experiences earned by AD Singh and team. SBOW itself is a tribute to the Parsi community and a concept created to retain the dying legacy of the bustling, chaotic, quirky, colorful and eccentric Irani cafes of Mumbai.

Full of vibe, this Bombay Irani cafe offers an interesting menu which includes the typical/signature Parsi delicacies and some Irani specialties. The menu stretches to Irani bakery stuff and Parsi inspired alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, full-fledged bar menu, teas, coffees and a lot more. Being an all day diner, it's a place you can visit for lunch, dinner or in between for drinks or quick snack with a cup of chai or coffee.

I've been here twice to date and want to go back to try stuff I still haven't been able to get my hands on. Before getting there, here's what I've loved from my previous visits -

'Spicy Mushroom on Khari' - a twist to the popular khari biscuit that comes topped with mushrooms, chili and cheese,

'Eggs Kejriwal' - egg on toast with cheese in between and a generous sprinkling of cheese; a dish made famous and originated in the Royal Wellington Sports Club of Mumbai,

'Kolmi fry' - a simple dish of prawns fried with onion slivers/ rings around it. Mope it up with the mint chutney and it seals the deal,

'Bohri Style Keema Pav' - Everytime I visit SBOW, this dish will surely make it to the table. It's mildly spiced but really rich in flavor mutton keema served with pav made in the in-house bakery. I don't know if this qualifies to be in the starters though as it is a meal in itself and enough for me make a meal out of this.

'Mutton Dhansak' - Comes packaged in a tiffin box with 3 containers. One contains the mutton Dhansak and the other holds caramelized rice and kachumber. Nice, but not the best Dhansak I've eaten.

'Berry Pulao' - This comes in veg/chicken/mutton variants. I personally love both chicken and mutton but given my meat preference, will recommend the mutton berry pulao. Berry pulao is fragrant rice and meat combination topped with fried onion and berries. The fried onions and berries add a nice hint of sweetness to this preparation but the flavoring is really elegant to allow for the sweetness to take over.

'Parsiana' (Cocktail) - A connection with Bangalore indeed. Old Monk based rum cocktail with plums and orange muddled in. A very well concocted drink indeed.

'Caramel Custard' - I love caramel custard and this one surely leaves it' mark. You've gotta try this.

Perfect for the chai time or an evening snack are also 'Vada Pav', Shrewberry biscuits, Mumbai special 'Kandha Bhajji' in the company of some 'Irani special chai' or 'Masala chai' from the Irani Chai Bar menu.

In all, SodaBottleOpenerWala has an all day dining menu with something suiting the time and purpose of your visit. The beverages are very competitively priced and the food for two will cost an average of Rs. 1300 plus taxes and charges.

I have been here twice so far and will surely go back to get my hands on the 'Bacon Keema Macaroni', 'Irani Falooda', 'Sali Chicken / Mutton', 'Bheendi Bazaar Sheek Paratha', 'Mawa Cake' and more.

Note: All pictures in this post are representative and only tasting portions. Actual portions served are much larger and hearty.

Address: 25/4, Lavelle Road, Opp. Harley Davidson Showroom, Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 70222 55299

The Shiro Collection - DimSum Festival, Bangalore

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Some of the top brands of restaurants, pubs and lounges are an offering of JSM Corp. Right from Hard Rock Cafe, to Ginger Tiger, California Pizza Kitchen, Shiro are just to name a few. DimSums are my favourite and it's rarely that I make a meal out of dimsums. On till the 7th of July is this lovely showcase of 'The Shiro Collection' of DimSums.

With over 40 DimSums on the specially designed menu, there is a plenty on offer for both vegetarian and non-vegetarians. Elevating the experience is the beautiful setting/ambiance, service and the variety of tea served complimentary. The evening for us was an elaborate affair that started with two wonderful variants of the mojito; one was orange and the other was fig mojito. At first I was skeptical to try a variant for previous not so good experiences around Bangalore but here, both the mojito variants were really refreshing, no bottled flavors were added and the marriage of the flavors was beautiful. These are a set of cocktails I will definitely repeat on my future visits.

Shortly arrived two baskets of assorted dumplings - one vegetarian and another with non-vegetarian dumplings. It was a great way to go ahead with tasting the offerings on the menu. The non-vegetarian basket came with the following dimsums -

 - Chicken Gyonza: Lovely stuffing of minced chicken and herbs offering a mild flavor enough to really savor this classic Chinese preparation.

 - Har Gao: Simplicity is at the heart of this har gao; good chunks of prawns and brilliantly light and translucent casing to hold them all together. The prawn filling was perfectly cooked and filled in good measure to allow to be eaten in one go.

 - Chicken & Sichuan Pepper  Dumpling: Clearly the Sichuan pepper was the star addition to this dumpling giving it the a nice lingering after taste of the Sichuan pepper. 

 - SuiMai: Prawn Sui Mai was delicate and flavors were well balanced. The filling was fabulous and generous.

 - Prawn & Asparagus Dumpling: This was a very light and refreshing combination with both the prawn and asparagus adding a nice crunch to the delicate texture of the dimsum wrapper.

The flow of dimsums didn't seem to end but at this time we thought of pairing them with Sublime tea which has partnered with Shiro in curating a wonderful Yum Cha experience of sorts. Brilliant aroma on the nose, crisp notes and a lingering finish were traits of two varieties (Rose in Bloom and Jasmine Mandarin) of Sublime tea that we sipped for the rest of the evening in the company of more dim sums. I loved the tea and have ordered my quota of the tea bags from Sublime's website.

Our date with dim-sums continued with the arrival of some new entrants- 

 - Phoenix Eye Dumpling: A classic prawn dumpling seasoned with chilis and fish sauce and topped with Edamame. 

 - Prawn Nest dumpling: It was art on a plate that required the technique, talent and skill to prepare. The casing was like fibre; a result of the use of potato and starch fried with a prawn filling. This was really heavy and I could not afford another one for the sheer spread of dim-sums that were yet to arrive. The XO sauce came as a condiment which was well prepared too.

 - Chicken Pearl Dumpling: This was a chicken dumpling flavoured with the five spice powder and oyster sauce. Rolled as a ball with Sticky Jasmine rice, this was my least preferred dumpling by taste due to the over powering essence and taste of the star anise and the missing flavor of the oyster sauce that I love.

To my surprise, the vegetarian dumpling too had a host of selection to choose from. From the various we tried, what my dining companion enjoyed the most were-

 - Chi Chow Fried Dumpling

 - Pak choi & Water Chestnut Dumpling

 - Vegetable Nest Dumpling

Our evening continued with 3 steamed delicacies- 

 - Silken Tofu with Mustard XO: Steamed slices of silken tofu topped with a delicious mustard sauce was a delight combination of texture and flavor.

 - Prawn with Thai herb sauce: The succulent prawns were steamed in and quoted with a Thai herb sauce. Indeed succulent and flavourful.

 - Pork ribs with sweet chili and black bean sauce: Easily the best pork ribs I have ever eaten. The pork itself fell of the bone without second thoughts. It was so soft that the bone remained clean and clear effortlessly. The smokiness of the pork married fabulously with the sweet chili and black bean sauce.

Not very fond of desserts that too after a scrumptious dim-sum meal we were in no mood for desserts  and instead continued to sip the 'Jasmine Mandarin' offering from sublime tea. It was a meal that had us really content and left us feeling easy even after an overload of dim-sums. The menu also includes steamed fish wrapped in lotus leaf, steamed bao and the likes.

For those who'd love to try a varied range of the dim-sum offerings at Shiro can go in for a basket of 9 varieties of dim-sums which is priced at Rs. 1900 plus taxes and charges. The portion is good to be shared between 2 - 3 diners and can be enjoyed with portions of Sublime tea which come complimentary to complete the Dim-Sum experience. On till 7th July, do head here if you'd love to have a YumCha experience.

Address: UB City, 4th Floor, Piazza Area, Lavelle Road, Bangalore
Phone Number: +91 80 4173 8861