Category: Koramangala

  • Tunday Kababi

    The reviews that I had read in the last couple of weeks had ensured that before this Sunday I’d have a go at Tunday. 🙂 It helped that the place is in Koramangala, on the same road as Ping, Empire, Paramount etc, in the same building as Lazeez. (map) Parking is not very easy for four wheelers, but you should just about manage. Tunday is spread across two floors, and at about 9.30 pm on Saturday was quite crowded. Thankfully, we found a place on the first floor.

    Tunday is a famous import from Lucknow, and apparently is the first franchise outside of the place, though it seems the cooks and spices have been brought down. According to Amit Akali’s review in Bangalore Mirror (disclosure: yep, I work in the Times Group 🙂 ), legend has it that the mutton kabab was created specially for a Lucknowi nobleman who had lost his teeth but not his appetite for kababs. Also Tunday gets its name from tunda,a slang for a one armed man. You can read more here. So, keep that in mind and when you’re here, and so pehle aap ek plate Mutton Tunday kabab order karo please. 🙂

    We did, and though we had no train to catch, it was brought in a few minutes. A plate has 4 pieces and from what we ate, I’m convinced that the toothless nobleman would’ve had no trouble at all with the kabab. The phrase ‘melt in the mouth’ is a cliche for kababs, but I’m guessing this one  is a good candidate to have started it. Its awesome and I insist you try it. (a good time to mention that if you’re a veggie,you’ll perhaps feel as much a sense of belonging here as Sarah Palin in a geography quiz) Meanwhile, the menu is as simple as it can get, as you can see here

    tunday

    (click for a larger image)

    After the splendid kabab, we moved on to a Shahi Murg Masala and a couple of Tunday’s parathas. The paratha is perhaps the most unique one I’ve had. It is crispy yet soft. Do give it a try. The Shahi Murg Masala was another good choice, and though the portion was not really that large (had only one chicken piece, though a large one at that) it was delicious. Spicy too, and there was some flavour that I couldn’t quite place, though it did remind me of saffron. (but it wasn’t saffron)

    The next round consisted of a mutton biriyani and a chicken korma. The mutton biriyani was fantastic, and unlike the ones we regularly have, it was not very oily. Of the whole lot, the korma was perhaps the only one that wasn’t really stellar. But it was in the company of legends, so one can’t really blame it. By the time we finished all this, we were stuffed, and so the Awadhi kheer had to be left for another day.

    Now, this is by no stretch of imagination, a fine dining place. No A/c, the tables are just about clean, the chairs aren’t so lucky, and they won’t bring the handwash apparatus to your table. 🙂 The service is chaotic, we even contemplated joining our table with the adjacent couple, since there were at least a couple of mixed up orders. But you really wouldn’t pay attention because of the speed at which the food arrives and of course, the food itself. Besides the guys are really pleasant in spite of the furious pace, and the earnestness wins you over. So, think of it as though you’re at home, roll up your sleeves, and get to work on the part that matters – the food. 🙂

    All of the above cost us just less than Rs.450, that was after reminding them that they hadn’t billed one item. 🙂 The portions are not large, but the good part, therefore, is that you can try different dishes. 🙂 You should definitely try the place out.

    Tunday Kababi, KHB Colony, 5th Block, Koramangala Ph: 9448083030

    Menu at Zomato

  • 64

    is not just a number. And though I’m not aware of any deep significance that say, a 42 is privileged to have, it happens to be the name of a ‘bistro bar’ in Koramangala. 64 is located diagonally opposite Jukebox. (map) Let me warn you that traffic in this area is an absolute pain, so you might be better off leaving your vehicle at the Bosch parking space (take the left turn opposite Star on Hosur Road) which is relatively free during weekends, and walking up the rest of the way.

    64 has a mix of seating options spread across the first and second floor of what appears to be a house converted into its current usage. But this actually works in its favor. The cuisine is predominantly continental with just some lip service paid to a couple of other cuisines. You can have a look at the menu here. (and thank Roopashree)

    The menu offers quite a few options for vegetarians also, and within non veg, you can choose from chicken, fish, lamb and prawns. Since we couldn’t find a thick soup in the menu, we’d almost decided on a starter, but a casual enquiry resulted in us ordering a cream based chicken and mushroom soup, which isn’t on the menu. The chicken was added on our request, that was nice of them. 🙂 The soup turned out to be slightly less thicker than we’d have liked, but the creamy, peppery flavour was good enough for us to be largely satisfied.

    For the main course, we chose to ignore the pasta options. D ordered a ‘Chicken Piccata’ and I asked for a ‘Stuffed Chicken Pockets’. We both chose rice (over bread), and that didn’t disappoint. The sauces used in both dishes were excellent, though the chicken could’ve been a little more tender. The Chicken Piccata has a mushroom-pepper sauce, which went very well with the rice. The chicken pockets were indeed stuffed, but possibly could’ve been a little less bland. Thankfully, the tangy sauce covered up for it. The portions will not be sufficient if you’re really hungry and I’d recommend a starter if you’re planning to make a full meal of it in 64. Since we had other plans for desserts (that Crepe Connection refuses to let go of its stranglehold) we skipped that bit here.

    64 is closed on Mondays. It offers a Sunday special breakfast and lunch menu, which sounded (and I’ve heard good things about it too) quite sumptuous. There is also a ‘corporate lunch’ on weekdays, in which you can make your own salad, pasta and also includes a soup and dessert too.

    While the food is quite good, what really works for this place is the ambiance. While it did help that we landed up early (7.30 PM), there is something definitely relaxing about the place. It is really unhurried as its brochure suggests. No live acts on the day we visited, but with ‘The Killers’ and ‘Coldplay’, I couldn’t really complain. 🙂 Even though it is in a part of Koramangala where the traffic can be absolutely maddening (even to watch) the place manages to let you wath the world rush by, in peace, with some excellent service and a really soothing design and ambiance. Make sure you drop in. (if you need just desserts, there’s always Corner House right around the corner 😉 )

    64, 1st Main, 7th Block, Koramangala Ph: 9241734704

    Menu and Photos at Zomato

  • Flambe

    One of the other side effects (other than one’s own sides, that is) of having a Food Court almost next door, is that eating out is easily taken care of. And that’s why it took us quite a few weeks to unplug ourselves from ‘Crepe Connection’ and visit a new place.

    ‘Flambe‘ opened a few weeks back in Koramangala, opposite GK Vale, and above the Bata showroom – on the same road  (map) that has China Pearl, Vicky’s Tava Lounge, Oye Amritsar, The Esplanade etc.. Parking shouldn’t be too difficult, even for 4 wheelers since there are many side roads. Flambe has an a/c dining section as well as a terrace section. With the kind of weather Bangalore’s been having, we chose the latter.

    It’s quite a pleasant setting, though the seats with a view of the road are clearly meant for larger groups. Also, some of the tables, though aesthetically appealing, lack a bit on functionality, since they are too low.

    Over to the menu. Multi-cuisine meant that there was much choice. For starters, there are Nachos and Cheese Fritters, Corn & Cheese balls, Paneer Kalimirch, Achari Tandoor Mushrooms etc, priced at Rs.110, for the veggies, and for the meat minded, Chicken Satay, Crispy Lamb, Pahadi Murgh,Reshmi Kabab, Lahori Boti Kabab etc and seafood too – fish – lasooni fish tikka to fish fingers, calamari, shrimp, priced  between Rs.110 – Rs.320. The soup section, relatively, has fewer options – about 4 veg options, priced at Rs.60 and about 10 non veg options from the regular Hot & Sour and Chicken Shorba to the zuppa di pesce at Rs.70-110. There are a few salad options too, about 3 each in veg and non veg at Rs.70-140.

    The main course starts with sizzlers and flambe options – veg, chicken and seafood in both cases. There are half a dozen sizzler options, priced at Rs.100-330, and 9 flambe options, at Rs.200-400. You also get other regulars like Stroganoff, enchiladas, fish’n’chips, a few pasta options. (Rs.110-270) Multi-cuisine means that these share the menu with sweet’n’sour vegetables, Methi Chaman, Hyderabadi kadai Subzi, Dal makhni etc (Rs.70-140) and Diced Chicken in Black pepper, Shredded lamb with onion and capsicum, Mutton Kolhapuri, Malabar fish curry, Goan prawns curry, Murgh Adraki etc  (Rs.190-320). To go along with that, there are quite a few rice and roti options. They also have a snack menu.

    We went through all of that, while munching a plate of nachos, complimentary. 🙂  We finally chose a Brodo di Pollo, “a traditional italian chicken broth served on a slice of toasted bread”, to start with. I think they meant along with a slice of toasted bread, or probably not, because we got the by-two soup along with 1 croissant, which we erm, manually converted to by-two. But the broth was hot and tasty, with loads of chopped vegetables and chicken, though the taste did remind me a lot of Tabasco sauce.

    For the main course, we both chose from the flambe section. D, because, well if the restaurant were named so, this should be the specialty, and me, because it seemed destined. Earlier in the day, i had successfully ‘flambe’d’ my tongue, though with hot chocolate, not alcohol. D ordered a Chicken Pepperonata, “a traditional italian roast chicken with pimentos, flambed with red wine”, and I asked for a Chicken Diane, “boneless grilled chicken and bell peppers flambed with brandy, served with mushroom and pepper corn sauce”. The flooring has two levels, and we were on the upper part, which meant that, though we could see it, the flambe-ing couldn’t be done near our table. That does take a bit away, I thought. Both the items were quite good, though they managed to give me 2 free bones in my dish. When I asked about what ‘boneless’ meant, the guy appeared clueless and mumbled ‘only two bones at the side’. D’s Pepperonata was mildly spicy and tangy, though she felt that the meat could’ve been cooked a bit more. But notwithstanding that, still a good dish. The Chicken Diane was done very well, with a strong pepper flavor that I quite liked.

    There are a few dessert options, including Crepes and Banana Fritters, but we had a movie to catch, so we skipped dessert.

    All of the above cost us just less than Rs.700, including service tax, and a service charge of 5%. The service is quite good and attentive, the ambiance is pleasant, and overall, a decent experience.

    Flambe, #93, 5th Cross, 6th Block, Koramangala Ph: 41606888/89

  • Anupam’s Coast II Coast

    The coast line of restaurants is far from receding in Koramangala, but since we’ve exhausted most of the coastal food options in Koramangala, and this one stuck out like a sore thumb, we decided to drop in here. Its on the same road as the Kormangala Club. Here’s the ‘how to get there‘ part. This road spoils you with options now with Imperial, Kubay, Hyderabad House, Bhojohori Manna, Heritage of Bengal and Chinese Cottage, all in the space of 100m. We’ll be making more trips here. Anyway, since we’d pre-decided that we would be dining here, we managed to resist the other temptations. The ambiance is decent, with comfortable seating.

    The menu has about 6 pages, with just about one page devoted to the ‘authentic coastal cuisine’. Hmm. The rest of the menu consists of the regular Chinese and North indian options. So, in addition to the few coastal cuisine starters (veg – Rs.75 -120, and non veg – Rs.90-300) , you also have Chinese options like drumsticks, Shanghai etc in veg (Rs.90-100)and non veg(Chicken Rs.120-130, Seafood – Rs.90-120). For the soup kind, again, there are veg  and non veg options (Chicken and seafood) with representation from multiple cuisines – Manchow, Cream of Chicken and even Shorba. (Rs. 65- 115). They also have thali options for lunch.

    For the main course, there are quite a few coastal cuisine options – very few in veg, but better in non veg – Sukka, Kundapuri, Ghee Roast in chicken and mutton (Rs.90-270) and seafood (prawns, crab, different kinds of fish – Rs.120 upwards, depending on the size of the fish). In addition to this, you have a few pages of Chinese and North indian options (Rs.110-140 range) with dry, gravy items and noodles/paratha etc.

    So, we started with a Cream of Chicken. Okay, before you snicker, it was raining outside, and we couldn’t find a coastal cuisine equivalent. The soup turned out to be quite decent, though more cornflour than cream, but then, from experience, they aren’t the only ones guilty of this. Next we had a Marvai Chilly. That’s shellfish and you have to fish a lot to get the little pieces of flesh, but it was done quite well. Mind your tongue, while eating, that is.

    For the main course, we ordered a half plate of chicken ghee roast, a fish curry (anjal – kingfish) and appams to go along with it. You could also try neer dosa or pundi (rice dumplings) though we didn’t read good reviews of the former for this place. The fish curry, though well made, obviously makes a better combination with the rice. The ghee roast was quite good, though the ghee only made a Bollywood like special appearance, but the masala made sure we didn’t miss it much. The appams were also very well made. In essence, can’t complain about the food.

    All of the above cost us just less than Rs.600. So its quite okay on the value-for-money, quantity and service parameters as well, though the last one is a very no-nonsense, matter-of-fact approach. The coast is clear, so check it out. Bwahaha. In my favor, I resisted so far. 😀

    Anupam’s Coast II Coast, 113, 6th Cross, 6th Block, Koramangala Club Road. Ph: 41460666, 41460555

  • Cafe Thulp

    When in the mood for a good ‘thulp’ (hog/binge), you could go to the innumerable Chinese or Mallu joints, but you wouldn’t get burgers and sandwiches there, and that’s why Cafe Thulp makes sense. So, now you know the why, here’s the how to get there.

    We got there at just after 7.30, and easily found place, though it did get crowded by the time we left at about quarter to nine. Parking shouldn’t be too much of a problem. A bright, airy place with some good music in the background, and pleasant service. There is a peppiness about the decor – from the huge graffiti near the kitchen to the wordplay on the menu card, and the logo that is hard to miss.

    We saw a ‘Tom Kha’ soup on the blackboard which displays the day’s special, and decided to try that out before the ‘Start me up’ part of the menu. The soup was slightly thinner than we’d have liked, but that doesn’t take away much from the fact that it was quite good. Okay, we mallus have a thing for coconut milk, but even considering that bias, the lemongrass, lime and galangal flavors, the chunky chicken pieces and the mushrooms make it a must try.

    There are about 8 starters – veg, chicken and pork options, and a ‘Prawnic Healing’ too. We chose ‘Bird on a wire’, which is chicken satay with peanut sauce. The chicken satay was good – juicy and soft, and the peanut sauce, awesome. I wanted to try out the original hamburger – Moo (or one of its variations), but D bulldozed me on that decision, and so i let go with a meek boo. On the menu, there are veg and non veg sandwich options, a few salads, as well as some other entree dishes.

    D ordered a El Pollo Loco, which is crispy fried chicken strips with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach, I was tempted by the dark side (the damn blackboard) and chose, of all things, a stir fried chicken, with cashews, served with fried rice. The former was served with a sauce I liked a lot because of its hmm, sharp taste, which provided a good contrast. Liked it when I ate it, but not after D told me the ingredients – green mango and papaya. I hate the latter, and now I don’t have a justification. Hmmph. The stir fried chicken was good, but I was feeling quite dumb for ordering it, since the menu has a huge skew towards burgers and sandwiches. Meanwhile, during the meal, I couldn’t take my mind of the average Malayali’s long association with beef, (including er, cattle class tweets). I was mooved enough to order ‘The Rocky Balboa’ to deliver the knockout punch. A philly sliced steak, with grilled onions, grilled green peppers, and cheese sauce. Excellent stuff. The bad news was that it left me with no space for either the coolers/smoothies/shakes or the chocolate cake. :\

    All of the above cost us just less than Rs.750. Drop in here when in the mood for burgers, sandwiches and a cheery ambience.

    Cafe Thulp, 998, 1st Main, 1st Block, Koramangala. Ph: 40933344, 40933355

    Menu at Zomato