bon South

We heard about it last weekend, when we were chided for not having visited it when it was in our own ‘backyard’ – Koramangala, and then again, when a friend suggested we meet up there. The latter didn’t happen, since my dinner on other days would’ve been adversely affected if I reviewed the place without the better half as my dinner companion. But yes, the universe did conspire to get us there, even though other reviews had convinced us that our wallets would be left significantly lighter.

Its relatively easy to find, on the 80ft road in Koramangala. At the Sony World Junction on the Indiranagar – Koramangala ring road, take a left turn when coming from Indiranagar, and you’ll find this on the right after the Levis outlet and Barista. There’s valet parking, but not for two wheelers. Damn!! 😉

We’d reserved in advance, which would be a good thing to do, since there was a crowd, and we saw people having to wait. The place practically screams snob value, from the word go. That’s not intended as a put-down, its just smart positioning. We had to wait for a few minutes, while our table was being cleaned, and they did a smart thing by showing us around the place, to keep us from fidgeting around. Though the space is very optimally used, it manages to retain a cosy feel, largely due to the comfortable seating and dimly lit ambience. I had a brief ‘flight’ moment, when they offered us a cold wet towel. Hmm, was that a bon connection (voyage, and south). Okay, got it, we’ll just talk about the food.

The menu features cuisine from the four South Indian states, complete with soups, starters, main course and desserts. The place also serves alcohol, no, not necessarily from these states!!! We decided to skip the soup, since they were mostly the thin type, and instead ordered a starter, Kori Kempu Bezule, which is ‘tender pieces of boneless chicken marinated in a mangalorean home style masala, and deep fried’. Now, I have not been to mangalorean homes, but it tasted good – the chicken was actually tender, and the masala had a distinct flavor without being excessively spicy.

For the main course, we tried to give representation to all states, but TN got left out. We ordered a Kozhi Varutharacha Curry, which is ‘boneless chicken with roasted coconut and spices’, an excellent Kerala dish, if done well; a Chappala Pulusu, a tangy and spicy Andhra fish curry, and to go alongwith that, podi masla appams, and Sajjige Roti (a thick bread made with semolina, coconut, green chillies and curry leaves). Once the food was served, we realised that it may not be sufficient, and ordered egg appams too. Now, I knew that appams and the chicken would go well together, but I’m sure it would help if there was some advice offered on the correct combinations. In this case, the fish curry was not exactly a great match.

The chicken dish, though it differed marginally from the taste we were familiar with, was very well made. The fish was a bit too tangy and not spicy enough for our liking. The gravy portions are just sufficient for two people. The appams are not miniscule, thankfully, and are the regular size we make at home. The podi masala appam has podi and masala onion laden onto the regular appams. The egg appam is well, like the name suggests and both were made well. But since, appamd are fluffy by nature, even two per person won’t be sufficient. The Sajjige roti was quite unlike anything else we’ve tasted, and deserves a try. You get four rotis per plate, and its not too heavy. There were dessert options, but we passed, though if you’re not very familiar with South indian desserts, you should give it a try.

So, the meal went quite well, but they delayed in clearing the table, giving us finger bowls and presenting the bill. I find it very strange when restaurants do this, especially while people are kept waiting outside. Isn’t it in their interest to get us out of there after we conclude our business? Anyway, they first presented us a bill upwards of Rs.2300. Thankfully, before my heart reacted violently, i realised it wasn’t ours, but even the correct one came upto just less than Rs.1300. So there was a tiny lurch, though I was prepared for it. I wonder if they had this in mind when they said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

So, if the idea is just to taste some South Indian food, I’d say, try out Malgudi (though we weren’t very impressed with the service the last time we visited), Annachi (though I have a problem with their small portions) or even 3 Storys, (no complaints, and though it is not an all South cuisine, it offers some great Coorgi stuff to compensate). But if you’re in the mood to splurge, and want an upmarket experience, with decent food and a liberal splattering of snob appeal, you should try bon South.

And we’ll end with a thanks to the young lady in a party dress at the adjacent table, whose expression on seeing a couple in ragged tees and cargo trousers walk out as she walked in, made up for the exorbitant bill. 😉

bon South, 749, 10th Main, 80 ft road, Koramangala. Ph: 080 40543434.

Update: Shifted to Malleswaram