Tag: Kebabs

  • Elements Heritage

    In terms of heritage, Elements used to be quite liked for its continental menu, while on Nandidurga Road. I was looking at the photos on their site, and wondered how I managed to miss it. šŸ˜ All’s not lost though, as the new Elements Heritage, on Mosque Road, (just after Savoury, diagonally opposite Empire, just before Mosque Road meets MM Road – map) scores heavily on ambiance, and only differs in cuisine focus. Parking shouldn’t be a big problem, more so because there are enough side lanes around.

    Apparently, this was a really old Raj bungalow which has been revamped. As soon as we got there, we were shown a table, but also encouraged to take a little tour to see more seating options. That included a section upstairs with a live counter, but apparently, that was for the buffet diners. So we got back to our ground floor table, which was neat enough. The ambiance is really super, and the spread out table groups, not visible to each other, ensure that you feel the restaurant buzz, but still retain the exclusive dining experience. The lighting is dim, but the only discomfort that caused was in the photography.

    The menu is below, the last one was the buffet menu for the day, priced at Rs.550 + tax. (click to enlarge) While I was struggling to take the photos, the owner, presumably, who was taking another set of guests on the restaurant tour, offered to send me the menu by mail. I was almost through though, so I didn’t take up the offer. (seeing that quenchers page, I should have :\ ) That only adds to my feeling that the guys who run the place want to add a personal touch and make the dining experience really good.

    From that large selection, which included many many things we wanted to try, we skipped the shorbas and went for a “Seekh ‘e’ Elements” and a Bheja Fry. The formerĀ  consists of 4 seekh kebabs, each with an idiappam. Quite good, but the winner was clearly the Bheja fry, spicy and cooked superbly.Ā  This was the part where I was caught between getting a good photo and devouring the food. The latter won out, as is obvious.

    For the main course, we ordered a ‘Meen appam’, and a ‘Kozhi Mulagh Ittathe’. Most of the dishes come with neer dosa/rice, so ask before you order naans/ appam/ rice separately. The meen appam actually turned out more like an ada than appam, with fish stuffed in it and cooked in a banana leaf. It comes with a sauce that seemed to have a jeera flavour, which worked well to complement the taste. Though we felt that the ada overpowered the fish filling, its still a dish you could try. The chicken dish came with two kinds of rice (one of which was the Kerala style boiled rice) and 4 neer dosas. We expected this to be really spicy, but it was actually more flavoursome, despite me eating up one of the large chillies.

    We debated a biriyani, but then decided to behave in a more un-glutton manner andĀ  debated whether we should ask for a halwa of the day or a Shahi Tukda. The former wasn’t available (thankfully, on hindsight). The Shahi Tukda was really good – less heavy (ghee) than usual, and is highly recommended. All of the above cost us a little less than Rs.1000. The service is brilliant, offers to help and the place probably has the promptest delivery time I’ve seenĀ  recently.

    Elements gets into our favourites list for many reasons – a menu that’s not very common, an ambiance that’s really awesome, excellent service and overall, a wonderful dining experience.

    Elements Heritage, #55, Mosque Road, Frazer Town, Ph: 41144146/8

  • Tattv

    The review was first published in Bangalore Mirror. Though the tattv remains the same, the presentation has been changed šŸ˜‰

    For those familiar with Umerkot in Koramangala, this one belongs to the same family – AST foods. Gautam had mentioned this earlier to me, and given me enough of a glowing recommendation to warrant a visit before the official review. So I dropped in on a Sunday that also saw me ogling at Harley Davidson bikes and merchandise and then dragging the vehicle to fix a puncture. No, not the Harley, my Activa. šŸ˜€

    Tattv is on Lavelle Road, just before Mocha, Java City and above Barista Lavazza. That’s one crossroad to be at when coming down Lavelle Road. If you go back, Shezan and 3 Storys, turn left and there’s Spiga, The Egg Factory, (one way notwithstanding) turn right for Khansama and other UB City splendours, and go straight for coffee floods and Tattv. What we chose, is elementary.

    If you, like my guests for the day, agree that valet parking on Lavelle Road is a boon in itself, then consider yourself blessed. A stylised yet understated ambiance, using red, gold and black to good effect. The stone jaalis, the jharokhas and the menu with the golden tinge, all lend a touch of class to the place and ensure a setting that matches the richness of the food. Vegetarians would specially appreciate the different colored drinking glasses. And if you get the seats that face the road, you also get a view of the Harley Davidson store. šŸ™‚

    According to various Indian schools of philosophy, a ā€œTattvā€ is an element or aspect of reality conceived as an aspect of deity. Wikipedia agrees, but when a menu says that on the front page, you wonder if the heavy, deity food for thought will overshadow the real reason for visiting the restaurant – the dietary aspect. Thankfully that elementary part of a good dining experienceā€“ great food, is completely taken care of at this new restaurant on Lavelle Road.

    The idea here is to present cuisine samplings from across the sub continent and Central Asia, using five culinary elements. So you find Goa mixing with Rajasthan and Kerala with Lebanon in the same menu section. Intrigued? Here’s the menu (click to enlarge)

    As you can see, it consists principally of five culinary elements ā€“ Tandoor, Sigri, Tawa, Kadhai and Curries. Though there are enough choices that tempt you to consider a kebab-only meal, there are many main course dishes that will vie for your attention too. The Bhutte ke kebab with its tender corn is a great start for the vegetarians. The Tandoori Tamatar Shorba, though, was particularly bland and conspicuously absent was the tomato flavour. For the non vegetarians, the mutton seekh kebab, with pomegranate as the surprise element, is quite a good choice, as is the Murgh ki Chaanpan, with its dash of paprika.

    Among the main course dishes, the Dal Makhni, was a favourite. But the Dum Olav, though promised as a spicy curry, turned out sweetish.Ā  The Machli Dum Pukht, seer fish stuffed with salmon, and the Laal Maas with an obvious red chilli base, are must-have items. The Murgh Dhaniwal paled in comparison to the non veg titans! The light-as-a-cloud Gilafi Kulcha, and the ghee laden heavy Warqi Paratha are both good, but the Ulta Tawa Paratha steals the show.

    And if all thatā€™s not enough, some unique desserts seriously compound your worries on what to focus on while ordering. thereā€™s no pardon if you havenā€™t left space for the sinful Chocolate Gujia, and if youā€™re not really a chocoholic, you could try the Gulab Jamun stuffed with Gulkand.

    On the cost front, for Rs.1500, you could share a non veg starter, a couple of non veg main course dishes accompanied by a few rotis, and a dessert. When you consider the quality of food and the ambiance, the cost does seem justified.

    Tattv gets a high five and is definitely worth a visit on all counts. Great food, classy ambiance, courteous staff and some splendid music together ensure that all the elements are in place for a great experience.

    Tattv, 1st Floor, 25/4, Lavelle Road, Bangalore ā€“ 1. Tel: 41552225