On a rainy Saturday in October, we somehow got Cahoots almost to ourselves! So we can only wonder how bustling a fully occupied version might be. With different seating areas, and a classy decor approach, we really liked the ambience.
Let’s just say that at some point, the presence of Bar Spirit Forward on my feed became intense enough for it to outweigh the laziness of transporting ourselves from Whitefield to Lavelle Road. The place is housed next to a nostalgic favourite from almost a couple of decades ago – The Rice Bowl. The entrance is subtle enough to make you wonder if you’re in the right place. It’s all part of the play.
Make sure you reserve in advance so you get a warm welcome. 🙂
The decor is all world charm and sophistication, with the wicker and plush leather giving it the well-heeled elegance it’s probably aiming for.
That being said, it helps to also have tongue firmly in cheek lest we take it all too seriously.
An Umami Old Fashioned is what I began with. The ingredients were a mouthful – Jim Beam ,Vermouth, Amaro, Cherry Brine, Brown Koji Boy Cacao Miso, Bitters – but thankfully, those many cooks didn’t spoil the broth. I’d rate it high amongst the OFs I’ve had.
D had a 3 Gin Vesper which had gin heavyweights – Monkey 47, Tanqueray 10, Greater Than with Short Story vodka, Lillet Blanc, Dry Vermouth – which came frozen and poured straight from an icy bottle, served with blue cheese stuffed olive.
We didn’t begin well in terms of food. Not that there was anything particularly wrong with the Dak Bulgogi, but the smokey grilled chicken with scallions and sesame wasn’t something that gave you a foodgasm either.
The surprise package was the Lemony Roasted Cashews. Spicy and insanely addictive. Not to mention phenomenally good value for money. No, I’m not nuts, give it a try!
The Chicken Della Vittoria was a creamy, slurpy, wholesome affair and we throughly enjoyed the flavours and texture of the hot chicken stew.
Show me a person who can resist that Bailey’s Hot Chocolate Cake, and I’ll happily take their share. A great loaded dessert to end the meal.
The service is pleasant enough, one must expect a certain level of snootiness. The place was surprisingly a bit noisy thanks particularly to a loud middle-aged party of three, who were unfortunately at a table near ours. Thankfully they left in a bit. We loved the ambience and the food and didn’t grudge the Rs.4000+ bill we got. I’d recommend at least one visit.
Bar Spirit Forward, Lavelle Road, Shantala Nagar Ph: 077956 54575
We had many gastronomic reasons to go to Forum Rex Walk, but we finally decided on Pangeo because we found the dishes interesting. The journey of a thousand calories begins with a Metro trip. These days, we time our exit from our hamlet of Whitefield to the city in such a way that we get a reasonably peaceful metro ride. The fun part was that thanks to the maze that Forum Rex Walk is, we first sat down at Ouro, which is on the same floor. D and I both looked around and felt it looked different from the images we had seen, and then realised… 🙈
Pangeo has a bit of everything in terms of seating spaces – the standard big screen, a bit of open sky, and cozy corners. We arrived early but the place was already quite crowded, so it’d be a good idea to reserve a spot.
D chose the Strangest Things. No, that’s the name of the drink. A gin-based cocktail, which she liked. And I started seeing a strange thing that I have since then observed in many other places – calling the drink Old Fashion! I tried it despite the name-mangling, but I have had better.
Since we have charcoal now in everything from toothbrush to water, we decided to try the Charcoal Chicken Dumpling. I am not sure the charcoal made any difference, but the chilli infusion made it a decent dish.
When there is Bheja Fry, attack! This one was served on phyllo pastry, and was quite spicy. We really liked it.
The Loaded Polo Wonton had minced chicken and cheese in a wonton cup. Great texture mix, excellent cheese, and helped us cool our tongue after the spice bomb.
We were a bit wary of the Naga Chilli Pepperoni but it turned out to be quite tame in term of spice.
D is a recent convert to Baileys, so when we found a Baileys Tiramisu, we had to get it. The Tiramisu was excellent in itself but the Baileys at the bottom meant that there is a nice kick to it as well. Well worth a shot.
The bill came to a little over Rs.4500, which given the location, is believable. There’s no dearth of variety in the menu, the ambience was good, and the service was decent, if not great. If you’re in the vicinity, maybe drop in.
OMG, the hype! We’ve not been to the original, but we’ve been to the one in Kochi’s very own Mecca – Lulu Mall. On a Sunday afternoon, we thought it would be worth it. The crowd was such that they might as well start calling it Sobha Maul. There’s really no reservation, so you just go in there, and like good old bureaucratic systems, they note your name down, give you an (inaccurate) estimated waiting time, and then… you wait.
While you do that, you could congratulate yourself for deciding to come to a very ‘happening’ place, and maybe look at the day’s specials to build your appetite.
After finally managing to get a table, we started with a Beef Chilly that passed muster. The Pandan Chicken was surprisingly not bad though I have had better. The Kanthari fish, which by definition (bird’s eye chilli) should have been super spicy, was toned down, probably to appeal to a broader set of taste buds, I suppose. The Payyoli Kozhi Porichathu was special only because of those crumbs that brought back a childhood memory – ghee residue. 😍
Kerala Porotta, Mutton and Chicken Biryani, Kozhi Chuvannamulagu Curry, and Pathiris for the main course. We liked the mutton biryani more than the chicken version, and the porottas were perfect. The biggest con game was that chicken curry – which despite the fancy name turned out to be a reasonably bad version of a Butter Chicken!
That name hooked me – Chatta Mary pudding, but the pudding itself was meh. And while the Elaneer Pudding wasn’t bad, KCK‘s version is leagues above. And yes, I forgot to take a snap till we started drinking, and by the time I got it back, it was in this state. This is my pick of what to drink here – Pacha Manga juice, though I suspect that sharp tang is an acquired taste.
On the whole, this version is most definitely not worth the hype, especially if you’re Malayali. It’s a curiosity for those who cannot access the original. That’s about it. The service is prompt, and friendly, despite the crowds, that’s a plus.
Now that the Whitefield Metro is up and running, I cannot whine about traffic, and we can broaden our horizons. And that’s how we landed at a place we’ve been hearing of, for quite a while. Suzy Q, all the way across the world at Vasant Nagar, but only a 5 minute walk from the Cubbon Park Metro. We reached at 7, with a reservation, and the hope that we’d be spared the young and the boisterous. But they start young, and early.
