Month: July 2013

Searching for the elusive Albert Bakery and other Iftar Tales (MM Road, Bangalore)

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It’s the holy month of Ramazan and I could not have been further from pious. My days were filled with longing for the many delicacies that dotted the stretch from Mosque Road to MM Road in Frazer town. The original planning party placed a covenant for meeting on Saturday, with a rider ‘depends on the weather’. But I was determined come rain or shine, that I will be there at 5:30 pm at the elusive Albert Bakery to start my journey to food heaven. I say elusive because even though Alberts is a very popular landmark in Frazer Town, we missed it last year during our Iftaar (breaking of the fast) walk. It’s quite a nondescript little hoarding, placed slightly inside the actual line of shops on Mosque road and it closes as soon as it’s goodies are sold out. But this time, since we were planning to meet early (Iftaar generally starts at sun down), I was hoping we would be lucky to taste their famous Khova Naan – a ramazan speciality! I give …

Sussegado – Goan Food Festival @ LIDO (Hyatt, Bangalore)

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My love for seafood is a direct result of Goan cuisine. There’s nothing I like better than good prawn curry rice or a pomfret recheado or a kane rawa fry. I’m not Goan by birth…not by a good 485 kms 567 kms, but I love that place and it’s sussegado (laid back) culture like my own! So when a friend invited me to the Hyatt for the Goan Food Festival, it was hard to say no. Especially because the delicacies on offer were from the kitchen of Chef Edrige Vaz from Casa Sarita at the Park Hyatt, Goa! My biggest grouse that night was the mood lighting. Apart from the fact that I wasn’t with my better half, it also didn’t make for the best photographs! (Sorry S…it’s the truth J) But I shall choose to regale you with my tangy tale nevertheless. Amuse Bouche was a Rissois de Camarao – a beautiful half moon shaped fried dumpling. Filled with a mildly spiced prawn mixture and served with a smudge of chilli sauce, it was …

Surprise at Linx (Premier Inn, Whitefield, Bangalore)

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I work in Whitefield. And I can’t wait to get away from it and rush home for dinner. So it goes without saying, that the only places I’ve tried in Whitefield are lunchtime escapades. Even lunch is generally in my office food-court, except for those Friday team lunch days where we venture out into the vicinity, to check out the overpriced, overrated buffets that most restaurants offer! Me heading out to Premier Inn, for a Friday night dinner, surprised most of my colleagues. But I have to admit, that the person most surprised at the end of the meal was me! Honest, down-to-earth good food at a great price point. Can’t really fault that now can we? I was supposed to meet the CaL table members at 7:30 pm at Linx – their multi cuisine restaurant. My office is exactly 1.5 km away. So even calculating the worst possible traffic jam, I estimated 15 mins to get there. It’s amazing how the universe conspired against me – It took me half hour to get there! …

Tandoori Chicken – without a Tandoor

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I don’t make Tandoori Chicken at home. When you can order the same off the restaurant across the road, it somehow seems pointless. Especially because the restaurant boasts of a tandoor (clay oven) and I don’t. And I would be a fraud to make this at home and call it ‘tandoori’ chicken when in fact – there was no tandoor to make it in! So after struggling with this notion and willfully desisting from even venturing in that direction – the co-resident broke all the rules. He was having a barbeque party and could I please marinate some chicken for it? Sure I said, ‘What marinade do you want?’ Tandoori marinade, he cooed.  *Gasp, splutter, shaking the head in disbelief and denial*. Why don’t you just buy it off *insert name of restaurant here*, I asked. Because for a barbeque party you need to barbeque, not buy stuff and besides it’s not like you will be grilling it, just marinating it, he insisted. Sigh… that logic was sound and I’m a true believer in good …

Amiamo La Pizza – Fall in love with Pizza @ Mezzaluna (Movenpick Hotel & Spa Bangalore, BEL Circle)

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Pizza! Not the rolled-out-of-your-backyard Pizza Hut one, but the really good Italian, wood fired thin crust, topped with fantastic cheese and fresh herb variety! I mean seriously, how can you not fall in love with that one? That’s exactly what ‘Amiamo La Pizza’ means and that’s exactly what I did – fall in love with it! I generally reserve my opinions till the end of the post, but this one deserves special mention – it blew my mind and captured my heart (not to mention the little pirouette my taste buds did!). Movenpick Hotel & Spa is hosting a gourmet pizza festival at their Italian fine-dining restaurant – Mezzaluna till the 21st of July. (Open for dinner). They have carefully put together a menu of pizzas from different regions of Italy which they have paired with wines from Moncaro. The pizzas are also offered with the choice of regular white or whole wheat crust. (I was skeptical of a whole wheat base, but once I tried it I was a convert.  It somehow tasted more …

La Tagliatella and a Girls Night out (Now Closed :( )

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A dinner date with the girls is never just a dinner date. It a rambunctious event! When eleven women meet for dinner, rest assured that’s where the party is! We chose La Tagliatella – the Italian chain restaurant. 100ft road Indiranagar (where else?) houses the first one in Bangalore and the second one in the country (Delhi’s Vasant Kunj was the first). I had already dined at their Barcelona outfit and was prepared to make space for huge portions and home style hearty Italian food. What I was unprepared for was completely missing the restaurant next to Sony world and driving around in circles. (That’s your hint – it’s next to Sony World!). I arrived half hour later than the appointed time and no one believed my story. They claimed I had to be blind to miss the huge sign and the ‘we are now open’ banner. Sigh…! The décor can be a little too much at first glance (ok – it’s actually TOO much), but it’s in line with the rest of the chains. …