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.....
Friday, August 28, 2009
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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