First published in Bangalore Mirror
I’d been hearing about Gilly’s for while now, and when I figured out that the crowd on Saturday nights would lead us to a Hoppipola-like experience, we decided to land up on a Saturday afternoon. Despite that, the place was reasonably packed and there was definitely a peppy vibe about the place. There are two sections – the indoor area is dim lit and has more of a retro pub feel to it, and the outdoor is brighter, seems more cheerful, and if it weren’t for the bar stools, you could mistake it for a fun café. The walls are adorned with pop culture posters, typical pub humour, and occasionally glass paintings. The music is exactly what the 20-somethings would order and the decibel levels increased as the afternoon progressed. The focus on short eats, both in terms of menu items as well as portion sizes, ensures that you’ll not need to worry about your beer not having sufficient company.
The drinks menu is pretty elaborate and apart from the standard fare, has a few house specials as well. I decided to make a ‘rocky’ start with the “Eye of the Tiger”, and the potent combination of white rum and white chocolate with a touch of cardamom flavour came very close to giving me a knockout punch! The strangely titled “Walking on the Peache’s” was more fruit (Peach Schnapps and Cranberry juice) than spirit. We also tried a couple of mocktails. Hepburn’s Delight aimed to bury us under the ingredients – blueberry, cranberry and strawberry, and was actually one gigantic sugar bomb in disguise, just like the other drink we tried – Mango Chill.
The starters occupy exactly one half of the menu. The skew is understandable since this is positioned as a resto-bar, so we decided to focus most on this section. The first dish we asked for was unavailable, but our persistence was rewarded in the form of the Roast Chili Pork. Superbly cooked and flavoured with a mildly spiced chili sauce, this was unanimously the dish of the day. The Spicy Kalamari sounded Greek but was standard tasty, crunchy fare served with a Cajun dip. Though the Ultimate Kerala Beef Fry tried its best to lure us, we finally fell for the ‘Gilly’s Hottty…beeeeeefy…” (Represented exactly as in the menu so you understand why) Well cooked beef in a tomato based sauce served with nachos, this was nothing exceptional. ‘Two States’ happened in the form of Guntur Chicken Tikka, whose deceptively creamy look was just a front for its heavy chili flavour! The char grilled Paneer Rubaiyat proved to be a contrast to this with its blandness. The Gosht Shikampuri Kabab had finely minced lamb and a light curd cheese touch, which gave the dish an enjoyable smoothness.
The ‘Chicken Kolar’ is listed under chef recommendations but the spicy, boneless chicken didn’t really impress us much. We’d have loved to try the Pandi Curry, another chef recommendation, but this too wasn’t available! A Summer Vegetable Lasagna was asked for, and the vegetables cooked in creamy sauce was not a bad effort. The Malabar Fish Curry, served with steamed rice, was not exactly the kind we’d had before, but though the coconut milk based curry seemed to have more Thai than Kerala inspirations, it was quite delicious. There are also a few pizzas and steaks, but nothing you wouldn’t find in a standard menu.
Experience has taught me that that it’s silly, and probably unfair, to expect desserts at a resto-bar, but the menu gave us hope with at least a couple of chocolate mentions. Unfortunately, the only dessert available was Gulab Jamun! It was probably the low expectations, but it turned out to be surprisingly good!
A meal for two would cost around Rs.1100 (Inclusive of taxes) – a couple of beers, a non veg starter, a couple of main course dishes and a dessert. Judging from the playlist we heard, the music should be good. Quite a few dishes we asked for weren’t available, and that took away a little from the overall experience. The service, while efficient, seemed more cordial than friendly. But, to be fair, the ambience, the food, the vibe and the price of beer all point to a place where one can lounge comfortably with friends and a mug, and that willy-nilly, is after all the raison d’être for Gilly’s!
Gilly’s Resto-Bar, #91 JNC Road, 5th Block Koramangala, Ph: 080 41511230