Category: Restaurant Reviews

  • Boteco

    We put off our visit by a few months because of two reasons. One, Boteco had replaced Permit Room, one of our favourite places, and I was in mourning. Two, given the mortality rates of restaurants in Bangalore, we were waiting to see if it’d survive at least a quarter. It did, and because we heard good things, and also since Commissariat Road is slightly farther off than Rio even by Whitefield standards, we decided to use the low-traffic Independence Day weekend to make the trip. Worked well, because we walked in at 6.50PM for a 7PM reservation, and given old habits, blamed the traffic.

    The murals outside as well as the ones on the pillars inside the restaurant all scream Brazil. Christ the Redeemer, the flag, the arches, Copacabana beach, the music and the mosaic all do a lot to create the ambience and feel of a Rio neighbourhood. The plants, some of the wall designs, and the colours also add a tropical touch. All I missed was my youth, when I used to shamelessly walk around inside restaurants and click pics. These days, we are both subdued and discreet. Sigh.

    D got herself a Summer Punch, so we could get a taste of Cachaça – a distilled spirit from fermented sugarcane juice. The cocktail also had lime, Butterfly Pea Flower Tea and pickle brine – altogether a refreshing drink. I went for a Fig-Ure Me Out, which, as expected, turned out to be a fig version of the Old Fashioned.

    Everything was a must-try since the cuisine was unique, so we had to be very choosy. We began with the Pão de queijo – cheese bread made with tapioca flour and Dutch Gouda cheese. We tried it with a spicy chicken filling, which was moderately spicy and quite tasty. The Roasted Belgian Pork Belly Dumplings had to be tried. The pork, though advertised as spicy, wasn’t, but between the caramel drizzle, and the veg garnish, this wasn’t too bad.

    The mains contest finally boiled down to the house special Meatloaf and the Feijoada. Since the latter was the national dish of Brazil, we decided to go for it. The Brazilian version of the originally Portuguese dish is made with black beans. But more importantly, it has pork, pork sausage and bacon. Its look was reminiscent of a mini Khow suey though the taste obviously was vastly different. Served with rice, and an almost tricolour set of condiments, and yes, the orange, we quite liked this though our palate considered it to be on the bland side.

    The dessert options were limited, and we tried the Quindim – the Brazilian coconut and egg custard. Again, the flavours were subtle, but we didn’t mind. Middle age!

    The portion sizes were actually the right size for us, though this was something we saw lots of murmurs against in reviews. After we saw the giant dessert plate coming towards us, followed by the quick realisation that most of it was white space, I can understand the sentiment. But this isn’t an all-you-can-eat establishment. That too is understandable.

    What I didn’t understand though was the service being totally unapologetic about giving us the wrong bill. Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, but portraying an SRK attitude of “bade bade deshon mein...” is quite a put off. The (correct) bill left us lighter by Rs.4000. There aren’t a lot of options for this cuisine in Bangalore, so you might as well give it a shot.

    Boteco, 16/3, Ground Floor, Commissariat Road, opp Garuda Mall Ph: 08792045444

  • Khmer Kitchen

    While the current story is about Khmer Kitchen in JP Nagar, the backstory took place in 2011, when we visited Cambodia. That was when, at Temple Club Balcony, which lured me in with an Apsara show, D discovered her favourite dish – Fish Amok.

    Back to the present, when D decided that her birthday treat would be her favourite dish. That’s what took us on a road trip across Bangalore, during which I wondered whether going to Cambodia might have been easier! An hour and a half later, we finally landed up at (what was formerly) Girish Karnad’s residence. Since he never invited me, I can’t make a comparison, but now, the place is BEAUTIFUL! Trees, mini waterfalls, a koi pond, Khmer sculptures, all help in transporting you out of the mad rush that’s only a few feet away. Add to it a library, wicker furniture, and an exquisite terrace seating, and you’ll fall in Instalove with Khmer Kitchen.

    Khmer Kitchen

    It’s no wonder that the place starts getting full at 7PM. Thankfully, we had made a reservation. The current menu seems like an abridged version of the one on Zomato. And thus went out my Siem Sunset plans. I settled on a Thom Storm, which was essentially a version of Whiskey Sour, with the Souchong tea adding a bit of a variation to the standard. As is usually the case, D’s drink – Wat de Ampil was easily better! Tequila, tamarind, peppercorns and jaggery might sound like a curry recipe, but it looked and tasted great.

    The Chicken Tom Yum Xiao Long lived up to its artisanal categorisation by taking its own sweet time to arrive. I studied the little plate, tipped it to the side a bit and finally said that I felt cheated out of the promised soup. D (with an eye roll) pointed out that the soup was inside the dimsum. Subtle flavours in the filling, and a slightly chewy wrapper made this a just-so dish. The Cambodian Chicken skewers, on the other hand, arrived fast, and with the Sriracha mayonnaise, was bursting with flavours. And finally, what we had made the journey for – Fish Amok. tl;dr – Khmeh. While the presentation was fine, the coconut milk seemed a little off as did the colour, and the texture of the dish was different from what D remembered. Oh well, we had to try.

    Khmer Kitchen

    The food was a mixed bag. The service was friendly even if not exceptional. The wallet lost about Rs.2600 but for this ambience, happy to pay! The place looks fabulous, and probably warrants a visit only for that.

    Khmer Kitchen, 697, 15th Cross, 100 Feet Ring Road, 2nd Phase, JP Nagar, Ph: 7337808157

  • Ironhill

    Back in April, my Insta feed was full of urban Bangaloreans who couldn’t be in Maldives and had to make do with Marathahalli, specifically Ironhill. It’s touted to be India’s largest microbrewery. The place is a combination of the Venice-meets-Varthur look (and smell) perfected by Big Brewsky and Hoot in the open areas, and an 80s industrial grey vibe-meets- rustic chic interior that’s spread across at least three floors. When we called to reserve, we were told that it was already full for the weekend, and we could take our chances walking in. At 5.30, we were able to get a table, though inside, and sat amidst a mix of multi-generational family crowds, and pouting beings scouting backgrounds for their Insta fam.

    The only reason I’d visit any place in Marathahalli is craft beer, and thankfully 6 out of the 8 beers were available. I use thankfully very loosely, because after running through the samplers, we settled on the least offensive Sincity Cider and Wonderland Wheat. This only verified my hypothesis that if in Marathahalli, abandon all hop!

    Since my intake of spice have been put on ice for a while, we started with the Tandoori Malai Chicken dimsum. It seemed to have spent quite some time in transit, and that meant our relationship with it was lukewarm. Next up was the Moroccan Chicken skewers, which were a bit spicy but enjoyable. The safest bet when it comes to pizza is usually the BBQ Chicken and true to form, this one too was decent.

    The service is quite friendly and prompt, and our bill came to a little less than Rs.2000. Overall, you won’t miss anything if you don’t visit.

    Ironhill, 90/7 & 90/8, Outer Ring Road, Marathahalli, Ph: 9606044623/4

  • Inntense Restobar

    We made the trek to Indiranagar because the first part of the name described the last few months, and the second half was exactly what we needed. Actually, it happened to be midway for all parties, and it was expansive with no air conditioning. Am I justifying too much? Ok. Let’s move on.

    The entry to this place is a little tricky. I suspect that we were not the first folks to try the entrance behind the 3M showroom. We saw another couple do the same while we were leaving. But only a few would have climbed up four flights of stairs before realising their mistake! 😐 The tiny gate after the 3M building is the actual entrance, and thankfully, there’s only a lift!

    It was surprisingly packed for a Saturday afternoon, and I don’t think they were prepared for it!

    It all began sweetly. Actually, a little too sweetly. I can understand the Belgian Chocoholic (dark chocolate ganache and dark rum) and even the Sangria being sweet, but the Old Fashioned needs a balance. And they didn’t get that right. The Sangria was actually not bad, and thanks to the dose of brandy, D was extra happy until late evening!

    We were famished by the time we got there, ans thankfully, they were able to get the Wings pretty fast. The Bhoot Jholokia version wasn’t available, and we were recommended the Peri Peri (not on the menu). This was spicy enough to make me forget the sweetness of the Old Fashioned for a while. But then began the extensive delay!

    We had to remind them about all the dishes we ordered, at least twice. When the twice-cooked pork belly finally arrived, it was half cooked. The insides were frozen! A complete waste of pork. The Calamari was probably fresh – judging by the delay, it had arrived at our table straight from the coast!

    Such were the delays that we worried that the mains would equate to dinner! But we persevered. Unfortunately, it wasn’t worth the wait. Both the dishes we tried – the Spaghetti Carbonara and the Fully Loaded Meat pizza were insipid in terms of flavours. Meanwhile, even by the end of the meal, the Akuri on toast we had ordered a couple of hours ago hadn’t materialised.

    But a word of mention for the courtesy of the staff. They tried their best to make up for the inefficiency of the kitchen (I think they were short-staffed). They even got a couple of milkshakes for the kids, though it wasn’t on the menu.

    A meal for two with a couple of drinks, and an equal number of starters and mains would set you back by around Rs.2500.

    Inntense Restobar, 4th floor, Smart Square Complex, #3, 100 Feet Rd, Indiranagar, Bengaluru Ph: 9513099663

  • Geist

    And thus it is, that after six months, finally there’s a food post here! When I wrote the last one in March, I wondered whether at the time of publishing it – May – the virus would be in the rear view mirror. What an underestimation that was! The actual time till the next visit turned out to be seven and a half months. That’s the kind of year 2020 has been. True to the spirit of the year, we visited Geist on Halloween, a couple of days after they had opened. The photographs I had seen on Twitter did a good job of convincing us to finally step out!

    The location is accurate on Maps, though after we passed the gate, the looping path did give us a few moments of doubt on whether the place was open. Later, I also wondered whether this would add to the loopiness as one was getting out of the place after a few beers! Anyway, we were finally rewarded with  open spaces,  abundant greenery, and excellent beer and food. As Mr.Narayan, the CEO of Geist pointed out, a banyan, a peepal and craft beer do make a good recipe for nirvana! Word had definitely gotten around, because we found the place fairly packed. I mean that loosely because there was enough space between tables. Also present were the other “artefacts” of this era – sanitisers at multiple touch points (punintended), and masked service staff.

    We first ordered what we came for – craft beer! Six out of the nine beers were available, I started with a German Lager and D asked for a James Blond. The latter turned out to be a good way to tip the hat to Sean Connery, though we didn’t hear the news until later. The lager had the perfect level of maltiness, and the Blond, a Belgian ale, was smooth and fresh. Since good pork was something that had eluded us for a while, we immediately agreed on the Pork Seekh. Well cooked, great flavours and superb texture. From the tricolour dip, I loved the spicy red the best. The Bacon Thecha Kulcha was next. More subtle than the previous dish, we would have loved to see more bacon in this one.

    I liked the sound, and taste, of James Blond enough to have it for my second round. D went with a Witty Wit, a light and easy drink. The Coorgi Pork (should be Coorg is my understanding) was quite enticing, but we finally went with the Baffat Pork Cutlet, which came with an excellent spicy gravy and spaetzle. A great way to end an Oktoberfest that never was!

    The service was friendly and polite. An excellent rock playlist enhanced the ambiance, and we felt lighter by a little short of Rs.2400. A dine out after more than 200 days though, felt priceless!

    Geist Brewing Factory – Restaurant & Beer Garden, No.23/3, 21st KM Stone, Old Madras Road Nimbekaipura, Bidarahalli, Uttarahalli Hobli, Bengaluru Ph: 8861557576