Banjara @ Gold Finch Hotels, Bangalore

One Sunday night, as we drove past M.G. road; we wondered which restaurant to visit for some good North India food. As we juggled between various options, my mind traced back to the amazing tandoori gobi (starter) and palak rice I had eaten one afternoon with 2 of my friends at Banjara restaurant - a part of the Gold Finch property. This is how; we decided upon where we would be dining that night.

Menu:

The menu comprised of authentic North Indian delicacies. The listing is well split between the vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes.

What we ate:

Being just 3 of us, we knew one starter, one main course and breads would be all we’d need. So it was murg afgani tikka for starters, Paneer khurchan was our preference for main course which was accompanied by a couple of laccha parathas and butter naan.

We were served roasted papad and mint chutney to munch while to food was being prepared to be served to us. For a change, fresh lime soda was the preferred drink. by a c� � e o �I �I parathas and butter naan.

As requested by us, all food arrived at once. Murg afgani tikka was succulent and moist and did not need accompaniment to go along with. The meat was cooked to perfection. Paneer khurchan was rich, creamy and flavorful gravy with chunks of paneer drowned in it. Like the rest of the food, the parathas and butter naan too were served hot. The paratha was nice and flaky while the butter naan was really soft and loaded with butter. Both these breads were the perfect accompaniment to the delicious paneer.

Murgh Afgani Tikka (Right)

Paneer Khurchan

Desserts were nowhere yet on our minds; instead we had the same dish that actually brought us here.. YES - Palak rice. As expected, this came really hot and tasted heavenly. The creamy texture of the spinach gravy and rice left our taste buds so enticed that we were happy to take home the unfinished portion.

Verdict:

We were happy with the hospitality. The food was served hot, the staff was polite and gentle in greeting diners, they knew the menu well, and service was swift and efficient. While the service was great, one place where I would strike off a point is; poor lighting in the section we sat.

Valet parking is available which saves diners from the struggle of finding parking space for themselves which otherwise is a big task on this busy road.

Rs. 1200 will be the cost of an average meal for 2 here which includes with a couple of non alcoholic drinks, a starter, a main, a couple of breads and rice to share. Taxes and other charges are not a part of the average meal cost.

Address: Gold Finch Hotels, Cresent Road, Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 80 41291300

Bene @ Sheraton, Bangalore - Italian Food Festival

It doesn’t happen often that, a chef comes down all the way from Sheraton, Rome to showcase the authentic regional preparations of Italy in our very own city - Bangalore. And when it does, it’s best not missed. Chef Fabio Colace and Sheraton Bangalore are hosting an Italian food festival at ‘Bene’ – a signature Italian restaurant at Sheraton Hotels, Bangalore. This event is on for just 10 days starting 21^st to the 30^th of June. In addition to food, Sheraton plans to engage diners with contests at individual tables where diners get to win some goodies.

A media preview dinner was organized and I was invited to the CAL Blogger’s Table to get a firsthand experience of Chef Fabio’s creations. Inspired by the history of Italian cuisine and the contest planned by Sheraton, I will not only share my experience of dining at Bene but will also share some Italian trivia along the way.

Chef Fabio Colace

Menu:

A new and innovative a-la carte menu has been crafted especially for this festival and I must say goes well beyond pastas and Italian style thin crust pizzas. At our table, we indulged in a traditional 4 course meal which comprised of signature creations from the antipasto, primo, secendo and dolce sections of the newly orchestrated menu. As it is believed, meals in Italy are usually an elaborate affair and a means to spend time with family, friends or guests. So was the case on our table with food, wine and conversations.

Trivia: Italian cuisine with origins going as far back as the 4^th century gets its inspiration from the diverse regional cuisines which in turn get their structure from the available ingredients and influences from their neighboring geographies.

What we ate:

Once seated at the table, in no time; we were sipping wine and relishing bread with 3 different types of dips – a tomato based dip, an herbed butter dip and the third was a cream based dip. But wait, we have not begun our meal yet; at least officially!

In quick succession, arrived ‘Il Fungo Porcino’ - an antipasto. Antipasto can be compared to an appetizer and once served signifies an official start of a traditional Italian meal. This was a single chunk of potato stuffed with minced mushrooms in the center, topped with a porcino mushroom and accompanied by delicately flavored parsley sauce. If you love mushrooms; this dish has gotta be on your table. I am not a mushroom fan yet found this dish quite interesting for it broke the monotony of the usual bruschetta.

Another View of Potato stuffed with mushrooms

Primo - ‘La Lasagne Bene’ it was. Primo is the first course in an Italian meal. There is emphasis on hot preparation and usually but not necessarily comprises of vegetarian food. ‘La Lasagne Bene’ was exactly that; alternating layers of lasagna sheet, and a veggie preparation of basil, chunks of eggplant, roasted cherries and slivers of onion all tossed in olive oil; not to mention topped with hot parmesan cream cheese. Once on our table, the staff was quick to bring on a slab of parmesan cheese which was grated finely onto our plate to our liking. The minimal use of seasoning which helped retain the original flavor of every ingredient was what worked best in this dish. Loved it!

For me, primo set the expectation really high for the next course and being a meat lover, I looked forward to ‘Secendo’ – the second course. Yes, this course is considered the main course and is usually a non-vegetarian preparation though the menu does cater well for the vegetarians too. For us non-vegetarians, it was ‘L’Agnello’; lamb loin cooked with aromatic herbs and was served with reduced balsamic vinegar sauce and roasted potatoes. This dish was fantastic and was relished with a glass of red wine. What worked for me in this dish was the flavor of the meat, rosemary herb and the balsamic sauce which were clearly felt on the palate. Roasted garlic plated on the side was a big hit with some of the diners on our table; not for me though. One thing, I believe could have made this preparation score more points versus the lasagna is the tenderness of the lamb meat. Nevertheless, its one dish I’d still wish to have again.

Trivia: ‘L’Agnello’ is a recipe from Chef Fabio’s very own region Lazio which houses the city Rome.

The vegetarians were served ‘Il Pemodoro’ which was a whole tomato stuffed with vegetable caponata and placed in a crispy basket made of filo pastry. Caponata was a sweet and sour filling made with some veggies and eggplant. This was liked by the vegetarians on our table. I dug into it too and liked the medley of flavors and the crunchiness of the filo pastry.

Trivia: Copanata is a Sicilian preparation. Sicilian food, though predominantly Italian is known to draw influence from Greek cuisine. This can be seen in Chef Fabio’s preparation of ‘Il Pemodoro’ which uses kataifi or filo pastry (Greek origin) around the tomato.

Our final course was dessert or ‘dolce’ is referred to in Italy. What grabbed our attention instantly was the plating of the dessert called ‘La Crema’ on a red plate. The frozen cream with apple sandwiched between puff pastry along with a prosecco (an Italian sparkling wine) based sauce not only looked fabulous but was down-right delicious to its last bite.

Verdict:

The service was fantastic; we were well attended to. The staff ensured none of us were kept waiting for either the food to arrive or our wine glasses to be refilled. Customary to Italy, post our desserts we were offered to be served a cup of coffee which I believe was a good touch. The menu was beautifully designed by chef Fabio to offer a good selection of the regional dishes of Italy. The food was fabulous and definitely provided for a unique dining experience.

A meal at ‘Bene’ for 2 which comprises of any of the above 3 courses each would cost you an average of Rs. 2000 plus taxes and charges (alcohol extra).

Sheraton is located in the Brigade Gateway campus adjacent to Orion Mall. Valet parking is available at Sheraton.

Quick Tips:

Go for a good Italian experience and fine dining. When there also take a few minutes out to take a look at the products on sale like cheese, sauces, and cold cuts which are available for purchase.

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

Khan Saheb, Bangalore

Last weekend of May, after some drinks, pizzas and chicken wings at Toit; we cousins headed to ‘Khan Saheb’ – a nice little rolls joint located in Cambridge layout, Indiranagar.

Menu:

What makes Khan Saheb score bonus points is their menu that has plenty to offer; to both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Patrons can choose from a variety of starters cooked off the grill, rolls, and beverages.

What we ate:

With not much capacity left to eat, 2 of us decided to order just a roll each. We ate; chicken Malai Tikka roll and Chicken Kali Mirch roll. We asked for our rolls to be made with Kathi wrap instead of a wheat wrap. The rolls were delicious and filled with moist and succulent chicken (visible in some of the pictures below). While I love spicy food, this time my personal favorite of the two was chicken malai tikka roll for the mild flavor and sweetness the cream exuded.

The manager was kind enough to allow me to capture the process of rolls being assembled. So, here is a pictorial presentation specially put down on this blog for you: 

- The chicken kababs being cooked on the fire grill.

- While the chicken kababs cook, the wheat wrap being readied by smothering 2 chutneys; a spicy chutney and a ‘tangy - sweet n' spicy’ tamarind based chutney.

- The chicken is cooked and transferred from the skewer to the wrap. Now loaded with a generous helping of onion, the wrap is ready to be rolled and served.

Verdict:

The preparation was fast, the manager was happy to recommend what to eat and customize the rolls too based on customer preferences.

Being a weekend, finding parking in the by-lanes was easy. Considering they are located on a busy road, finding parking space on a weekday might be a tricky; especially during the day.

The food here ranges from Rs. 60 to Rs. 150 and is worth the money being spent.

Quick Tips:

Go here for a quick grab and delicious rolls. Considering proximity and reach, a dessert at Berry’d Alive would make for a perfect end to this meal.

Though they do have a table or 2 laid out on the street side, do not expect to have a sit down meal here.

Address: # 3136, 7th main, 13th cross, HAL 2nd Stage, Cambridge Layout Indiranagar, Bangalore
Landmark: 100 meters ahead of Sai Baba Temple when coming from that side

Phone Number: +91 9900941111 / 2222

Annapoorna, Bangalore

Quite often, I tend to enjoy eating food in the confines of my home for various reasons. Most often being that, “I am lazy to get dressed for a restaurant or may be enjoy a movie alongside a drink and lots of food.” No points for guessing, the food source is usually a takeaway or home delivery. While this happens quite often, it is the first time I am putting this down on record.

The Home-Bound Series that I'd like to call 'maison lié' series begins with a take-away from ‘Annapoorna’ an Andhra style restaurant housed in ‘Hotel Annapoorna’. This is an age old joint that has been serving up delicious Andhra style fare for decades.  The ambiance here is very simple and basic with nothing more that can be written about. 

Menu:

Annapoorna has a laminated one page menu with limited but more than sufficient listing to cater to ones need. The listing includes biryani, non-vegetarian starters, veg. meals and for take-away they also have carrier meals which suffices for 3 – 4 members. 

What we ate:

For our take-away, we placed our order at the cash counter and requested for banana leaves to be provided as well with our parcel. What we took home to devour was a portion each of chicken roast (Rs. 100), mutton fry (Rs. 120), chicken biryani (Rs. 110) and mutton biryani (Rs. 130).

Starting from the bottom right and moving clock-wise is mutton biryani, chicken biryani, sherwa (gravy) and raita for the biryani, chicken roast and mutton fry. The biryanis were full of flavor yet light and easy on the stomach. Though both the biryanis were delicious; the milder and more balanced flavor of the chicken biryani appealed more to my taste buds.

Another View

The lack of flavor in the chicken roast left me disappointed. On the other hand, the mutton fry was packed with flavor and spices. The aroma of the mutton fry was sufficient to fall in love with this preparation; needless to say it tasted divine.

Verdict:

Since we did a take-away, I must mention that the biryanis came packed in individual aluminum foil packets and the rest were packed in boxes. We did not need to wait for long for our food to be readied to takeaway. The restaurant was kind enough to oblige when we asked for banana leaves to be provided as well.

Two of us had a hearty meal and were stuffed to our throats by the time we finished. For this meal, we paid just Rs. 460 all inclusive (there are no additional taxes and charges). Oh! No packaging or container charges as well.

Quick Tips:

Go here for a scrumptious and a quick meal, Andhra veg. meals, chicken biryani and mutton fry. CAUTION! Mutton fry is high on spices.

Do not go if you cannot take the spice or ambiance is your prime focus.

Address: 6th cross, Gandhinagar, Majestic Area, Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 80 25352218 / 22912755

The Grill House, Bangalore

It’s been long since I wanted to visit the much heard about ‘The Grill House’ and finally on one weekend of April, 3 of us decided to visit the restaurant for a Tex-Mex dinner.  The restaurant has a very rustic feel with a lot of wood used in its décor. Thought being located on a very busy road, being inside the restaurant seems like an escape from the city’s traffic filled noisy roads.

Menu:

Specializing in Tex-Mex food, the menu was vast with a very good range of starters, salads, steaks, sizzlers, Mexican delicacies, burgers, sandwiches and desserts to choose from. The menu has separate sections of listing and caters well to both the vegetarians and the non-vegetarians. The Grill House also boasts of a well-stocked bar which we did not explore on this night.

What we ate:

Our food comprised of one vegetarian – Cottage Cheese Shashlik, non-vegetarian included a chicken steak and a king fish steak; both of which were requested to be served as a sizzler.

All sizzlers come plated with butter-boiled veggies, Mexican flavored rice and mashed potato. Both fish and chicken sizzler arrived on our table at the same time. At first, the lack of/minimal sauce on both the sizzlers took us by surprise leaving a puzzled look on our faces. The restaurant staff was quick to answer the puzzle. The very next moment, the pepper sauce for the chicken steak and an herbed lemon butter sauce for the king fish steak was brought in sauce boat (meant for serving sauces). Apparently, this is how it is served at The Grill House.

The chicken steak sizzler was quite nice. The sauce had a nice flavor, the rice was mildly flavored with Mexican herbs, mashed potatoes and boiled veggies were fresh and moist.

The King Fish steak sizzler was 2 big pieces of sear fish and rest of the works. This dish was quite disappointing for (1) the herbed lemon butter sauce was quite tangy to taste with an over powering flavor of lemon, (2) the fish which per the information from the staff was supposed to be boneless had its fair share of bones and (3) the fish didn't seem fresh and was also quite dry possibly due to over cooking.

The cottage cheese shashlik too failed to excite our taste buds. O.M.G! An overdose of vinegar in the barbecue sauce smothered over the cottage cheese cubes.

Verdict:

Apart from the initial glitches in service; I must admit that the service was quite nice. The staff was quite responsive, attentive and prompt in service. They were knowledgeable about the food being served and willing to help with suggestions.

While the portions of food are humongous the taste was fine but far from the WOW Factor!! Some interiors required attention to address the wear and tear; especially the sofas we sat on.

With no sign board visible, we parked the car ourselves. Only after dinner did it come to our knowledge that valet service existed with the sign board placed on the side of the building. Poor placement I must say.

For what we ate; accompanied by a non-alcoholic beverage we ended up paying around Rs. 1200.

Quick Tips:

Go if around Ulsoor.

Address: 8/6 Kensington Point, Ulsoor Road, Opp. Gurudwara, Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 80 40977011

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

Fava, Bangalore

FoodLovers Magazine has been hosting a series of contests on their Facebook page and in one of them; I won a lunch voucher for 2. The lunch certificate entitled us to a 2 course prix fixe meal each which is served only during the weekdays. This was a good enough reason for us to break the work day monotony and catch up for a weekday lunch.

Menu:

The last 3 pages of the menu at Fava are dedicated to the Prix Fixe 2 or 3 course lunch. There is an array of dishes - both vegetarian and non-vegetarian that one can select from. The food mainly comprised of Mediterranean, French and Italian cuisine.  The listing was well classified between the first course, the second course and the third course – desserts and we were given an option go with any two of the three courses.

What we ate:

Having been given an option to go with any two of the three courses, my pick was Turkish Fish cakes from the first course and Crabmeat, Coriander and chili risotto and Puja chose to go with Balsamic Grilled Vegetables and mozzarella Panini for the mains and Kahlua flavored espresso and praline mousse.

While our food arrived, we were served Lavash with a tomato based sauce. The Lavash was nice and crisp and the sauce was creamy (thanks to the parmesan cheese) with the sweet and spicy flavor coming clear from the sugar and Moroccan chili used in its making.

Turkish Fish cakes arrived with a basket of 4 mini pita breads and plated with seasoned salad, Moroccan chili sauce and mint Labneh. The fish cakes were delicious and enjoyed best in the company of pita bread, the mildly spiced chili sauce and the very refreshing mint Labneh. A special note on these sauces that exuded such fine flavors that we couldn't help but ask for more.

Balsamic Grilled Veggie Panini was built with very simple ingredients and was packed with flavor of the grilled vegetables and the balsamic vinegar dressing. On the side with the Panini were served French fries and a salad.

The Crab-meat Risotto arrived with the aroma enough for anyone to assume that this dish was sea food based. What I loved about the Risotto was its flavor and creaminess but missed the crab-meat which I felt was sparingly used.

We felt quite full from what we had eaten so far but looked forward to our dessert – ‘Kahlua flavored espresso and praline mousse’. Did we get this? Of course, we did along with a complimentary bowl of chocolate truffles. The mousse was really nice and well balanced in terms of its sweetness for the dessert and the flavor of the coffee.

Chocolate truffles were gooey creamy balls of dark chocolate rolled over and coated with coffee powder dusting. We totally loved this and must admit that there was no better way that this to end a delightful meal at Fava.

Verdict:

We had a great time lunching at Fava. The food was simply fabulous. The portions were really generous and more than sufficient for a single person. The service was attentive, quick and prompt. The staffs were very courteous and polite.  They knew their menu and food well and can be depended upon for making a choice, if needed. We are definitely heading back here soon.

Being located in a mall, Fava does not offer valet parking or a private parking space. Parking is available on a paid basis in UB City.

We did not have to pay for this Prix Fixe 2 course meal. However, a scrumptious meal like this is a steal at Rs. 425 + taxes.

Quick Tips:

Go here for a relaxed meal, amazing Mediterranean fare and desserts. Mediterranean cuisine is really diverse and one of the ways to get started and sample this would be to try their ‘Tasting Meze Platter’. 

Address: #203, 2nd Floor, The Collection, UB City, 24 Vittal Mallya Road, Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 80 22117444