First published in Bangalore Mirror
The new restaurants that open on 100 feet Road, Indiranagar seem to be giving a hat tip to the traffic by having an automobile connection in their names. At least, that’s what struck me when I saw our destination – The Workshop – exactly opposite a restaurant called Horn OK Please. The restaurant has outdoor seating, which, if you can get over the blaring horns, does look like a comfortable place to watch the world go by. We chose to sit inside, where, on comfortable sofas or functional but aesthetically pleasing chairs, you can watch the IPL season go by. The wall graphics continue the theme (of the name) by creating a workshop impression out of kitchen utensils and the cooking process. The overall effect is bright and cheerful, and does a decent job of creating a relaxed, casual dining ambiance. The menu offers a mix of café fare and more elaborate dishes from Continental, Italian and North Indian cuisines. With the background of pop from the earlier part of this decade, we decided to begin.
The Chicken Barley soup looked like a safe and energising place to start, and the shredded chicken and vegetables in barley stock delivered on the simplistic promise. The Raw Papaya and Orange was a perfect candidate for a hot Bangalore summer afternoon, but despite the orange vinaigrette, the dish itself seemed to have wilted in the heat, and didn’t really give us the zing we had expected.
Our drinks, both with suggestive names, arrived around this time. The Dark Fantasy, which almost suggested biscuit origins, had dark rum, espresso, and caramel, but was actually a mocktail in disguise. The Chocolate Orgasm had vodka, chocolate and hazelnut syrup, and was supposed to be served with a chocolate bar. The vodka and the chocolate bar were on invisible mode! So was the mango based smoothie we had wanted to try.
The Chicken Cheese Kebab did have well cooked chicken but the cheese topping didn’t have much to add either in terms of texture or taste. The last starter we tried was the Basil Cottage Cheese Tikka. The pesto marinade was strong and flavourful and gave us a welcome break from the otherwise bland experience thus far. 
Despite the less than satisfactory with cheese thus far, we decided to be adventurous and try the Four Cheese Pizza. Cheddar, gouda, mozzarella, parmesan and a unique thin crust with the texture of a cracker helped us revive our faith in the power of cheese. The Chicken and Mushroom Fricassee, made with penne, had a full bodied béchamel sauce and a parmesan topping that together created a creamy extravaganza.
Bhuna Mutton with Naan was up next, and made up for the lack of spice in all the dishes we had tried thus far! More parmesan arrived in the form of Chicken Milanese – chicken breast with panko crumbs and a pesto topping. The chicken itself was quite juicy, but the topping was unfortunately a little too sharp for our taste.
Most of the dessert dishes weren’t available. We ordered the Mango & Rasgulla cheesecake, and while searching for the rasgulla, found a gulab jamun base and gelatine crystals! It got sent back, and to their credit, we weren’t charged for it. Last I heard, they had taken it off the menu! We then waited for the Lava Cake, which had suffered an explosion long before it reached the table.
A couple of cocktails, a couple of non veg starters, two main course dishes and a dessert would cost you around Rs.1900, inclusive of taxes. The ambiance is quite comfortable and relaxing, a good setting to hang out with friends. A few dishes weren’t available, and most of the ones we ordered failed on multiple counts. The service was prompt, but the communication lines weren’t really the best and we had to repeat our order a few times before it was received right. All things considered, I’d say this workshop itself is in need of some repair!
The Workshop, 1136, 100 feet Road, Indiranagar, Ph: 080 41202669