Category: Restaurant Reviews

  • Huckleberry

    First published in Bangalore Mirror.

    The original Adventures of Huckleberry Finn begins after Tom Sawyer and Huck come into a fortune. In the modern day Bangalore retelling, an investment banker couple build a brick oven on the terrace of their parents’ house; the pizzas become a rage, the idea of a wood fired pizzeria is born; their friends get involved in the décor – painting all the chairs- and the rest, is a restaurant! Located on 100 feet Road, Indiranagar, after the CMH road junction when coming from Koramangala, and right next to TOIT, on the first floor. (map) Yes, valet parking is available, and two wheelers can encroach upon the wide pavement!

    In addition to the Tom Sawyer-ish paint job above, the place also owes its name to a berry that has a second degree connection to the kind of cheesecakes it specialises in, and managed to fit in well as the fun, whimsy name the owners wanted.

    The best tribute that one can give to any original work is to ensure that the character remains alive. And character is something Huckleberry has oodles of. From the tree that nonchalantly makes its way up through the restaurant, to the painted chairs, the funky graphics and the wooden fireplace, the place somehow manages to mix a lively, vibrant ambiance with a warm, laidback feel. Peppy music at just the right volume adds to this. Tom Petty seems to be a favourite. But that’s enough about the place, and on to the menu before you start yawning! The printed menu only has a few pages and focuses on pizzas, drinks and desserts, but they augment it with a weekly special menu on the blackboard.

    When pizza’s on the mind, starters might seem a bit of a distraction, but a few things on the menu looked interesting. The Herbed Lemonade, in which basil, lemongrass and green apple vied for attention, had basil emerging as the clear winner and also did a good job of whetting the appetite. The Berry Happy was a mix of cranberry, strawberry, grape and lemon juice, but what it really did was to take us back a few years – to the time we consumed Poppins by the dozen! The only drink that disappointed was the Virgin Mojito. In case you’d like to experiment with wines, or wine based cocktails, there are a few options available too.

    The Chicken Consommé soup came with its own dumpling but the mild chicken and caramelised onion flavours didn’t really impress. The Chicken and Prawn Bruschetta was a much better dish – crispy bread with the chicken version being helped by a creamy cheese presence and the prawns aided by herbs. The pick of the starters was the colourful Spicy Chicken Salad, which actually lived up to its name and didn’t take advantage of the ‘salad’ – the chicken wasn’t just a token presence.

    The Smoked Turkey pizza was an automatic choice and Rithika (the co-owner, who helps out at the restaurant after her day job!) suggested that we add a jalapeno topping. It worked brilliantly with the cold cuts and the herbs and made it our favourite main course dish. The Meat Feast had a stellar cast including lamb and pepperoni but lost its pizzazz a bit with a slightly burnt thin crust and its disproportionately high contribution to the bill.

    The Baked Pesto Chicken was the most photogenic of the dishes and the creamy pesto sauce was ample proof that it wasn’t just a pretty face. But the Pan Seared Sea Bass with Lemongrass and Coriander was unfortunately just that. Though the fish seemed fresh, it was also quite bland and the rest of the ingredients were just titular. The Chicken Tortellini was reasonably good, but could’ve been made better with a thicker, creamier sauce.

    There is a significant chance that when I visit this place next, I’d start with the desserts. I’m usually quite racist when it comes to chocolate and prefer dark over white, but the White Chocolate Mousse (with lime) easily won the desserts crown. The Dark Chocolate Mousse tried valiantly, but though it kept its status as a reliable favourite, it was an unfair fight from the time we tasted the other. If you don’t mind a strong cinnamon flavour, the Huckleberry Special is something you might want to try. The Blueberry Cheesecake got the texture right, but I missed the tart flavour and the cheese presence was underwhelming.

    A meal for two here would cost about about Rs.800, with which you could share a non alcoholic drink, a non veg starter, a non veg pizza and a dessert. You’ll get that bill in a folder that has an image of the first edition book cover of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. With a unique identity based on its food and ambiance, Huckleberry is probably a place that you’d like to visit more than once, for its homely charm and lively atmosphere. Mark Twain’s has said “Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.”  So don’t be afraid to try out the pastas, pizzas, wine and desserts all at one go. 🙂

    Huckleberry, No: 298, 100 feet Road, Indiranagar, Ph: 8040917416

    PS: Huckleberry takes an off on Monday.

  • Dugout

    Dugout has been on our radar ever since we read about the buffet dinner. But it all came together only on a Sunday afternoon, despite it being located in our regular hangout area – Koramangala. On the Jyoti Nivas College Road, Dugout occupies the top 2 floors of the building that also has Oyster Bay on the ground floor. (map) The building has basement parking for most wheel combinations, and the parking lot next to Empire is nearby anyway.

    The restaurant is on the rooftop and the sports bar is on the floor below. The furniture is functional but we felt the ambiance could’ve been better – from the placement of tables to how the buffet was presented and even in terms of cleanliness. It probably looks much better during dinner time.

    The weekday buffet (lunch and dinner) is priced at over 300 and its weekend version, with live pasta, chaat counters etc, is priced roughly double of that. But we chickened out at the last minute and decided to go a la carte from this menu. The Cream of Chicken soup is not shown on the menu, but since it was part of the buffet, we asked for a /2. It required an extra helping of pepper, but was otherwise quite good. They did scrimp on the cream, but this was taken from the buffet spread, and that probably explains it.

     

    For the main course, we ordered a Diavola Pizza and a Creamy Tomato and Smoked Chicken Pasta (farfalle). The pasta was really good, and this time there was no stinginess on the cream. Despite the looks, the tomato flavour was subtle. In fact, it was a creamy spice (paprika?) that dominated. Awesome Indianised pasta. The pizza had chicken in the form of sausage, salami and pepperoni, though it seemed that the spicy tomato sauce mentioned had taken the Sunday off. But the thin crust, cheese and chicken did their job efficiently, so it turned out to be quite tasty, especially after we helped ourselves with the (diluted) Tabasco, HP sauce, chili flakes and the (doctored) olive oil.

    Since there were many dessert options in the neighbourhood, we skipped the desserts section. The service was quite helpful as they gave us a tour of the buffet and were quite prompt on delivering the order. All of the above cost us just over Rs.850. In all, this is a decent place to hang out, especially since there’s alcohol available too.

    Dugout, 77/A, Cygnus Chambers, 3rd Floor, JNC Road, Koramangala

  • The Great Indian Thali

    The review first appeared in Bangalore Mirror though I’m still trying to figure out the headline. 

    TGIF is an acronym that’s familiar in the dining-out context, and that’s probably why TGIT made us do a double take. We noticed it during our monthly check on The Elegant Elephant – just to see if it’s open. Not.

    So, TGIT. Nope, not Tuesday, not Thursday, but The Great Indian Thali. Located on the busy 80 ft Road in Koramangala, (map) in the building that is now a mini Church Street with El Tablao, Barbeque Factory and the soon-to-be-launched Resto-bar & Grill. Yes, there’s valet parking. And guess what, all the restaurant owners have a mallu connection. Keramangala rises. Bwahahaha.

    While many a restaurant in Bangalore serves a North Indian and/or South Indian thali, or even a region specific version, TGIT clearly has ‘Mile food mera tumhara’ in mind. But they do plan to have a monthly region-specific special with guest chefs soon. Meanwhile, you can lounge on low seating, or functional or high chairs as you watch the traffic snarls below and contemplate if Curd Rice and Paneer Lababdar do have a future together, and what theme links Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Bryan Adams.

    The prix fixe (set) menu features four starters and the samosas that were served first turned out to be the hot favourites. A crispy exterior with a standard but mildly spicy and non greasy filling and complemented by the imli chutney meant that everyone asked for a second helping. The Dahi vada – soft and fluffy vadas in a faintly tangy curd, was equally popular. We also got the not-so-commonly-found Makhai vada – made with corn ground to a paste, and though the snack was not in the same league as the ones preceding it, its uniqueness makes it a dish worth trying out. Its blandness can be offset by the chilli chutney that’s provided. The cheese balls were the most debated dish, as a few of us found it well worth gobbling up, especially with the mint chutney, but discerning palates detected that the cheese was not really fresh.

    In the main course, the Ker Kismis, a Rajasthani specialty made of desert berries was a dish that found favour with everyone. The different texture provided by the berries and the occasional sweetness rendered by the kismis made it a singularly unique offering. The Paneer Lababdar was a close second and was taken down a notch by the slightly hard paneer, though the mildly spicy gravy did its best to make up. The Parwal Masala, made with unpeeled point gourd was another dish that used its texture to good effect. The Shrikhand, though classified as a dessert, made an appearance, probably to serve as a combination with the Masala Puri. But it proved to be too diluted and though the masala puri got the flavour right, the combo didn’t really work out. None of the other main course dishes – Dal Makhani, Dal Tadka, Aloo Matar – managed to leave an impression. The Fulka proved to be too thick and the Pulao rice needed some more cooking. The curd rice just about managed to stay true to character.

    Since it was a prix fixe menu, there was no danger of desserts not being available. The soft Gulab Jamun did a splendid job and got the sweetness of the syrup just right. The Rasmalai continued to be another dependable source of sugar based joy. The Lauki Halwa was a unique option and though it was a tad heavy and greasy, we thought it was an acceptable part of the halwa’s character. And yes, there was paan in a wrapper.

    The prix fixe menu is priced at Rs.328+tax on weekdays and Rs.382+tax on weekends. With the starters and desserts doing an excellent job, the meal began and ended well. The main course was a bit of a disappointment. Considering that one can have as many servings of preferred dishes, the pricing is quite justified. With a few unique dishes mixing it up with favourites from across the country, TGIT does seem to have a reasonably good offering when you’re in the mood for vegetarian fare.

    The Great Indian Thali, Lotus – 612/1, 80 feet Road, 4th Block, Koramangala Ph: 08065471151

    PS: Yes, it’s a veg restaurant, and you can stop laughing!

  • Soul City

    The last Thai dine out didn’t really work for us, though it was at a (now former) favourite. The cuisine is a preferred one, and thus was seeded the idea to Thai up the loose ends. And that took us to the city within the city. Soul City in UB City (map), located within the Oakwood Service Apartments, right next to Shiro.

    Tastefully done interiors, and since we were early, we got the choice of seats. There are TVs too, in case you really run out of conversation topics. The windows are curtained, though I’d have loved to watch the skyline! In addition to this menu, (courtesy Zomato) they also have a well stocked bar. From the menu, the idea is all about good food without categorising it into specific cuisines or dining experiences. Not a bad thought at all, and it meant that we got representation from Thai, Vietnamese, Chettinad, Moroccan and many more cuisines in the menu.

    Not the regular modus operandi, but we started with a vegetarian soup – a case of coconut milk scoring over chicken. The Tom Kha Taohu was a spicy soup, and the tofu and mushrooms ensured that we didn’t miss the fowl play. I’d have liked it to be a tad thicker but that is probably just greed. The coconut milk theme continued in the main course too. We ordered the Penne with Red Curry Coconut Sauce and Gang Kua Subparod. (Chicken) The Penne dish was actually a veg dish. but they were nice enough to add chicken on request. The red curry coconut sauce was extra good thanks to the cheese and the mild spice made it a fantastic dish! The Gang Kua Subparod was very good too, again coconut based curry served with rice, but the fruity flavour (pineapple) that it is supposed to have was completely missing.

    We would’ve liked to order a starter too, but the reason we skipped that was the desserts section. I wouldn’t say it was a really tough call, but the Banana and Chocolate Pancakes were quite tempting too. However, in the presence of a higher chocolate power, it had to lose. The Chili Chocolate Mousse did look quite good, but turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, since the chili was totally missing. What replaced it was a vague tart flavour that also took away from the chocolate. 🙁

    All of the above cost us about Rs.1250. Despite the anti-climax, the service was quite helpful and prompt. The overall experience was quite positive, and we’ll definitely drop in again to listen to music that reminded me of mixtapes –  R Kelly, Cyndi Lauper, Dido….

    Soul City, Oakwood Premier Prestige, UB City, Vittal Malya Road Ph: 22348888

  • Haramain

    The last time we’d visited The Chocolate Room (map) to ensure we completed the year’s chocolate quota, we saw a restaurant right opposite it, with a bright red signage, and something undeniably Mallu about it. 🙂 [Twas also nice to see the review I had done for Mirror pinned up on their board]

    So a couple of weeks later, we decided to drop in at Haramain. It belongs to the Imperial/Empire mould but without the combos. To compensate, they have a smattering of Arab dishes, and burgers, juices, shakes etc which is probably to get the Christ College kids to drop in. Here’s the menu.

       

    We succumbed to the cold and started with a Chicken Hot & Sour soup, which though hot and spicy, is hardly the dish I’d recommend here. Though we’d ordered the Mussels Dry (day special) and the Haramain Special Chicken Kabab, they were the last to arrive. We didn’t like the mussels much since it was more pakoda than anything else, with the crisp covering completely dominating the mussels. The chicken dish was much better, with the masala not being relegated to the outer layers. It was served sizzler-style, and quite spicy, and tasty.

    For the main course, we’d wanted a Brain Fry, but that was not available. So we asked for fish fry and Haramain Special Chicken Curry, with a couple of Kerala Porottas to start with. The Biriyani was also not available, so we had to settle for a couple of coin porottas. The Porottas were good, but the coin versions looked like they would have liked to spend more time getting cooked. The fishy fry masala was good, but unfortunately hadn’t seeped in enough. The Chicken dish was quite quite tasty – spicy and with a mild coconut milk flavour.

    In essence, nothing we’d really go back for, except probably, the Hosur Road view that included The Chocolate Room. All of the above cost us close to Rs.700.

    Haramain, #9/10, Hosur Main Road, Near Christ College, DRC Post. Ph: 41515151