• 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

  • Viral Fever

    I happened to read from here and here about this, a ‘viral’ from makaan.com. As said on WATblog, it rehashes the Lagaan mixture of two of India’s most influential properties- cricket and bollywood, and not exactly in an earth shattering new take either. So, what’s it about virals that seems to have forced Brand Managers across categories to make it part of their regular campaign ‘things to do’.

    A good viral can definitely do the trick for your brand, there are many examples, most of them are of international brands though. I think the problem starts when we try to force a viral. If its supposed to work as a viral, through Word of Mouse, i wonder how much of force feeding can be done. All you can do, if you’re the brand manager, is to take a good idea, and seed it. I, for one, when reviewing any proposal sent to me, use two conditions to check whether it can work – one, does it somehow connect with what my brand represents, and two, is it good enough for me to forward it to my friends, and not necessarily in that order. I think it has worked for me, because i have junked all the ‘viral’ ideas that have come to me.

    More importantly, i think the reason why good virals are so tough to find is because of the non-adherence to the entire philosophy of the way these things work. Its based on a good idea, true, but more importantly its based on the brand’s willingness to lose control, which is something i see very rarely. For word -of -mouth to truly succeed, the brand has to trust its user, and the more brands think of their user as an end game, and not as a collbarator, the lesser chances for this philosophy to succeed.

    On a sidenote, i rather liked this viral effort from ICICI Prudential and this TVC, from 99 acres, the link being that one is a viral, and the other operating in the same vertical as makaan.

    until next time, lets hope you catch it right

  • Wild things

    They set out early in the morning, with the cameras ready. As the boat moved silently in the morning, they waitedwith bated breath for the sightings and the stories they could share. The excitement changed to hope and lasted till five minutes before the tour ended. Quite obviously, someone forgot to tell the animals.

    until next time, jungle talk

  • Turn Turn Turn

    Relationships. Hugs and backslaps give way to handshakes and then smiles. Swearwords give way to way to polite greetings and then a ‘Hi’. Long chats give way to short conversations to scraps on orkut and then to nothingness. Maybe that’s the way life is, but maybe its also time, place, context and things unexplainable. Fade.


    until next time, we say ‘it depends’ 🙂