Category: Restaurant Reviews

  • 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

  • A Taste of Rampur

    The Koramangala version was one of the first restaurants reviewed here, and the review of the Indiranagar version first appeared in Bangalore Mirror.

    The restaurant is located right after the flyover when coming from Koramangala, above Bombay Store. (map) Don’t try the U immediately after the flyover – there are cops waiting for you. 🙂 Two-wheelers can be parked right next to it, and more wheels will be taken care of by valet parking.

    As per the restaurant’s own description, Rampur is a princely state in the upper regions of Uttar Pradesh, which has been influenced by Afghan Rohillas, Mughals, Rajputs as well as the British, in addition to its homegrown Nawabs. But Bollywood is probably a bigger influencer since Jaya Prada has been beating the royalty in elections regularly. Apparently, the food still owes much of its allegiance to its Nawabi heritage – ‘rich’, and cooked in ghee. That and the fact that it had a bias towards non-vegetarian delicacies were key factors in prompting a visit. With a gigantic hookah, swords and a shield, fez worn by the staff, and comfortable seating, some of the place’ character is indeed reflected in the restaurant itself. You can find the menu at Zomato. The beverages menu is quite exhaustive, and includes wines, champagnes and mocktails too.

    When life gives you a lime, it might not be a bad idea to add some chaat masala, and that’s what makes a Nimbu Pani Rampuri, which would’ve been quite good if not for the dominant masala flavour. The Mix Vegetable Shorba was thick, creamy and a decent start to the meal. It was definitely a few notches higher than the Murgh Badami Shorba, a thin soup which the Badam didn’t deem worthy enough for an extended presence. The best of the starters was the Bhune Hue Subzi ke Sheek Kabab, mildly spicy and coarse, in terms of texture. The fish didn’t seem to have bought into the concept of Mahi Sarson ka Tikka. Not only was it unevenly cooked, it also suffered from a dominance of mustard and an absence of any other flavour. The Galowti (sic) Kabab was much better fare and though it wasn’t at ‘melt in the mouth’ levels, it did get pretty close.

    The veg dominance continued in the main course too, with the Rampuri Dal Tadki wali – mixed dal, smooth and mildly spicy – becoming the favourite. The Paneer Lababdar came a close second with its thick consistency and creamy flavour. The Gosht Kundan Kaliya did sound like a Bollywood movie remix, but proved a fairly good dish with tender meat and a mildly spicy gravy with a dash of turmeric. We weren’t that fortunate with the Murgh Makkan Rampuri which had a tasty gravy but was spoiled by the chicken itself – hard and bland. There was unfortunately nothing khaas about the Rampuri Kaas Paratha, and the Taftan, in addition to being slightly burnt, lacked the saffron-cardamom flavours that make it special. The Ulta Tawa ka Paratha was relatively the best of the breads, though it did skimp on the ghee. The Murg Dum Biriyani also did not live up to expectations, and though the chicken was good, and the portion size large, the overly sticky and flavourless rice let it down. It needs to be mentioned that none of the dishes were really ‘heavy’, but considering the Ram’pure’ desi ghee proposition that the restaurant claims, that’s not really a good thing.

    The spectre of dessert unavailability that seems to be following me around refused to let go here too, though its presence was limited to the Kesar Rasmalai and the Shahi Tukda. The soft Kesar Gulab Jamoon was the best of the lot though the Kesar itself couldn’t attend. The Matka Kulfi wasn’t so bad either though it could’ve been sweeter. The Phirni was quite insipid, and the Rampur ka Sewian was completely ignored, after the first tasting.

    A meal for two would cost roughly Rs.1200, and they also have lunch and dinner buffets available on weekdays and weekends. The restaurant’s self proclaimed bias for non veg dishes fell flat on its face with the veg dishes clearly upstaging them. There seemed to be a focus on the buffet, which could explain the service staff trying to nudge us towards it, as well as the average delivery of the a la carte offering.

    A Taste of Rampur, #4031, 1st Floor (aboveBombay Store),100 Ft Road, Indiranagar, HAL 2nd Stage, Ph: 080 42156000

  • Thulsi N Thyme

    Kyunki sauce bhi kabhi herb thi. Two can play at that game eh? But seriously, a restaurant with a name like that does manage to grab your attention. I’d been seeing the name a bit at my regular online haunts, but this was one time when one column led to another. Well, almost. I was covering Poshvine (if you’re a foodie in Bangalore, you should check it out) for my startup column, and seeing Thulsi N Thyme listed there, went ahead and reserved a table via Poshvine.

    TnT (from now on) is located on 100 feet Road, Indiranagar, after the 12th Main signal when going from Koramangala, (map) above Touche and Cream Centre. For now, only the 4th floor is open though they plan to expand to the next soon. The resturant has, what they call an Indopean theme, in terms of the menu. The alfresco section, with the tree canopy around, did manage to provide a wonderful ambiance, despite the mild rain and strong winds that played havoc with the menu card. In a wonderful display of un-snobbery, one of the service staff even quipped that they should probably look at heavier menu cards. Nice 🙂 The plan is to provide some kind of screens soon. On to the menu (there is a beverage menu too, and they seem to have a decent collection of wines, cocktails, mocktails….)

       

    (click for larger image)

    In addition to the Indopean menu, there was also a pure North Indian 2 pager. We started with an Asparagus and Red Capsicum soup. A deliciously thick soup, and presented well. The red capsicum portion hit the spot but the asparagus portion disappointed slightly, and the hard garlic bread didn’t help either. We then tried the Burrah chop Lazeez, which was reasonably good. The meat was tender, and the char grilling only a couple of notches below perfect. There seemed to be a cardamon twist to the mayo(?) that came with it. Quite good, as was the tapenade.

    For the main course, we asked for the Stuffed Chicken Makhani and the Baked India Salmon. The fish was wonderfully cooked and the only small let down was again the bread. The stuffing in the chicken was goat cheese, which together with the subtly flavoured risotto, ensured that we were stuffed too. 🙂 Unfortunately that meant we couldn’t try the desserts. 🙁

    The thing that works for Thulsi N Thyme is the balance they maintain between the Indian and European constituents in the dishes, and yet manage to bring out both. It’s quite a fresh take on the dishes we’re used to. Well worth a visit, and if you want to make it a bit more special, go back to the top, and get there the same way I did. 🙂

    Thulsi N Thyme, 4th & 5th Floor, #762, 100 Feet Road, Indiranagar Ph: 25271555/666

  • Kumarakom

    The review was first published in Bangalore Mirror.

    Thanks to HSR Layout’s proximity to Koeramangala, some would say that it is one of the first areas that have been earmarked for expansion in the Mallu global domination plans. So it’s no surprise that Kumarakom, after opening outlets in Chennai and the international Malayali homeland Dubai, chose to set up shop here. Kumarakom is better known as a tourist destination in Kerala, located near Kottayam, and with the Vembanad Lake as its backdrop.

    Kumarakom in HSR has a the BDA complex as the backdrop, but makes it up with an ambience that immediately transports you to Kerala – a décor that includes a few mural paintings, a charupadi in some areas, a chuttuvilakku, and even right down to the boat-shaped salt’n’pepper holder on the table. The music, though, moved from Malayalam movie soundtracks to 90s pop and then lounge music in the space of two hours.

    The menu does provide a range of options from traditional Kerala cuisine, and if for some reason, those fail to impress you much, there are some Tandoori and Chinese options! Here’s the Kerala cuisine part

     

     

    In case soups work better for you, the mildly spicy Kozhi Kurumulaku soup (chicken and black pepper corn respectively) would be a good bet. We ignored the Veg Spring Rolls, Chicken Lollipops and Katti Rolls and decided to go for the ‘Chenda Muriyan Kappa with Mulaku Chammanthi’ (tapioca with chutney in case you are Malayalam challenged), Stuffed Squid Fry and Green-masala-fried fish. The last two items were not available, so we switched to the more standard Koonthal (squid) Fry and promoted a main course dish ‘Karimeen Pollichathu’ to opener status. I was initially quite dismayed on account of the minuscule Chammanthi (chutney) provided with the Kappa, but soon found that they had perfectly nailed the spicy green chilli-salt flavour, a small quantity of which can last several rounds of Kappa. The tapiocas too had been boiled to perfection. The Karimeen Pollichathu is priced according to size (so ask beforehand) and cost us Rs 400, but the Pearlspot fish grilled perfectly, with a banana leaf wrap, and a spicy sweet and tangy ‘secret masala’ was totally worth it. The squids in the Koonthal Fry were perfectly fried and the masala had permeated enough to make the dish wholesomely flavourful.

    The main course is easily skewed towards non-vegetarians, though the creamy, coconut milk-based Vegetable Stew would find favour with all. It is difficult to identify a favourite among the non-veg main course dishes, because the masalas involved were only separated by fine nuances. I would pick the Duck Roast, for its coconut milk-based mildly spicy, thick gravy, and meat that was tender. The Mutton Roast, a dry dish with a tasty curry leaves flavour, would be a close second. The Naadan Kozhi curry is also a coconut milk-based preparation and is a thinner version of the Duck Roast. The Meat Roast could’ve been better, as the masala was more fluid than usual, and missed the generous coconut sliver presence that makes the dish special. The Prawns Fry got the frying part right, but lacked the zing that the squid’s masala had provided. The Fish Moilee was a bit of a disappointment on account of its blandness. The soft appams with crispy edges proved to be a favourite, and the amazing pace at which they appeared at the table was only matched by the speed with which they disappeared soon after. The ‘alcoholic’ version – Kallappam (Kallu = toddy) managed to get the flavour, albeit mildly. The Porotta was also perfect with just the right amount of flakiness. The Puttu was a mild disappointment as it was a tad too powdery. The Thattu Dosa was unavailable for comment.

    On paper, the dessert options would make you salivate in anticipation – Ela Ada, Ethakka Appam, Ethakka Roast, Jackfruit with Coconut and Paani, and so on. But we were brought back to earth with the now familiar ‘Unavailable’. The Caramelised Dried Ethappazham turned out to be a bit too syrupy and had less-than-ripe bananas and the Ada Pradhaman was quite insipid too.

    Kumarakom does quite a good job of delivering authentic Kerala cuisine, and considering the portion sizes, the pricing is also just right – Rs.900-1000 for two. The non availability of certain dishes is thankfully compensated by the tastiness of those that made it to the table.