Tag: Steaks

  • Portland Steakhouse & Cafe

    First appeared in Bangalore Mirror.

    Brunton Road holds a special place in my heart. My first office in Bangalore was there. So it was a neat coincidence that those who accompanied me for the review were my friends from that office. 🙂

    But before we lose ourselves in nostalgia, here’s how to get there. The location raised our collective eyebrows. They will soon have valet parking, and there’s enough space for 2 wheelers around. We arrived on a night they were having an expat party, so one half of the restaurant was reserved for that. We still managed to find a decent table and thanks to the party, got ourselves some awesome live music. Now, on to the menu. They also have wines and mocktails.

    When a place is named Portland Steakhouse & CafĂ©, you’d be pardoned for skipping the first few pages of the menu and jumping straight to the steaks section. But then, if your focus wavers for a moment, and you glance at what’s written beside the ‘Steaks’ heading, you’ll notice a hat tip that’s a clue to the establishment’s origins. “A tribute to Haroon”- even if you’re a neo Bangalorean, there’s a strong likelihood that you’d recognise the name Haroon Sulaiman Sait from The Only Place. I learned later that Portland Steakhouse & CafĂ© is run by Sabiha, his daughter, and her husband Maqsood Mohamed. Once the connection was established, I began looking for some similarity in the ambiance, especially the iconic check tablecloth, but there was none. However, there is an unmistakable sense of charm and hospitableness to the place.

    But on to the food! The Fiery Chicken arrived first – chicken strips marinated in Cajun spices, with peppers – moderately spicy though a tad oily. The Batter Fried Calamari came next, and though it got the crispness right, the greasiness just overpowered everything else. We were saved by the Chili Con Carne soup, a beef, vegetable and bean stew served with twisted breadsticks. A wonderful dish, its tang provided just the bite that our palates needed. The Clam Chowder soup followed and though the clam flavour itself was subtle, the creaminess was much appreciated. The veg representation was the next to appear – the Jalapeno–Jack Mushroom Dommies. The jalapeno presence was limited to the dip and the dish itself wasn’t really inspiring. What we were really waiting for, given the number of PMOs (People of Malayali Origin) at the table, was the Beef Strips in Lettuce Wrap. This was when the service faltered first, and it seemed as though they had forgotten about this order. Thankfully, when it did arrive, it was well worth the wait. With spicy and well cooked meat, we didn’t even miss the dip we were promised in the menu.

     

     

    By the time we were ready for the main course, the expat party was in full swing, and we bore the brunt of it with a longer-than-average waiting time. The Signature Portland Beef Burger hosted a perfect patty and I completely enjoyed it. The Herbed Gnocchi had slightly chewy dumplings but the scrumptious pesto sauce made up for it. The Spicy Beef Ragu Spaghetti was good enough to be hoarded and taken as a doggy pack! The Porterhouse steak had slightly inconsistent meat (we had asked for medium rare) but together with the mashed potato and the red wine reduction sauce was excellent enough for us to appreciate the dish. The last to arrive was the much anticipated Shivaji Nagar Curried Beef Pizza. But that literally left a bitter taste in the mouth, and we discussed quite a few unsavoury possibilities of what the Shivaji Nagar connection could be as we waited for the desserts.

     

     

    We decided against the dessert platter options, and asked for the CrĂšme Brulee, Bread and Butter Pudding and Profiteroles with Chocolate sauce. The Cream Brulee was very well made, and everyone’s favourite, though I thought the soft, butter-rich pudding with its sprinkling of dry fruits was a strong contender. The Profiteroles were more Ă©clair shaped, and despite the chocolate filling and sauce, was not good enough to be in the reckoning.

     

    For about Rs.1600, you could share a soup, a non veg starter, a couple of non veg main course dishes and a dessert. (Inclusive of taxes) It’s only been a couple of months since the restaurant began operations and it obviously has its small share of teething troubles. Though the service missed a few steps courtesy the expat party, it really couldn’t take away much from the overall experience, especially after Maqsood stepped in for damage control. But given the pedigree and experience of the management, these would be temporary. An excellent, inviting ambiance and largely superb food means that this should be your port of call soon.

    Portland Steakhouse & Café, No:1, Brunton Road 1st Cross, Bangalore Ph: 25593405

  • 898

    A neon with that number has been blinking at us for a while now, whenever we use the 80 ft Road in Koramangala, and since it also contained words like ‘steak’, ‘grill’, it didn’t require a lot of convincing for us to drop in. This is right next to Chandni Chowk (can someone explain to me the mad rush there every weekend?!) and on the top floor of the same building as 13 Spices. (map) Parking is not much of a problem if you’re there before 8.

    Rooftop restaurants most usually works for me, and 898 was no different. Some nice tiled roofing and screens to close the sides means it’ll be okay even if it rains. For now, the screen that hogged all the attention was an LCD one. They have an interesting decor, confirming that kitsch is back. Different kinds of chairs, even those indoor standalone swings, and our table was a chest at some pint of time. A fish shaped wooden board, large mirrors, interesting lighting, you get the idea…

    There was a good breeze too, as we sat looking at the menu. Mostly steaks, with some mocktails, and a couple of Thai soups thrown in. (click for a larger images)

    We started with a Cream of Coconut Milk – Chicken. No by-twos were told, isn’t that against Bangalore culture? A watered down version of the Tom Kha, and a bit too diluted for my liking, but quite flavourful, and they were genrous with the chicken. We then got ourselves a Beef Satay. Quite well done, and the peanut sauce that accompanied it was better than usual.

    For the main course, we ordered a Chicken Lasagna (ugly photo) and a Chicken Garlic Pepper Steak. I haven’t seen a lasagna served like that, but in terms of taste it was quite decent. D said the steak had a strong chicken smell, but again, it delivered in terms of taste. Neither were phenomenal, just about decent. We also ordered a Chocolate Martini (I’m still wondering why it was called that). It reminded me a lot of the old Joy/Dasprakash ice creams.

    The bill came to over Rs.950. The ambiance was quite decent, though there was something missing about the food. Nothing bad enough not to drop in at all, but… The service is a bit slow, but it’s quite a relaxing place, so you probably won’t mind.They missed an item in the billing, probably teething troubles, though it has been over 2 months.

    898, No.898/4, Opp IBP Petrol Bunk, 80ft Road, Koramangala 6th Block, Ph: 9844005050

  • Rendezvous

    A rendezvous that took quite some time, though its just a few minutes away from home. Rendezvous Euro Restaurant is on 80ft Road, right before Barista. Here’s a map. Since there are enough side lanes around, parking is not likely to be a big problem.

    Its more a friendly neighbourhood place than anything you’d come halfway across town for. But that also means that whenever I’ve passed by, I’ve seen it completely packed. We reached there a bit early, a little before 7.45. That, and the rains meant that we were among the first to arrive. But by 8.30 it was getting filled fast.

    Rendezvous has a warm dimly lit ambiance, with some good retro music in the background. Nothing elaborate in terms of decor and furniture, but neat and a great place to sip a beer and watch Koramangala life passing by. The menu is mostly Continental, with some Chinese options too. You can take a look here.

    The rain meant that we had to start with a soup. D and I shared a Mexican soup pot and my sis asked for a Cream of Chicken. Our soup, though described as a broth, was quite thick and creamy , and had salami, chicken and boiled vegetable with some cheese, that added a little zing to it.

    We skipped the starters and the Chinese options and got busy trying to choose from a range of steaks, pastas and burgers. I asked for a Chicken Crepes, D ordered a Peppered Chicken Pasta and my sis ordered a ‘Gold and Red’ burger. The Crepes were conspicuous by their absence, but the tangy mushroom sauce, and the spicy mashed potato ensured that I wasn’t left too disappointed.

    The missing component continued in D’s Peppered pasta, so D did a DIY with the pepper on the table, but apparently it still remained bland.So this turned out to be a disappointing choice.

    My sis’ Gold and Red burger turned out to be a mixed bag. The Gold half, which had cheese and salami was apparently good, but the Red half, with a cold chicken salad was given a cold shoulder. She also felt that the salad may have been her age. I was the only one not complaining much. No comments on the lines of ‘you eat anything’ will be tolerated. Hmmph. I was too stuffed for dessert, though there was even a marble cake, and the others weren’t too sure what would land up on the table.

    All of the above cost us just over Rs.700. The service was quite prompt. I think it serves as a good hangout joint, so this goes into a no gain, no pain category.

    Rendezvous, 15/1, 80 ft Road, Koramangala 4th Block Ph: 25631177

    Menu at Zomato

  • The Only Place

    This is only our second visit, and that’s all thanks to a rare mistake I made about 4 years back. No, I’m not claiming to be otherwise flawless, its just that on our previous visit, I forgot to mention that I wanted the steak well done, and they gave me a rare one!! The immense strength my jawbone displays now, is thanks to that incident.  And the memory made sure I kept away from the place.

    This time too, the original choice was Spiga, but Spiga, I was told, is no longer open??!! So, I thought the time had come for another shot. The Only Place is in the central part of  Bangalore, but the location and the ambience would deceive you. Its on Museum Road – from Church Street, take a left at Empire, just before you reach the next junction, you’ll see it on your left. Parking might be made easier, thanks to the (parking space of the) neighbouring office building.

    We did reserve a table, but didn’t prove necessary at 8pm. It was  a Sunday, I’m sure it would be more crowded on Saturday, and anyway the place was almost full by 8.30. We started with a cream of mushroom soup. While the soup was definitely thick, the cream was not very evident. For the main course, there’s quite a lot of steaks to choose from, with some baked items, spaghetti, burgers etc also thrown in. There’s enough choice for the veggies as well. Though I simply love the Chateaubriand steak (thanks to an official lunch, where the ‘well done’ was amply communicated) I decided to try something different, and ordered a Chicken Cacciatore. The wife ordered an OP’s special fish. The chicken dish is “ tender cubes of chicken, served in a red spicy sauce with celery and mushroom on a bed of noodles (there’s also an option of rice), onions and assorted vegetables” The sauce is simply amazing, its spicy without making you all teary, the noodles is soft and absorbs the flavours fast, and overall, the dish is very tasty. If you’re not into beef and can’t order the Chateaubriand, go for this one. The Op special fish is “fillets of fish topped with herbs and spices charbroiled, served with vegetables and mash potato” Though the fish is somewhat bland, the topping and the sauce ensure that the dish is tasty enough.

    There was a chocolate fudge cake that was eyeing me from the display all through my dinner, and I succumbed finally. Thank God! Awesme, and they pour enough chocolate sauce s that its practically dripping. Pure evil!! And there are other options too, including a trifle pudding. Some other time, maybe 😀

    The quantities are just right. It leaves you full but not bloated. All of the above cost us just over Rs.600, including a mineral water for Rs.25 😉

    The Only Place, No: 13, Museum Road. Ph: 32718989

    Photos at Zomato