Category: Central Bangalore

  • 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

  • Hae Kum Gang

    No, I’m not announcing my Chinese triad, Hae Kum Gang is a Korean restaurant on Castle Street, which came highly recommended. My experience of Korea is limited to our Samsung TV, the neighbour’s Hyundai, and reading Pico Iyer. We don’t own any LG products, but we have been to Soo Ra Sang. Here’s a map that’ll tell you how to get there. Just remember that Castle Street is a one way and you have to access it from Richmond Road. (first right after the Lifestyle junction, okay, second if you include the road that goes to Garuda). The restaurant is on the second floor of a building that’s close to the Brigade Road end of Castle Street. There’s enough parking space available.

    The ambiance is quite homely (and not just the ‘experienced’ table napkins), subtle, not garish, and remains in the background, with paintings, vases, and Korean music. The Korean crowd comes free with the ambiance!! At 7.30, the place was almost full with perhaps one table occupied by non-Koreans. A good indicator of the authenticity and popularity of the place.

    Now, on to the food. The best part about the menu is that its like kiddie books, with lots of pictures, so you know what you’re getting into. For starters, there are fritters – chicken, veg, squid, shrimp at Rs.100-130. Soups at Rs50-100 and you can choose from kimchi, veg, beef, haemul and cream of mushroom. The last one is something we wanted to try but it was voted down in favor of the subliminally effective beef.wan.ja. There are also salads in veg and chicken.

    Quickly through the menu before we get to what we ate. There’s Tteokbokki, rice cakes in hot sauce with veg or seafood. There’s Tang su yuk, veg/beef/pork in fruit sauce. Sweet and sour, I was told. The Chulpan Gui set, which consists of the ‘main ingredients’ in Korean spicy sauce, and is served in a hot steel plate. Its available in chicken, beef and squid at Rs.380, and at Rs.300 without the set (side dishes). There’s the Ttuk Bok Gi set, rice cakes topped with fried veg, followed by chilly sauce, served  in hot ceramic pots, at Rs.280. Dup.bap has nothing to do with alternate parentage and is just stir fried sea food/pork/chicken/squid/mushroom and vegetables in sauce, served with rice. (Rs.250). And then there’s ‘Healthy Food’, which is steamed shrimp, squid and mushroom with chilly/soy/mustard sauce at Rs.550. This is why I hate healthy food. There’s Om Rice, fried rice wrapped in egg crepe. The Jeon Gol set, which is a stew served in ceramic pots. There are various noodles available at Rs.300, steamed pork ribs in soy bean/chilly sauce at Rs.450, special spicy chicken/shrimp at Rs.250/280, and Kim.bap.

    The beef wan.ja was an extremely good starter, the ‘melt in your mouth’ variety, made of ground beef. For the main course, D ordered a Chulpan Gui set – Chicken and I asked for a Kimchi Cchi ge- pork soup. The ‘set’ consists of side dishes – radish, baby potato in a honey-sesame sauce, spinach, cabbage, kimchi and fried brinjal. The brinjal and baby potato are very good. D was reasonably satisfied with her chicken dish. For some reason I sensed a seafood smell in the dish, probably the sauce or the same vessel used for a shrimp/squid dish. The pork soup I had was extremely good, also had tofu and an assortment of vegetables, and went very well with the rice that comes with both the dishes. D actually enjoyed it more than her dish. The meal ended with a fruit salad in orange juice syrup, quite delicious and part of the set. You could also order ginseng tea, su.jeong.gwa (cold and cinnamon flavored) , both at Rs.50 or pitchers of jasmine/chrysanthemum flavored tea at Rs.250. There are also ice cream/juice options to choose from.

    All of the above cost us just less than Rs.900. The service is pretty decent and we did get some help in the choice of dishes. The ambiance is pleasant enough though its no comparison to the skyline view offered by Soo Ra Sang. I have a feeling that they hiked the prices recently, or maybe I just read ‘value for money’ differently. In closing, worth a try for a very different cuisine.

    Hae Kum Gang, 2nd Floor, Paul Castle, #20, Castle Street, Ashok Nagar, Bangalore. Ph: 41127730/2

  • Kungh

    The BJP central leadership is in a crisis state. In the state of Karnataka, the BJP government has dissension in its ranks. Its a bad time for the saffron party, but all that didn’t stop us from visiting Kungh, a restaurant on Castle Street, serving Kashmiri cuisine. Eh, connection?  From Pampur, thirteen kilometres from Srinagar, where it is cultivated, it comes to us – Kungh (pronounced Kong), Kashmiri for saffron. 😀

    To get there, get on to Richmond Road at the beginning (Lifestyle) and then take the right on to Castle Street. Some set of government guys seem to be digging there for that treasure, but you should get parking in one of the side lanes.

    This is the second ‘Saffron‘ we’ve encountered in Bangalore. Its an absolutely unpretentious place and somehow manages to convey a very homely feel, which is reflected in the way they treat customers too. They suggested dishes and combinations, told us what would be sufficient, talked to us about the ‘wazwan‘, (which I remembered reading in Salman Rushdie’s “Shalimar the Clown”) and generally made us feel absolutely comfortable.

    So, on to the menu. There are starter options in veg, cockur (chicken) and maaz (lamb). The veg options consists of paneer, cauliflower, potatoes and mixed veg. (Rs.50-100). In chicken, you can choose from the special fried chicken (waza cockur), the boneless tandoor grilled chicken, (troosh cockur), the spicy version (talith cockur) or a cashew grilled version (kaju cockur) (Rs.150-200). In lamb there’s Tabaq maaz (fried ribs), seekh kabab, barrah kabab, or the pasanda kabab. (Rs.150-250)

    For the main course rus (gravy) options in veg consist of bottle gourd, brinjal, palak, mushrooms, potato, priced between Rs.75-100. In chicken you could have qorma, malai or kungh (Rs.150), and the mutton options consist of rogan josh, dhaniwal qorma, marchwangan qorma, rista (dumplings in spicy gravy), or the yakhni/goshtaaba. (Rs.175-200) There are also a couple of daal options. (Rs.50-75) To go with that, you could choose from roti/naan/phulka or rice (steamed/kungh or kabab pulao) While we went through the options, they gave us a complimentary kahwa. Amazing stuff, that!!

    We started with a seekh kabab (“minced lamb grilled in tandoor and fried). Extremely well made – smooth, cut into small rings, and with enough flavour to make it probably the best I’ve had in Bangalore. I was tempted to order a waza cockur, but there were too many things to try out in the main course. So we ordered a Kungh Cockur (spicy gravy), a yakhni (“lamb dumplings in yoghurt gravy”), and to go with that a naan, and steamed rice. We ended up ordering one naan later. The chicken dish was excellent, but the yakhni was definitely the pick. A great combination with rice. The meatballs were extremely soft, the ‘melt in your mouth’ kind, and had a good combination of spices that lent it a very unique flavor. Highly recommended.

    In addition to dessert options which included kheer, phirni, khubani ka meetha and a badam meetha, you could also try the kungh lassi/nimbu, kahwa, sheer chai, or the noon chai (salted tea). I asked for a khubani ka meetha, but was persuaded to change my mind to a badam meetha, and it didn’t disappoint. D had a kungh sweet lassi and she’s got a new favourite drink. 🙂

    All of the above cost us Rs.700. Definitely worth a visit, for a unique cuisine and some excellent service.

    Kungh, #332, Castle Street, Ashok Nagar Ph: 41126043

    Menu at Zomato

  • Spiga

    …is back, at a new location, and since the old version on Vittal Mallya Road was a favourite, we had to check out version 2 too. The new Spiga is on St.Marks Road, on the 4th Floor of the Halcyon Complex, that erm, funny white building right before you turn into Vittal Mallya Road. Two wheeler parking can be found a couple of buildings before this one, and for those with a couple of extra wheels, there’s valet parking.

    Spiga is a rooftop restaurant, semi-outdoor, with different sections. Some of the tables give a nice view of the cityscape. I’d describe the ambience as fine dining meets lounge. Dim lighting and candles with techno/house pulsing in the background. I personally preferred the coziness of  the home-converted-into-restaurant earlier version. This is cool too, in the white cushion mediterranean kind of way (which I think is the idea) and quite a neat place for a romantic dinner, but it lacks the character/uniqueness of the old place. Maybe that’ll happen over time, and the halcyon days will be back. 🙂

    We got in by around 7.30, and got a table without reserving in advance, but by 8, the place was quite crowded. They seem to have a well stocked bar, and the liquor menu is quite extensive, with what looked like a decent collection of mocktails, shooters, and aperitifs in addition to the usual alcohol options. I couldn’t spot a KF beer, my regular benchmark, though there were other brands.

    There are only two soup options – one veg (roasted pumpkin) and the other non-veg, at Rs.120. So, we had the Chunky Chicken and Veg soup, which would have been great if it had been a tad thicker and creamier. It was good though, with the promise of chunky chicken pieces met. It comes with garlic bread, and an additional portion of garlic bread is  complimentary. To be noted that there isn’t a by-two option, but the table was small enough, and the bowl big enough for us to create the option. 🙂

    In case you’re the salad kind, there are four kinds available – Caesar, Neo Classical Greek, Oriental and Pear & Walnut. All have veg and chicken options, and are priced at Rs.150-180 and Rs.180-210 respectively. And if you prefer starters, there are quite a few options there too, in veg (including a paneer dish), fish, prawn, lamb and from thai, mexican and mediterranean cuisines. Priced at Rs.100-180 for the veg, and Rs.200-250 for the non veg.

    Pasta options consist of alfredo and pesto, with veg and chicken options. (Rs.200/250) There’s also a fettuccine with bacon and prawns. (Rs.280). The main course has about half a dozen veg options, a little more in chicken, and a few interesting options in fish, prawn and lamb. There are a few Thai dishes in this mix too. D chose an Olive Fish, “Grilled fish, white wine mint sauce, olives, sprinkling of pine nuts, spinach rice, hasselback potatoes, with feta and onions. I chose a Mediterranean Chicken, “Seared chicken, red peppers, feta, mashed potato and pasta”. D’s fish dish was a bit on the bland side, with (strangely) a lemon flavor. She liked my chicken dish better. Unfortunately for her, I did too. I’d definitely recommend it. I want to try out the bacon wrapped fish sometime though.

    There are half a dozen dessert options, some of which you may not find anywhere else like the lemon ricotta pie, the ginger orange cheese cake, or the oreo cookie cheese cake. No, we didn’t have any, and yes, I find it difficult to face myself in the mirror, especially when I think of the rich chocolate fudge cake.

    The meal cost us just 0ver Rs.700. Loved the logo, and the black and siver business card. The service could’ve been better. We asked for water at room temperature, and got ice cold water, though they replaced it. We were asked if the main course could be served, while we were still having the soup, and in spite of asking them to wait, they served it almost immediately. Thankfully, we had just about finished the soup. Also, a word of caution. The main course portions are only just about sufficient, and if you’re going in hungry, a starter is recommended. Drop in for a pretty neat ambience, good food and yes, the desserts!!

    Spiga, No:9, St.Marks Road, ‘Halcyon Complex’, 4th Floor. Ph: 42110469/70

    Menu and Photos at Zomato

  • Cornucopia

    Cornucopia is part of a ‘cricket homestay’ called ‘The Bat and Ball Inn’, supposedly owned by Sreesanth, Uthappa, Charu Sharma and one other partner. No, you won’t find appams here, the place serves Continental and Italian fare. 😀

    Here’s a map that will show you how to get there. While you can access it from Hosur Road, its easier to get there via Richmond Road. On Richmond Road, take a left turn immediately after TNT (opposite Citibank) and then take the first right. You’ll see the place on the right. It also hosts a cafe called ‘Silly Point’, and a boutique (which I think is) called ‘Dressing Room’. (It was about to rain, so my focus was on getting inside, especially since we had lost much time in trying to figure out the location, and had a movie to catch) From what we saw there, you don’t really need to reserve.

    There are two seatng options, one a regular restaurant closed setting, and the other behind this, which is a bit more open. On the way to the latter, you have a passageway lined with framed caricatures of cricketers. I half expected to see staff in cricket gear, but they haven’t gone that far with the theme. 🙂

    The menu has a lot of options, both veg and non veg – Continental and some Italian too. You can take a look at the entire menu here. There are soups, starters and salads, in addition to the main course options and desserts. We started with a ‘Spiced chicken and corn soup with lemon grass’  (cream of chicken and corn kernels with spring onion, coriander, chilly and lime). The soup was extremely good, probably the best we’ve had in a long time. It was moderately spicy and on a chilly Bangalore night, was a perfect start. If you’re planning a long leisurely meal, you might want to check out the starters too.

    For the main course, we ordered a Stuffed Chicken Breast Nanterre (chicken breast stuffed with minced pate and mushroom grilled and served with a red wine, green chilly and cheese sauce) and a Poached Chicken Breast Clemenceau (chicken cooked in wine and mushroom, finished with cream, herbs and crushed peppercorn). You have to order mashed potato separately, though they didn’t bill us for the bread and flavoured butter. Both the dishes were extremely good, with distinct flavours that I could detect even with my taste buds being retired hurt (thanks to a bad cold). The chicken was done well, and not undercooked (like in many places that serve Continental stuff) and the sauces were simply superb. Both dishes highly recommended.

    We were too stuffed for dessert, so that’s been left for the next time we drop in. Thankfully, the end of the meal also brought a mini shot of chocolate and coffee, in a semi liquid state, with chocolate just managing to edge out the coffee flavor. Coffee takes revenge by not allowing the mix to get too sweet. I refuse to intercede because I’m busy convincing myself  that its dessert. 🙂

    All of the above cost us just below Rs.800. With desserts and starters, it would be around Rs.1000. The service deserves special mention because it was extremely prompt. You should drop in for a relaxed ambience, extremely good food and if I have to judge from that mini-shot, awesome desserts. 🙂

    Cornucopia, 3, Laurel lane, Richmond Town Ph: 41149495