A while ago, on a brewery darshan tour in South Bangalore, we had visited The Pump House in JP Nagar, and instantly loved the vibe, and the beer. We were thrilled therefore, when sometime last year, we saw their signage in Whitefield while on our way to er, another brewery! A few days later, we dropped in, though they hadn’t started brewing then. Raining on the parade literally happened, and thanks to their teething issues being exacerbated by the rain, our experience was less than meh. But when there’s craft beer involved, there’s always a second chance. And this time we took friends along. Why suffer alone!
(more…)Tag: microbrewery
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Ironhill
Back in April, my Insta feed was full of urban Bangaloreans who couldn’t be in Maldives and had to make do with Marathahalli, specifically Ironhill. It’s touted to be India’s largest microbrewery. The place is a combination of the Venice-meets-Varthur look (and smell) perfected by Big Brewsky and Hoot in the open areas, and an 80s industrial grey vibe-meets- rustic chic interior that’s spread across at least three floors. When we called to reserve, we were told that it was already full for the weekend, and we could take our chances walking in. At 5.30, we were able to get a table, though inside, and sat amidst a mix of multi-generational family crowds, and pouting beings scouting backgrounds for their Insta fam.
The only reason I’d visit any place in Marathahalli is craft beer, and thankfully 6 out of the 8 beers were available. I use thankfully very loosely, because after running through the samplers, we settled on the least offensive Sincity Cider and Wonderland Wheat. This only verified my hypothesis that if in Marathahalli, abandon all hop!
Since my intake of spice have been put on ice for a while, we started with the Tandoori Malai Chicken dimsum. It seemed to have spent quite some time in transit, and that meant our relationship with it was lukewarm. Next up was the Moroccan Chicken skewers, which were a bit spicy but enjoyable. The safest bet when it comes to pizza is usually the BBQ Chicken and true to form, this one too was decent.
The service is quite friendly and prompt, and our bill came to a little less than Rs.2000. Overall, you won’t miss anything if you don’t visit.
Ironhill, 90/7 & 90/8, Outer Ring Road, Marathahalli, Ph: 9606044623/4
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Geist
And thus it is, that after six months, finally there’s a food post here! When I wrote the last one in March, I wondered whether at the time of publishing it – May – the virus would be in the rear view mirror. What an underestimation that was! The actual time till the next visit turned out to be seven and a half months. That’s the kind of year 2020 has been. True to the spirit of the year, we visited Geist on Halloween, a couple of days after they had opened. The photographs I had seen on Twitter did a good job of convincing us to finally step out!
The location is accurate on Maps, though after we passed the gate, the looping path did give us a few moments of doubt on whether the place was open. Later, I also wondered whether this would add to the loopiness as one was getting out of the place after a few beers! Anyway, we were finally rewarded with open spaces, abundant greenery, and excellent beer and food. As Mr.Narayan, the CEO of Geist pointed out, a banyan, a peepal and craft beer do make a good recipe for nirvana! Word had definitely gotten around, because we found the place fairly packed. I mean that loosely because there was enough space between tables. Also present were the other “artefacts” of this era – sanitisers at multiple touch points (punintended), and masked service staff.
We first ordered what we came for – craft beer! Six out of the nine beers were available, I started with a German Lager and D asked for a James Blond. The latter turned out to be a good way to tip the hat to Sean Connery, though we didn’t hear the news until later. The lager had the perfect level of maltiness, and the Blond, a Belgian ale, was smooth and fresh. Since good pork was something that had eluded us for a while, we immediately agreed on the Pork Seekh. Well cooked, great flavours and superb texture. From the tricolour dip, I loved the spicy red the best. The Bacon Thecha Kulcha was next. More subtle than the previous dish, we would have loved to see more bacon in this one.
I liked the sound, and taste, of James Blond enough to have it for my second round. D went with a Witty Wit, a light and easy drink. The Coorgi Pork (should be Coorg is my understanding) was quite enticing, but we finally went with the Baffat Pork Cutlet, which came with an excellent spicy gravy and spaetzle. A great way to end an Oktoberfest that never was!
The service was friendly and polite. An excellent rock playlist enhanced the ambiance, and we felt lighter by a little short of Rs.2400. A dine out after more than 200 days though, felt priceless!
Geist Brewing Factory – Restaurant & Beer Garden, No.23/3, 21st KM Stone, Old Madras Road Nimbekaipura, Bidarahalli, Uttarahalli Hobli, Bengaluru Ph: 8861557576
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Stories – The Brew Chapter
Back in 2014, when I told friends that I had visited a microbrewery in JP Nagar, they thought I had a hangover. It took a review to prove it. 6 years later, such is the level of gentrification that it’s become a multiple-choice question! Even if I exclude that abomination called The Yellow Submarine, and the meh Uru. Bangalore traffic has scarred us to the extent that it is less scarier than a potentially fatal virus. That’s how we landed at Stories in BTM.
(This is interesting, because the post will be published only two months later. Would the virus scare be far enough in the rear view mirror?)
As with most microbreweries, the place is fairly large, with multiple floors and sections. Lots of greenery, and not just the standard vertical version. Thanks to the ill-communicated “lockdown”, it was not overcrowded, though there was a fair crowd.
A for Apple Cider for D, and B for Belgian Wit for me is how we started. The Wit seemed fresh and had a mild zing to it, an easy drink. I found the Cider a little too sweet for my liking, though D was fine with it. From the starters, we tried a Chowringhee Chilli Chicken, which was basic chilli chicken, and actually quite mild despite the name. The Chicken Suya Kebab was a much better dish and that was largely thanks to the gun powder coating.
Though I wanted to try the Hefeweizen, I finally went with the Rauchbier. I had liked the version at XOOX, though that was an ale. This one was a lager, and milder as well, though the smokiness was very much around. The Fiery Chick pizza seemed like a good companion for the drinks, and with a combination of spicy chicken, chilli flakes, green chilli and mozzarella, it did that job just fine. An experiment followed – a Chicken Cannelloni that had a tandoori masala. Surprisingly, this was quite good!
For desserts, there was an interesting-sounding Nutella Baklava, but we decided on a Decadent Mousse. This was brandy infused rich chocolate with some nice texture thanks to crumbs and sugar coated nuts.
The bill came to around Rs.2500, which seemed par for the course. The service was prompt and friendly, though they did make a mistake with the bill. The playlist gave the place a lounge feel that matched the overall decor and ambiance.
Stories – The Brew Chapter, 29th Main Road, Mahadeshwara Nagar, Stage 2, BTM 2nd Stage Ph: +918046809326
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La Casa Brewery & Kitchen
Our intense contempt for Sarjapur Road’s microbreweries is well documented – Vapour and Hoot being the catalysts. Aurum pulled it back a little, and that’s why, despite my instincts, we decided to make our way to La Casa Brewery & Kitchen. Actually, a little more than instincts. Around 8 years ago, I’d visited the place with my colleagues. Some of us, who loved Khow Suey, persuaded a colleague to try it. Unfortunately, La Casa massacred the dish. Said colleague, to his credit, continues to be a good friend, or is maybe planning a cold revenge.
The signs were ominous. Google Maps showed us an early turn to get off Sarjapur Road, to save 5 mins. That turned out to be literally an off-roading experience along unpaved roads that had garbage and pigs featuring prominently in the landscape. La Casa Brewery & Kitchen is reasonably well done, and somehow manages to keep out the chaos of the road. Since only a few tables were occupied when we arrived and we were told we could sit wherever we wanted, we chose a 4-seater in the corner. Along with the menu, we also got a request to shift to a 2 seater “because Saturday night”. Unnecessary, we felt because there were no less than seven 4-seaters vacant. We pointed that out to him with the promise that we would shift if those got occupied. As predicted, didn’t happen.
Craft beer was the sole reason for the trip. From the five that were available, we chose the Saison and the Belgian Wit. Completely lacking in spirit (not literally), they offered a perfect prelude to the meh that followed. In fact, the original plan was to use Zomato Gold for a 1+1 on drinks, but such was the quality of beer that we skipped that. Imagine!
Bamboo pork was the first dish we asked for, and were told that it would be spicy. Predictably, it wasn’t. Spicy Dunken partially lived up to its name – the preparation was basic Chinese fare. We had lost the appetite we came with, and hoped to salvage some of it with a Kerala Style Irachi fry. On hindsight, a dumb decision. Whoever made it clearly hadn’t tasted the dish before.
Dessert was fun. The only interesting dish seemed to be a Chocolate Opera. We casually asked what it was, and panic seemed to set in. In the third attempt, we figured out that it was a pastry. Since we’d had enough drama, we skipped.
The bill came to a little over Rs.1400. I shall leave it there with no more comments.
La Casa Brewery & Kitchen, 15, Amrita Engineering College Road, Kasavanahalli, Sarjapur Road Ph: 30456363
