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

Event Update: 'Jamva Chalo Ji' - Parsi Food Festival @Cubbon Pavilion, ITC Gardenia, Bangalore

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Food festivals are the best way to experience great food and learn about their culture. With the Parsi Food Festival on at ITC Gardenia's Cubbon Pavilion, I looked forward to the Parsi food on offer but also learnt that -

(1) Parsi food is a mix of Persian food influenced by Gujarati style of cooking.

(2) Fish is a symbol of good luck and is always a dish at celebrations and feasts.

Seated on a designated table, we walked around to explore the buffet which was expansive not just in terms of the dishes but also the cuisines and courses.What centered the buffet and remained my focus was the Parsi food which had various vegetarian and non-vegetarian classics as a part of the spread. 

Parsi Food - Vegetarian Spread

Parsi Food - Non-Vegetarian Spread

For starters, there was 'Paneer Akuri' and 'Bharuchi Akuri / Egg Akuri' both eaten with bread. There was also the wonderful 'Patra-Ni-Machhi' and 'Prawn Kebabs' in starters for the non-vegetarians. What I loved about the 'Patra-Ni-Machhi' was that the fish wrapped and steamed in banana leaf parcels was the ever fabulous white pomfret. The marinate of coriander and mint successfully soaked in the flavor of the banana leaf which in all completeness paired beautifully with the perfectly steamed fish.
Caution! Not being a fillet, do expect bones as you eat.

Patra-Ni-Machhi - In the steamer

Patra-Ni-Machhi - On my plate

Prawn Kebabs

For the mains, there was 'Salli-Ma-Murgi' and 'Mutton Dhansak with Dhansak rice, kuchumber and meat balls'. 'Salli-Ma-Murgi' - spiced chicken garnished with finely sliced fried potatoes (Salli) is best enjoyed with Indian breads (Rotlis to be specific). 

Salli-Ma-Murgi

Mutton Dhansak is a whole meal by itself. Traditionally, Parsi families assemble their Dhansak on their own to suit their taste buds and that's how it is served here as well. Mine was fully loaded with rice,  mutton meat balls, mutton dhansak (lots of mutton) and kachumber salad to top it all. I liked this preparation - the meat balls and mutton were delicious and the daal added to the flavor. For me, the only weak-link in this otherwise wonderful dish was the kachumber. I've known kachumber to primarily include slivers of onion (if not only onions) but here it was chunks of carrots that drove the show.

Mutton Dhansak with rice, kachumber & Mutton meat balls

For the vegetarians, there was a veg. version of dhansak (with out mutton) and the 'Tarkari-Nu-Kebab' taking the place of delicious meat balls. There was also 'Kharo Papeto' and more but my focus for this dinner remained the non-vegetarian food.

Being a part of the buffet; in addition to the Parsi section, there was a whole range of cuisines spanning the globe wide horizon right from Japanese to the American with a whole lot in between. In terms of courses, there were soups, breads, Anti-Pasti (cute little mono-portions of salads and meat), starters, mains, desserts and tea/coffee to finish with.

It is believed that no Parsi meal is complete with out their signature dessert - Lagan-Nu-Custard and 'Yes' it was there. This was my first taste of 'Lagan-Nu-Custard' and I loved this dessert. The sweetness and flavor of the cardamom was really well balanced and the texture was smooth and fluffy right in between the consistency of jelly and mousse.

Lagan-Nu-Custard

Don't remember the name of this dessert

With Chef Parvez Patel of Ideal Corner, Mumbai at the helm of things - the Indian section of the buffet at Cubbon Pavilion has been taken over to represent the wonderful Parsi cuisine for the remainder of this week. So 'Yes' each night for dinner; on till the 21st of September, the buffet at Cubbon Pavilion, ITC Gardenia will feature Parsi cuisine along with its standard elaborate offering at the regular price of Rs. 1600 plus taxes.

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

Phone Number: +91 80 2211 9898