Category: Restaurant Reviews

  • Monkey Bar

    Bangalore’s first Gastropub has been a hot topic of discussions for quite a while now, so we thought we’d monkey around a bit too. We used the now standard replacement for Saturday dinners at ‘hot’ properties, and dropped in on a Sunday afternoon.

    In case you remember Taipan (no branches) on the Richmond Road – Wood Street junction, it’s gone! And Monkey stands in its place. The road is a one way and you’d have to approach it from the Brigade Road end or do a right-left-left from Richmond Road via Castle Street. The map is here. Parking on the street, so park where you get space, and don’t wait till you see the place!

    The place was packed when we got there, and we thought we’d have to wait, but we realised that if you dig deeper, you’re bound to be rewarded. The basement has, in addition to a few tables, a pool table and Foosball. The posters, a story continued from the dining area above, are quirky and fun and have advertisements, movies and so on. The soundtrack is awesome and every alternate song was a favourite – Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Free Fallin’, Iris, One of Us, and so on.

    It’s a gastropub, so we had reasons for looking forward to the food. The menu doesn’t disappoint, it’s completely about monkeying around with dishes, and those small plates, though they take it literally, ensures that you are spoilt for choice.

    There was a Tom Yum soup around, so we had to have the chicken version. Spicy, flavourful and a perfect appetiser. In terms of solid food, we started with the Chilli brain and the Tiger Beef. The brain dish consists if 3 cutlets, and if you’re really a spice fiend, you’d only be just okay with it. The ace in the sleeve though, is the bottle of Blair’s Jolokia on the table. From the time that D discovered it, our spice wants were taken care of. The Tiger Beef didn’t need any external help though, with chilli paste, galangal, lemon and peppers. The bowl was small, but this one is highly recommended.

     

    We debated whether we should try another starter, but in the end, the combination of burger + chocolate won out. The Brownie Cookie Shake reminded me of the Horlicks/Maltova chocolate versions, and was quite thick, though not as much as say, the Chocolate Room ones. The price is comparable, but the quantity is lesser. The MoBar burger, has bacon, so we pardoned the Rs.440 price tag. French fries come in a cone and the arrangement is quite cute. For desserts, we had the Chocolate XS Cake, though D wasn’t convinced of the flourless part. I was too busy gobbling it up and the ice cream with it. We’ll go back for some of those main course dishes that we simply must try out.

    The service is helpful, but don’t expect an eat-and-dash experience. It is laid back, and by design. The food does take time to appear, but is usually worth it. With the charges and taxes, the bill came to just over Rs.1650. Drop in for a menu that’s completely different from what you get elsewhere in Beantown. Eat, drink and if in the mood, play ball downstairs. 🙂

    Monkey Bar, 14/1 Krishna Manere, Wood Street, Ashok Nagar Phone: 080 41116878/9

  • California Pizza Kitchen

    We decided to give Keramangala a break and limit our weekend outings to Indiranagar in May, considering that the latter had suddenly begun aping the former in terms of restaurants popping up all over the place. That’s how we landed up at California Pizza Kitchen, located in that stretch between 12th Main and CMH Road junctions on 100 feet Road, where it seems all the action is happening. (map) There’s valet parking and enough place for 2 wheelers too.

    The ambiance is very pizzeria like, and not really fine dining. But it’s neat, classy and was actually near-full when we got there at about 7.30. A little later, we could see people waiting too. But the service is fast, so even if you don’t reserve, you probably wouldn’t have to wait long.

    The menu at Zomato is almost complete – the only thing it’s missing is the smoothies section. We started with an Adobe Chicken Chowder, that came to us almost as soon as we ordered it! The tortilla strips added excellent texture to the thick creamy soup, which which was quite awesome – wild rice, cilantro, corn, though we did miss the green chillies. But the pepper on the table made up for that very well.

    For the main course, we ordered the Original BBQ Chicken, with a smoked bacon add-on and a thin crust, which costs Rs.20 more. I would’ve liked the BBQ sauce to be more dominant, specially because the onion and the unevenly spread cilantro are all-too familiar flavours. But it was a reasonably good pizza. The other dish we tried was the Southwestern Chipotle Fettuccine. A wonderful spicy, creamy dish, from which the only thing we’d have like to remove would be the black beans, which seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. We had just enough space to accommodate the Chocolate Banana Smoothie, which used regular cream that added a unique flavour to the mix.

     

    Overall, the experience was quite good, though pricing is definitely on the higher side – all the above with service charges and taxes came to over Rs.1600, not exactly what you’d expect from the friendly neighbourhood pizza joint. So long as you keep that in mind, and are fine with moderate portion sizes, you should be fine.

    California Pizza Kitchen, 284, Ground Floor, 100 feet Road, Indiranagar Ph: 64048888

  • Khaaja Chowk

    The review was first published in Bangalore Mirror.

    Indiranagar suddenly seems to have caught this second wind, as far as new restaurants go.  Suddenly there’s a spate of new restaurants, and on one building, (the same as Girias – map) if you manage to go higher than ‘High on Thai’, you’ll find Khaaja Chowk. Valet parking available, and there’s reasonable space for 2 wheelers nearby.

    Kitschy chic makes for a good oxymoron, and I’d probably use the décor of Khaaja Chowk as its poster child. Posters are exactly where we’ll start, the ones I was caught gaping at, and then clicking away furiously. If you love Bollywood as I do, there’s no way you’d miss the chance to capture micro posters of ‘Shaitan Mujrim’, ‘Pistol Wali’ and so on!  Or you could take a step back and walk up the last flight of stairs that lead to the restaurant on the third floor, its walls adorned with framed retro matrimonial columns, lottery tickets and matchbox covers!

    There’s no escape once you’re inside either! Internet darlings like ‘Child Bear’ and ‘Lick-her-Shop’ take their rightful place alongside more to-the-point shop hoarding graphics like ‘Angrezi Sharab ki Dukaan’. You’d also want to check out that special table with bindis, clips and nail polish sets under a glass top. The auto rickshaw tables deserve a special mention, perfect for a group of 4, though we didn’t sit there because it was quite late and feared whether we’d finally be asked to pay one-and-a-half times the bill. The person to thank for all the above is Vikram Nair, who started the chain of restaurants several years ago in Gurgaon and brought it to Bangalore a month and a half back. Interesting trivia is that his sister is Mira Nair, no, not a namesake, the filmmaker herself.

     

    It was difficult to get the visual treat to take a backseat, but we finally managed to get down to business with a Cheese Chilli Seekh Kabab, a Khaaji ki Chaat and a Non Veg Kabab Platter. The chaat turned out to be standard papdi chaat fare, save the sev, and with a cabbage signature! The chilli dominated the Cheese Chilli kabab and the cheese was relegated to the background in terms of flavour, but is highly recommended if you don’t mind some spice. The non veg platter consists of Chicken Banno Kabab, Chicken Burrah Kabab and Mutton Seekh Kabab. The Burrah Kabab was the best of the lot, mildly spicy and juicy. The Seekh lost out only because it was slightly crumbly, though its flavours were just right. The Banno Kabab was subtle to the point of being bland, and was the least favourite. We also tried a sweet lassi to wash it all down, but that was quite a disappointment, mostly thanks to the sour curd! The other drink we tried was the Virgin Mary Masala – standard tomato juice and Worcestershire sauce but with a green chillies and masala desi twist that made the drink special.

     

    The menu seems a toned down version of the one available at other outlets of the chain. Quite surprisingly for the crowd involved, the dish that became an instant favourite was a vegetarian one – the Makhmali Kofta curry, a white cashew based gravy that was mildly spicy and creamy and had koftas that just smoothly slide down. The Chicken Chengezi is not as fiery as its name makes it out to be and is supposed to be only mildly spicy. It was exactly that, but had a slight tan (for a dish supposed to be made in milk and cream) and was missing the boiled egg. However, it was well cooked and quite tasty. The Rara Gosht was the least impressive – the gravy was too greasy for our liking and the meat was unevenly cooked, actually mostly rubbery. The naans were standard and if you like spice, you might want to try the Rogni Naan. The Matka Biryani – Chicken came late to the party but got a good response – subtle flavours, not greasy and succulent chicken pieces.

    The Rabri Khaaja and the Rocket Kulfi were the standout items in the menu, so we decided to test them out. The Kulfi’s flowery presentation needs a special mention and it also turned out reasonably well, though quite subtle. We liked the Rabri Khaaja more though, thanks to its combination of a crunchy base and a malai based topping.

     

    A mocktail, a lassi, a non-veg starter, a couple of naans, a veg and non-veg dish for the main course, and a shared kulfi would cost approx 1,200 inclusive of taxes. We had perfect weather for an under-the-sky meal, and all the seating options –even the ones inside – have their own charm, in addition to the unique overall ambiance. Add to it, the serendipity of rediscovering 90s Bollywood songs, and we have a box office winner. The only villain in the piece was the tardy service once the place got crowded. Which reminds me, it’s probably a good idea to reserve in advance, the place does get crowded. The meal started and ended well, though the main course could have been better. For all of this, you should definitely drop in at least once. If not a chakka, at least a chauka is guaranteed.

    Khaaja Chowk, No-276, 100 feet Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Ph: 080- 40920585

  • I & Monkey

    D wanted to write this post owing to the title, but my super power is admin rights for this blog. Ha! A rainy, slushy Bangalore night tried to make a monkey out of us, but we stuck to our plan, though it did mean that we  looked like wet monkeys when we arrived at the restaurant on 12th Main Indiranagar. (on the left, when coming from the Sony Center signal on 100 feet Road) Parking – 12th main and those side lanes, you should be fine. If I’m not mistaken, this building used to be the former cricketer Prasanna’s house! Not surprising, the owners would want this to be a money spinner too, like their other venture – Windsor Pub. 😉 We had a reservation, and I didn’t say this aloud so we managed not be thrown out, wet shorts and all. 🙂 Classy lighting, well placed tables and foot tapping music makes for a great ambiance in spite of the mandatory LCD screens.

    Thanks to the reviews we read online, we had a rough idea of what we wanted, though we couldn’t find a menu online. I managed to take a few snaps of the menu, something I’d promised myself I wouldn’t (and rely on Zomato) But there seems to be some perception that the menu is limited. The snaps would prove otherwise. (click for larger image) They also have a well stocked bar and an extensive wine list.

      

      

      

    Though we were drowning under the choices, we asked for a special (not on the regular menu, seems to be a week’s special) – Momo Pork Wopper and very uncharacteristically, and greedily added a second starter – Chargrilled Chicken Fillets. The latter was only because the one we really wanted – the Shikari Style Veddi Erachi was not available. They offered us a close equivalent but that was a more regular dish, so we passed. The pork momos were quite tasty and steamed well, though we’d have liked the sauce to be a bit more spicy. The chicken fillet also had a ‘gunpowder’ filling, which actually ended up adding more texture than spice to the mix. But it’s worth a shot. 🙂

      

    For the main course too, we were spoilt for choice, and it was quite fun to read some of the dish names too – goes well with the quirky name of the restaurant. After much deliberation, we decided to order the Calangute Chicken Bafath. It comes with appams/sannas and as you can see, we chose the latter. The sannas turned out to be quite good, and the gravy, mildly spicy, turned out to be one of the coconut milk based ones that we have a strong liking for. There are many many more dishes which, at least on paper, sound really good, so while this one was quite good, I’d urge you to be adventurous. 🙂 We debated desserts, but there was nothing that really made us sit up and take notice.

    The service is helpful, but does tend to go a bit overboard. For instance, in our feedback form, we said more dessert options would be great. The person who took the order immediately came back and started an extensive survey on what we’d like!

    The meal cost us just over Rs.950, inclusive of service charge and tax. Slightly on the higher side, but worth the occasional visit.

    I & Monkey, 968, 12th Main, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Ph: 40923656

  • TOIT

    Finally, we used the same tactic at TOIT as The Biere Club – Sunday lunch, much more easy to accomplish than the 2 seater Saturday dinner. For those not in the know about TOIT, this should tell you the story so far, as well as help you get there. Though I’d been here before on a couple of occasions, D was a first timer. They have a valet parking and for two wheelers, there’s the pavement, though it’s not always easy!

    The microbrewery has 3 floors, and we sat in the non smoking section on the 3rd floor. The smoking section has a great view of the Metro, though you need to be a large group to get a table there. At lunch hour on Sunday, it’s quite a peaceful place, but the buzz during evenings is quite something! Over to the food and booze. You can take a look at the menu here. In addition to this, there are the different kinds of house beer too.

    I wanted the Weiss, but that was not available, so I ordered the Dark Knight. D asked for the Basmati Blonde. The Dark Knight was not as bitter as I expected, though this does change towards the bottom. The Basmati Blonde is quite light, with just a faint malt touch. This is usually the one I have, and I only tried the other to test it out. 🙂 I would’ve liked the beer colder though. [I happened to try the Weiss on a later visit, and now I don’t mind cheating on the blonde) 🙂

     

    We ordered a TOIT Sunavachik for starters, strips of chicken with a dip and which can be made mild, spicy or very spicy as per your choice. We asked for very spicy, but it really wasn’t all that spicy. The dip complemented it well and it made for a good combo with the beer too. [Again, during another visit, we ordered ‘spicy’, and boy it was!] I think the menu has changed a bit though, since I couldn’t find the special TOIT pork dish I was looking for and the dish we had ordered was not something that was in the menu earlier. Hmm.

    For the main course, we ordered a Cream Cheese Chicken pizza – a thin crust pizza with marinated chicken and buckets of cheese. I would have liked it to be a bit more spicy – even the chili flakes on the table didn’t help. Despite being reasonably ‘toit’, we asked for the TOIT special dessert – a layered chocolate cake, which I didn’t feel was flambeed though. But it’s chocolate, and there was lots of it, so I really can’t complain. 🙂

      

    All of the above cost us just over Rs.1450 including service tax and charges. TOIT is a place I haven’t heard a negative opinion about, and the packed atmosphere, even on weekday nights, is a testament to its popularity. Yep, it means you must visit. 🙂

    TOIT, 298, 100 feet Road, Metro Pillar 62, Indiranagar