Tag: Kerala

  • bon South

    We heard about it last weekend, when we were chided for not having visited it when it was in our own ‘backyard’ – Koramangala, and then again, when a friend suggested we meet up there. The latter didn’t happen, since my dinner on other days would’ve been adversely affected if I reviewed the place without the better half as my dinner companion. But yes, the universe did conspire to get us there, even though other reviews had convinced us that our wallets would be left significantly lighter.

    Its relatively easy to find, on the 80ft road in Koramangala. At the Sony World Junction on the Indiranagar – Koramangala ring road, take a left turn when coming from Indiranagar, and you’ll find this on the right after the Levis outlet and Barista. There’s valet parking, but not for two wheelers. Damn!! 😉

    We’d reserved in advance, which would be a good thing to do, since there was a crowd, and we saw people having to wait. The place practically screams snob value, from the word go. That’s not intended as a put-down, its just smart positioning. We had to wait for a few minutes, while our table was being cleaned, and they did a smart thing by showing us around the place, to keep us from fidgeting around. Though the space is very optimally used, it manages to retain a cosy feel, largely due to the comfortable seating and dimly lit ambience. I had a brief ‘flight’ moment, when they offered us a cold wet towel. Hmm, was that a bon connection (voyage, and south). Okay, got it, we’ll just talk about the food.

    The menu features cuisine from the four South Indian states, complete with soups, starters, main course and desserts. The place also serves alcohol, no, not necessarily from these states!!! We decided to skip the soup, since they were mostly the thin type, and instead ordered a starter, Kori Kempu Bezule, which is ‘tender pieces of boneless chicken marinated in a mangalorean home style masala, and deep fried’. Now, I have not been to mangalorean homes, but it tasted good – the chicken was actually tender, and the masala had a distinct flavor without being excessively spicy.

    For the main course, we tried to give representation to all states, but TN got left out. We ordered a Kozhi Varutharacha Curry, which is ‘boneless chicken with roasted coconut and spices’, an excellent Kerala dish, if done well; a Chappala Pulusu, a tangy and spicy Andhra fish curry, and to go alongwith that, podi masla appams, and Sajjige Roti (a thick bread made with semolina, coconut, green chillies and curry leaves). Once the food was served, we realised that it may not be sufficient, and ordered egg appams too. Now, I knew that appams and the chicken would go well together, but I’m sure it would help if there was some advice offered on the correct combinations. In this case, the fish curry was not exactly a great match.

    The chicken dish, though it differed marginally from the taste we were familiar with, was very well made. The fish was a bit too tangy and not spicy enough for our liking. The gravy portions are just sufficient for two people. The appams are not miniscule, thankfully, and are the regular size we make at home. The podi masala appam has podi and masala onion laden onto the regular appams. The egg appam is well, like the name suggests and both were made well. But since, appamd are fluffy by nature, even two per person won’t be sufficient. The Sajjige roti was quite unlike anything else we’ve tasted, and deserves a try. You get four rotis per plate, and its not too heavy. There were dessert options, but we passed, though if you’re not very familiar with South indian desserts, you should give it a try.

    So, the meal went quite well, but they delayed in clearing the table, giving us finger bowls and presenting the bill. I find it very strange when restaurants do this, especially while people are kept waiting outside. Isn’t it in their interest to get us out of there after we conclude our business? Anyway, they first presented us a bill upwards of Rs.2300. Thankfully, before my heart reacted violently, i realised it wasn’t ours, but even the correct one came upto just less than Rs.1300. So there was a tiny lurch, though I was prepared for it. I wonder if they had this in mind when they said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

    So, if the idea is just to taste some South Indian food, I’d say, try out Malgudi (though we weren’t very impressed with the service the last time we visited), Annachi (though I have a problem with their small portions) or even 3 Storys, (no complaints, and though it is not an all South cuisine, it offers some great Coorgi stuff to compensate). But if you’re in the mood to splurge, and want an upmarket experience, with decent food and a liberal splattering of snob appeal, you should try bon South.

    And we’ll end with a thanks to the young lady in a party dress at the adjacent table, whose expression on seeing a couple in ragged tees and cargo trousers walk out as she walked in, made up for the exorbitant bill. 😉

    bon South, 749, 10th Main, 80 ft road, Koramangala. Ph: 080 40543434.

    Update: Shifted to Malleswaram

  • Empire

    We’d planned on Kubay, but got there pretty late, thanks to a torturous Mallu movie that dragged on forever. By the time we got there, it was beyond 10. It was crowded even then, and we were told we’d have to wait for 25 minutes. Since we were quite famished by then, we played inky pinky ponky and agreed upon Empire, perhaps to reinforce the flagging Mallu spirit. When you’re coming from Indiranagar towards Koramangala, take the first right turn (that leads to Jyoti Nivas College/ Casa Picola/William Penn). You’ll find Empire on your left. Parking is not a problem for two wheelers, you might have to walk a bit if you have a four wheeler.

    Empire has a fast food section/snacks/ice cream section on the roadside, a/c and non a/c sections inside and a terrace section where they also serve Arabian food. Though not exactly fine dining experience, Empire guarantees good food. It also saves me from giving explanations of unpronounceable dishes 😉

    Since we were too hungry to do multiple courses, we ordered a couple of Kerala Porottas, an onion dosa, a chilly fish, a brain masala (quarter plate) and a butter chicken (half). One of the great things about Empire is the speed with which the food is served, I’ve never had to wait impatiently. And it was fortunate this time, since we were inching towards 11.30 – the time when we would be spared the effort of walking out and nice cops would escort/throw us out. The cops really believe in ‘The Dark Night’ here. Ok, sorry 😀

    The onion dosa was pretty thick,a nd though I had my own apprehensions on how it would go with the side dishes, it was actually pretty good. The brain masala was really good, and though had some giant green chillies, turned out to be just right and not too spicy. But alas, I made the mistake of using that learning for the chillies in the Chilly Fish, and was in for a nasty surprise. But I still liked the dish. The butter chicken was the odd one out. A bit too salty, a bit too much of color and a strange metallic flavor. The Porotta was not as soft as it usually is, but still quite okay. All of the above cost us just over Rs.300. That’s the best part of empire – value for money. You can stuff yourself and you’ll still get a reasonable bill.

    We had a Maghai Meetha Paan outside. Damn thing costs Rs.10 now, used to be Rs.5. Only the prices are inflated, the paan size remains the same. The Empire Strikes Back 🙁

    Menu and Photos at Zomato

  • The Grand

    It’d been quite a while since I’d visited The Grand, so on this trip home – Cochin, I’d decided to give it a try, especially since the food there has always gotten rave reviews, and it was about time I made my own judgment. It is located on MG Road, since 1963,  so its a landmark for most auto/taxi guys.

    We reserved a table for 8pm, and were told that they wouldn’t hold it beyond 8.10. Fair. The crowd actually started coming in after 8.30. The menu is exhaustive with separate sections for Indian, Kerala, Far East, Continental, Chinese and so on.

    We ordered a velvet chicken and corn soup (2/3) and a Talomein Soup. Pappadams on the house while you wait. 🙂  The former is a chinese preparation – chicken broth flavoured with dry sherry, and the latter is a combination of shredded chicken, carrot and celery garnished with spring onion. The (velvet chicken) soup was quite good, thicker than I expected, and quite sufficient in terms of quantity. For the main course, we decided to go all Kerala.. ‘when in kerala….’ , and so ordered a Malabar Kozhi cury, an Erachi Varattiyathu, a Meen pollichathu, and a Tharavu Mappaz. Thats four kinds of living beings – chicken, beef, fish and duck respectively.  🙂

    So, the Malabar Kozhi Curry is a spicy North kerala dish, which turned out to be only moderately spicy, that was a disappointment. The Erachi Varattiyathu is cooked beef,  with onions, but with enough flavours to keep it from being bland. Better. The Meen pollichathu (you have a choice of seer or pearlspot) is fish with (usually) a very spicy paste around it. Its actually the paste that gives this dish its character. However, this time it was just some sort of onion preparation and ended up very average. The saving grace was the Tharavu Mappaz (they have a ‘duck’ festival happening here) which was duck cooked in coconut milk. This one was yummy, and the ‘chatti’ (earthenware) that they brought it in did add to the effect, I think. We ordered appams to go along with all, and though I was tempted to have a Kerala porotta, the appams were tasty enough to discourage any steps in that direction.

    But more than the food, which was reasonably good, though not the spectacular I had hoped for, it was the service that disappointed. They took such a long time bringing the main course that I had to ask them if I should be back the next morning to collect the order. (Yeah, I seem to be a bad service magnet these days) But they were pretty good in a very mercurial way, refilling glasses on time, bringing appams alongwith the additional order (not earlier and letting them get cold) and so on.

    All of the above cost us Rs.1200, which was reasonable that 4 people were quite well fed. When in Cochin, its worth checking out for some authentic Kerala food.

  • Stones

    We really shouldn’t be seen there, because it’s a pub, and we don’t drink. But then, its more than a pub, and I get to listen to some of the best rock that’s played at any food joint, in Bangalore and a bit of jazz sometimes, so that’s how we are seen there.

    On the Indiranagar 100 ft road, you’ll find it (when coming from Koramangala) on your left after the CMH Road junction (the building after Domino’s). Two wheeler parking is easily available, but since the metro construction is going on, you’d be advised to park your four wheeler in one of the bylanes nearby.

    Stones belongs to the same species as Pecos and Mojo. Like I mentioned, we go there for the ambience and the music. The place is dimly lit and the walls are adorned with some good graphics of rock legends. There are some good seating options, and they really play the music loud. So don’t go there when you’re in the mood for mouthing sweet nothings, shouting matches, game on 😉

    Stones would be an idea place if you’re the drinking kind. I’m not sure of the costs of beer, but KF costs Rs.45 for a mug and Rs.225 for a pitcher, hope you can adjudge the price factor from that. But the food is what drags teetotallers  like us here, and you won’t feel too left out, since they serve water chilled in beer mugs. 😀

    You can take your pick from various preparations of chicken, pork, beef, bacon, sausage, prawns, mussels, fish and don’t worry there’s enough stuff for the veggies too. And to go with that, you can have the regular paratha, naan, rice stuff and in addition Kerala Porotta, Dosa and Appam. There are a lot of relatively difficult to get Mangalore, Goan and Kerala preparations here, and you even get a Pork/Beef fried rice.

    Our regular fare here is the dosa chicken curry combo and a chilly beef. The beef will give the Kerala preparations a run for their money, and boy these guys take the chilly very seriously. The chicken curry is boneless and I haven’t come across that taste anywhere else. The closest thing perhaps would be the Mangalore chicken curry we get in the coastal cuisine restaurants. The dosa too has a very special taste, the wife says its because they add butter. It really doesn’t matter but it tastes great!!

    The cost for our regular fare comes to just over Rs.300. Yes, it’s a bit above the general parameter of value for money, but we’ll still keep dropping in regularly, because the value is above the regular parameter of only food, it’s the place.

    Ph: 41481572/3/4

  • 3 Storys

    I used to visit the place quite regularly when my workplace was around the area, but those were for the executive lunch. Its located off Lavelle road – when coming from MG Road, take the left on to Lavelle Road, and take the right just before the turning towards Airlines Hotel/Corner House.

    3 Storys offers three stories of seating options and specilaises in Goan/Mangalorean/Coorgi/Kerala cuisine. The best thing about this place is that its almost ‘Empirical’ in terms of being able to hog multiple dishes, thanks to the adequate portions and value for money.

    The top floor is a good option if its not raining, but since it was, we opted for the second floor. The seating is very comfortable on all the floors and has options for largish groups as well as cosy couples 🙂

    We started with a Caldo Verde soup, perhaps the only veg soup I don’t mind having. They make it quite well here and the by-two portion is almost as large as a normal full portion. We wanted to have the Sear Peri Peri but unfortunately, they didn’t have any fish available. That also meant no Kana Rava fry. Inspite of that, there were still plenty of starter options, so we finally settled for a Coorg Fried Chicken, and I’ve bookmarked the Goan Sausages for next time. The Coorgi chicken was delicious and had a distinctive flavor. Now I’m no expert on Coorgi cuisine so i dont know if it was a Coorgi flavor, but whatever it was, it was awesome.

    For the main course, we ordered Malabar Erachi Chops and Brown Chicken Stew and to go with it one plate of Idiappam and one plate of Appam. There are lots of options for seafood lovers. even if you aren’t (like me), phikar not, because the options available, that too from multiple cusines will make you wish you had a larger appetite. We also ordered one Malabar Porotta (yup, we spell it that way there 🙂 ) and a plate of Sannas. We’ve always liked the brown stew here, but this time, the Eratchi chops was just leagues ahead. Except for the Sannas (which were a little harder than usual) everything else was just great. I would also recommend the Mutta Porotta (thats Kerala porotta with an egg bullseye on top). There aren’t too many dessert options available though you could try the Bibinca, if you haven’t tasted it before. Anyways, there’s Corner House nearby, and now Mocha too.

    Meanwhile, 3 Storys is the place to come to, when you’re in the mood for a different, but value-for -money food experience. All of the above cost us about Rs.600, and thus ends this story. 🙂