Sometime back, we were super happy to see gastronomic progress happening in a building near the BMTC Depot in Whitefield. (map) Galito’s and Cold Stone Creamery were quick to start reperations, and we now regularly make up excuses to visit the latter! Bloomsbury’s looked very promising but had been holding out, until we began seeing lights inside around April. Side note – I think the same folks are behind all three, because it can’t be a coincidence that outside of Bangalore, all of them operate only in Kerala’s tourism hot spot – Lulu Mall. Though all three seem to be international franchises, I’m guessing that like most good things in life, these ones too have some Kerala connection. đ
Bloomsbury’s proposition is a boutique cafe and artisan bakery, but let’s just say that from a menu perspective, you will have enough to choose from. In fact, that is quite a problem because you’ll find it difficult to preserve appetite for desserts. But we’ll come to that in a bit, because the decor is worth a shout out. Spread over two floors, the brick walls with chalkboard and illustrations, the cute teapot lights, the plant holder bulbs,  graffiti and the plush seating, all lend a lively yet cozy feel to the place. The staff do their best to make you comfortable too. For instance, when we asked to sit upstairs, we were told that it wasn’t open yet. Later, one of the other service staff let another party sit upstairs, followed by my cold glares. That last item was caught and they were nice enough to let us take a little tour upstairs, and move our food there if we wanted to. But we liked the area downstairs better.
On to the food. There are quite a few ‘nibbles’, small plates, and soups to choose from, but as always, when there’s Tom Kha to be had, we shall have it! The plating deserves a mention, even though those pretty crackers were just that for me, thanks to my allergy for prawns. But the soup more than made up for it – superb, flavourful stock, generous chicken chunks and all the standard ingredients in just the right proportion. Hot Chicken Tenders got selected thanks to the spicy presence of Sriracha, and the crumb fried chicken strips, served with coleslaw, didn’t disappoint at all. We were in the mood for pizza and decided on the “3- Bird Alfredo”, which as per the name had three different kinds of chicken – cajun spiced grilled chicken, chicken tikka and pepper chicken sausages. Halfway through it, we figured that we’d need to decide between another main course dish and the quantum of desserts we wanted to have.
The desserts display doesn’t make the job easier! I’d have tried everything if I could! We first asked for the Bloomsbury’s Black Forest Mousse shake – thick and filling, it also made a very pretty picture. The last round was fought between an Adhara cake slice and a Cake Jar pudding. After several rounds to check both at the display, the latter won. Around 13 years ago, we first tasted the DBC at Corner House. It was then priced at Rs.65, and until they upped the price and simultaneously reduced the portion size, I considered the best value-for-money dessert in town. I think I have found a more than worthy successor in the Cake Jar pudding – at Rs.120 and loaded with white and black chocolate mousse, hazelnut nougat, pastry cream etc, this was delightfully rich, tasty and absolutely filling! Highly recommended.
All of the above cost us a little under Rs.1600. We will most definitely be back, because we have found a few favourite dishes and there are many more to try. It helps that it’s less than 10 minutes away! đ
Bloomsbury’s Boutique Cafe and Artisan Bakery, Near BMTC Bus Depot, EPIP Zone, Whitefield Ph: 46411466