Subbammana angadi (means shop in Kannada) is an iconic landmark in Gandhi Bazar, Basavanagudi. The official name of the place is something else, no one ever refers to it by its official name, its always Subbammana Angadi (Subbamma's shop).
This place is a treasure trove when it comes to South Indian traditional eatables. Be it holige, obbattu, sanDige, koDbaLe,etc or festival specials like sakkare acchu, antina unDe, etc, this is the place!
I started going to this place a couple of years back when we started trekking seriously, the holige is an excellent eatable to carry on a trek, it is tasty, has good calories content and is not messy, and when it is from this place, it becomes a favorite among the gang. There are several varieties of hoLige, the first classification is based on the filling/stuffing, jaggery/gram (hurNa), coconut (obbattu) and sugar (sakkre hoLige). For each of these varieties you get different levels of sweetness, very sweet and normal. The very sweet one is the way to go! This has more stuffing and hence is tastier...
Another thing that is very good there is the khara stuff like chakkli, koDbaLe, etc. All kinds of pickles are also available, powders that go with rice etc are popular. This place is full of people who are getting kgs of stuff packed for the US, etc.
Chutney puDi is available in several varieties and the sweet one is simply out of this world!
Sandige of all kinds are available, and are pretty good.
All in all, it is an excellent place to check out if you have not seen it already...be warned that its more of a place where you can buy lots of traditional good-to-eat stuff/condiments rather than a restaurant kind of place.
Location: HB Samaja road, Near Gandhi Bazar circle, Basavanagudi
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Badam burfi from VB Bakery
Just terrific, if I had just two words to describe them. The best ever badam burfi, the conventional ones I had tasted were from Bombay Tiffanys in Mysore, and the best badam halwa, needless to say was at MTR.
The VB bakery badam burfi is different from the ones you get in normal sweet shops like AAB, Asha Sweets, etc. It is made differently, with some kind of a base flour(not sure, it tastes like that) unlike those shops where it is just badam and sugar. This actually tastes better, or so I feel currently. They are quite filling and are sprinkled with dry fruits like grated pistas etc on top.
The badam burfi itself is very very nice, and is quite expensive...last I heard some years back, it was approx Rs 10 per piece I think. It is available in Butter Sponge on Vani Vilas road in addition to VB Bakery on Sajjan Rao Circle, VV Puram.
While at Butter Sponge, try out the kodbale and avalakki, both are extremely good.
The VB bakery badam burfi is different from the ones you get in normal sweet shops like AAB, Asha Sweets, etc. It is made differently, with some kind of a base flour(not sure, it tastes like that) unlike those shops where it is just badam and sugar. This actually tastes better, or so I feel currently. They are quite filling and are sprinkled with dry fruits like grated pistas etc on top.
The badam burfi itself is very very nice, and is quite expensive...last I heard some years back, it was approx Rs 10 per piece I think. It is available in Butter Sponge on Vani Vilas road in addition to VB Bakery on Sajjan Rao Circle, VV Puram.
While at Butter Sponge, try out the kodbale and avalakki, both are extremely good.
Shiva's chaat in Hanumanthnagar
Shiva's chaats off 50 feet road, Hanumanthnagar is a place that had somehow got missed from my list here. Its not new to me, as popular as it is, I till recently did not frequent the place often. Of late, the popular National college push cart is not on my route, and if its a weekend, going to the pushcart near Madhavan Park corporation stadium is also a pain...so Shiva's chaats it is!!! It is a stone's throw away from my place, right next to Kaggis bakery on 50 feet road, Hanumanthnagar/BSK 1st stage, just before Nirmala Stores bus stop.
This place is teeming with crowds, and is the only chaat place I know of(non restaurants) that has a token system. I would particularly recommend the Masala puri and Bhel here, both are simply terrific. I will not bother to describe how good they are...if you ever happen to be in the neighborhood and are in the mood for some spicy chaat, you should check this place out. Cost per plate is below Rs 15 no matter what you take.
This place is teeming with crowds, and is the only chaat place I know of(non restaurants) that has a token system. I would particularly recommend the Masala puri and Bhel here, both are simply terrific. I will not bother to describe how good they are...if you ever happen to be in the neighborhood and are in the mood for some spicy chaat, you should check this place out. Cost per plate is below Rs 15 no matter what you take.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Aditya Veg - Neer dosa and paddu
If you are not sure what a dosa or paddu means, I have tried explaining it at the end :)
While returning from work, all of us were hungry and decided to eat something. Satish suggested paddu for a change from the usual Masala puri. There's this place called Aditya Veg in Jayanagar 4th Block which he has been talking about for sometime now, and I was very happy since Satish knows more than a thing or two about food and if he recommends a place so much, it has to be good.
We went to the one in Jayanagar 4th block, on 5th main, coming from 4th Block, come down the Jain temple road, left turn towards Maiyas', this place is right next to it. It is a small darshini kind of place, but nice and clean. You have to either stand and eat or probably can sit in your car, there is no seating there.
We ordered paddu (a delicacy popular mostly in Karnataka and also in Andhra under its telgu name), the guy told us it would take 15min!!! Going back without eating was no option, so we decided to order something else to kill the time...the unanimous recommendation was neer dosa, this is dosa made from rice only(no uddina bele) batter fermented overnight, it is extremely thin and delicate and is very light and tasty to eat. Neer dosa is served with grated coconut+jaggery and coconut chutney...it is a superb combination and is lip smackingly delicious.
By the time we finished eating the neer dosa, the paddu was ready and this is served with two chutneys, one sweetish, red chutney, and the other is a normal coconut chutney. This was very good, I would say neer dosa is the highlight of the place.
Seeing the menu..or rather the board displaying the eatables, this place seems to have everything from chaat to neer dosa to baby corn manchurian to parathas!!! The neer dosa costs Rs 22 and paddu also around the same I think.
I learnt from Satish that the same guy has opened a bigger restaurant also named Aditya Veg infront of Ranga Shankara in JP Nagar which has good seating etc, I have not been to the place, but Satish assured me that the food is exactly the same!
I cant believe that having lived near J'nagar for so long, I had missed out on this place...better late than never, am sure I will keep visiting the place whenever am in the area.
-------------------------------
Dosa is very similar to pancakes and paddu is small spherical shaped batter(rice and pulses soaked, ground and fermented) shallow fried, and both are eaten with chutney.
While returning from work, all of us were hungry and decided to eat something. Satish suggested paddu for a change from the usual Masala puri. There's this place called Aditya Veg in Jayanagar 4th Block which he has been talking about for sometime now, and I was very happy since Satish knows more than a thing or two about food and if he recommends a place so much, it has to be good.
We went to the one in Jayanagar 4th block, on 5th main, coming from 4th Block, come down the Jain temple road, left turn towards Maiyas', this place is right next to it. It is a small darshini kind of place, but nice and clean. You have to either stand and eat or probably can sit in your car, there is no seating there.
We ordered paddu (a delicacy popular mostly in Karnataka and also in Andhra under its telgu name), the guy told us it would take 15min!!! Going back without eating was no option, so we decided to order something else to kill the time...the unanimous recommendation was neer dosa, this is dosa made from rice only(no uddina bele) batter fermented overnight, it is extremely thin and delicate and is very light and tasty to eat. Neer dosa is served with grated coconut+jaggery and coconut chutney...it is a superb combination and is lip smackingly delicious.
By the time we finished eating the neer dosa, the paddu was ready and this is served with two chutneys, one sweetish, red chutney, and the other is a normal coconut chutney. This was very good, I would say neer dosa is the highlight of the place.
Seeing the menu..or rather the board displaying the eatables, this place seems to have everything from chaat to neer dosa to baby corn manchurian to parathas!!! The neer dosa costs Rs 22 and paddu also around the same I think.
I learnt from Satish that the same guy has opened a bigger restaurant also named Aditya Veg infront of Ranga Shankara in JP Nagar which has good seating etc, I have not been to the place, but Satish assured me that the food is exactly the same!
I cant believe that having lived near J'nagar for so long, I had missed out on this place...better late than never, am sure I will keep visiting the place whenever am in the area.
-------------------------------
Dosa is very similar to pancakes and paddu is small spherical shaped batter(rice and pulses soaked, ground and fermented) shallow fried, and both are eaten with chutney.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Brindavan, MG Road
Brindavan on MG road is an old time favourite, in my college days, during the very few visits to the area, this was the only place I remember going to, simply because this was the only place that was affordable for me as a student. All old time Bangaloreans know this place really well, it is a hotel with decent, moderately priced lodging and a very down-to-earth South Indian restaurant, I think it also has a multi cuisine restaurant, but I have not been there.
Just yesterday, I was in the area and felt really hungry, so me and a friend headed to Brindavan. It was quite early in the morning, and we were sure that this is the only place that will be open at 10am on a weekend.
Times food guide had ranked the dosa here very highly a couple of years back if I remember correctly. So, we tried rava dosa and plain dosa, both were just perfect. Not too oily, not too crisp, not too thick, nor too thin,...can go on. The chutney is very good and the sambar, my God! easily one of the best ever!!! This with tea/coffee costs Rs 75, that is the good part of Brindavan.
They are in a neighborhood that I see is becoming increasingly pretentious, exorbitant, and they remain like an island in a time warp, seemingly unaffected by all that is around. I like the old world ambiance, it is not the fanciest but is neat and clean. The staff are courteous yet not phony, no phony musical greetings, hellos, etc. Dont get me wrong, I love the phony and pretentious part too...which is why I like the really upmarket restaurants as well, but then, depending on my mood, sometimes, I want plain delicious food, at a reasonable price minus all the drama, fanciness, fake-ness, etc, that is the time I visit this place.
On working days, the lunch here is great, it is like a food in a traditional Karnatka function, 2 veg curries, 1 salad, 1 chutney, chapatis(soft and wonderful), rice (no soda, yes!!!), sambar and rasam (no garlic!!!), payasa (sweet)...and all this Rs 80!!! Only place that comes remotely close to this place in the neighborhood is the Airlines restaurant in the cross that connects Lavelle road and SBI junction on St Mark's road.
If you like dosas, you must visit Brindavan, it is simply amazing and you will love it.
Just yesterday, I was in the area and felt really hungry, so me and a friend headed to Brindavan. It was quite early in the morning, and we were sure that this is the only place that will be open at 10am on a weekend.
Times food guide had ranked the dosa here very highly a couple of years back if I remember correctly. So, we tried rava dosa and plain dosa, both were just perfect. Not too oily, not too crisp, not too thick, nor too thin,...can go on. The chutney is very good and the sambar, my God! easily one of the best ever!!! This with tea/coffee costs Rs 75, that is the good part of Brindavan.
They are in a neighborhood that I see is becoming increasingly pretentious, exorbitant, and they remain like an island in a time warp, seemingly unaffected by all that is around. I like the old world ambiance, it is not the fanciest but is neat and clean. The staff are courteous yet not phony, no phony musical greetings, hellos, etc. Dont get me wrong, I love the phony and pretentious part too...which is why I like the really upmarket restaurants as well, but then, depending on my mood, sometimes, I want plain delicious food, at a reasonable price minus all the drama, fanciness, fake-ness, etc, that is the time I visit this place.
On working days, the lunch here is great, it is like a food in a traditional Karnatka function, 2 veg curries, 1 salad, 1 chutney, chapatis(soft and wonderful), rice (no soda, yes!!!), sambar and rasam (no garlic!!!), payasa (sweet)...and all this Rs 80!!! Only place that comes remotely close to this place in the neighborhood is the Airlines restaurant in the cross that connects Lavelle road and SBI junction on St Mark's road.
If you like dosas, you must visit Brindavan, it is simply amazing and you will love it.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Ivy - The Unwind Island
Last tuesday, I visited Ivy, the restaurant in the Unwind Island, a mini resort/spa kind of a place on outer ring road, it is right opposite to the Prestige Tech Park in between Marathahalli and Sarjapura. We had some visitors over, and though I had had lunch, I had to go with them, and I readily did since it was a good opportunity to see whats on offer there.
The ambiance inside is quite nice and different, they have a nice waterfall, a bar under a gazebo which looks as if its on the beach and the restaurant itself is on the first floor. I exactly am not sure what facilities are available here, I have heard that the rooms etc are good.
They have a buffet in the afternoons on working days (priced 250+taxes, Mon-Thu, a bit more on fridays. The variety in the buffet was not the greatest, I did not eat as I mentioned earlier, but I did go around to see whats on the table and also suggest 'non spicy' dishes to our visitors. Among the lot, desserts looked good (this was like window shopping, window eating if you can call it that :-)
Since it would be awkward if we did not eat at all, we ordered a non-alcoholic drink and starters. The starter was the venerable vegetable platter, which was very good. The usual stuff, Paneer tikka, Tandoori Gobi, Veg Sheekh Kabab etc had marked their presence. The downside was that I later learnt that this cost an atrocious Rs 400!!! This is way out of sync with reality, I mean, the ambiance, nice as it is, is not that great. I would prefer Jalsa anyday to this place for the sheer quality of the food, it is just as expensive or even a tad cheaper, and I feel is better value for money.
(Speaking of which, I visited Jalsa again, and my admiration for the place has only increased. Fantastic ambiance, great service, limited but very high quality menu are its strengths, Bhutta Palak Methi and Dal Makhni are must-haves there).
To summarize, it was a very short visit to Ivy, and I will definitely visit the place to give a fairer opinion, but the prices there certainly will be deterrence for me.
The ambiance inside is quite nice and different, they have a nice waterfall, a bar under a gazebo which looks as if its on the beach and the restaurant itself is on the first floor. I exactly am not sure what facilities are available here, I have heard that the rooms etc are good.
They have a buffet in the afternoons on working days (priced 250+taxes, Mon-Thu, a bit more on fridays. The variety in the buffet was not the greatest, I did not eat as I mentioned earlier, but I did go around to see whats on the table and also suggest 'non spicy' dishes to our visitors. Among the lot, desserts looked good (this was like window shopping, window eating if you can call it that :-)
Since it would be awkward if we did not eat at all, we ordered a non-alcoholic drink and starters. The starter was the venerable vegetable platter, which was very good. The usual stuff, Paneer tikka, Tandoori Gobi, Veg Sheekh Kabab etc had marked their presence. The downside was that I later learnt that this cost an atrocious Rs 400!!! This is way out of sync with reality, I mean, the ambiance, nice as it is, is not that great. I would prefer Jalsa anyday to this place for the sheer quality of the food, it is just as expensive or even a tad cheaper, and I feel is better value for money.
(Speaking of which, I visited Jalsa again, and my admiration for the place has only increased. Fantastic ambiance, great service, limited but very high quality menu are its strengths, Bhutta Palak Methi and Dal Makhni are must-haves there).
To summarize, it was a very short visit to Ivy, and I will definitely visit the place to give a fairer opinion, but the prices there certainly will be deterrence for me.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Roadside chaat in South Bangalore
Roadside chaat (along with bonda,bajjis) is one of the important reasons why I like staying in India, and without a weekly dose of roadside masala puri, I get as desperate as a habitual drug user! I have no qualms of eating on the roadside, and am willing to eat on any gaaDi, provided its been recommended from a well known friend (just never drink water there).
There are two push carts that are particularly good in the Basavanagudi, Jayanagar areas that am familiar with.
The first one is near National College, to be exact, at the junction of Shankar Math road and Vani Vilas road(in front of the Veda Patha Shala). I have been visiting this place for the last 5-6 years, mostly from when I started working since this has always been on the route back home from work. Masala puri is the best, he gets the fundamentals right, i.e, crisp puris, piping hot peas and masala, slightly spicy...and there you have the perfect masala puri!!! Everything is good here, but I prefer the masala puri mainly. It costs just Rs 10 per plate (I think, its been 3 months since I have been here) and is quite hygienic by gaaDi standards!
The second one is near Madhavan park stadium near Jayanagar 3rd block, this is adjacent to the basket ball courts, you cant miss this place as the push cart is always surrounded by atleast 20+ customers, and when it comes to eating, crowds are good, its good to be a part of the crowd. This falls on our route from office now, so over the last 3 months, I have been frequenting this place atleast once a week. Masala puri is the best here as well, I had alu puri which was not quite as good. USP here is the super fast service, its simply amazing, has to be seen to be believed. This place is really really good, I tried pani puri the other day, not particularly great (prefer Pani puri in the North Indian style).
I recommend both these places to gaaDi eaters in case you have'nt been there already, if you have been, no need for me to say another word about the place!
ps: both places, if you go in a car, they will serve you in the car.
There are two push carts that are particularly good in the Basavanagudi, Jayanagar areas that am familiar with.
The first one is near National College, to be exact, at the junction of Shankar Math road and Vani Vilas road(in front of the Veda Patha Shala). I have been visiting this place for the last 5-6 years, mostly from when I started working since this has always been on the route back home from work. Masala puri is the best, he gets the fundamentals right, i.e, crisp puris, piping hot peas and masala, slightly spicy...and there you have the perfect masala puri!!! Everything is good here, but I prefer the masala puri mainly. It costs just Rs 10 per plate (I think, its been 3 months since I have been here) and is quite hygienic by gaaDi standards!
The second one is near Madhavan park stadium near Jayanagar 3rd block, this is adjacent to the basket ball courts, you cant miss this place as the push cart is always surrounded by atleast 20+ customers, and when it comes to eating, crowds are good, its good to be a part of the crowd. This falls on our route from office now, so over the last 3 months, I have been frequenting this place atleast once a week. Masala puri is the best here as well, I had alu puri which was not quite as good. USP here is the super fast service, its simply amazing, has to be seen to be believed. This place is really really good, I tried pani puri the other day, not particularly great (prefer Pani puri in the North Indian style).
I recommend both these places to gaaDi eaters in case you have'nt been there already, if you have been, no need for me to say another word about the place!
ps: both places, if you go in a car, they will serve you in the car.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Bowring Instt Kulfi Stall
I have written about this in several blogs and considering how unbelievably good it is and how little people know about it, I decided to write a blog dedicated to this.
On St Marks road, as one travels from SBI towards MG Road, there is a petrol bunk adjoining the Bowring Institute. In the corner there is a small stall, looks like the typical pan beeda kind of stall, but it is not.
This is the famous kulfi stall, the kulfi here is easily the best in Bangalore(and lot of other places). There are several flavors available, elaichi, pista, pista badam, kesar badam, kesar and khajoor. The cheapest of them is elaichi which costs Rs 13 and the most expensive is khajoor which costs RS 16. Believe it or not, these are tastier than any kulfi I have eaten in any other fancy restaurants. Also, kulfi in these fancy restaurants costs a bomb.
Elaichi is probably my least favourite flavor, it just tastes sweet. The real good ones are pista, pista badam and kesar badam. All the three are simply out-of-this-world. During my previous job, we used to frequent this place a lot, especially during summer when it would become a daily routine.
Another great thing about the place is the way he packs kulfis if you want to take a parcel, he packs kulfis amidst crushed ice and salt, that way the kulfis wont melt for atleast 30min, so you can take it home and store. I have heard that for larger orders, he even freezes the kulfis in a block of ice so that you can carry it farther without fearing melting.
People, you must visit this place to know what I am talking about. Considering the crowds in MG Road, Church St, Brigade Rd etc, am surprised how many people have never been here. It is so so close to 'downtown' Bangalore if I may call it that :-)
On St Marks road, as one travels from SBI towards MG Road, there is a petrol bunk adjoining the Bowring Institute. In the corner there is a small stall, looks like the typical pan beeda kind of stall, but it is not.
This is the famous kulfi stall, the kulfi here is easily the best in Bangalore(and lot of other places). There are several flavors available, elaichi, pista, pista badam, kesar badam, kesar and khajoor. The cheapest of them is elaichi which costs Rs 13 and the most expensive is khajoor which costs RS 16. Believe it or not, these are tastier than any kulfi I have eaten in any other fancy restaurants. Also, kulfi in these fancy restaurants costs a bomb.
Elaichi is probably my least favourite flavor, it just tastes sweet. The real good ones are pista, pista badam and kesar badam. All the three are simply out-of-this-world. During my previous job, we used to frequent this place a lot, especially during summer when it would become a daily routine.
Another great thing about the place is the way he packs kulfis if you want to take a parcel, he packs kulfis amidst crushed ice and salt, that way the kulfis wont melt for atleast 30min, so you can take it home and store. I have heard that for larger orders, he even freezes the kulfis in a block of ice so that you can carry it farther without fearing melting.
People, you must visit this place to know what I am talking about. Considering the crowds in MG Road, Church St, Brigade Rd etc, am surprised how many people have never been here. It is so so close to 'downtown' Bangalore if I may call it that :-)
Cane O'La
This is long overdue, I have always been a big fan of sugarcane juice, started first with Janata stall near Majestic bus stand, during my college days, we would walk from UVCE to Majestic and it was on our way, priced at Rs 5 only!!! The place is still very popular, people may say it is 'unhygienic', I believe that only adds to the appeal!
Ever since I started playing tennis, sugar cane juice at Cane O'La has become very popular as an after game drink., compared to the aerated drinks, this is a wonderfully refreshing natural drink that also is easy on your pocket. One glass of the most hygienic sugar cane I have ever seen(that can ever be) costs Rs 10 which is a steal.
There are several flavors, natural, salt and pepper, chaat masala, lemon, ginger, garlic and I have tried all of them except garlic. My all time favourite is lemon, least favourite is ginger. Somehow the thought of garlic in sugar cane juice is a thing I have not been able to come to terms with!
The pop corn available there is also very good, since I dont go to the movies much, pop corn was non existent in my list of things to eat, since we play during weekends, grabbing pop corn and watching premier league on ESPN-Star has become a regular weekend feature. A bag of pop corn costs Rs 10.
Chikki of various types is available there as well, am yet to try this.
Locations: All over Bangalore, atleast south Bangalore has lots of outlets.
Ever since I started playing tennis, sugar cane juice at Cane O'La has become very popular as an after game drink., compared to the aerated drinks, this is a wonderfully refreshing natural drink that also is easy on your pocket. One glass of the most hygienic sugar cane I have ever seen(that can ever be) costs Rs 10 which is a steal.
There are several flavors, natural, salt and pepper, chaat masala, lemon, ginger, garlic and I have tried all of them except garlic. My all time favourite is lemon, least favourite is ginger. Somehow the thought of garlic in sugar cane juice is a thing I have not been able to come to terms with!
The pop corn available there is also very good, since I dont go to the movies much, pop corn was non existent in my list of things to eat, since we play during weekends, grabbing pop corn and watching premier league on ESPN-Star has become a regular weekend feature. A bag of pop corn costs Rs 10.
Chikki of various types is available there as well, am yet to try this.
Locations: All over Bangalore, atleast south Bangalore has lots of outlets.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Jalsa Junoon
A couple of weeks back, we had an official lunch at Jalsa, a Mughal kind of theme restaurant on outer ring road about 1-2kms from Marathalli bridge towards KR Puram. I was excited to go there since I had heard good things about the place from people and it appeared to be a really fancy place. Entering the place, I felt as if I had entered some Mughal era monument in Agra or some such place. The ambiance is quite different and very pleasant.
It was supposed to be a working lunch, but did not turn out so! People ate with total abandon and it was the fantastic food there which made people just let go and enjoy whats on offer!
Official lunch, so no alcohol. The non-alcoholic drinks seemed good as well, but we skipped it. Since we were a party of 15, the lunch had been 'pre-ordered' for us, which in a way was welcome. I am sick of eating my own choices, so its nice to have someone else order for me.
We started with Tomato Dhaniya shorba which was nice. There was a green salad ordered, am not that great a fan of salads unless am traveling and there is precious little to eat.
Among starters, Chatpati Gobi Mirch stood out, it was quite spicy and nice without it being the ubiquitous Gobi Manchuri! Paneer tikka was nice, very soft and fresh paneer with mint chutney. The third starter was a veg sheekh kabab, probably the Lahori Sabzi Seekh Kabab, this was also very good. Starters get full marks from me, they cost somewhere in the range Rs 175-250. Non veg starters were reportedly great, and sea food platters are supposedly out of this world.
Main course vegetarian dishes we tried were fried okra which was quite good, some bhutta palak methi which was a combination of corn, palak which I simply loved, paneer kurma was delicious, somewhat sweet but very good nonetheless, sabzi miloni handi which was mixed vegetables cooked in garlic flavored spinach gravy...this probably was the pick of them all. If you love spinach/palak, you're going to love this place. The curries cost around 175-250 as well. The portions are reasonably generous.My friend Muninder gave the thumbs up to all the non veg food saying it was extremely good.
Butter naans, tandoori rotis, lachha parathas and kulchas formed the bread and we were all set to eat!!! I thoroughly enjoyed all the food and ate like there was no tomorrow. It is that sort of a place, makes you feel very relaxed and comfortable. The weather was very pleasant that day as well.
When I was all done, they brought veg biriyani which looked extremely tempting, I usually dont like rice items, leave alone biriyani, but I had to try this. It was out of this world, the spice, the flavours, so subtle, so nice...you should try this, whether or not you are a biriyani fan.
Food really is terrific, starters as well as the main course are extremely good.
The menu is somewhat compact in that all the cuisines in the world(read Indian chinese) are not present, but who cares! This is after all a specialty kind of restaurant and what they have is simply fantastic!!!
For desserts, we had kulfi which was very very good. But then, considering the price,Bowring institute stall is still the king of kulfis, the kulfi there tastes as good as this but costs Rs 15!!!! But apart from Bowring Instt kulfi, this is easily the 2nd best I have ever eaten in Bangalore.
Since it was an official lunch, I have no idea of what the bill was :-)
My guess would be that it would be around Rs 500 per head without alcoholic drinks. This is on the upper side, but considering the offering, I feel it is okay.
I would definitely visit the place again given a chance and will wholeheartedly recommend it to friends, family and anyone else who cares to listen!
URL: http://jalsa.co.in/Home.php
Location: Near Doddanekundi, as you drive on the ORR from Sarjapur side to KR Puram, after you cross Marathahalli bridge, you see this after 2-3km on the left side.
It was supposed to be a working lunch, but did not turn out so! People ate with total abandon and it was the fantastic food there which made people just let go and enjoy whats on offer!
Official lunch, so no alcohol. The non-alcoholic drinks seemed good as well, but we skipped it. Since we were a party of 15, the lunch had been 'pre-ordered' for us, which in a way was welcome. I am sick of eating my own choices, so its nice to have someone else order for me.
We started with Tomato Dhaniya shorba which was nice. There was a green salad ordered, am not that great a fan of salads unless am traveling and there is precious little to eat.
Among starters, Chatpati Gobi Mirch stood out, it was quite spicy and nice without it being the ubiquitous Gobi Manchuri! Paneer tikka was nice, very soft and fresh paneer with mint chutney. The third starter was a veg sheekh kabab, probably the Lahori Sabzi Seekh Kabab, this was also very good. Starters get full marks from me, they cost somewhere in the range Rs 175-250. Non veg starters were reportedly great, and sea food platters are supposedly out of this world.
Main course vegetarian dishes we tried were fried okra which was quite good, some bhutta palak methi which was a combination of corn, palak which I simply loved, paneer kurma was delicious, somewhat sweet but very good nonetheless, sabzi miloni handi which was mixed vegetables cooked in garlic flavored spinach gravy...this probably was the pick of them all. If you love spinach/palak, you're going to love this place. The curries cost around 175-250 as well. The portions are reasonably generous.My friend Muninder gave the thumbs up to all the non veg food saying it was extremely good.
Butter naans, tandoori rotis, lachha parathas and kulchas formed the bread and we were all set to eat!!! I thoroughly enjoyed all the food and ate like there was no tomorrow. It is that sort of a place, makes you feel very relaxed and comfortable. The weather was very pleasant that day as well.
When I was all done, they brought veg biriyani which looked extremely tempting, I usually dont like rice items, leave alone biriyani, but I had to try this. It was out of this world, the spice, the flavours, so subtle, so nice...you should try this, whether or not you are a biriyani fan.
Food really is terrific, starters as well as the main course are extremely good.
The menu is somewhat compact in that all the cuisines in the world(read Indian chinese) are not present, but who cares! This is after all a specialty kind of restaurant and what they have is simply fantastic!!!
For desserts, we had kulfi which was very very good. But then, considering the price,Bowring institute stall is still the king of kulfis, the kulfi there tastes as good as this but costs Rs 15!!!! But apart from Bowring Instt kulfi, this is easily the 2nd best I have ever eaten in Bangalore.
Since it was an official lunch, I have no idea of what the bill was :-)
My guess would be that it would be around Rs 500 per head without alcoholic drinks. This is on the upper side, but considering the offering, I feel it is okay.
I would definitely visit the place again given a chance and will wholeheartedly recommend it to friends, family and anyone else who cares to listen!
URL: http://jalsa.co.in/Home.php
Location: Near Doddanekundi, as you drive on the ORR from Sarjapur side to KR Puram, after you cross Marathahalli bridge, you see this after 2-3km on the left side.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
MTR Ready to Eat in Tampere, Finland
Different kind of a blog this time...am currently in Tampere, Finland, and since I knew no one here, as per advice, I was to carry MTR ready to eat packets. Normally, I would not even dream of eating such things, but I was scared into it with stories of how no vegetarian food is available etc. Firstly, vegetarian food is available and for people whose main motive of traveling is not 'saving', you can have more than a decent meal.
Coming back to MTRs, when I saw the varieties, I was confused. The first criteria was that it had to be a self sufficient item, so that ruled out palak paneer, channa masala, etc. I bought pongal, sambar rice, bisibelebaath and rajma chawal.
Of the four, first position goes to sambar rice hands down., it is potato and onions sambar, and when heated properly tastes just like sambar rice in Bangalore :-)
Second position goes to bisibelebaath, it is almost like sambar rice, a tad spicier. Pongal is wholesome and healthy, thanks to mix of pulses and rice. Rajma rice is also quite good.
The other alternative, in case you have brought non rice MTRs is to buy bread according to a colleague, though I must admit the idea of having channa masala with bread does not appeal to me in the least!!!
Cant wait to be back in Bengalooru, namma chandada ooru for more masala puri, bonda, bajji...
Coming back to MTRs, when I saw the varieties, I was confused. The first criteria was that it had to be a self sufficient item, so that ruled out palak paneer, channa masala, etc. I bought pongal, sambar rice, bisibelebaath and rajma chawal.
Of the four, first position goes to sambar rice hands down., it is potato and onions sambar, and when heated properly tastes just like sambar rice in Bangalore :-)
Second position goes to bisibelebaath, it is almost like sambar rice, a tad spicier. Pongal is wholesome and healthy, thanks to mix of pulses and rice. Rajma rice is also quite good.
The other alternative, in case you have brought non rice MTRs is to buy bread according to a colleague, though I must admit the idea of having channa masala with bread does not appeal to me in the least!!!
Cant wait to be back in Bengalooru, namma chandada ooru for more masala puri, bonda, bajji...
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Laajawab
Yesterday night was Radhesh's treat in Laajawab, a somewhat new restaurant in CMH road which I had heard about but not visited. They specialize in Punjabi fare and the menu is admittedly compact(especially if you are used to huge menus like at Shanti Sagar, Koshy's etc).
The ambiance is really good, and since I went on a weekday for dinner, the crowd was not much, you can actually afford not to book on weekdays I guess.
We were six vegetarians for dinner, and though the menu looked limited, I was hoping that whatever is on the menu is really good.
There are just three kinds of soup, tomato shorba, dal shorba and a non veg soup. We ordered tomato shorba, and the portions were generous(despite one by two). It tasted like authentic South Indian rasam. Now, I dont really know how an authentic shorba is supposed to be like, but this was good!
For starters, we ordered three since all of them looked rather inviting. The omni present Paneer tikka(was really good, very high quality paneer), Tandoori Gobi(was ok, not special, I like the one in Treat better) and another starter consisting of spinach and cottage cheese(forgotten the name already, but this was quite good). Probably, a platter would give a better idea of how the starters are, and one can order more of the best ones. Starters are all priced around the Rs175-Rs200 range.
For the main course, since I have recently become calorie conscious again, I ordered plain tandoori roti(good soft rotis), instead of the butter naans and stuffed kulchas which looked delicious. The vegetable kadai was good but a tad too spicy(no complaints there!). The other curry was something consisting of cottage cheese in a cashew gravy with kesar(forgot the name, but really rich!). This was very nice and somewhat sweetish, this complemented the spicy kadai veg perfectly well. Diced and pickled onions for salad was great as well.
Finally, the desserts! They have some pretty cool items like the paan flavored ice cream(which was supposedly very good acc to my friends). I had a gulab gulkand ice cream which was very different and very nice. There were the usual suspects like jamoon, rasmalai etc. Considering that our desserts were quite good, am sure most of the deserts are good here.
All in all, it cost us roughly Rs 400 per head, and I would consider this a tad expensive. But the food was really nice, ambiance pleasant and service quite attentive. They have valet parking(which is a must in Indiranagar I guess).
If you are in the mood for some good Punjabi food, I would recommend at least one visit wholeheartedly.
Location: CMH Road, after Chinmaya Mission Hospital, before the 100 feet road(so no Metro mess if you come from Airport road/JB nagar side).
I would rate the food as very good, say 7/10, the downside being that it is a bit pricey.
PS: Considering the variety is rather limited, I am not sure how the afternoon weekday buffet is, it costs Rs 249.
The ambiance is really good, and since I went on a weekday for dinner, the crowd was not much, you can actually afford not to book on weekdays I guess.
We were six vegetarians for dinner, and though the menu looked limited, I was hoping that whatever is on the menu is really good.
There are just three kinds of soup, tomato shorba, dal shorba and a non veg soup. We ordered tomato shorba, and the portions were generous(despite one by two). It tasted like authentic South Indian rasam. Now, I dont really know how an authentic shorba is supposed to be like, but this was good!
For starters, we ordered three since all of them looked rather inviting. The omni present Paneer tikka(was really good, very high quality paneer), Tandoori Gobi(was ok, not special, I like the one in Treat better) and another starter consisting of spinach and cottage cheese(forgotten the name already, but this was quite good). Probably, a platter would give a better idea of how the starters are, and one can order more of the best ones. Starters are all priced around the Rs175-Rs200 range.
For the main course, since I have recently become calorie conscious again, I ordered plain tandoori roti(good soft rotis), instead of the butter naans and stuffed kulchas which looked delicious. The vegetable kadai was good but a tad too spicy(no complaints there!). The other curry was something consisting of cottage cheese in a cashew gravy with kesar(forgot the name, but really rich!). This was very nice and somewhat sweetish, this complemented the spicy kadai veg perfectly well. Diced and pickled onions for salad was great as well.
Finally, the desserts! They have some pretty cool items like the paan flavored ice cream(which was supposedly very good acc to my friends). I had a gulab gulkand ice cream which was very different and very nice. There were the usual suspects like jamoon, rasmalai etc. Considering that our desserts were quite good, am sure most of the deserts are good here.
All in all, it cost us roughly Rs 400 per head, and I would consider this a tad expensive. But the food was really nice, ambiance pleasant and service quite attentive. They have valet parking(which is a must in Indiranagar I guess).
If you are in the mood for some good Punjabi food, I would recommend at least one visit wholeheartedly.
Location: CMH Road, after Chinmaya Mission Hospital, before the 100 feet road(so no Metro mess if you come from Airport road/JB nagar side).
I would rate the food as very good, say 7/10, the downside being that it is a bit pricey.
PS: Considering the variety is rather limited, I am not sure how the afternoon weekday buffet is, it costs Rs 249.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Paratha Plaza --- a parathas paradise
Last week, there was a get together in the speech and audio group IISc on the occasion of teachers' day. After the lovely get together, we had to select a place for lunch. While some headed towards Nesara, the restaurant inside IISc campus, some of us headed for Paratha Plaza in Sanjaynagar.
I started eating at this place about 5 years back, and even now, each time I think of it, I look forward to it as ever. This place as the name suggests sells only (veg) parathas, nothing else. Sweet and spicy chutneys, with butter and curd go well with the parathas, none of the usual rich, oily North Indian curries here, these curries are so strong that they will mask the taste of the lovely parathas. I feel you need those strong curries if the parathas are not good enough to be eaten with butter and curd!
I have eaten parathas at quite a few famous places, including Lalithas in Bangalore, including places in Old Delhi, Mumbai, etc but have till date found nothing to beat this. There is a photo of Gautham Gambhir eating parathas at this place near the cashier's desk (a celeb Delhiite eating parathas at a nondescript place in Sanjayanagar is a good enough indication how good it must be!!!)
You get the most mind boggling varieties here, approximately 25 types atleast. All yummy permutation-combinations of potatos, onion, paneer, tomato, gobi, palak, methi, baby corn, sweet corn, chillies, pepper, malai, peas, etc etc. The names of the parathas are very unique, so they 'stick' in your mind.
Some of the favourites are Onion delight(heavenly for people who love onions), 3M-Methi Matar Malai, Aloo.com Potato Onion Peas, Gobi delite Gobi onion tomato, Pepper checker cheese+pepper, 50-50 potato+paneer, good ol' Gobi paratha....the list goes on and on.
Despite the innumerable visits, am yet to try out all of them, the problem is that the ones I have already eaten are so damn good that I almost never feel like trying the others.
Wash all this down with lassi which is excellent. Sweets like jamoon are supposed to be very good, I have never had them...I get good jamoons at many places(KC Das for eg), when in PP, I stick to parathas. I have heard that the omlette is exceptionally good(yeah, egg is served here).
Parathas cost about Rs20-Rs50, a meal for two will cost you a max of Rs 200 (assuming 2-3 parathas per head with butter, curd and lassi).
Update: Earlier the place was in a simple shop kind of shed, where one would go scurring for cover if it rained...now with roaring business(no surprises there) they have moved to a better place right next door.
Location: On Sanjaynagar main road, if you approach from Malleshwaram on BEL road, turn right near Ramaiah hospital on teh 80 feet road, when this hits Sanjaynagar main road, take a left, you see PP on the right side. If coming on new airport road/Bellary road, cross Mekhri circle towards Hebbal and take a left onto Sanjaynagar main road. The place comes before Geddalahalli bus stop on Sanjaynagar on the right side.
I started eating at this place about 5 years back, and even now, each time I think of it, I look forward to it as ever. This place as the name suggests sells only (veg) parathas, nothing else. Sweet and spicy chutneys, with butter and curd go well with the parathas, none of the usual rich, oily North Indian curries here, these curries are so strong that they will mask the taste of the lovely parathas. I feel you need those strong curries if the parathas are not good enough to be eaten with butter and curd!
I have eaten parathas at quite a few famous places, including Lalithas in Bangalore, including places in Old Delhi, Mumbai, etc but have till date found nothing to beat this. There is a photo of Gautham Gambhir eating parathas at this place near the cashier's desk (a celeb Delhiite eating parathas at a nondescript place in Sanjayanagar is a good enough indication how good it must be!!!)
You get the most mind boggling varieties here, approximately 25 types atleast. All yummy permutation-combinations of potatos, onion, paneer, tomato, gobi, palak, methi, baby corn, sweet corn, chillies, pepper, malai, peas, etc etc. The names of the parathas are very unique, so they 'stick' in your mind.
Some of the favourites are Onion delight(heavenly for people who love onions), 3M-Methi Matar Malai, Aloo.com Potato Onion Peas, Gobi delite Gobi onion tomato, Pepper checker cheese+pepper, 50-50 potato+paneer, good ol' Gobi paratha....the list goes on and on.
Despite the innumerable visits, am yet to try out all of them, the problem is that the ones I have already eaten are so damn good that I almost never feel like trying the others.
Wash all this down with lassi which is excellent. Sweets like jamoon are supposed to be very good, I have never had them...I get good jamoons at many places(KC Das for eg), when in PP, I stick to parathas. I have heard that the omlette is exceptionally good(yeah, egg is served here).
Parathas cost about Rs20-Rs50, a meal for two will cost you a max of Rs 200 (assuming 2-3 parathas per head with butter, curd and lassi).
Update: Earlier the place was in a simple shop kind of shed, where one would go scurring for cover if it rained...now with roaring business(no surprises there) they have moved to a better place right next door.
Location: On Sanjaynagar main road, if you approach from Malleshwaram on BEL road, turn right near Ramaiah hospital on teh 80 feet road, when this hits Sanjaynagar main road, take a left, you see PP on the right side. If coming on new airport road/Bellary road, cross Mekhri circle towards Hebbal and take a left onto Sanjaynagar main road. The place comes before Geddalahalli bus stop on Sanjaynagar on the right side.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Lunch at Queens
Fridays are eagerly awaited in our gang at work, we usually head out for lunch on fridays, the weekend mood will be setting in. This friday we were to choose between Queens and Angeethi, I had attended a party on thursday and had a heavy dinner late in the night, so did not want a buffet...so Queens it was. I had been to Queens long back but had reserved my opinion since I did not have a great time (probably I was a bit p***ed with the waiting outside).
Surprisingly, the restaurant was just about full at 1:15pm when we went there(instead of the usual, which means there is a big crowd outside), we gave our orders outside while we waited for a table to clear (this is common at Queens, you order while you wait, so that once you are in, you get straight to business). A gang of 8, comprising 6 non vegetarians and only 2 vegetarians...Queens I have heard is one of the few places where veg food is atleast as good as non veg food (unlike last week's experience @ Koshy's Jewel Box).
Queens is a no-frills North Indian food place...so no non-north Indian stuff like soups etc. The vegetarian starter we ordered was Aloo Chilly...it was deep friend potato cubes with a lot of spice, I loved it, it was served hot, was spicy(a tad too much for some), the chutney that came with it was not spicy, so it was a good combination. There are the usual starters like Gobi Manchurian, etc...I was not in a mood to eat...I was tempted by the different chaat offerings...but again, I was not in my usual form...so it was only one starter, the non veg gang ordered 3 starters.
For the main course, we ordered 2 phulkas and 1 gobi parantha each (the vegetarians that is) and ordered two veg curries since the others wanted them too.... as my friend Chandra would say, "we are non vegetarians, but we also eat vegetarian food"!
We ordered a Malai Mutter and a Nargisi Kofta...the latter was really good, it was potato and paneer kofta in a red gravy, malai mutter was nice as well...most curries cost around Rs 100 each approx...the portions are generous, so it is somewhat reasonable.
The food was really delicious...I would love to Queens again when am in the mood for it and try out the other things...the menu is rather small, but then, whatever is on the menu, is mighty good...so no complaints there.
The Gobi parantha was really good...recommend everyone to try this, after Paratha Plaza(in Sanjay Nagar), this is the best parantha I have had (yeah, better than Lalitha's acc to me).
We ordered sweet lassi which was really watery...too much ice I felt, it was more like good old south Indian "majjige"(buttermilk) as opposed to the rich lassis we have come to expect of North Indian restaurants., considering that am not working out as regularly now, it was a blessing in disguise ;-)
For the 8 of us, the bill was around 2000 which was okay(considering 6 of them had non veg food, and they really did seem to enjoy it quite a bit), again, it is not cheap, for someone really hungry and for whom variety matters a lot, a buffet may be a better option for lunch.
Location: Church Street opp Brigade Gardens, its really nondescript, so easy to miss it.
Pros: No nonsense, good North Indian food, somewhat reasonable prices considering the location
Cons: Always crowded, seating area too small and congested'
Final verdict: A big thumbs up, definitely recommend the restaurant if you have not been there...I would go there again...and again and again.....
Surprisingly, the restaurant was just about full at 1:15pm when we went there(instead of the usual, which means there is a big crowd outside), we gave our orders outside while we waited for a table to clear (this is common at Queens, you order while you wait, so that once you are in, you get straight to business). A gang of 8, comprising 6 non vegetarians and only 2 vegetarians...Queens I have heard is one of the few places where veg food is atleast as good as non veg food (unlike last week's experience @ Koshy's Jewel Box).
Queens is a no-frills North Indian food place...so no non-north Indian stuff like soups etc. The vegetarian starter we ordered was Aloo Chilly...it was deep friend potato cubes with a lot of spice, I loved it, it was served hot, was spicy(a tad too much for some), the chutney that came with it was not spicy, so it was a good combination. There are the usual starters like Gobi Manchurian, etc...I was not in a mood to eat...I was tempted by the different chaat offerings...but again, I was not in my usual form...so it was only one starter, the non veg gang ordered 3 starters.
For the main course, we ordered 2 phulkas and 1 gobi parantha each (the vegetarians that is) and ordered two veg curries since the others wanted them too.... as my friend Chandra would say, "we are non vegetarians, but we also eat vegetarian food"!
We ordered a Malai Mutter and a Nargisi Kofta...the latter was really good, it was potato and paneer kofta in a red gravy, malai mutter was nice as well...most curries cost around Rs 100 each approx...the portions are generous, so it is somewhat reasonable.
The food was really delicious...I would love to Queens again when am in the mood for it and try out the other things...the menu is rather small, but then, whatever is on the menu, is mighty good...so no complaints there.
The Gobi parantha was really good...recommend everyone to try this, after Paratha Plaza(in Sanjay Nagar), this is the best parantha I have had (yeah, better than Lalitha's acc to me).
We ordered sweet lassi which was really watery...too much ice I felt, it was more like good old south Indian "majjige"(buttermilk) as opposed to the rich lassis we have come to expect of North Indian restaurants., considering that am not working out as regularly now, it was a blessing in disguise ;-)
For the 8 of us, the bill was around 2000 which was okay(considering 6 of them had non veg food, and they really did seem to enjoy it quite a bit), again, it is not cheap, for someone really hungry and for whom variety matters a lot, a buffet may be a better option for lunch.
Location: Church Street opp Brigade Gardens, its really nondescript, so easy to miss it.
Pros: No nonsense, good North Indian food, somewhat reasonable prices considering the location
Cons: Always crowded, seating area too small and congested'
Final verdict: A big thumbs up, definitely recommend the restaurant if you have not been there...I would go there again...and again and again.....
Friday, August 21, 2009
KC Das, St Marks Road
When I joined Insilica, Sujit and Muninder introduced me to KC Das. I had ofcourse heard about KC Das, but thought of it merely as a good sweet stall. In the last two years, I think I go there for lunch or snacks(somewhat heavy snacks) atleast once in 1-2 months. The ambience etc is not the draw of the place, the food is! Wish I could say that about all eateries...well, what do you eat there? Here goes...
Start with a samosa or singara/kachori/cutlet (they have this cutlet made of paneer, capsicum, etc, I am not sure what it is called, and it is rarely available, but when it is, it is first choice). These are served with sweet chutney. As I say, it need not be samosa or kachori or cutlet, it can well be 'and' ;-)
The main course, if it can be called that, is the variety of pooris, these are simply fantastic, straight from the frying pan, fresh and hot, I can vouch for the oil they use, it almost feels healthier than at home :D
All the pooris are served with baby potato curry and dal, Bengali style (somewhat sweetish, which I love). There are three varieties of pooris I have tried and I love them all (no or, and as I mentioned earlier). First is the plain luchi or simple poori, second is the hing kachori which is poori with lots of hing/asofeitida which I like and the third is the stuffed alu poori. The last two, I believe are KC Das specials, not seen it anywhere else (ofcourse, not been to authentic Bengali restaurants other than 6 Ballygunje place long back). These can be quite filling.
Last and most important is....the sweets!!! The ones I have tried: Jamoon (all 3 types, roughly corresponding to rare, medium, welldone), Rossomanjari, Rossogollas, Rajbhog, Khirkadam, Probhubhog, Mishti Dahi....there are so many that remain on my list :-)
Among the above, Jamoon is a classic, it is simply mouth watering...never tasted Jamoon as good as this. Rossomanjari, Khirkadam, Rajbhog, Probhubhog in that order followed by Rossogolla are my choices.
The best thing about Bengali sweets are that they are the healthiest among all types of sweets, they are usually milk and sugar, thats it, not too much ghee, cashew etc. This was told to me by a cousin who's a doctor., so I believe it!!!
And the best part, the bill for all this, i.e., samosa/kachori/cutlet, pooris, 1-2 sweets comes to around Rs 40-60 per head max !!!! and it is filling.
Start with a samosa or singara/kachori/cutlet (they have this cutlet made of paneer, capsicum, etc, I am not sure what it is called, and it is rarely available, but when it is, it is first choice). These are served with sweet chutney. As I say, it need not be samosa or kachori or cutlet, it can well be 'and' ;-)
The main course, if it can be called that, is the variety of pooris, these are simply fantastic, straight from the frying pan, fresh and hot, I can vouch for the oil they use, it almost feels healthier than at home :D
All the pooris are served with baby potato curry and dal, Bengali style (somewhat sweetish, which I love). There are three varieties of pooris I have tried and I love them all (no or, and as I mentioned earlier). First is the plain luchi or simple poori, second is the hing kachori which is poori with lots of hing/asofeitida which I like and the third is the stuffed alu poori. The last two, I believe are KC Das specials, not seen it anywhere else (ofcourse, not been to authentic Bengali restaurants other than 6 Ballygunje place long back). These can be quite filling.
Last and most important is....the sweets!!! The ones I have tried: Jamoon (all 3 types, roughly corresponding to rare, medium, welldone), Rossomanjari, Rossogollas, Rajbhog, Khirkadam, Probhubhog, Mishti Dahi....there are so many that remain on my list :-)
Among the above, Jamoon is a classic, it is simply mouth watering...never tasted Jamoon as good as this. Rossomanjari, Khirkadam, Rajbhog, Probhubhog in that order followed by Rossogolla are my choices.
The best thing about Bengali sweets are that they are the healthiest among all types of sweets, they are usually milk and sugar, thats it, not too much ghee, cashew etc. This was told to me by a cousin who's a doctor., so I believe it!!!
And the best part, the bill for all this, i.e., samosa/kachori/cutlet, pooris, 1-2 sweets comes to around Rs 40-60 per head max !!!! and it is filling.
Lunch at Koshy's
Usually on most fridays, we plan to go out for lunch (from work) and since our office is in a very upmarket area (Lavelle road), choices are plentiful. One that had been missed in the last two years is Koshy's which is one of the oldest, classiest restaurants in that part of town, the Jewel Box. This is the AC restaurant which is not so much the happening place as the non-AC part which is always crowded with people, and usually smoke is hanging in the air all the time.
I had been to Koshy's earlier with a friend from Emuzed, and he used to be a big fan of the non-veg food there, at that time, I did not think too highly of the veg fare. So, I was more than delighted to visit the place and have a relook.
The ambience in the Jewel Box is extremely classy, very nice, and the service is simply fantastic, very attentive yet non intrusive. The menu is quite big though be warned that 95% of it is devoted to non-veg food. We were four veg and four non-veg in the gang, and the latter were smacking their lips in anticipation while the four of us were somewhat wary on whether coming here was the right choice after all!
We wanted french onion soup but were told it cannot be split, so tomato soup it was! The soup was quite pedestrian in my opinion, lacking in salt...so we had to exhaust the salt and pepper placed on the table (btw others felt the same too). For starters, we did quite a bit of searching, there practically is nothing in the menu for vegetarians...so you could say the starters were a non-starter for us veggies.
As we were about to order the main course, we were informed that the usual suspects were all there but somehow not quite visible on the menu...baby corn, gobi, paneer - manchurian, chilly, etc. Baby corn manchurian it was, and man it packed a punch or what !!!! It was spicy and good, made up for the dull and lacklusture soup.
The non veg starters apparently simply phenomenal, they loved it!
For the main course, we ordered kulchas which were really good and two curries, veg malai kofta(which had a very watery gravy) and good ol' paneer butter masala(this was the better of the two). But, the food most unfortunately was not great., so we ordered a vegetable biriyani which was recommended by a colleague. As it is, am not a fan of rice items, and this definitely reaffirmed my taste, the others said it was fairly good.
The desserts sounded good, but we wanted to have the kulfis at the famous Bowring stall near the petrol bunk on St Marks road (not only is the taste familiar and out-of-this-world, it is very light on the pocket at Rs 16-18 per kulfi, easily the best in Bangalore).
But overall, I would recommend vegetarians to stay away. It cost us quite a bit, Rs 300 per head on an average (four veg, four non veg). For Rs 300 per head, we could have had a good sumptuous buffet at the numerous places in Church street and around.
I know how big Koshy's is among the restaurants and the famous high profile clientele (including Mr Azim Premji who's supposed to go there for breakfast every sunday), but 99% I am not going back there.
The food was not great...that is the bottomline. I admit that my opinion is somewhat biased. A vegetarian going to Koshy's and complaining is probably like a South Indian going to Jallandhar and complaining about Idlis and Rasam.
I had been to Koshy's earlier with a friend from Emuzed, and he used to be a big fan of the non-veg food there, at that time, I did not think too highly of the veg fare. So, I was more than delighted to visit the place and have a relook.
The ambience in the Jewel Box is extremely classy, very nice, and the service is simply fantastic, very attentive yet non intrusive. The menu is quite big though be warned that 95% of it is devoted to non-veg food. We were four veg and four non-veg in the gang, and the latter were smacking their lips in anticipation while the four of us were somewhat wary on whether coming here was the right choice after all!
We wanted french onion soup but were told it cannot be split, so tomato soup it was! The soup was quite pedestrian in my opinion, lacking in salt...so we had to exhaust the salt and pepper placed on the table (btw others felt the same too). For starters, we did quite a bit of searching, there practically is nothing in the menu for vegetarians...so you could say the starters were a non-starter for us veggies.
As we were about to order the main course, we were informed that the usual suspects were all there but somehow not quite visible on the menu...baby corn, gobi, paneer - manchurian, chilly, etc. Baby corn manchurian it was, and man it packed a punch or what !!!! It was spicy and good, made up for the dull and lacklusture soup.
The non veg starters apparently simply phenomenal, they loved it!
For the main course, we ordered kulchas which were really good and two curries, veg malai kofta(which had a very watery gravy) and good ol' paneer butter masala(this was the better of the two). But, the food most unfortunately was not great., so we ordered a vegetable biriyani which was recommended by a colleague. As it is, am not a fan of rice items, and this definitely reaffirmed my taste, the others said it was fairly good.
The desserts sounded good, but we wanted to have the kulfis at the famous Bowring stall near the petrol bunk on St Marks road (not only is the taste familiar and out-of-this-world, it is very light on the pocket at Rs 16-18 per kulfi, easily the best in Bangalore).
But overall, I would recommend vegetarians to stay away. It cost us quite a bit, Rs 300 per head on an average (four veg, four non veg). For Rs 300 per head, we could have had a good sumptuous buffet at the numerous places in Church street and around.
I know how big Koshy's is among the restaurants and the famous high profile clientele (including Mr Azim Premji who's supposed to go there for breakfast every sunday), but 99% I am not going back there.
The food was not great...that is the bottomline. I admit that my opinion is somewhat biased. A vegetarian going to Koshy's and complaining is probably like a South Indian going to Jallandhar and complaining about Idlis and Rasam.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Mint Masala
I visited the 'new' restaurant near Bhashyam Circle, Sadashivnagar, Mint Masala is supposedly housed in the same building in which Shanti Sagar earlier was. The occasion was to celebrate one of my good friends Chandra joining the Electrical Engineering Dept in IISc as faculty. He had been evading treats all through his PhD, so we were keen to extract a big one! I was recommended to this place by a colleague, we had to visit a 'veg only' restaurant(some ppl are very insistent, not me!), I was warned it might be on the expensive side though. So full of expectation at the good food, we headed to Mint Masala.
I loved the decor and the interiors, the whole thing looks very contemporary and aesthetic.
For the soup, I chose a Sweet and Sour Szechuan soup (half) and the portion was generous. The soup was decent, nothing too great, but then not bad at all. My friends tried other soups, cream of tomato, potato and leek and Mint Masala special veg soup, everybody seemed reasonably happy with their soup. The soups are in the range Rs 90 - 120 approx.
For starters, Chandra suggesed we choose Cheese Cherry and Pineapple Sticks, a very nice contienental something light to eat acc to him, which according to me was a rip-off, pieces of plain cheese with a piece of pineapple pierced on a toothpick like thing. Better avoid this, there are much better starters here. To get a better sampling, we decided to order a platter which was very nice. The Veg Seekh Kabab was great. Hara bhara kabab was nice(though I prefer the one in Raaga which I think is a bit better). Paneer tikka was disappointing, a restaurant that looks as fancy as this does should have really soft and fresh paneer, it was not bad, but then it was not that great either. In addition to the platter, we ordered Veg Seekh Kabab since it seemed to be the favourite among items in the platter. We got some masala papads as well.
For the main course, 3 of us decided to stick to Indian fare while the others decided to go for contienental. The menu for contienental looks small, but appealing. The Indian fare gang decided for methi rotis and Achari Dum Aloo, they were both very good, people did not want paneer and after the rather pedestrian Paneer tikka, I was fine with it.
The bread selection for North Indian food and the curries look great, I hope to go again sometime when am more in the mood for hogging and sample the others.
For contienental main course, we chose baby corn/mushroom gratin, vegetable moussaka with aubergines/egg plant and something else which I dont remember. The gratin was quite nice, I quite liked it. The moussaka was the big hit, this was basically garlic bread with the moussaka which is something like a salad, it was out of this world, the flavor, aroma, taste, seasoning was out-of-this-world. I usually am a very hard-to-please person before I dish out the good adjectives, but this was great, and Avinash had ordered this and was requesting everyone to finish it, and I was glad I listened to him!
Desserts easily were the most exotic part of the whole menu. Several of us had dates pancakes with ice cream, this is a date pancake(duh!) coated with caramel, served hot with ice cream. One should eat it with the ice cream and it tastes great. The honey noodles with ice cream were not exactly great according to Pramod who had ordered it and was greedily eyeing others' desserts. The shahi tukda also looked good, though I did not taste it.
The dates paan given at the end of the meal was something totally new, I do not eat paan, so had left it, then someone told me that it was not the usual meetha pan and that it was something different. It was nice.
Coming to the bill...this is where it hurts a bit, it cost on an average 500-550 per head for the meal I just described. It was a tad on the higher side, but since we knew of this, the shock was'nt too bad (or it was maybe because i was not paying ;-)).
Sumamrizing, it is a good restaurant, will whole heartedly recommend it, worth atleast one visit, I liked it. But it is not exactly economical, so it is unlikely that I will go there whenever I feel like eating out, it seems to be more of a place where one should go to celebrate an occasion, an aniversary, a birthday, etc, then we'll not feel so guilty about the bill!
Directions: From Malleshwaram side, come on Sankey road adjacent to the Sankey tank, when you reach Bhashyam circle, take the extreme left (not 90 deg left) and the restaurant is almost on the junction itself. There is plenty of parking in the roads nearby.
I loved the decor and the interiors, the whole thing looks very contemporary and aesthetic.
For the soup, I chose a Sweet and Sour Szechuan soup (half) and the portion was generous. The soup was decent, nothing too great, but then not bad at all. My friends tried other soups, cream of tomato, potato and leek and Mint Masala special veg soup, everybody seemed reasonably happy with their soup. The soups are in the range Rs 90 - 120 approx.
For starters, Chandra suggesed we choose Cheese Cherry and Pineapple Sticks, a very nice contienental something light to eat acc to him, which according to me was a rip-off, pieces of plain cheese with a piece of pineapple pierced on a toothpick like thing. Better avoid this, there are much better starters here. To get a better sampling, we decided to order a platter which was very nice. The Veg Seekh Kabab was great. Hara bhara kabab was nice(though I prefer the one in Raaga which I think is a bit better). Paneer tikka was disappointing, a restaurant that looks as fancy as this does should have really soft and fresh paneer, it was not bad, but then it was not that great either. In addition to the platter, we ordered Veg Seekh Kabab since it seemed to be the favourite among items in the platter. We got some masala papads as well.
For the main course, 3 of us decided to stick to Indian fare while the others decided to go for contienental. The menu for contienental looks small, but appealing. The Indian fare gang decided for methi rotis and Achari Dum Aloo, they were both very good, people did not want paneer and after the rather pedestrian Paneer tikka, I was fine with it.
The bread selection for North Indian food and the curries look great, I hope to go again sometime when am more in the mood for hogging and sample the others.
For contienental main course, we chose baby corn/mushroom gratin, vegetable moussaka with aubergines/egg plant and something else which I dont remember. The gratin was quite nice, I quite liked it. The moussaka was the big hit, this was basically garlic bread with the moussaka which is something like a salad, it was out of this world, the flavor, aroma, taste, seasoning was out-of-this-world. I usually am a very hard-to-please person before I dish out the good adjectives, but this was great, and Avinash had ordered this and was requesting everyone to finish it, and I was glad I listened to him!
Desserts easily were the most exotic part of the whole menu. Several of us had dates pancakes with ice cream, this is a date pancake(duh!) coated with caramel, served hot with ice cream. One should eat it with the ice cream and it tastes great. The honey noodles with ice cream were not exactly great according to Pramod who had ordered it and was greedily eyeing others' desserts. The shahi tukda also looked good, though I did not taste it.
The dates paan given at the end of the meal was something totally new, I do not eat paan, so had left it, then someone told me that it was not the usual meetha pan and that it was something different. It was nice.
Coming to the bill...this is where it hurts a bit, it cost on an average 500-550 per head for the meal I just described. It was a tad on the higher side, but since we knew of this, the shock was'nt too bad (or it was maybe because i was not paying ;-)).
Sumamrizing, it is a good restaurant, will whole heartedly recommend it, worth atleast one visit, I liked it. But it is not exactly economical, so it is unlikely that I will go there whenever I feel like eating out, it seems to be more of a place where one should go to celebrate an occasion, an aniversary, a birthday, etc, then we'll not feel so guilty about the bill!
Directions: From Malleshwaram side, come on Sankey road adjacent to the Sankey tank, when you reach Bhashyam circle, take the extreme left (not 90 deg left) and the restaurant is almost on the junction itself. There is plenty of parking in the roads nearby.
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