On a rainy Saturday in October, we somehow got Cahoots almost to ourselves! So we can only wonder how bustling a fully occupied version might be. With different seating areas, and a classy decor approach, we really liked the ambience.
We had many gastronomic reasons to go to Forum Rex Walk, but we finally decided on Pangeo because we found the dishes interesting. The journey of a thousand calories begins with a Metro trip. These days, we time our exit from our hamlet of Whitefield to the city in such a way that we get a reasonably peaceful metro ride. The fun part was that thanks to the maze that Forum Rex Walk is, we first sat down at Ouro, which is on the same floor. D and I both looked around and felt it looked different from the images we had seen, and then realised… đ
Pangeo has a bit of everything in terms of seating spaces – the standard big screen, a bit of open sky, and cozy corners. We arrived early but the place was already quite crowded, so it’d be a good idea to reserve a spot.
D chose the Strangest Things. No, that’s the name of the drink. A gin-based cocktail, which she liked. And I started seeing a strange thing that I have since then observed in many other places – calling the drink Old Fashion! I tried it despite the name-mangling, but I have had better.
Since we have charcoal now in everything from toothbrush to water, we decided to try the Charcoal Chicken Dumpling. I am not sure the charcoal made any difference, but the chilli infusion made it a decent dish.
When there is Bheja Fry, attack! This one was served on phyllo pastry, and was quite spicy. We really liked it.
The Loaded Polo Wonton had minced chicken and cheese in a wonton cup. Great texture mix, excellent cheese, and helped us cool our tongue after the spice bomb.
We were a bit wary of the Naga Chilli Pepperoni but it turned out to be quite tame in term of spice.
D is a recent convert to Baileys, so when we found a Baileys Tiramisu, we had to get it. The Tiramisu was excellent in itself but the Baileys at the bottom meant that there is a nice kick to it as well. Well worth a shot.
The bill came to a little over Rs.4500, which given the location, is believable. There’s no dearth of variety in the menu, the ambience was good, and the service was decent, if not great. If you’re in the vicinity, maybe drop in.
Cobaja was unique sounding enough for us to make the trek to the city centre. The pictures and menu convinced us and we dropped in during the Diwali weekend when traffic in Bangalore wasn’t likely to burst a vein!
Cobaja is just before Shoolay Circle and I remember this place being a Bhavan/Sagar genre of joint earlier, but I can’t be sure. It’s located on two floors, with some fun illustration on the stairway. The top floor has a very pretty alfresco set up, thanks to those windows, cosy corners, and tree cover. It rained a bit while we were there, but we had judiciously shifted to a covered area.
After we got there, we realised it was somehow related to Chavadi, a place that we had immensely liked during our sole visit.
Thanks to the traffic scene, the ‘town’ part of Bangalore is usually nostalgia territory. However, every once in a while, an opportunity presents itself. This time, when we were around Kundalahalli at midday, Google Maps indicated that the central district was only half an hour away. Since such fortune is rare, we quickly decided to try a place recommended by a colleague of mine. That’s how we landed up at the Laughing Llama Gastropub.
It’s on Brigade Road, rather the extension of that towards Richmond Road. Very near to an old favourite that shut down a while ago. The bright yellow pop on the road is hard to miss and a yellow door takes you straight into Llama land. The decor has a load of Llama puns, and merchandise to boot. The space has been done up quite well – some diner seating and some standard long tables, a few bar stools, and a really narrow smoking section which is literally between two walls! The overall decor is lively, I really liked how they have converted drinking water into a DIY. (check the pic below)
Wimpy’s is one of those Bangalore icons that serve as a good indicator of how long one has been in Bangalore. You can categorise Bangaloreans based on whether they were around when Wimpy’s was. Â When I gave N the directions (map) to Tapwater, (on Brigade Road) her immediate reaction was âOMG, itâs Wimpyâs!â That iconic outlet no longer exists, I pointed out, and also realised that the new gastropub that has taken its place happens to have a name similar to something that is fast becoming extinct in Bangalore â Tapwater! The name actually seems to come from a key offering â beer on tap, which was yet to start when we visited. The basement location, the wooden benches, the lounge seating in the fringes, the lighting – all attempt a new age hangout ambiance. What kills it quite a bit is the musical hat tip to its underground placement â Pitbull, at volumes – in sound and quantity – to cause permanent damage! It was only fun at some points when the Kabaddi action happening on the other screen seemed to match steps with the music! The most interesting thing we noticed about the place was the crowd â a completely random mix of college kids, elderly families, foreigners, and Malayalis in traditional mundu! We drank it all in before moving on to what we came for â food and beverages.
