I have now figured out the right time to travel cross-country in Bangalore – long weekends. So when it was clear that shopping would take us to Koramangala – shopping the good old fashioned way that is – we decided to mix it with our other favourite pastime – eating (and drinking) out. Choosing a place in Koramangala, especially when the number of restaurants in the neighbourhood is inching closer to the number of people living there, wasn’t an easy task. But I liked the name ‘Old Fashioned” and a quick look at the food menu gave me enough choices to suggest it to D.
It was only on the way that she informed me that they had more than a dozen kinds of Old Fashioned – my favourite drink! She also had her eye on a special Christmas menu they had. They have a typical old-school pub set up – plush seating, dim lights – and unfortunately, a hat tip to current times in the form of a giant screen. I know, I sound old! 😐
The place has two floors but the upper one would only open at 9, we were told. Towards the end of our visit, we did go upstairs to use the restroom. A few tables were occupied, and it was hardly 7.30! We did get a nice, small table overlooking the road though. Meanwhile, D was miffed because the staff seemed unaware of the Christmas menu (which was on Zomato!) Thankfully, the menu had enough options for us to still make a good meal out of it.
After much deliberation, I chose the 1881 Old Fashioned. D’s original choice – Buttercups – wasn’t available, so she went into Hulk mode and asked for a Gin Basil Smash. D had told me that the 1881 was the strongest Old Fashioned they had, but my first drink was fairly mild. The second one (thanks to a Zomato Gold 2+2 on drinks) however was strong. D’s drink had lime juice in addition to the obvious ingredients and packed a punch.
The food menu had a bunch of interesting starters, but when there is Beef fry available, that immediately makes it to the list. Well cooked and moderately spicy, this did justice to this holy Mallu dish. We wanted to try the Peppy Pork Morsels, but were recommended the Kodava’s Delight instead – braised pork with masala that was spicy and delicious. Since we needed space for dessert, we ignored mains and asked for another starter – Katpadi Koli, chili chicken with capsicum and a tang!
Unfortunately, only one dessert from the menu was available, and we didn’t really fancy that one, so we decided to hop across to Eat Street and had some excellent stuff from The Sweet Spot.
Meanwhile, the bill came to a little less than Rs.1400. Excellent playlist, friendly service, and a lively yet relaxed ambiance worked well for us. It the place were close by, I would go back to try out more Old Fashioned options!