Category: Koramangala

  • The Bier Library

    It’s not very often that we land up in Koramangala, but when we do, we manage to visit a microbrewery too! Every alternate building in Koramangala is anyway an eatery now, and microbreweries are now reaching the penetration level hitherto achieved only by CCDs, Goli Vada Pav and Cult. So, finding one we haven’t visited isn’t too difficult.

    The place is massive, spread across three floors. It even has that dirty green water body that has been institutionalised by the Brewsky folks. We got a table on the ground floor, only a little away from the DJ, who was trying his best to make sure that Indiranagar didn’t feel left out! Conversations are for losers, after all.

    We immediately got around to the business at hand – craft beer! D made a Very Weiss choice – German wheat that was very fresh. Fortunately, the Wittle-Wit I wanted wasn’t available. Fortunately, because the Further – Lager I ordered turned out to be very good. For a change, even better than D’s drink.

    The menu has generous sprinklings of gluten-free and artisanal, but avocado didn’t get the representation it deserves! In terms of actual food, the Pork Belly Chili Roast was excellent, though we thought the Bhut Jolokia description was probably an exaggeration. Jacob Uncle’s Chicken Cutlet is apparently a recipe that has “handed over by generations of chefs”, but it does seem like some Chinese whispers have happened – it was quite bland. The trend continued with the Balsamic Mixed Greens, which got the last two words right, but missed out on the first!

    The Pork Vindaloo & egg pizza was very tempting, but since we’d just had pork, we decided to go with a Mutton keema & Egg slice instead. It’s difficult to get mince, tomato sauce and egg wrong, and thankfully they didn’t. In fact, it was quite delicious. But it was topped by the Mushroom Risotto – arborio and truffle oil magic.

    Three of us voted for the Serra Dura, for dessert. Portuguese with a Macau origin, its literal translation is sawdust. The taste though, is far from that – the combination of whipped cream, crushed cookies and dulce de leche was fantastic! One Chhena Jalebi sneakily made its way to our table courtesy the fourth person, and was largely ignored. 😀

    The service was courteous and considering the packed premises, fairly prompt. The DJ, as I had mentioned earlier, was trying to beat some sound record. The bill came to a little under Rs.6000 for four people.

  • Biergarten (Koramangala)

    The original version, in our hometown Whitefield, has, over a period of time, endeared itself to us, and is now one of our frequently visited hangouts. I still haven’t forgiven them for taking the Deconstructed Black Forest cake out of the menu, but that’s a small peeve.

    So when we learned that they had opened in Koramangala, we chose the earliest opportunity to check out the place. The place is massive, easily larger than the one on Whitefield. One problem though is that it is close to a garbage dump, and some parts of the building – lifts, loos – feel the stench. Thankfully, the dining area is spared this. It is spread over two floors, and after some haggling, got ourselves a comfortable lounge seating on the top floor, which also hosts a dance floor! There’s a lot of greenery around – this is the third place I am seeing this! HQ was the first, and from outside, the new Toscano in Whitefield looks the same!

    Meanwhile, I got myself a Bacon Old Fashioned, something I hadn’t seen since the magnificent one at Toast & Tonic. The drink was quite good, and thanks to Zomato Gold, I got a 1+1.

    The starters section offered quite a few choices. We chose a Bheja Fry, Lal Maas Tacos, and finally, a Methi Paneer Samosa for a friend who has gone rogue and become  a vegetarian! The Bheja fry was served with bread and a tzatziki dip, and was quite tasty. But the Lal Maas was easily better, and the burnt garlic cream provided an excellent contrast in flavour. The samosas were flavourful too, thanks to the honey glaze and sesame, and also gave us a texture mix.

    But all this, and a quick rundown of the desserts section meant that we had to skip mains. The Chocolate Kahlua Mousse and the Jaggery Mousse Cake made it well worth it! The first was served with marshmallows and KitKat and was delicious, though the base made it seem more like a cheesecake. The Jaggery Mousse cake had banana cake and coconut ice cream as well, and was polished off in a few minutes!

    The service is friendly enough, and the music had enough of a retro tinge to make us comfortable. The bill came to a little over Rs.3100, and that included a few other starters and drinks as well. For a Koramangala outlet, not a bad price at all. Overall, well worth a visit.

    Biergarten, 4th B Cross, 5th Block, Koramangala Ph: 49653208 (map)

  • The Old Fashioned Bar

    I have now figured out the right time to travel cross-country in Bangalore – long weekends. So when it was clear that shopping would take us to Koramangala – shopping the good old fashioned way that is – we decided to mix it with our other favourite pastime – eating (and drinking) out. Choosing a place in Koramangala, especially when the number of restaurants in the neighbourhood is inching closer to the number of people living there, wasn’t an easy task. But I liked the name ‘Old Fashioned” and a quick look at the food menu gave me enough choices to suggest it to D.

    It was only on the way that she informed me that they had more than a dozen kinds of Old Fashioned – my favourite drink! She also had her eye on a special Christmas menu they had. They have a typical old-school pub set up – plush seating, dim lights – and unfortunately, a hat tip to current times in the form of a giant screen. I know, I sound old! 😐

    The place has two floors but the upper one would only open at 9, we were told. Towards the end of our visit, we did go upstairs to use the restroom. A few tables were occupied, and it was hardly 7.30! We did get a nice, small table overlooking the road though. Meanwhile, D was miffed because the staff seemed unaware of the Christmas menu (which was on Zomato!) Thankfully, the menu had enough options for us to still make a good meal out of it.

    After much deliberation, I chose the 1881 Old Fashioned. D’s original choice – Buttercups – wasn’t available, so she went into Hulk mode and asked for a Gin Basil Smash. D had told me that the 1881 was the strongest Old Fashioned they had, but my first drink was fairly mild. The second one (thanks to a Zomato Gold 2+2 on drinks) however was strong. D’s drink had lime juice in addition to the obvious ingredients and packed a punch.

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  • XOOX Brewmill

    Not that we needed an excuse to go to Koramangala, Bangalore traffic notwithstanding, but a microbrewery does provide the extra inspiration. We visited XOOX in September, when it was still relatively new. Located right next to the HDFC bank building in 5th block, it promises a traffic nightmare soon when the crowds increase. It is crazy how Koramangala continues to accommodate so many eating/drinking joints! On entering XOOX, one gets the feel of an elegant 60s bar (no, I am not that old, I am basing it on pop culture references) with its high roof and plush sofas, but a right turn takes you to the alfresco area that has a modern, lounge feel. And that’s where we chose to sit. We had made a reservation, and that will most definitely help if you plan to go after 7. And yes, there is a dress code – no Salmon Khan style upper body wear, boys!

    After we settled ourselves comfortably, we decided to begin with an Apple Cider and a Japanese Dry Blond Ale. The first had the right fruit and sweet notes and is one of the better ones we have tasted. The latter was dry as promised but smooth enough with the rice and malt flavours giving it a balanced feel.

    The Dehydrated Dosa with Tomato & Coconut chutney had to be tried. The crisp dosa with the occasional red (chili) bits actually worked. It helped that the chutney was fantastic. One half of our companion couple arrived and promptly ordered a Citrus IPA and a Chicken Nashville. The beer was bitter but somehow managed a zing as well, the citrus and sweet flavours were underplayed. The chicken on first sight looked like a posh cousin of KFC, but thankfully didn’t ape the taste – the spicy citrus sauce was an excellent difference maker.

    Since my first beer was ale and hearty, I continued the good start with a Smoked Amber Ale. This was a very good take on Rauchbier. The smokiness was evident and the icing was that the beechwood gave it a very bacon smell!

    One of our standard procedures for places that are open all day is to arrive as early as 5-5.30 and stay for a couple of hours. Dusk falling is a pretty picture in most places and this one was no exception. Meanwhile, Thai Fish Cakes and Cantonese Chicken were next. The first was lemongrass flavoured red snapper cakes that had great texture and were complemented very well by the spicy dip. The chicken was well cooked, with a chili sauce, and was more standard fare than awesome.

    D ordered a Belgian Wit for herself and I decided to get a Stuffed Pork Burger with a charcoal bun. The beer was pale, wheat and had a nice zing. The burger was star studded – chorizo, pork mince, jalapeno, mustard mayonaise and Philly cheese – the flavours were very good though I wish it had been less mushier. We also ordered a Georgian Garlic Cheese bread whose chilly garlic dressing gave some unsuspecting folks a spice kick!

    I liked that they took desserts seriously!  We agreed on a Buttermilk Panacotta and a Japanese Lemon Drop. Some shade was thrown at me for rejecting the Red Velvet Parfait. But it had beet as one of the ingredients and my standard response to that is to quote Michael Jackson! The Panacotta was fantastic and had a raspberry and rose decoction which only added to the subtle buttermilk flavour. The lemon drop had citrus flavoured (Yuzu, apparently) jelly and some croutons that provided some excellent contrasting texture, though breaking them without pieces flying off is an art!

    The service was friendly and quite prompt once they overcame an initial tardiness. The bill came to a little under Rs.4650 and that is quite fair given the location and quality of food. The crowd was a little mixed, or maybe I haven’t been to Koramangala enough recently. That signaled a “there’s something off about the place” feeling. It was also not as full as I would have expected on a Saturday night, or maybe 8 is too early to judge. But for now, drop in for some very interesting craft beer and food options.

    XOOX Brewmill, 8, Koramangala Industrial Layout, Near HDFC Bank, 5th Block Ph: 49653219 (map)

  • Brooks and Bonds Brewery

    The last time we were in Koramangala 100 ft Road, a fancy crane without any accompanying construction work caught our attention. Turned out to be an accessory for Brooks and Bonds, which I later realised was a microbrewery. So we absolutely had to plan a trip. One fine, windy Sunday, we did just that. The place has an industrial theme with the beer making process also becoming part of the decor. The elements include everything from meters, gauges and wheels to construction equipment. All of this is apparently spread through three floors and a rooftop though we could only manage to see one, since we were told the rooftop (and presumably the other areas) were open only in the evenings. We sat outside and had to manage with a standard table until we got those high stool ones along the edge that gave us a nice view of the Koramangala skyline.

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