First published in Bangalore Mirror
In a world where zealots prescribe diets instead of deities, the Flying Spaghetti Monster appears in the skyline as a beacon of hope. For those unfamiliar with the subject, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is the deity of the “Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster” or “Pastafarianism”, a legally recognised religion in at least three countries, in addition to being an internet phenomenon! 100 feet Road, Indiranagar, (map) has now been blessed by its presence, (rather, a restaurant inspired by it) and if there’s a deity that can reduce the traffic on that road (which happened the day we visited) it must indeed be a powerful one. This was manifested once again during our dinner – we had the place to ourselves when we got in, but by the time we left, the faithful had filled up every seat available. This, on a Friday night, without the influence of alcohol! Glory be to FSM!
The ambiance is in keeping with the soberness that a faith requires – no fancy use of colours, just wood, well placed lighting, and comfortable seating that allows one to reflect on the menu, take a note of the insatiable desires of one’s appetite, and humbly appeal to a higher power to satisfy those cravings. The menu however, revealed the playful nature of the deity – “substitute bacon with bacon. ha!” (Pasta D:33), even as it strengthened one’s faith – “Vegetables are interesting, but lack a sense of purpose when unaccompanied by a good cut of meat”. By now, all we wanted to do was partake!
“Eye of the Tiger” sounded like a rocky start, but it was actually the best drink we had – orange juice, a dash of cinnamon, and mint made a refreshing combo. “Zappalicious” – cranberry and guava juice with a touch of mint and lime – had a zing to it too. The “Pinita Colada”, with pineapple juice and coconut cream, wasn’t too bad, but the artificial flavouring was a bit of a put off. The yellow banana flavoured soda and curacao drink -“Marilyn Mongoose” – was too sweet for our liking.
Despite our collective healthy disrespect for vegetables, we began with the Funghi Trifolati. The sautéed mushrooms with garlic and oregano didn’t lack in flavours and was served with some excellent garlic bread that complemented it well. However, the Pollo e Limone, pan grilled chicken chunks marinated in lemon, garlic, herbs and olive oil, was a disappointment – the chicken was a bit undercooked, and the dish was quite dry. Faith was immediately restored by the magnificent Antipasto Del Maiale – fresh mozzarella wrapped with smoked bacon and topped with Tabasco. Everything pretty much dissolved in the mouth with a pop of tang, heaven!
From here on, the only disappointment was that we weren’t blessed with the abundance of appetite that could do the menu justice. The sheer variety of scrumptious-sounding fare was a bittersweet delight. We hated ourselves for having to ignore the spicy pork salami and pepperoni, among others, and finally asked for the Agnello Speziato pizza – minced lamb, green chilli, pepper, onion, spicy Napoli sauce and mozzarella. An absolutely hot combination, and very enjoyable if you can handle the spice. The Cannelloni Alla Fiorentina – hollow pasta filled with spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, and baked with besciamella sauce – smelled heavenly, but was surprisingly light on the stomach. We wondered how this was managed, given so much cheese! There is a lot of pasta on the menu, and it took many agonising rounds of debate before we got ourselves the Sugo all’amatriciana – classic tomato ragu based pasta with chilli peppers, onion, black pepper, pecorino romano, substituting the bacon with chicken. Our punishment for this bacon blasphemy was swift – we had asked for farfalle but were served fusilli. But when we fussily pointed this out, the dish was replaced amazingly fast! The benevolence and the speed, both impressive.
We had begun eyeing this section long before the main course and, after much debate again, asked for The Bomb and Paolo’s Tiramisu. The confidence that was evident in the first dish’s description was fully justified. It can broadly be classified a lava cake but is far superior to the standard fare. Tasting will make you a believer. The Tiramisu’s description underplayed the generosity with the dark rum. Suffice to say that I remember eating a couple of spoons, closing my eyes, and floating to heaven, though my friends maintain that we all crawled out of the restaurant because we were that stuffed!
A meal for two – a couple of drinks, a starter, a pizza , a pasta and a dessert would set you back by about Rs.1800. In terms of food, I haven’t been this close to a spiritual experience in recent memory. The pricing, I’d say, is completely justified, given the location and the quality of food. The service was exemplary. I cannot comment on the other religious aspects, but from a gastronomy perspective, the experience was nothing short of divine!
P.S. A hat tip to B & P, with whom we celebrated 4 years of doing reviews for Bangalore Mirror! 🙂
Flying Spaghetti Monster, 1st Floor, Salarpuria Palladium, 100 feet Road, Indiranagar, Ph: 9966766652