Tag: Forum Shantiniketan

  • Fox in the Field

    Each time we visited Forum Shantiniketan, we wondered when the sign would evolve into an actual microbrewery, and finally, sometime in early January, it actually happened! The craft beer menu wasn’t available on Zomato so we called to confirm. After reasonably meh experiences at multiple eateries in the mall (Rassasy by Barcelos, Smokehouse Deli, Uno Chicago Bar & Grill) and only Punjab Grill being the saving grace, we were naturally cautious and expectations were minimal.

    Seating should never be a problem here – there are 4 floors, including one that seemed like a mini amphitheater! We chose the terrace option on a crisp Saturday night. Part covered, part al fresco, it has comfortable seating options for different group sizes. Bacardi seems to have branded the fox’s den, if one goes by this floor’s decor.

    Of the five craft beers available, we skipped two – the Chocolate Stout and the Tripel IPA. We began with a Hefeweizen, which from experience is the safest bet. This one was no exception, and seemed fresh as well. The Saison Farmhouse had an intriguing description – “champagne of the beer world”. A pale ale, highly carbonated, it had a touch of sour that worked well.

    The Dabeli pizza with bacon was interesting since they don’t really occur naturally together. The bacon was only the topping but its texture and the spiciness of the dabeli complemented each other very well. Naan Pops also was an interesting dish – we chose the Butter Chicken option and it didn’t disappoint. A good time to note that if you like pork, the menu has a ton of options across cuisines.

    We then tried the lager – spicy hops and a refreshing zing! For mains, we chose the Linguine with lamb dumplings. The pasta itself was a little suspect, but the tomato based sauce, and the lamb dumplings made up for it. The bread too contributed with texture and taste.

    The dessert options didn’t excite us much, so we skipped.

    The bill came to a little over Rs.1800, which is absolutely a good deal given the location and the quality of beer and food. The service was friendly and prompt, and the playlist was perfect evening lounge. This one we will repeat!

    Fox in the Field, Forum Shantiniketan Mall, Whitefield Ph: 47483072

  • Rassasy by Barcelos

    After three attempts at becoming food friends with Forum Shantiniketan, and mostly failing, we should have given up. But it’s food and drinks, so we persisted – this time with Rassasy by Barcelos. I had to google Barcelos to understand that they were a South African chain. That was the second warning, given the meh experience with Nando’s, but I ignored that too, mostly thanks to the Sangria pitcher pricing.

    Located on the ground floor of the mall, the place has two seating sections. The one inside offers plush sofas and generally more comfortable seating, but the evening breeze got us to sit outside.

    The warnings played out in the form of the sangria pitcher not being available. Funnily sangria glasses were available. When asked for the reason, we were told that the bar had opened only that day and they hadn’t got pitchers yet! And so we whined with glasses – D with a White Sangria with Kiwi & Grapes, and I with a Caribbean Sangria. D’s white sangria was mostly red, we were informed that the guilt lay with the grapes. My drink was like the Windies cricket team these days- mostly in shambles.

    The Cream of Broccoli (with chicken) saved the day a bit – creamy and flavourful with reasonably generous chicken. The Meat balls in spicy tomato sauce was the best dish of the day – the meat was cooked well and the spice was exactly the way we liked it. For mains, we tried the Portuguese Gravy  (Trinchado) with rice. This was peppers, tomatoes and onion (mildly spicy peri peri sauce to be added), served with spicy rice. This too wasn’t a bad dish and we probably would have appreciated it more if not for the sangria fiasco.

    The service was just about ok, the ambiance was decent enough, and they had a nice playlist. The bill came to a little over Rs.1750, and either by design or not, they forgot to add one sangria. Oh, well.

    Rassasy by Barcelos, Forum Shantiniketan Mall, Whitefield Ph:47483436

  • Smokehouse Deli (Whitefield)

    Our not-so-new Forum Shantiniketan mall in Whitefield, which has already “grilled” us in many ways – Uno Chicago and Punjab – has now given us a Smokehouse Deli as well! While the first two are relatively easy to spot, the new entrant is reasonably well hidden. You have to exit the mall through the back on the lower ground floor to find it! Our sangria plans helped us stay focused!

    The place is classic Smokehouse, though the Indiranagar version does a better job of localising the sketches. Thanks to the proximity to the apartments, there were noisy kids. Thankfully, that reduced as the evening progressed.

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  • Uno Chicago Bar & Grill

    Some movies exist only so that a few good songs can be released into the universe. That’s roughly the way malls and eateries work for me too. Sometimes. Whitefield’s latest mall is thus host to Uno Chicago Bar & Grill. We visited twice – the first when the bar wasn’t functional, and then later, when we also decided to try out the Cinepolis that has opened at the mall. Uno is sandwiched between Punjab Grill and You Mee on the ground floor of Forum Shantiniketan.

    It has three sections – one facing the mall atrium, another indoor, and a third that is a bit more open and faces the apartments behind the mall. The first section has diner-like seating, albeit more plush. The second is a mix of that and standard chairs, and the third has bar stools as well, with some cobblestone flooring too.

    The white wine sangria they served us on the second visit was reasonably disastrous. Chunks of fruits meant that we kept wondering whether a fruit salad had been mixed with wine! Far from our Toscano benchmark for the sangria pitcher. The Chicken & Jalapeno Chowder though, is worth a try, though for the best experience, you might want to wait till winter. Thick, creamy, chicken soup with jalapeños and tortilla strips for some nice texture.

    We tried two pizzas. The Windy City Works was a thin crust pizza with pepperoni, pork sausage, chicken meatballs and bacon bits. They were generous with all the toppings and the crust was excellent too. But the outlet is known for its deep dish pizza, and that’s why we had to try the Chicago Meat Market pizza with lamb mince, chicken pepperoni, grilled chicken, chicken chorizo and parmesan. The small size proved quite sufficient for our appetites. No arguing the flavours here and the “double decker” levels of flavours is indeed quite unique.

    The welcoming committee does its job well, but the service takes some persuasion. The wallet will be left considerably lighter. We got close to Rs.1200 with just a soup and a pizza the first time, and a little over Rs.2700 the second time thanks to the Sangria pitcher.

    Uno Chicago Bar & Grill, Upper Ground Floor, Forum Shantiniketan, Whitefield, Ph: +91 9667540036

  • Punjab Grill

    …and we have a brand new mall in Whitefield. Let’s not speak of whether we wanted one. The mall wasn’t fully functional when we visited (mid November), but from the looks of it, the Indian non-resident Americans of Shantiniketan would be a happy lot. I was most excited by a microbrewery coming up. That makes it 9 in the vicinity! As D mentioned, there would really no need to get out of Whitefield on weekends.

    Meanwhile, Punjab Grill was what we visited for, and that was on the ground floor. The frontage is completely open, and while that might show off the interiors to passers-by, it does take away from the privacy. The decor is definitely fine dining – plush seating, chandeliers, photos of royalty and elegant crockery. The staff is very courteous too.

    All of that also means the pricing is exorbitant too! There’s no alcohol available, so we asked for lassi – D wanted a Kesar Pisteywali version and I chose coconut. We asked whether the coconut flavour was fresh (and not powder or extract) and were told it was. Reality was different and given the Rs.295 we were paying for it, I did something uncharacteristic – I sent it back, and asked for what D was having. That was thick, rich and a much better offering for the price.

    The Murgh Tikka Punjab Grill was our chosen starter – boneless chicken with a mildly spicy red chilli marinade. This was delicious fare and highly recommended.

    Mains was a Patiala Shahi Kadai Murgh which had onion, tomatoes, and green chili in a cashew based gravy. Microgreens for the with-it quotient. 😉 The Zafrani Paronthi Naan sounded interesting and turned out to be so as well. Filling too. D tried the Rajgira Parantha, which was described to us as one with an aloo filling. It didn’t have much of that but did have great texture.

    A nice paan shot (complimentary) ended the meal well.

    The wallet was lighter by a little over Rs.2500. We did know that going in, so we were mentally prepared. The service is extremely good. They are courteous, describe the dishes- along with the spice level to expect, and make sure serving and refills happen at the right time. If you’re in the mood for North Indian fare in this part of the world, this will do the job.

    Punjab Grill, Ground Floor, Forum Shantiniketan, Whitefield Main Road Ph: 49653240