The classic and the contemporary get a refreshing spin with the new menu at the Polo Club. Chef Ajit Raman and Hitesh Pant have created magic with simple, fresh ingredients that reflect the new look of the revamped cafe. Overlooking the lush gardens, the Polo Club has always hit the ambience jackpot. Now the menu will do it justice as well!
It’s like Kormangala is blessed (or cursed) to churn out new restaurants and cafes every week. The latest to be birthed in 5th Block, is Ministry of Pizza. A bright and sunny ambience combined with a live pizza station and light-on-the-pocket prices makes this a perfect addition to the area. If you get tired of waiting for a table at the ‘other pizza joint’ that’s popular with teeny boppers and offers unlimited Pizza – head on over to MOP. You’ll get a more relaxed experience at the same price!
Let’s get it out of the way. Sanchos is now Sanchez. Their new menu is decidedly hip and happening, so none of us should care that the ‘os’ was replaced with ‘ez’. Located in the piazza of UB City, the Mexican restaurant serves up some taquitos, nachos and tamales in style. When you get to sip on lip-smacking Margarita’s and delicious ceviche in a setting like this, there’s very little to complain about. Sanchez is known for their party like atmosphere as much as their food, but with the recent tweaks to the menu – I’m betting the food will be the main draw. They still make a pretty mean Margarita and I definitely recommend the Mango version, though the classic will always be my favourite. If you have deep pockets they have a range of imported tequilas you can try. Go ahead and loosen those purse strings, I don’t think I’ve seen these bottles anywhere else. We spent a good four hours mulling over our drinks and taking bites of their to-die-for Charred Corn …
Chilis, the Tex-mex chain of restaurants, first opened in Bangalore in a nondescript building on Old Airport Road. Bearing testimony to the fact that location makes a difference, they have now reopened on 100ft Road in Indiranagar to bring the action to the masses. The Casual dining space is known for its killer cocktails and American portions of deep fried goodies. Old timers who miss the action of TGIF on Airport Road might find the vibe in Chilis, familiar and comforting. A sunny Saturday lunch quickly turned into a languorous three hour shindig, thanks to the skies opening up and flooding the roads. Thankfully for us, the Indian experience of eating hot pakoras and drinking tea on the balcony, was easily replaced with margaritas and nachos. Chilis is spread across three floors of a building that is designed to let the upper floors look into the happenings of the floors below. People watching can be quite the hobby with a couple of drinks for company. The lower floor is designed to allow more crowds to …
I hate having to get up at unearthly hours on a weekend (10 AM of course) to catch breakfast at a decent joint. Church Street Social serves Breakfast throughout the day. That’s reason enough for me to like them. I also like their industrial design, quirky prints, funky trays and fun drinks, but we’re not focusing on that today. We are paying homage to bacon and sausages and pancakes and eggs and French toast and sugar and spice and everything nice. Just like God intended. Word. They don’t have valet parking in the morning, but they also don’t have the mad crowds that throng this place every hour of the day post 12 PM. So you win some and you lose some. Shimmy in and you have a variety of seating options. I always like the big tables next to the windows, although if it’s just two of you, the leather couches are way more comfortable. The menu is a newspaper style roll shoved casually in a box made of wooden rulers with a toilet …
Indiaranagar’s bars have one more watering hole to compete with – Harry’s! The famous Singapore bar choose this location in Bangalore to open its fourth outlet, hot on the heels of the Mumbai one. Most bars these days are moving from glass and chrome finishes, to more casual and warm interiors. Harry’s adopts a mahogany and exposed brick look that is reminiscent of a speakeasy, albeit a modern one. With the days of our prohibition (11 PM deadlines 😛 ) coming to an end, I’m sure Harry’s is going to ride on the wave of general elation in the months to come. We were invited for a mixology session by the godmother of bartending in India – Shatbhi Basu. For anyone who’s watched her show on NDTV Good Times, you already know the level of celebrity she is. But what you probably don’t know is that her joie de verve is all natural and not just for the TV show. We got to witness her finesse in churning out creative cocktails and keeping her audience …
Grills, Burgers, Cold Beers and other tidings of summer always make a Bangalorean happy. Not that we have too much to complain, considering our weather is more equitable than most cities in India and we indulge our summer fancies right through the year! The pub capital of India seems to have a soft spot for burgers (including veggie ones) and I can bet my bottom dollar that every pub has burgers listed on their menu. Why, even coffee shops and breakfast joints can’t stay away from listing meat sandwiched between a bun as their runaway hit. Smoke House Deli went a step further and had a whole festival dedicated to burgers. They call the mmmBurger Festival an ode to all things meaty as well as a little gift to all their patrons. “Each burger promises a distinct charred, smoky and flame licked flavor”, they say. We went on a balmy Wednesday evening to unwind over a couple of cocktails and sample their wares. Every time I go to SHD I ‘need’ to order the Bacon …
If you’ve lived in Bangalore for the past year, chances are you have already heard of Blimey. Not the expression ‘Blimey!’ (I’m pretty sure no Irishman/women uses it these days) but Blimey the gastropub located at 1MG mall. They are pretty notorious for their packed to the kilt hilt Sunday brunches and the teeny boppers that frequent the place for sundowners. With the amazing view of Ulsoor lake from their terrace, coupled with some cool cocktails, Irish brews and grub – they have survived the one year mark. And that my friends, is an achievement in Bangalore, which has become ruthless in weeding out restaurants and pubs which don’t make the mark. So to celebrate their coming of age (yes, one is a good number), the gastropub has decided to update their menu with some cool new dishes. We went on a Monday to sample the old and the new and let you know what hits the spot. I tried to keep the focus on the food, but when offered a Dirty Martini (the …
The FoodPorn Diaries 