Category: Restaurant Reviews

ABV – Artisanal Bier Village

New brewery in the neighbourHoodi village meant that at some point we had to visit – ABV – Artisanal Bier Village. It was delayed because for some reason, I thought it was just The Pallet rebranded. As with every other microbrewery, this one too is expansive, with multiple floors and the mandatory large television screens. We sat on what was like a mini terrace on the first floor.

I think the best thing about the place was the Helles Lager. I had liked the Mannheim version too, but this one was better. D chose her usual Hefeweizen, known here as The Wise Old Hefe.

It was a rainy night, and that meant the Woo-Man-Chow punched above its weight, despite being just average.

The Tibetan Momo was saved by one excellent dip, a peanut based one if I remember right.

The Dragon Bird Eye Chicken was obviously spicy, and went quite well with the beer.

We had to try this when we saw it on the menu – Puliogare Arancini. It was a brave attempt and wasn’t an absolute failure but I don’t think I’ll repeat.

Middle age meant that we didn’t have the appetite for mains. The service was just about okay, and the bill came to just a little under Rs.2500.

If you live around, ABV – Artisanal Bier Village could be a reasonable hangout, but don’t make a trek for it.

March 29, 2026
Andrea’s Brasserie

Andrea’s Brasserie happened because sometime in August we figured that Bangalore was done with the rains and we could safely visit Phoenix Mall of Asia without carrying swimming trunks. There are quite a few other options there, but many of them were also present in our suburb Phoenix, and we weren’t in the mood for Asian. (though my nieces had Bubble Tea and Korean snacks to prepare their appetites!)

The place is fairly compact, but I liked what they did with it – the peppiness of the decor and the comfortable seating made it seem more expansive than it was. We chose a cosy, corner.

Ironically, once we were seated, we craved Asian. The menu helped! The Chicken in Chilli Oil dim sum was the favourite, mostly because of the spicy sauce. Andrea’s Sushi roll had spicy tuna, salmon, avocado, jalapenos and a ponzu sauce as dressing. Overall, excellent texture and flavours. Of the lot, the Chicken & Chives dim sum was the least preferred, but that probably was just fatigue.

We weren’t drinking, so the Drunken Noodles was my consolation prize. Spicy flat rice noodles with chilli, garlic and basil. The Kimchi Fried Rice with chicken and egg was the spicy star though. Sticky jasmine rice with Kimchi, Korean Chilli paste and Edamame (though that last thing isn’t a favourite). And finally, Chilli Udon Chicken – udon noodles with a soy touch.

The bill came to a ~ Rs.3500 for four and a half and a half of us. The service is friendly and prompt. If they do manage to open in Whitefield, we’ll probably visit, because the menu has quite a few items I’d like to try.

Andrea’s Brasserie, First Floor, Phoenix Mall of Asia Ph: 085888 23878

February 15, 2026
Maya

Maya was our well deserved peaceful lunch after we finished the rituals at VFS for a Poland visa. It was also the end of our 2D/1N staycation in July in Jayanagar, which we had undertaken because we didn’t want to wake up early for the visa appointment. 😀

D somehow found Maya, though (at that point) neither Zom nor Swi had deemed it fit to show it to either of us in their listing.

Maya manages to pack in elegance and earthiness. Between the distinct taste graph in the furniture and decor elements and the curated greenery around, one finds a contemporary meets colonial-tropical retreat in the busy lanes of Jayanagar. The first floor verandah is the place to be.

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December 7, 2025
High Brew

High Brew is quite far from our standard hunting grounds, and we landed here because of a whimsical ‘staycation’. We needed a Schengen Visa and didn’t want to endure the long distance journey from Whitefield to VFS, JP Nagar with the threat of being late for the appointment. So we decided to make the journey the evening before, stay overnight nearby and walk over in the morning. While searching for a place to dine at, we came across High Brew, and it won out because of one interesting thing.

The place itself is pretty vast, with three floors of seating. If you reach early on weekend evenings, you might get a view with greenery. I was told we could even see peacocks sometimes, but I am not sure whether that is true, or simply a testament to the quality and/or quantity of beer consumed. We were too late to get those seats, but found ones with the road view that was good enough.

The interesting thing that got the vote was the High Tide Palm toddy. It was decent, but we didn’t think we wanted 500 ml of it. We also tried the High Cool Cucumber Salt Lager, and made the same verdict. High Smoke (not what you think) was smoky German, and not our kind either. We finally settled for the High Cloud (Hefeweizen) and it was surprisingly good. I think the live music helped too!

The food menu is pretty standard. The Chetti Omelette sounded intriguing and was tasty enough, but didn’t go far beyond a masala omelette. The Kurpalli chicken was described as fiery but didn’t really get to that level of spice. The Kalpasi pepper Fry also was just passable.

The bill, thanks to a DineOut discount came to just under Rs.1600 and that’s probably the most I’d pay for the overall experience. Barring the Hef and the live music, High Brew was reasonably meh. Unless you stay in the ‘hood and this is your comfort hangout, I’d give this a pass.

High Brew, 3rd Main Rd, Dollars Colony, Sahyadri Layout, J. P. Nagar

November 9, 2025
Kuuraku

In one of the rare cases of the mountain making the trip to Mohammed, Kuuraku, which first opened on Brigade Road, manifested in Nexus Shantiniketan, Whitefield. I think this was where Smokehouse Deli used to be.

We loved the ambience – cosy, but somehow managing to fit in lovely nooks, outdoor seating, long tables for large groups, and kitchen-facing seats too.

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September 28, 2025