Category: Restaurant Reviews

  • Serengeti

    A little googling tells me that its the name of a wildlife national park and ecosystem in Tanzania. Since I’m not particularly adventurous by nature, I restricted myself to visiting the dining ecosystem in Madivala. After all, it was supposed to have an African rainforests theme.

    A call for reservation was answered, the second time, and we were politely told that since it was Saturday night, reservations could be made only in specific timeframes – 7.30 to 8.15 pm and 9.45 – 10.30 pm. We chose the latter.

    Its on the 3rd floor in Total Mall alongwith Zanzibar, Silver Metro and a food court. The mall is quite easy to reach. When coming from the MG Road side, turn left onto the road that goes to St.Johns (you don’t have an option anyway after you cross Forum 🙂 ), then take a U turn onto the road that leads to the Madivala market. You can see Total on the left but the entrance is on Hosur Road.

    There was a crowd waiting to get in, when we reached, and even with reservations, and landing up exactly on time, we were made to wait about 10 minutes. Once we were inside, the undergrowth was not quite thick, so we got to see people dining among alligators, vines, elephants, waterfalls and so on :). For those who don’t mind the gurgling water sound, the outside seating would be fine. I dont, and thankfully, we were taken inside the ‘Guffa’. Its a closed structure within the restaurant and is slightly better lit than the outside. We can also see animal-skull trophies on the walls, that add to the effect – what they have called ‘the wild side of dining’. In fact, they have tried to do that in everything, including the waiters who are attired like shikaris. No, don’t expect the hostesses in grass skirts!!!

    Meanwhile, the cuisine is Lucknowi and Peshawari, which made me wonder about the connection with the setting. We went straight for the main course, though there were a couple of ‘not quite common’ options in the shorba and starters categories. We ordered a Murgh patiala kadai se and a Machi Mazedar, along with a bran roti, an onion kulcha and a plain naan. The quantity was quite sufficient, though i would recommend the fish dish to be eaten with rice. The food was good enough to warrant another visit. We also had a Sariska Panna, which is made of pineapple pulp. It was chilled and had quite a unique flavour. Though this was supposed to be an apertiff, we got it in the middle of the meal 😐

    That notwithstanding, the service was quite good. We were also given a potato chips based snack before the meal started, turned out to be quite good, with chat flavors. We opted out of desserts because there were only the usual suspects, inclusing a chocolate brownie. But then, dessert doesn’t need context, does it? 😉

    The above meal cost us about Rs.650, and we’ll definitely make one more visit, if only for the unusual setting. Reservations can be made at 9731558301/7.

    Photos at Serengeti

  • Imperial + Cream & Fudge Factory

    It’d been a while since i paid a visit to the friendly neighbour joint thats imperial, and someone had to pay for the dessert fetish, that turned out to be keeping dinner to a vfm joint :D. I doubt if Imperial would be the place to test out soups, though starters are a different matter altogether.

    We skipped both (remember dessert?) and chose to have a brain onion fry (half plate) and a tandoori chicken masala, along with Kerala Paratha. For once, I was disappointed with the brain onion fry, it was too salty, and the roles of onions and chillies were interchanged. The quantity has also been reduced drastically.The tandoori chicken masala was also only passable, though the quantity was sufficient. But since the place has been an old favourite, it merits one more chance, especially since Empire’s brain fry doesnt hold a candle to Imperial’s.

    The Cream and Fudge Factory is quite a place for the sweet toothed Bangalorean. I refuse to allow flavors other than chocolate to enter my dessert horizon, and despite this being the second visit, I’ve to make at least 4 more visits to complete the chocolate based stuff there, so you can imagine. This time we had the Cookie dream which had chocolate chips, chocolate cookies, and chocolate fudge with a vanilla base. While there are so many flavours to choose from, thats not all. You can make your own ice cream with your chosen flavor, and an army of toppings ranging from Ferrero Rocher, Snickers, M&M etc to hazelnuts, almonds and sooo many things in between. Yes, it just might be the closest you’d get to the mythical chocolate paradise, and as for price, while it’s not peanuts, it doesnt make you ask for a personal loan either 😀

    The Cream & Fudge Factory, Opposite HDFC Bank, 7th Block, 80 Feet Road, Koramangala. Tel: 41726222.

  • Oye Shaava

    And when Bangalore decided to play host to a nagging rain, we plonked our way through Church Street to have ‘Punjabi food with a pinch of Bollywood’. When i saw the ad, I was wondering how this positioning would be viable when ‘Oye Amritsar’ was so close by. I realised it would be, if its an add on to the latter. Oye Shaava is a floor below Oye Amritsar, the difference is in the ambience, a bit of the menu, and the fact there’s a DJ belting out Bollywood numbers and remixes.

    From the crowd we saw (in spite of the rains), I’d recommend you book a table if you aren’t the waiting sort. The seating was very comfortable, and we were given a decent table, with a nice view of Church Street.

    The part I loved about the menu was the half plates for starters and main course dishes. Since our appetites are not exactly XL, we’ve always sacrificed starters to do justice to the main course. This time we didn’t have to, because the starters as well as the main course had an option of a half plate. For starters,we ordered a ‘Pahalwani Dhabe de Maahi Tikka’, which is fish in English. Good stuff, a bit spicy, and exactly the right quantity for a ‘half’ starter.

    For the main course, we ordered a ‘Chitta Kukkad Kali Mirch’ and a 1/2 Bheja Fry (which is actually a starter) along with a masala kulcha, and a makki di roti. The chicken was a white gravy dish and was quite different from the regular kali mirch stuff we usually get. Definitely worth a try, if you like the pepper kind of spice. I’ve never had a bad Bheja Fry thus far, and this one was no exception. Meanwhile, the Makki di roti was the size of a small raw pappad, so we had to order another Naan, but whatver was there was tasty 🙂

    For those who can’t do without soups, there are shorbas available. There’s also a small selection of desserts available. The regular north indian stuff, so we skipped. Would definitely not recommend it for the quiet dinner type, but if you’re okay with minimal conversation and some loud music to keep you entertained, this place should be on your list. All of the above left us poorer by just over Rs.500.

    Oye Shaava, 3rd Floor, Asha Enclave, Church street, 080-41122877

    Menu at Zomato

  • Mocha

    The Koramangala version, since the Lavelle road version was highly recommended, but a bit too far from the current residence. To get there, just turn left from Forum on Hosur Road (when coming from MG Road) and you’ll find it on the left. Alterantively, turn right on the intermediate ring road (from Indiranagar) at Sony World and then take a left before the Games village. You’ll then find it on the right.

    We got there by around 7.45 and it was a bit crowded. We found a place upstairs (its not covered, so it might be a problem during the rains, but at this time of the year, is absolutely the perfect place to be). We went prepared for a very ‘snacks’ sort of dinner, so the place didnt disappoint. We ordered a Crepes Monte Cristo (I loved the character) which is chicken based, and the Non Veg Club Wrap (its everything thats ‘animal and eatable’ based :)). Aaaand we ordered a Black Forrest shake. Its the stuff fantasies are made off. And it was a difficult choice given the range of stuff they’ve got in that category. The food was quite good, bot don’t have the wrap if you don’t like gherkins.  The quantity is sufficient so long as you have a drink like the one above to fill the extra space 🙂

    Lets not forget the plethora of shishas that you can puff away if you’re the kind who like hookahs. (pun slightly intended) No, there’s nothing such as a free hookah, but hey, its an experience you know. And now, we come to the finale. We were so stuffed that we just couldn’t find it in our stomach (in our hearts, yes) to have dessert. So we did the next best thing, packed a Chocolate Avalanche Sr. Now this, you must understand, was arrived at after some three gruelling rounds of elimination, each one rivalling those reality shows in terms of grief and heartburn caused when a contestant bows out. If you’re on a diet, you really don’t belong here.

    Mocha’s ambience is more of a philosophy than decor. Its soothing, refreshing and very laid back. And I’m not punning on the lounge chairs they have. I heard a couple of people expressing discomfort at those, but i was a happy man. All the furniture has been apparently picked up from flea markets, though i saw something that i thought i ogled at once in Westside. I think i also saw a Sintex tank used as a table, but hell, its a really groovy place. Also, they say if you particularly like a piece, you can buy it.

    All of the above cost us a bit over Rs.700. So, will I be back? Most definitely, because its an experience, and as the Mocha philosophy goes, ‘Life can wait’. But hey, i can’t, not for those chocolates.

    577, 80 Feet Road , Koramangala 8th Block. 9886750549

    http://www.mocha.co.in/

    Menu and photos at Zomato

  • A Taste of Rampur

    is obviously quite good, because we’ve been repeat vistors, although this time we fell for a marketing gimmick – them calling up D and wishing her a happy birthday. 🙂

    The restaurant is in the service road (on Hosur Road) opposite Globus in Koramangala. There’s parking available and the best way to reach would be from the ‘National Games Village to Forum’ road and turning left just before the Forum junction.

    We don’t book in advance, but it would be better to do so on Saturday nights, especially after 8, since we had to wait once for around 15 minutes. The decor is very Awadh, and the background music is usually very Hindustani, although the TV in the corner does show EPL 😉

    The ambience is quite soothing, with soft lighting and comfortable seating. Although I’ve never tried it, the liquor menu does look well stocked. They have a good selection of kebabs. We usually ditch the shorba for starters, though the chicken shorba we had once was quite good. (but no 1/2 ok?!) This time we had the Murg Potli Kabab, which has chicken mince filling. Quite tasty.

    For the main course, we wanted to have a Murg Kali Mirch, but they recommended Murg Raseela since we wanted something spicy. Spicy it was, but i liked the Kali Mirch better (from previous visits). They also have a stew which we’ll try sometime. There’s a good selection of rotis, chicken and mutton. Though the dessert spread is good on paper, we have never managed to get the stuff we wanted. This time was no exception.

    A meal for two would cost about Rs.700-800 for a starter, 2 main course dishes and dessert. Overall the place is good, and we’ll definitely repeat the visits.

    Menu and map at Zomato