Category: Restaurant Reviews

  • Naati Manae

    Last weekend, we happened to go to Anjappar, and the food left us disappointed. From experience, I’ve learned that the only way to purge the memories of such occurrences is to overlay it with better ones. And that’s how we ended up at Naati Manae, which promises to “Tingle your taste buds of our Native cuisine”. The non-vegetarian wins over the grammarian easily. The good news is that we didn’t have to go to Gandhinagar/Rajajinagar or any of the Pet places that house eateries which serve this cuisine, Koramangala scores again!! Naati Manae is off the one way that goes from the Intermediate Ring Road to Jyoti Nivas College. Take the right immediately after Coconut Grove/William Penn, and then take the first left. You’ll see Naati Manae on your right. If you’re familiar with Koramangala, you could approach it from the other one way too – the one that has Oye Amritsar, China Pearl etc. Here’s a map of the area. Parking isn’t too much of a problem.

    CIMG1228We arrived at 7.30 and easily found a table. But from the experience later, perhaps we were early. The decor remains true to the ‘Naati’ theme, lots of paintings and a matching version of the spices glass topped table decor. There’s a general area which is non-AC and a ‘family room’ with AC, that’ll cost you 10% extra! The idea, I think, is to replicate the general feel of the restaurants of this genre and add to it a little bit of refinement so it appeals to the different audience. In that sense, it works. Its clean, has a no-frills ambiance, the seating is comfortable, and there’s a uniqueness that sets it apart.

    CIMG1220The menu is kept pretty simple too (click to enlarge), with specials during the weekend. Vegetarians, as you can note, the rest of the post might be a waste of time for you. Sorry about the ‘flashy’ mutton, still getting used to menu photography 😉 (After pepper fry, there’s fry, liver fry, kheema fry, thale mamsa, chops, saru and masala) We wanted to try the day’s special ‘Mutton Shukka’ but were told it’d take at least 20 minutes. So we asked for a Mutton Pepper Dry and were given the same answer. So finally, we asked for a Thale Mamsa which we’d wanted for the main course. Its Thale, and not ‘pure’ brain, so in addition to the meat, there’s a lot of bone and hair too. A combination of thick-headedness and hunger meant that I missed taking a snap! The dish is definitely unique, with a slightly spicy flavor, and worth a try, but at Rs.75, I’d vote for Imperial/Chandu’s version of brain.

    CIMG1221Next up, we asked for a plate of coin parathas and a Guntur Chicken. Oh yes, a ragi ball too. The ragi was quite good, and exorcised previous demons of chewing gum like consistency!  The gravy that came along helped. Now, we’d read the Bangalore Mirror review and the description definitely didn’t match the dish that came to us. We checked, and it wasn’t! Christobelle Joseph, I owe you one. So we waited, with rapidly cooling parathas while the impersonator was replaced.

    CIMG1224Thankfully, the Guntur Chicken was worth the wait. Very spicy, especially if you also happen to consume the red chillies in the masala, and goes extremely well with the coin parathas. It’d been more than half an hour since we’d asked for the Mutton dishes, and judging by the 20 minute explanation, we thought we could try a Shukka with the Donne Chicken Biriyani.

    CIMG1225But unfortunately, it wasn’t. I really couldn’t understand the logic of having a special for the day, advertising dinner from 7 pm on, and then not having the dish ready by 8pm. Nattitude sucks! 🙁  Anyway we were told the Mutton Pepper Fry was a good option. A few minutes later, the biriyani arrived along with the explanation that the Mutton Pepper Fry was over. I stopped trying to seek explanations. The mutton fry was rumoured to be available. Once again, we waited, this time with a cooling biriyani. Thankfully, it didn’t take long.

    CIMG1226The donne biriyani was easily the best among the dishes, and truly value for money. The leaf bowl really does add to the taste, exactly like I’ve heard. Highly recommended. The mutton fry was quite ordinary, and the meat seemed to exist in a confused state – cooked or uncooked.

    The service was quite pathetic. Whenever we asked for the day’s special, we were told to go for the Mutton Fry! Serving wrong dishes and recommending something not available made me wonder if I had unknowingly made Naati etiquette mistakes. Wearing shorts are not okay? 😐

    What is surprising is that though the total cost came to only Rs.395 and we were quite stuffed, I’d hardly call it value for money if I took each of the dish separately. Maybe it was the profusion of bones or the general irritation brought about by the service. But despite all that, it’s still worth a visit for a unique menu (in these parts) and the biriyani. Oh, for the record Natti Manae, you aren’t by any means the first place that serves the Donne Biriyani in Koramangala. 1st Main Road, 1st Block Koramangala, opposite Rolls United, check it out!

    Naati Manae, #334, 17th C Main, KHB Colony, 5th Block, Koramangala Ph: 40986160/1

    Menu at Zomato

  • Kobe Sizzlers – Koramangala

    And just as the summer ended its job for the year in Bangalore, and the monsoons set in, Koramangala found another way to sizzle. Kobe Sizzlers, which already has an outlet in Garuda Mall, has now opened shop in Koramangala. Its the building almost immediately after Java City. (map) Parking isn’t much of a problem. Maybe it was the weather, or the newness, or the brand name, but guessing from the crowd yesterday, you should either land early (like we did, at 7.30 pm) or reserve in advance. The other good part about being early was that we got the road facing seating option.

    Very comfortable seating and a pleasant ambiance. You can take a look at the entire menu here. Unlike my previous Kobe visit, I was well prepared this time (no heavy lunch). We also remembered we had brought the camera. We thought we’d start with a Scotch Broth, but were told it was mutton based, so settled for a Chicken Corn soup.

    CIMG1210

    It isn’t as brown as it looks in the image, but after I added the pepper and the tomato chilly sauce, this color would’ve been justified. By itself, the corn flavour is dominant, hence the additions. A decent start.

    Though the number of sizzler options is high enough, the uniqueness quotient is lesser than our favourite sizzler joint in town – Tangerine, or even Yoko. But hey, so long as they serve it well. The vegetarians might have more options here, though. So D ordered a ‘Sizzling Chicken with pepper sauce’ and I opted for a Mixed Grill. D’s dish looked ‘prettier’, I thought.

    CIMG1214

    I also thought the mixed grill scored on functionality though, helped by the fried egg.

    CIMG1217

    The Mixed Grill has, in addition to the vegetable space wasters, lamb pieces, kidney, liver, mutton chop, sausages, and my tee served as excellent subtext, said D. 😐

    CIMG1218

    The chicken dish was done well, and the pepper sauce complemented it well. The Mixed Grill required some help from the Worcestershire sauce, and I felt the original sauce’ consistency (in terms of the flavour) could’ve been better. It came out strongly in some places (and that was good) and barely made an impact in other places. Kidney, liver, its difficult to go wrong with those 😀  The meat was tender in the case of mutton chops as well as lamb pieces, which was a relief – I hate fighting for it. The French Fries (in both) deserve a special mention, very good stuff.

    Dessert options are the usual suspects, though they range from kulfis to apple pie. 🙂

    The service is quite prompt. All of the above cost us about Rs.850. So, I’d say, its definitely worth a visit, especially if you’re in Koramangala, where there are hardly any sizzler options.

    Kobe Sizzlers, 1st Cross, 5th Block, Koramangala, Ph: 41705608

  • Khazana

    ..is relatively difficult to locate. As is obvious, the name really doesn’t help when one asks for directions. The first guy giggled, the second guy actually asked ‘Kitne ka hai?’ But like all good treasures its awesome when you’ve located it. So, Khazana is this little, but apparently very popular food joint in Richmond Town, that you must go to, when beef is the order of the day. The directions are actually pretty simple. When coming from the Koramangala direction on Hosur Road, take a left at the junction just before you hit Richmond Road. (i.e. the Fanoos junction). On this road, take the first left. After you’ve turned left and gone for about 50m, this road curves towards the left (there’s an electrical shop at the corner), but there is a tiny road that goes towards the right. Enter the road on the right, and you’ll find Khazana on the left. Yep, you guessed it, there was no signboard. 🙂

    Parking for two-wheelers is easy. Four wheelers can perhaps find a spot not-so-nearby. Definitely not on the same street, its way too narrow. Yo fancy car may not even enter it. 😀 The place has just over half a dozen tables, with functional furniture. This is not a fancy joint, you come here for the awesome food. Remember that. Okay.

    CIMG1202 Each table has a menu card pasted on the wall right next to it.(click for a larger image)

    We wanted to try out as many items as possible. The portion sizes helped. We thought it’d be better if we gave them a fair warning that we were on a mission, so we ordered everything at one go. We were warned that everything was ready, but we didn’t heed it. so in about 5 minutes, everything we asked for was on the table. The ‘delay’ must’ve been for the Kerala Paratha, which were freshly made.

    Confession: I took the camera to get a few pics – therestlessquill has been suggesting it for quite a while now). However the first five minutes after the food appeared went by in a blur. I remembered the camera only then, and it was too late. What remained wasn’t a pretty sight. 😀

    We started with the Button Kabab, which also turned out to be our favourite item. Beef kababs, perfectly pop-into-your-mouth sized. Good masala, slightly spicy, goes very well with erm, Coke. 🙂 We then moved on the Kerala Paratha, with Chicken Kali Mirchi and Phal (beef chops). The chicken dish was quite peppery, as the name suggested, and went well with the paratha. The phal meat was very good, didn’t require a chewing marathon at all, but I didn’t like the peppery dark green masala much. We then moved on the signature dish – the beef biriyani, with mince (Kheema) for company. The biriyani is relatively non-oily and once you’ve tried it, you’ll know why people visit the place just for this. Sacrilege, but I’d have liked it even better if the beef piece had some masala too. The rice did make up for it, and with the kheema (beef), made an excellent combination.  Both the items fall in the ‘must-have’ category. Note that we only ordered one plate of each, and shared. We wanted to try an Irani Roti too, but once we’d polished off the second plate of Button Kabab, it was an impossible task.

    The menu, you’ll notice, says “Almighty gave us exquisite things to eat. The least we do is prepare them well and serve them to you.” Now that’s a mission statement that has been followed thoroughly. All of the above cost us Rs.270. So make sure you skip a meal and drop in here, to meat your destiny!

    Khazana Food Paradise, #16, Aga Abdulla Street, Richmond Town, Bangalore – 560025

  • Golmaal Paratha

    No, I didn’t make that up. There is actually a restaurant in Koramangala by that name, a couple of buildings before Tunday Kababi, and almost immediately after Coconut Grove. (map) The bright green board is difficult to miss, parking isn’t too difficult. We got there by around 7.30 and were the first customers, but by the time we left, many more tables were filled up. The color theme inside the restaurant might make the non vegetarians and Martian paradnoids uneasy. If you are a super-heroes fan, you’d be pardoned for wondering if you’d stepped into the Green Lantern’s/ Riddler’s secret lair. People who’re fond of green might have to be restrained. Yep, it is that overwhelming! But non-green people, don’t worry, you can focus on the food.

    The menu has 99 items, and has been uploaded by the wonderful Roopashree, on Burrp. For once, the vegetarians have a clear advantage, while the non vegetarians have about a dozen choices. But to be honest, there are so many veg options that those with a less steely resolve might buckle. Greens, beans, chinese, cheese, pepper combinations, hot’n’spicy, ginger, corn, potato, green chutney – these are some of the few… sections! Yep, you read that right, you have choices within these!! Now, even with a dozen options, the non vegetarians might find it a little difficult to narrow down, and after a few rounds of discussion, we chose a Chicken Kadai Masala Paratha and a Mutton Pepper Masala Paratha. An entire page is devoted to drinks too – lassi, milk shake, butter milk, coolers, fresh juices, jaljeera.. So we also ended up ordering a Mango lassi and a Mint & Ginger Lime juice.

    The Mint & Ginger lime juice arrived first and was quite tasty though the mint overshadowed the ginger completely. The Mango lassi, we were quite sure was made of Slice (or some such) and not fresh mangoes, and that was quite a disappointment. We were told that the chicken paratha would take a while. There was heavy traffic, so it must’ve been difficult for it to cross the road. Ok, sorry 😀

    The parathas arrived a bit later, and no, they weren’t green :p . Each paratha comes in a thali-plate with curd, pickle, chana, onion and a couple of chutneys. The hot’n’sweet red chutney is quite good. I started with the mutton paratha, and it was quite spicy. It didn’t help that i decided to try out the chilly too. The pepper was a bit unevenly distributed and the salt was a shade above what was required. The chicken paratha was very good, though you should avoid it if you don’t like capsicum. Unlike the mutton, which was minced, this one even had tiny pieces of chicken, and was only moderately spicy. The parathas are much larger than the regular size, so unless you’ve been fasting all day or are especially aggressive with food, one should be adequate.

    The service is quite pleasant, they check if your paratha was good and also have a good feedback form. The first place where someone actually asked my opinion too. Usually they convey their opinion of me by giving  D the form and ignoring me. Here, they gave us two forms, and even ask about the music, which was quite decent. In my excitement, I forgot to add that one possible option they could add (they ask for that) was egg parathas.

    The meal cost us just below Rs.350. Drop in for a unique menu, and decent food at very reasonable prices.

    Golmaal Paratha, 1st A Cross Road, KHB Colony, 5th Block, Koramangala. Ph: 42085757

    PS. The place has WiFi, but requires a code.

    Menu at Zomato

  • Medici

    No medicinal jokes will be entertained unless they end with ‘chee’, for that’s how you pronounce it. You can read all about the House of Medici here. It would tell you that they were a banking family turned royal house who originated from the Tuscan countryside and finally settled in Florence. It also informs you that they were one of the families who fostered and inspired the birth of the Italian Renaissance. What it doesn’t tell you much is about Catherine de’ Medici‘s role in fusing French cuisine with Italian and introducing the French to the fork. To read up on that, you’ll need to go to Medici, on 100 ft Road in Indiranagar. When coming from the Koramangala direction, its on the left, above Maharaja furniture, and opposite Indigo Nation. Parking is a breeze – valet for 4wheelers, and a large basement for 2 wheelers. 🙂

    We walked in at about 7.15 pm, and managed to get a good table, facing the road. Extremely stylish, but understated ambiance, that’s the first thing we noticed. The place somehow gives a feel that the visitor is in safe hands, of someone who is confident of what they’re doing. Hey, the cuisine is Franco-Italian, i have to at least pretend snobbery okay? But seriously, despite the cuisine’s ‘reputation’ (in these parts of the world), that’s another aspect that Medici needs to be credited for – the efficient service that relies on pleasantness, not snobbery. 🙂

    On to the menu. They have quite a collection of mocktails, and I was tempted to try the Funky Toffy, but I thought I had much ground to cover and this might weigh me down later. Even before we ordered, we were quite impressed with the complimentary bread served. (you must try the cheese provided along with it. Amazing) The food menu starts with appetisers, and includes a Prawn Mousseline, Beef Carpaccio, Salmon Tartare, Calamari Peperoncino, Quiche aux e’ pinards, Bruschetta, Tomato Mozzarella tian. (Rs.150-300). We chose a Poulet et de bacon quiche, “traditional French quiche with chicken and bacon”. You have the choice of 1 person/2 person portions. We chose the former, and regretted it since it was quite tasty. The crust part was slightly flaky, but complemented the filling extremely well, quite unlike anything I’ve tasted before. Highly recommended.

    You could also choose from the salad section – Caesar, Rucola, Roast Duck, and Seasonal Fruit. (Rs.150-280). We briefly considered the Roast Duck, but decided instead to go for a Wild Mushroom Soup, “creamy wild mushroom finished with truffle oil”, from the choice of soups – French Onion, Bouillabaisse, Gazpacho, Borscht,  and Chicken and Leek. (all Rs.150). The soup turned to be as good as claimed (by Karthik). It was creamy (brownish color though), and the truffle oil gave it a flavor that took it up several notches.

    Moving on, you could try the pasta options – Spaghetti Carbonara, Tagliatelle Puttanesca, Spaghetti Bolognaise, Ravioli, Tortellini,  Beef Lasagna, and Fusilli Marinara. (Rs.200-300) or Risotto – Prawn, Mushroom (Rs.300/250). The main course options are split into Meat, Poultry, Seafood and Veg. The veg section consists of Baked Aubergine, Asparagus Crepe, and vol-au-vent. (Rs.250). The poultry options are Chicken Parmigiano, Chicken de Medici, Duck a l’orange (Rs.300, 650). The meat section (Rs.350-400) has Fillet Mignon, tornado, Rack of lamb, and the one i chose – ‘Grilled Pork chops, “pork chops marinated with anchovy and basil served with brown jus and garlic mash”. The seafood options (Rs.350-650) are Fish en papillote, Grilled Scampi, Pepper crusted fillet of salmon, and D’s choice, Duo de poisson –  “fish fillet layered with salmon mousse and zucchini”.

    The pork chops were quite good, but my folly lay in underestimating the anchovy’s effect. Like D pointed out, it did mean that they took the ingredients seriously, but it made the meal slightly difficult for me. (I have a seafood allergy, with only a few exceptions). The garlic mash was quite good though. D was quite impressed with her fish dish, and felt that (probably) the cream cheese in the salmon mousse covering added to the taste.

    The dessert options are quite tempting too, especially the Chocolate Fondant, but we had a movie to catch, and were actually quite stuffed. The other dessert options are Tiramisu, Fresh Fruit Tart, Crepe Suzette, and Creme Brulee. (all Rs.150). Just a note that though the menu seems skewed towards non vegetarians at first glance, the vegetarians do have enough choice.

    All of the above cost us over Rs.1200. I plan to visit soon again, to atone for my wrong choice of dish, and to try the dessert options. I’d highly recommend that you drop in too, for a really smooth ambiance, excellent service, the best food presentation we’ve seen in a while, and a choice of dishes that are not really common here.

    Medici, Mannan Arcade, 2nd Floor, 1206, 100ft Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar Ph: 42044987, 42350674

    Menu and Photos at Zomato