Category: Bangalore Mirror reviews

  • Ente Keralam

    This review first appeared in Bangalore Mirror, and has, as usual been modified to fit the blog’s ahem editorial guidelines. 🙂

    So, after a lot of tapas, divinity has finally been attained. In other words, what used to be Zara Tapas Bar on Ulsoor Road is now a representative of God’s Own Country – Ente Keralam, which translates to ‘My Kerala’. Here’s a map to get you there. This is the road that joins Dickenson Road to the gurudwara. I think access to it from the gurudwara side is closed temporarily, since one of the government agencies have received reports of some ancient buried treasure. Massive digging in process, but it’s not really a spoilsport.

    ‘Ente Keralam’ tries to capture the varied cuisines of Kerala – from Thiruvananthapuram to Thalassery, but despite a great setting and a compact menu that looks good on paper, the food came perilously close to being labelled Keralame. Here’s the menu.

    The ambiance is probably the best thing about the restaurant. The décor includes a few traditional vessels – para, uruli, they have Malayalam books and magazines at the Reception, there’s a miniature Chinese fishing net on the table (Cochin is famous for its kind) and I saw an elephant’s nettipattam too! What works even better is the music – hits from the 80s, which took us all on a nostalgia trip.

    We started with Keraleeyam, (coconut drink) and the Sambharam (butter milk) . Both were extremely good, particularly the latter, which turned out to be a major hit.  We also tried a Thengappal soup (Chicken). Though it justified the name (coconut milk), it was only just above average. Among the starters, the Erachi cutlet (beef) was reasonably good. But the other three were, well, non starters. The Kozhi Kurumulakittathu was stingy on pepper and was particularly insipid. The Malabar Konju Porichathu (prawn) and the Vazhapoo (raw banana) cutlets were only just okay. Since the veg and non veg cutlets looked similar, we had some minor drama as the sole vegetarian in the group was ‘encouraged’ to try beef.

    In the main course, the appams were fluffy and would’ve been perfect if they had held back a bit on the sweetness. The Chicken Stew complemented it well. The Alleppey Vegetable Curry was a tangy marvel, but the best dish was the Meen Pattichathu (fish), which did a lot to salvage the regular combination  – with Kappa Vevichathu. (tapioca)   The Kappa turned out to be mushy and almost spoiled the combination. The Beef Thenga varutharacha curry was an outright disaster. The Thalassery biriyani, of which much was expected, chickened out and even the unique date pickle couldn’t save it. The Paal Ada Payasam was watery and its sugar kick overcompensated.

    The service is quite good, and very prompt. Except for the cutlet fiasco, we had nothing to complain about, and even though we only ordered after we finished each set, they managed to get the next course on the table pretty fast.

    A meal for two would cost you about Rs.1000, and you could get quite a fill with that.  I’d recommend that you drop in if you want to try some Malayali cuisine that’s not commonly found in menus. And unless you have a Malayali in your group, practise saying Kurumulakittathu a few times before visiting. Trust me, it will help. 😉

    Ente Keralam, No: 1/3, Ulsoor Road, Bangalore – 560008. Ph: 080-32421002

    PS: This review was extra special because I was meeting a few friends after more than 7 years. To say that we had an absolute blast would be an understatement. :))

  • Under the Mango Tree

    This review was first published in Bangalore Mirror (yes, yes, we got our name in the papers n’ all) 😉 Have reworked it to suit the blog’s regular format. 🙂

    Remember Cornucopia in Richmond Town. (map) Its now got a new owner and a new name – Under the Mango Tree. The set up has been modified ever so slightly, the mango tree remains, and the erstwhile elaborate menu changed completely, though it still serves Continental and Italian. Here’s the new menu. Meanwhile, this time, my company consisted of Gautam, Radha, Karthik and Prmod.

    (click to enlarge)

    I started with a Cream of Mushroom and Leek soup, which turned out to be the best among its kind. Karthik’s Cold Melon soup was a bit of a disaster, and Gautam had still not come to terms with the existence of a vegetarian French Onion soup. The Goan sausages made a pretty decent starter.  The Pita and Hummus were only just ok.

    The ‘King Size sausages’ was what I chose for the main course, and again got lucky, because it was quite a good dish, with its caramelised onion sauce. Prmod’s Veg Lasagna also turned out to be tasty enough. The Sea Bass was quite a disappointment  – Karthik was sure it was mackerel, and both the Pepperoni as well as the Mozzarella – Hot Pepper pizzas one were only average.

    On to desserts. The Chocolate Mousse is not something a chocoholic ever complains about, but this one could’ve been better. The Mango mousse cake tried to be the saviour and just about managed to succeed despite some essence extravagance. The chocolate mousse with caramelised banana could’ve been a winner if the mousse had been allowed to be strong enough, it would have worked well with the banana, I thought.

    In essence, some hard work needs to go into the place. The aambiance is pleasant enough, and the owner, Nirmala, helps with the order as well as some amount of customisation. Cost for two people would be about Rs.1000, which would get you a couple of soups, a starter, main course dishes and a dessert. So, drop in, if you’re in the neighbourhood, and give it a shot.

    Under the Mango Tree, # 3, Laurel Lane, Richmond town, Bangalore. Tel: 9686601021

    PS: If you’re in Bangalore, and would like to be featured in a review, drop me a line with your favourite cuisine or new restaurant you’ve noticed – manuscryptsATgmailDOTcom, and we’ll figure something out 🙂