Category: Restaurant Reviews

Vicky’s la terrazza

Remember Vicky’s Tawa Lounge? Well, this is on the top floor of the same building. For directions, take a look at the Tawa Lounge post. This one’s been on the radar ever since we visited the Tawa Lounge. We’d reserved in advance, but the crowd was only just right by 8, so you could just walk in too.

The ambience is pleasant, with a very cosy, homely feel to it. Its partially open, so you have a nice breeze blowing in, unless, of course, it rains. The seating is very comfortable, and the entire place has a way of relaxing you.

la terrazza serves continental. The menu, though, is a bit limited, but does offer decent choices for both veg and non vegetarians. We started with a Zucchini and asparagus soup – we also asked for some chicken to be added to it. The soup was thick and delicious, and the garlic bread that was given with it, complemented the flavours beautifully. For the main course, we ordered a Fish with sundried tomato, served with basil rice, and a mixed grill, that’s chicken, beef steak, lamb, sausage, bacon, pineapple, and a fried egg. The fish was quite creamy, and seemed to have a hint of coconut. The mixed grill was made well, though it did border on blandness. You can choose to have french fries or mashed potato to go with it, I chose the latter. Turned out to be a good choice, because the peppery flavour of the mashed potato helped the dish.

All of the above cost us just above Rs.700. The mineral water contributed Rs.30 this time 🙂

There are also some pizza options available, which looked good, at least from a distance. ( two tables away, to be precise 😉 ) There are desserts too, with at least two good chocolate options, but perhaps some other time.

Vicky’s la terrazza, #99, 2nd floor, 5th cross, 6th Block, Koramangala Ph: 41751635/36

@Zomato

November 2, 2008
The Only Place

This is only our second visit, and that’s all thanks to a rare mistake I made about 4 years back. No, I’m not claiming to be otherwise flawless, its just that on our previous visit, I forgot to mention that I wanted the steak well done, and they gave me a rare one!! The immense strength my jawbone displays now, is thanks to that incident.  And the memory made sure I kept away from the place.

This time too, the original choice was Spiga, but Spiga, I was told, is no longer open??!! So, I thought the time had come for another shot. The Only Place is in the central part of Bangalore, but the location and the ambience would deceive you. Its on Museum Road – from Church Street, take a left at Empire, just before you reach the next junction, you’ll see it on your left. Parking might be made easier, thanks to the (parking space of the) neighbouring office building.

We did reserve a table, but didn’t prove necessary at 8pm. It was a Sunday, I’m sure it would be more crowded on Saturday, and anyway the place was almost full by 8.30. We started with a cream of mushroom soup. While the soup was definitely thick, the cream was not very evident. For the main course, there’s quite a lot of steaks to choose from, with some baked items, spaghetti, burgers etc also thrown in. There’s enough choice for the veggies as well. Though I simply love the Chateaubriand steak (thanks to an official lunch, where the ‘well done’ was amply communicated) I decided to try something different, and ordered a Chicken Cacciatore. The wife ordered an OP’s special fish. The chicken dish is “ tender cubes of chicken, served in a red spicy sauce with celery and mushroom on a bed of noodles (there’s also an option of rice), onions and assorted vegetables” The sauce is simply amazing, its spicy without making you all teary, the noodles is soft and absorbs the flavours fast, and overall, the dish is very tasty. If you’re not into beef and can’t order the Chateaubriand, go for this one. The Op special fish is “fillets of fish topped with herbs and spices charbroiled, served with vegetables and mash potato” Though the fish is somewhat bland, the topping and the sauce ensure that the dish is tasty enough.

There was a chocolate fudge cake that was eyeing me from the display all through my dinner, and I succumbed finally. Thank God! Awesme, and they pour enough chocolate sauce s that its practically dripping. Pure evil!! And there are other options too, including a trifle pudding. Some other time, maybe 😀

The quantities are just right. It leaves you full but not bloated. All of the above cost us just over Rs.600, including a mineral water for Rs.25 😉

The Only Place, No: 13, Museum Road. Ph: 32718989

Photos at Zomato

October 27, 2008
Bombay Post

No, its not a post on Bombay. Bombay Post is a restaurant from the BJN group on (the old) Airport Road. Its housed in the same building as TGIF and Indijoe, has valet parking and sufficient parking for two wheelers (behind the building). We reserved a table at 7.45, but called up later to check if they could hold it till 8, since we were delayed. We were told that’d not be possible, and we would have to walk in and depend on our luck. Our luck seemed intact since there were only 4 other tables occupied when we walked in. It started filling up around 8.30 though. They seemed to have changed the wall decor a bit, since the huge posters of the earlier era’s Bollywood icons were conspicuously missing. But the guard with the huge moustache (himself an icon of sorts by now) is still there. 🙂

We got a decent table, and were given the usual heavy menu card (i always wonder if its anything to do with the prices 😉 ). Anyway, we decided to skip the shorba and starters, and went for the main course. Departing from the regular 2 non-veg custom, we ordered a Khatta Meethe Aloo (“sauteed potato in an earthy jaggery and tamarind gravy”), a Kadai Murgh Patiala (“boneless pieces of chicken sauteed and simmered in its own juices, then tossed in kadai masala. From the royal house of Patiala”) and to go with it, an onion kulcha and a plain roti. We also ordered a mixed raita.

The aloo dish was made with baby potatoes, tilted towards the sweet side, and had a very thick gravy, but it was good nevertheless. The chicken was very well made, with an excellent gravy and though I’ve always had an egg involved wherever else I’ve had this dish, I would still recommend it highly. No complaints on the bread. The raita, though wasn’t great. It was diluted a bit too much, and hey, I just realised, you didn’t give me boondi!!!

A few things you should check out. Bombay Post has a huge choice of kababs, their Dal makhani is one of the best I’ve had, and i’d have liked to check out the lal/hari mirch ki roti. They also have an assortment of north indian desserts, but hey, there’s a Corner House in the same building. 😉

The service was excellent, and all of the above cost us Rs.838, including the service charge. I suspect the Rs.70 mineral water (for 1 litre!!) made a significant contribution. 😐

Bombay Post, Carlton Towers, Airport Road, Bangalore, Karnataka 560008, 080 41113939

October 19, 2008
Tamarind

We’d not visited Tamarind for a while, though its quite nearby, and what better than a lazy Saturday to drop in? Its located on the Koramangala-Indiranagar intermediate ring road. When coming from Indirangar, you’ll see it on the right after the Sony World junction. Actually, the pub on the ground floor-Enigma is more visible. Tamarind is on the first floor.

Tamarind serves Chinese, Continental and North Indian, but we’ve always had only the last, perhaps because the market leaders in the other verticals have already been clearly defined 🙂 The soup, of course, is an exception and we went with our favourite Cream of Chicken Soup. D claimed there was garlic in it, though I couldn’t sense it. I’m not too sure of this, since D was a bit woozy and even managed to pop the plastic sauce container like a champagne bottle.

For the main course we ordered a Fish Tikka Masala, which is “fish tikkas in tomato and onion gravy”, and (okay, I saw this one and though it left me speechless, I had to have it!!) Chicken Madrasy (sic), which is “chicken cooked in cardamom and coconut milk topped with cashew gravy topped with curry leaves”. We also ordered an onion kulcha and a roti to go along with it. The fish gravy was quite good, but a couple of the tikka pieces were a bit burnt. The chicken was certainly different with a distinct coconut milk flavor, which questioned its supposed Madras origins in favour of Kerala. The quantities of both were sufficient, but we had to order an extra Naan. Though there were quite a few dessert options, we were too stuffed.

The person who took our order was quite tardy, but the guy who served our table made up for it quite well. Tamarind also serves alcohol. A 330 ml Kingfisher costs Rs.85, that should give you an indication of the costs. Its quite a good place if you are a large group, I’ve never seen a place with so many seating options for large groups. I think they also have a roof top option.

All of the above cost us just above Rs.500, which was quite value-for-money, considering the quantity and quality.

Tamarind, #2, 100 ft Road, 5th Block, Koramangala Ph: 25633999

PS. Have installed a lifestream service, check it out here

Menu at Zomato

September 20, 2008
Kubay

Kubay has been around from the time that we’ve been in Bangalore. Earlier, i guess. There used to be a Mallu hangout in Koramangala called Ravi’s Kitchen. That unfortunately, no longer exists, but Kubay does, and now has a new management, though they have not changed the coastal cuisine menu. Kubay is on the same road as Imperial, (6th Cross, also called Koramangala Club Road), and is off the Intermediate Ring Road (Indiranagar-Koramangala) We missed out on a food festival that happened recently, so a visit was pending. 🙂

Kubay now has a more ‘professional’ look about it. I used to love the clay masks they hung on the walls (from Mapusa market in Goa) and the very Goan yellow shade they used for the interiors. All of that have been replaced, and even the seating has undergone a change. But hey, we didn’t come to stay, we came for the food, so its okay 😀

We reached there about 9.45, and got a table comfortably. We skipped the soup, and decided to start with a Kane (lady fish) Rava fry. It was done quite well, though I thought it could’ve been crunchier, since I’m usually able to polish off the bones too. We weren’t quite happy with the quantity either. Not very value for money, which is what we expect at Kubay.

For the main course, we ordered a Chicken Stew, a pan grilled seer fish (you have other options like pomfret too) and a platter. The platter was supposed to have 2 each of Sannas, Panpole and Idiappam according to the menu, but we got 3 Sannas and Panpole each. We were too hungry to question. The stew, while different from the regular style we have, was quite delicious, and in sufficient quantity. But unfortunately, the fish failed on both counts. It was a bit burnt, though the masala was good. So we ordered a chicken pepper fry, and one more platter. The pepper fry was quite spicy, and made well. The sannas (a rice based dish that looks similar to Idli) though fluffy had hardened on the outside and so spoiled the taste to an extent. It didn’t have a coconut flavor either. The panpole (a very thin dosa, also called neer Dosa) was also not that great, again the problem was that it turned out hard instead of soft. There are not many dessert options, but you might want to taste the home made caramel custard, it used to be good.

All of the above cost us just below Rs.500, and though that’s decent, our previous trysts with Kubay had given us higher expectations of taste and value-for-money. So we’ll wait a while before we visit again.

Kubay, 110, 6th Cross, 6th Block, Koramangala Ph: 41105221

Menu and Photos at Zomato

September 14, 2008