Tag: 4th block

  • Prost

    Prost is only a short walk away from our house, but we delayed a visit, not just because of the fairly discouraging reviews, but also because their microbrewery had probably the most delayed start ever!  Some casual browsing recently on Zomato informed me that the craft brew was ready! So were we!

    This is the same premise where bon South used to be, on the way from 1st Block Koramangala towards Sony World. (map) They have valet parking. The place has a very industrial feel to it (maybe a hat tip to its German name?) but some sections, specially the ones upstairs, offer alternatives. We chose the smoking section upstairs that faces the road, it has some comfortable non-bar seat ways to park oneself. We noticed that the brewery smell was fairly strong as we checked out the menu. Since beer was a big factor in the visit, we first ordered the Cider Rider and Spinner, and then the Bangalore Bolt a while later. The Cider did have a mild fruity flavour, though the apple-ness of it is arguable. The Spinner, which I had ordered for the hint of lemongrass and ginger, was more wheat beer than ale. It only disappointed because of the expectations set by the description, otherwise it is quite a decent drink. The Bangalore Bolt was standard wheat beer and doesn’t disappoint. 500 ml is the minimum quantity. Hic.

    In the appetisers section, they have this neat half plate concept. We can order half plates of specific dishes and would have to pay the cost of the higher priced full plate. We ordered half plates of Sugarcane Chicken and Meatball Poppers. The Sugarcane Chicken was quite unique, with sugarcane skewers and mildly flavoured chicken that was complemented superbly by the Vietnamese spicy, tangy dip. The Meatball Poppers – with minced pork and tenderloin – was quite fantastic, and again, had a bbq dip that worked very well.

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    We had quite a debate on the next round of dishes – whether we should order one more set of half plates or one full plate starter and a main course dish or two full plates. Massive analysis over beer on a Sunday! Beef won anyway, but unfortunately wasn’t available. So we asked for a Chicken Topper and a Crackling Stuffed Fish. The Chicken topper consists of open mini burgers with spicy chicken mince. Quite decent with a mayo dip. The stuffed fish was very good – tending towards bland but well cooked. For desserts, we asked for the Chocolate Decadence, expecting some monster levels of chocolate, but it  was rather tame. Not bad, just normal.

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    All of the above cost us just over Rs.1800 including taxes. The service was prompt and helpful, and on a Sunday afternoon, it was not really crowded. After all those negative reviews, I think our expectations were minimal. But it wasn’t so bad, and we’ll definitely drop in again.

    Prost, 749, 10th Main, 80 Feet Road, 4th Block, Koramangala Ph: 25534989

  • Smoked Out barbecue

    You’d probably not find it if you weren’t looking for it. Which is probably a good thing, since the place would work for you only if you enjoy this kind of food, and the ‘tasty’ smoke that comes with it. Else you’d most likely be smoked out. It’s located on 8th Main, Koramangala, the same as Ooty Chocolates, and the one that goes from Dalma on 100 feet Road towards 1st Block Koramangala. If I have confused you enough, here’s a map. Parking should be a breeze.

    There are about half a dozen tables, and you can see your meal getting cooked. You can watch the road too, and generally relax to some good music. The only thing you’d probably miss is a beer. In essence, a place you would consider keeping a secret, just so you can easily find a table the next time you’re there. 😉 There’s a sprinkling of attitude too, check out the coasters. Also loved the menu board!

     

    The menu (click to enlarge) is to the point, so don’t expect to see casual mentions of noodles or butter chicken anywhere. We decided to start with a Grilled Beef Burger and a Whole Thigh, and add to it in case we felt hungry. The Burger was excellent, crisp on the outside, superbly ground meat inside and helped by a tasty sweet and spicy sauce. The French Fries deserve a mention purely for the flavour that they brought to the table. Cheesy, mildly salty and overall a great complement to the burger. The Whole Thigh is served with a veg salad and garlic bread. Though it was quite decent, I’d have liked the chicken grilled a bit more. Since we were still hungry, we also got ourselves a Grilled Chicken Fillet Burger which was as impressive as its beef cousin. Continuing the theme of the restaurant, the desserts are also grilled (fruits). But we had a movie to catch and therefore skipped.

     

    Thanks to Poshvine, the bill came to less than Rs.450. Reasonably good service, the owner is usually around and helps you with choices and takes the order himself. If you are fond of barbecue, or want to try it out, this should be in your to-do list.

    Smoked Out barbecue, 8th Main Rd, Koramangala 4th Block, Ph: 9980199822

    PS: 9 years is around the time one gets too old for birthdays, but can’t help mention that this is the date on which it all started 9 years ago. The amazing coincidence is that though the review has been published now, I visited the place on my birthday in March!

  • Cilantro

    Cilantro is the Spanish word for coriander leaves, say some on the www. (D was sure, i had to check. Makes sense – she cooks, I eat)  It’s a restaurant in Koramangala, say Bangaloreans, and as it happens many a time, everyone’s right. To get there – at the Sony World junction on the Intermediate Ring Road (Koramangala – Indiranagar), take a left turn towards Koramangala 1st Block (when coming from Indiranagar), and keep going till the next signal (thats where the Maharaja restaurant is – map), take a left at the signal, keep going straight, and where the road takes a natural right turn, you’ll see the Halcyon complex, inside which is Cilantro. Two wheelers can be parked right outside, and there are enough bylanes around for four wheeler parking.

    Cilantro is promoted as a ‘sunrise to sunrise cafe’, serves North Indian and Continental, and is spread over a semi outdoor and indoor space. We hadn’t reserved in advance, and if you’re going before 8, you can just walk in. We chose to sit outside, and realised that the unspoken part was that the mosquitoes joined anyone else who came after sunset, for their dinner. 😐

    They introduce you to their salad, pasta, and barbecue counters, which you can go for, in case the regular menu doesnt appeal to you. We thoroughly ignored the salad counter, gave a cursory glance to the pasta counter, where there was a choice of 3 pastas, and deliberated over the barbecue counter, where there was fish, chicken, lamb, pork, calamari, prawns before settling for items in the menu. The chef is quite eager to help you around.

    The menu has sandwiches – both veg and non veg, with prices ranging from Rs.125 – 230, burgers, priced between Rs.130-155, both of which are classified under ‘any time’.

    During regular meal hours, you have a choice of half a dozen soups, including veg and non veg, appetisers – including a couple of prawn and calamari options, and kebabs. For the main course, you could choose from the continental options – veg/prawn/ beef/ pork/ fish/ chicken or the Indian section which offers decent choices in veg and non veg, with rotis and rice to go along with them.

    We started with a Chunky farm style chicken veloute soup. Though there is a creamy flavour to it, it’s actually made from stock (not milk) and has chunks of chicken. A very good soup, and they bring you a bread basket from which you could take white/brown bread, bread sticks or croissants.

    For the main course, D ordered a “Red Wine Chicken Breast”, (chicken simmered in red wine, glazed and served with home made pasta) which was recommended by the staff, and i went for a Char grilled pork chops with bbq sauce, (served with cous cous and buttered tossed vegetables) which was recommended by the web reviews. The chicken dish was very good, from what little i tasted of it, and was served with sphagetti. The pork chops were well amde and the gravy was fantastic. The cous cous complemented it well. There were ‘strange’ vegetables, which I didn’t bother figuring out, since I had meatier things to consider. 😉

    There were the regular Indian and Continental dessert options – gulab jamun, chocolate mousse and the like, the only one that stood out was a coconut caramel custard, but we decided to skip. They also serve liquor. Our bill came to just over Rs.750. After the meal, have a few polite smiles ready, since the chef and at least two more members of the staff ask you if you had a pleasant experience, and also inform you about a Sunday brunch. You could check out the place – pleasant and relaxing ambience, with loads of greenery, and decent food.

    Cilantro, PB 4708, No: 9, Drafadila Layout, 4th Block, Koramangala. Ph: 41102200

    Photos at Zomato