Roxie

We’ve been hearing about Roxie for a while now, and everything we had heard had been good. So, in what is now becoming a little tradition, we set out for Sarjapur Road on the Diwali weekend, when we hoped that most of Bangalore would either be at home, or visiting their hometown. That indeed seemed to be the case, as our journeys both ways took us just about half an hour. Yes, that is a very big deal in Bangalore.

I think the biggest thing going for Roxie is how pretty it is! We didn’t get an opportunity to go upstairs, but the interior as well as the al fresco space somehow exudes an old world charm while still providing a contemporary comfort (furniture). High ceilings and those lamp posts outside accentuate all this. It was, as the meme goes, “looking like a wow”. ‘Roxie’ is whom the theme is based on – a traveler who picks up favourite recipes from different journeys. Yes, she is about as real as the tooth fairy. That explains Korean, North Indian, and Italian on the same (digital) page. (the menu we actually found there was slightly different)

Meanwhile, D said she has been here when it was some other restaurant. Any idea?

I was boring and chose my regular Old Fashioned. In many recent experiments, the cocktails have failed. This was one was par for the course, nothing extraordinary. D was more optimistic, and chose ‘The Solution’. I think that was some hint aimed at me. This tequila-based drink apparently has an origin story from Roxie’s hometown – Amalfi, where her friend Max used to run a Speakeasy. With Jalapeno, orange, passion fruit, thyme and lime juice, and a fancy garnish that included chilli flakes, was very good. D couldn’t resist a smirk.

If you’re going to Roxie, this is the one dish I will highly recommend. Korean Garlic Bread. Super soft bun filled with Philadelphia Cream Cheese and garlic butter, this one is really the melt-in-your-mouth kind. To the extent that we were tempted to pack one up for the next day!

This is the Chateaubriand Royale: Rosemary Wine Elegance. This apparently pays homage to a Parisian dish. Grilled Chateaubriand beef in Rosemary Wine jus , accompanied by mashed potatoes and Hollandaise sauce. The beef was very well cooked, and the sauce complemented it very well.

We debated pizza vs pasta, and finally went for the Siciliana. Smoked Turkey was the attraction, and it also had pesto, Jalapeno, Mozzarella, Parmesan Cheese, Confit Tomatoes, and Arugula. This was quite a disappointing dish. First of all, that smoked turkey only made a guest appearance, and secondly, there was some very inconsistent saltiness that made ‘shock’ appearances that really took away from anything the dish might have accomplished. I also felt the amount of pesto could have been reduced quite a bit. It was overwhelming.

If you’re visiting, probably a good idea to reserve, since, even on Diwali eve, the place began filling up after 8. The service is friendly, and my request for keeping the sugar low in the cocktail was carried out reasonably well. The music was retro, and I loved it. The wallet was lighter by about Rs. 3100, but thanks to Dineout and Infinia, we paid a little over Rs.2550. Not bad at all, given the location. Despite the pizza, I have to say the place has pizzazz. I’d definitely recommend a visit, especially if you’re going to Sarjapur Road, whose breweries I am anyway not a fan of. (except maybe Aurum)

Roxie, 26, Haralur Main Rd, near HP Petrol Station, Amblipura, PWD Quarters, Ambalipura, HSR Layout Ph: 074062 75551