Tag: 5th Block

  • Chianti

    D’s organisational duties and my laziness conspired to make sure that we had a ‘home’ match. Thanks to Zomato, we came to know about Chianti. It’s on the road that goes from Sukh Sagar on 100 feet Road in Koramangala towards Jyoti Nivas. (map) You can’t miss the orange sign on the left. This, I thought, is probably how Nepal feels like – India  (Sukh Sagar) towards its south and China to the north (Beijing Bites, Mainland China) They have valet parking and two-wheelers can go underground.

    You can either watch the world go by or enjoy air conditioning. We chose the former, though the brick wall and the chandeliers inside looked very inviting. We were given a DIY Bruschetta (no, it’s not Mallu) on arrival, even as we checked the menu. In that order, we rubbed (on the bread) garlic, basil, (fold first) tomatoes, and then added salt and pepper and the olive oil, but they won’t chuck you out if you tried any other order. 🙂

     

    On the paid part, we started with a Crema di Funghi and D used puppy eyes on the person who took the order, and asked for chicken to be added.  He seemed familiar, and it turned out that we had seen him at Fiorano. Same owner, apparently. Though we were told that the chicken would be added, the chicken didn’t get the memo. But the soup was thick and creamy and quite a good dish otherwise. A complimentary bread basket arrived too, and I quite liked the dip that they provided with it. For the main course, I tried to nudge D towards a thin crust pizza but she refused to bite. So we ended up with D’s Cannelloni (Beef Ragu version) and my Tagliatelle Prosciutto e Funghi. I ordered it partly because it reminded me of the Tattaglia family in The Godfather, who make attempts on Don Corleone’s life because he wouldn’t partner them in the heroin business, nor allow them to trade in it (hint hint) and partly because it had a creamy sauce and ham! D’s dish turned out to be a bit too tangy for her liking though she did like the Ricotta cheese and the overall taste. The other dish was heavy and a bit salty, though I loved the ham in it. We also had a Red Wine Sangria which we quite liked.

     

    The service is friendly, but are a bit over eager in asking for our opinions. (not the person who took our order) The meal cost us Rs. 1548 inclusive of charges and tax. Considering the location and the cuisine, I’d say it’s fair. It’s not the place you go to if you’re in a hurry. Sit back, enjoy the food and the wine, and watch the world go by.

    Chianti Ristorante & Wine Bar, #12, 5th A Block, Koramangala, Ph: 41132021/4

  • Naati Manae

    Last weekend, we happened to go to Anjappar, and the food left us disappointed. From experience, I’ve learned that the only way to purge the memories of such occurrences is to overlay it with better ones. And that’s how we ended up at Naati Manae, which promises to “Tingle your taste buds of our Native cuisine”. The non-vegetarian wins over the grammarian easily. The good news is that we didn’t have to go to Gandhinagar/Rajajinagar or any of the Pet places that house eateries which serve this cuisine, Koramangala scores again!! Naati Manae is off the one way that goes from the Intermediate Ring Road to Jyoti Nivas College. Take the right immediately after Coconut Grove/William Penn, and then take the first left. You’ll see Naati Manae on your right. If you’re familiar with Koramangala, you could approach it from the other one way too – the one that has Oye Amritsar, China Pearl etc. Here’s a map of the area. Parking isn’t too much of a problem.

    CIMG1228We arrived at 7.30 and easily found a table. But from the experience later, perhaps we were early. The decor remains true to the ‘Naati’ theme, lots of paintings and a matching version of the spices glass topped table decor. There’s a general area which is non-AC and a ‘family room’ with AC, that’ll cost you 10% extra! The idea, I think, is to replicate the general feel of the restaurants of this genre and add to it a little bit of refinement so it appeals to the different audience. In that sense, it works. Its clean, has a no-frills ambiance, the seating is comfortable, and there’s a uniqueness that sets it apart.

    CIMG1220The menu is kept pretty simple too (click to enlarge), with specials during the weekend. Vegetarians, as you can note, the rest of the post might be a waste of time for you. Sorry about the ‘flashy’ mutton, still getting used to menu photography 😉 (After pepper fry, there’s fry, liver fry, kheema fry, thale mamsa, chops, saru and masala) We wanted to try the day’s special ‘Mutton Shukka’ but were told it’d take at least 20 minutes. So we asked for a Mutton Pepper Dry and were given the same answer. So finally, we asked for a Thale Mamsa which we’d wanted for the main course. Its Thale, and not ‘pure’ brain, so in addition to the meat, there’s a lot of bone and hair too. A combination of thick-headedness and hunger meant that I missed taking a snap! The dish is definitely unique, with a slightly spicy flavor, and worth a try, but at Rs.75, I’d vote for Imperial/Chandu’s version of brain.

    CIMG1221Next up, we asked for a plate of coin parathas and a Guntur Chicken. Oh yes, a ragi ball too. The ragi was quite good, and exorcised previous demons of chewing gum like consistency!  The gravy that came along helped. Now, we’d read the Bangalore Mirror review and the description definitely didn’t match the dish that came to us. We checked, and it wasn’t! Christobelle Joseph, I owe you one. So we waited, with rapidly cooling parathas while the impersonator was replaced.

    CIMG1224Thankfully, the Guntur Chicken was worth the wait. Very spicy, especially if you also happen to consume the red chillies in the masala, and goes extremely well with the coin parathas. It’d been more than half an hour since we’d asked for the Mutton dishes, and judging by the 20 minute explanation, we thought we could try a Shukka with the Donne Chicken Biriyani.

    CIMG1225But unfortunately, it wasn’t. I really couldn’t understand the logic of having a special for the day, advertising dinner from 7 pm on, and then not having the dish ready by 8pm. Nattitude sucks! 🙁  Anyway we were told the Mutton Pepper Fry was a good option. A few minutes later, the biriyani arrived along with the explanation that the Mutton Pepper Fry was over. I stopped trying to seek explanations. The mutton fry was rumoured to be available. Once again, we waited, this time with a cooling biriyani. Thankfully, it didn’t take long.

    CIMG1226The donne biriyani was easily the best among the dishes, and truly value for money. The leaf bowl really does add to the taste, exactly like I’ve heard. Highly recommended. The mutton fry was quite ordinary, and the meat seemed to exist in a confused state – cooked or uncooked.

    The service was quite pathetic. Whenever we asked for the day’s special, we were told to go for the Mutton Fry! Serving wrong dishes and recommending something not available made me wonder if I had unknowingly made Naati etiquette mistakes. Wearing shorts are not okay? 😐

    What is surprising is that though the total cost came to only Rs.395 and we were quite stuffed, I’d hardly call it value for money if I took each of the dish separately. Maybe it was the profusion of bones or the general irritation brought about by the service. But despite all that, it’s still worth a visit for a unique menu (in these parts) and the biriyani. Oh, for the record Natti Manae, you aren’t by any means the first place that serves the Donne Biriyani in Koramangala. 1st Main Road, 1st Block Koramangala, opposite Rolls United, check it out!

    Naati Manae, #334, 17th C Main, KHB Colony, 5th Block, Koramangala Ph: 40986160/1

    Menu at Zomato

  • Golmaal Paratha

    No, I didn’t make that up. There is actually a restaurant in Koramangala by that name, a couple of buildings before Tunday Kababi, and almost immediately after Coconut Grove. (map) The bright green board is difficult to miss, parking isn’t too difficult. We got there by around 7.30 and were the first customers, but by the time we left, many more tables were filled up. The color theme inside the restaurant might make the non vegetarians and Martian paradnoids uneasy. If you are a super-heroes fan, you’d be pardoned for wondering if you’d stepped into the Green Lantern’s/ Riddler’s secret lair. People who’re fond of green might have to be restrained. Yep, it is that overwhelming! But non-green people, don’t worry, you can focus on the food.

    The menu has 99 items, and has been uploaded by the wonderful Roopashree, on Burrp. For once, the vegetarians have a clear advantage, while the non vegetarians have about a dozen choices. But to be honest, there are so many veg options that those with a less steely resolve might buckle. Greens, beans, chinese, cheese, pepper combinations, hot’n’spicy, ginger, corn, potato, green chutney – these are some of the few… sections! Yep, you read that right, you have choices within these!! Now, even with a dozen options, the non vegetarians might find it a little difficult to narrow down, and after a few rounds of discussion, we chose a Chicken Kadai Masala Paratha and a Mutton Pepper Masala Paratha. An entire page is devoted to drinks too – lassi, milk shake, butter milk, coolers, fresh juices, jaljeera.. So we also ended up ordering a Mango lassi and a Mint & Ginger Lime juice.

    The Mint & Ginger lime juice arrived first and was quite tasty though the mint overshadowed the ginger completely. The Mango lassi, we were quite sure was made of Slice (or some such) and not fresh mangoes, and that was quite a disappointment. We were told that the chicken paratha would take a while. There was heavy traffic, so it must’ve been difficult for it to cross the road. Ok, sorry 😀

    The parathas arrived a bit later, and no, they weren’t green :p . Each paratha comes in a thali-plate with curd, pickle, chana, onion and a couple of chutneys. The hot’n’sweet red chutney is quite good. I started with the mutton paratha, and it was quite spicy. It didn’t help that i decided to try out the chilly too. The pepper was a bit unevenly distributed and the salt was a shade above what was required. The chicken paratha was very good, though you should avoid it if you don’t like capsicum. Unlike the mutton, which was minced, this one even had tiny pieces of chicken, and was only moderately spicy. The parathas are much larger than the regular size, so unless you’ve been fasting all day or are especially aggressive with food, one should be adequate.

    The service is quite pleasant, they check if your paratha was good and also have a good feedback form. The first place where someone actually asked my opinion too. Usually they convey their opinion of me by giving  D the form and ignoring me. Here, they gave us two forms, and even ask about the music, which was quite decent. In my excitement, I forgot to add that one possible option they could add (they ask for that) was egg parathas.

    The meal cost us just below Rs.350. Drop in for a unique menu, and decent food at very reasonable prices.

    Golmaal Paratha, 1st A Cross Road, KHB Colony, 5th Block, Koramangala. Ph: 42085757

    PS. The place has WiFi, but requires a code.

    Menu at Zomato

  • Sufi

    We first visited Sufi in its earlier location on Wind Tunnel road. That was a while back. I remember it shifted to Residency Road for a short while, and then disappeared, until resurfacing in what is rapidly becoming the mecca of restaurants in Bangalore – our very own Koramangala. As the name might suggest, Sufi serves Persian cuisine, and also sells Persian art and craft. Its quite easy to find, since it is housed in the same building as Empire, on the 5th floor. Here’s a map. You’ll need to go to the Empire Hotel (ground floor, not the restaurant entrance) reception and take the elevator.

    Sufi seems more like a palatial living room than a restaurant. The ambiance, with carpets, paintings, urns, lamps, tapestries, and cushioned divans and chairs, seems straight out of some vintage Bollywood haveli. That’s meant in a nice, charming way. 🙂 Its non-a/c, though I wonder if its a temporary arrangement keeping the rains in mind, and the power cuts. The seating is well spaced, but it didn’t matter much since we were the only visitors. Meanwhile, Iranian pop (guess) plays in the background. By the time we left (about an hour later) there were about 4-5 more groups, but that still left quite a few tables free.

    And now the menu. It is mostly Persian, but has an optimised Indian section too. The Persian part provides a large number of options, though I’m not expert enough to figure out if its comprehensive. There are a couple of soup choices in veg and non veg each. (Rs.85-120). The appetisers consist mostly of salads – veg and non.veg. (Rs.75-250) There’s also a Mazzeh (mini entree) section, mostly veg. (Rs.50-80). Now for the meatier portion of the menu. Kababs – beef (Rs.250-300), lamb (Rs.300-350), chicken (Rs.175-300) and kabab-e-daryayee – sea food (fish – Rs.400, prawn – Rs.550) and what must be a gigantic chef’s platter, with all of the above, at Rs.1200.

    The main course options start with the Chelo Kababs – rice and kababs combination, the rice prepared in several stages, while kababs are mixed with herbs and spices, and broiled till they are juicy and tender. They are available in beef (Rs.300-375), lamb (Rs.375-425), chicken (Rs.350) and Daryayee (sea food at Rs.475)

    There are also a couple of Khoresht (gravy) options in veg (Rs.200) and non veg (Rs.250), which are served with naan, and their combos with rice (Chelo Khoresht) – veg (Rs.250), and non veg (Rs.300-400). Finally there are the polo/chelo options – prepared in several stages, the rice is fluffy and tender, and saffron, xereshk, pistachio and badam are used for flavoring and decoration. Apparently, the chef sometimes uses assorted food items like yogurt, egg yolk, saffron, naan, potatoes, pumpkin and other vegetables to create a golden crust (tah deeg) at the bottom of the vessel. There are veg (Rs.200) and non veg (Rs.300-375) options. Like I mentioned, there is also an Indian section with quite a few veg and non veg options – including sea food, with the usual suspects in tandoori and gravies.

    We took inspiration from the quote at the bottom of one of the menu pages, attributed to an unnamed Sufi mystic – “I’ve been on a diet for 2 weeks, and all I’ve lost is 2 weeks”, and started with a Doogh – a unique Persian drink made of homemade yogurt and herbs mixed with sparkling soda. (Rs.55). It tastes mostly like buttermilk, but what makes the difference is the soda, which adds a nice fizz. This, coupled with a mint flavor makes it worth a try. One glass sufficient for two people actually.

    Since we planned on a Chelo Kabab for the main course, we decided to try a soup. The Soup-e-jo (non veg, reminded me of cup of woe..hmm) is a barley (jo in Persian) based soup with carrot, milk and boneless chicken pieces. At the risk of getting flogged, this actually tasted like sambar with chicken. 😐 You can safely give it a pass.

    Our main course consisted of the ‘Chalo Kabab e Negindar’ – grilled mince meat of beef and lamb, topped with chicken pieces, garnished with vegetables and served with basmati saffron rice, and a ‘Khoresht e ghayne’, lamb pieces and lentil cooked in a special tomato gravy and topped with fried potato strips. We started with the latter, served with a naan. It had a very strong lemon flavor. I wondered why, until D pointed out that what I had figured as meat, was actually a lemon. As the description indicates, its meat in dal. I’d say you’re better off choosing the palak based gravy. The pieces were juicy and tender though, and made a reasonably good combination with the naan. The kababs were very good. D felt that the rice could’ve been flavoured better, especially since rice and kababs make a very dry combination. I survived using the butter provided with the rice, and chillies, onion and the remnants of the Doogh. 😀

    To complete the meal, you could try the Persian tea (Rs.30). Its apparently served in small cups, without milk and sugar. Sugar cubes are provided though. You’re supposed to keep it behind your teeth, while sipping your tea, so that the sugar dissolves slowly and sweetens the tea. If you don’t find that weet enough, you could choose from a couple of dessert (shirini) options – sholezard, made of saffron, sugar and rice, or the ranginak, made of flour, dates, cinnamon, walnut etc. We were too stuffed to try either. And oh yes, can’t forget the hookahs, available in coffee (Rs.350) and fruit (Rs.325) flavors.

    The service is decent, fast, and helps you in choosing too. All of the above cost us just over Rs.1000, including a 10% service charge and taxes. Visit once for a truly different menu and ambiance.

    Sufi, 103, 5th floor, Empire Building, 5th block, Koramangala. Ph: 65901177

    PS. Anniversary dinner, and also opened for me, the ‘Superstar’ badge on Foursquare 😀