Our current location dictates that visits to Bangalore have to be planned well in advance, and require a strong motive. Misu had been appearing in several conversations and the ratings hadn’t dropped after the initial fad fervour had died down, so there was motive enough – will travel for good food. One Sunday afternoon we were lucky enough to reach St.Marks Road from Whitefield in 45 minutes! Misu is in the same funny looking building as The Open Box. In fact, they exist side by side. Misu is actually tiny, though the mirror work suggests otherwise. In fact, the usage of space is really good, and the decor has a nice contemporary, grunge edge to it that gives the place character. Most seats (high stools) give you an excellent view.
Category: Restaurant Reviews
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The Pizza Bakery
Each time I think that it is impossible to have another grub spot on 12th Main, I see a new place launched with much pizzazz. This time, it was The Pizza Bakery, which is above Tata Cha and is spread across a couple of floors, one of which is a rooftop. Great thanks to Bangalore weather, but spoiled thanks to the loud horns on what has to be the busiest road in all of Bangalore. Also, right next door is some gym, so you need to be mentally prepared for any feelings of guilt you might have thanks to those strange people who work on their abs at 8 PM on a Saturday night while you are busy well, working on your abs.
We had a reservation for a table in the alfresco section, and if you’re planning to go on a weekend, you really should book a table because the place was packed all the while we were there. Thanks to the soft colours, comfortable seating that includes high stools and some decor elements like that Bev D version of Mona Lisa, the place gives a casual chic vibe.
We tried the St.Martin Belgian White on tap, and weren’t too impressed. It’s a bit darker than the standard wheat and I felt a metallic after taste. Should have stuck to Geist. Also tried a Watermelon & Mint juice that wasn’t bad.
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The Pallet
We had been hearing about the place since the beginning of the year, and were pretty excited about the sixth microbrewery in the vicinity. (yay!) Through Jan and Feb, when we saw ads, we would eagerly check if the menu on Zomato was updated. All we could see was Geist! Not to be discouraged, I would call up the place to check anyway. After a couple of “next month we’ll be opening the microbrewery” I gave up. But towards the end of March, I got a message one Saturday morning that the microbrewery was open and there was a 1 + 1 offer. I immediately began working on my sinuses which had been acting up from the day before, and convinced D to make the trip.
Located opposite The Zuri, it’s a bit like the TARDIS. You get an idea of the hugeness of the place only once you’re inside! I wondered how they’d manage to fill the place until D pointed out that there’s probably a huge reverse migrant crowd from Prestige Shantiniketan that might like a microbrewery around. Plus, there’s ITPL next door.
The Pallet has been built from the sacrifice of quite a few trees, to the extent that it’s almost like a carpentry workshop! Not to say that it isn’t aesthetic, but yes, “too much wood” can exist! (No, that’s not what he said!) The service levels were great int he beginning, though we were told that the German wheat would only be available later in the evening. Since we were a bit early, we could get our choice of seats, and we found a cosy corner to drink and watch the world.
The beer starts at 500 ml (it’s a little difficult to understand the economics behind not having 330 ml) and we asked for a Hemlock and a Teak. The first is Belgian Wit – a bit pale, but packs a punch with some spicy notes. The second is Pilsner, and on a relative note, slightly sweeter than the other, but again, great zing.
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BFlat Bar
The name should have been a hint, I should have checked the ratings of the Indiranagar version, and I should have guessed that the closer one moves towards Marathahalli, the lower the bar goes! But all of this is hindsight, and we were swept away by the grit of someone choosing to open shop at what has to be the lowest rated mall in all of Bangalore – Brookefield Mall. That, and the outside possibility of discovering a good addition to our favourites in Whitefield. Ah well.
BFlat is on the top floor of the mall, and divides its overall space into indoor and alfresco sections. We didn’t experience the sound quality since there was no live performance when we visited, but the ambiance was not bad at all. We were encouraged just by the sight of the place, but alas, this was the first and last piece of positive news. A breezy Bangalore night persuaded us to sit outside, and choose a Galangal Sour and a white wine Sangria. Only degrees of disaster separated them. My whiskey based drink was first served like a martini. When I pointed that out, they brought it back as a Margarita, at which point I gave up and humbly drank an obnoxious mix of blended whisky, galangal, lime juice, egg white and orange juice, which had sounded so exciting on paper. D said it is difficult to make a bad Sangria, but they had managed to do it.
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Cafe Max
I realised that though we had visited the place, I’d never written about it! And that a lot of the newer set in Bangalore don’t know of the place. I have to admit that it’s pretty well hidden in broad daylight, so that’s not surprising. The last time I was there for lunch, from work, I realised that the ambiance would actually be great for a dinner setting! And that’s how we made a visit on D’s birthday!
The muted lighting, the tree canopy and an excellent playlist confirmed my cosy dinner spot hypothesis! We decided to start with Sangria – champagne for D and red for self. I have to say, I liked mine much more, for a change. Lots of fruits, and exactly the right amount of wine for a wholesome combination.
