All posts filed under: European & Mediterranean

Grill Fest @ Polo Club (The Oberoi, Bangalore)

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Let’s say you had a chance to dine under the stars in a beautiful garden with the sound of a gurgling fountain in the background. Let’s say you had the finest and freshest produce laid out in front of you. Let’s say you had a very accomplished chef manning the grill to keep you company. And let’s round off this hypothetical situation with one talented mixologist who wouldn’t stop impressing you with exciting cocktails. Wouldn’t you rush to be a part of this? Well, lucky for you this scenario is not something I cooked up in my overactive imagination. Polo Club at The Oberoi ensures you will have a lovely evening at their Live Grills Festival. I was invited for an evening of grills, cocktails and fun conversations (the last part we rustled up ourselves) and left the evening a little more light headed then when I arrived. Polo Club is a place that fits perfectly with Bangalore’s Garden City tag. And it really is a joy to dine alfresco in a city that is …

The FPD Quickie: Breakfast at Red Fork (Indiranagar, Bangalore)

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Procrastination is a much maligned word. In my opinion, all of us should give ourselves the benefit of putting away things that can be done today to tomorrow, or even day after. I have been luxuriating in the knowledge that I have been lazy. And it’s an absolutely wonderful state of mind to begin the New Year after the mad rush of December. So Happy New Year to you…I might have even wished you in February, but I figured halfway into the month is a good upholder of the procrastinator flag. In keeping with the lazy attitude I bring to you a perfectly lazy way to enjoy a Sunday – Breakfast at Red Fork in Indiranagar. This one has been on my list for a very long time but I always postponed it. The current urge to dine here was driven by the fact that I was long overdue to meet my friend (there you go again… I’m so good at this procrastinating thing!) to catch up on happenings in our lives. Outdoor seating on …

Of Picket Fences and a Lavender Door – Cafe of Joy (Whitefield Main Road, Bangalore)

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Now ‘quaint’ is a word that is loosely used with a lot of cafes in Bangalore – a practice that must stop, after visiting the Café of Joy. This café can now claim monopoly of the term, with its picket fences, an all white theme with lavender accents and the most interesting knick knacks! If not for the in-your-face-signage of Bhagini restaurant next door, I could almost imagine that I stepped into a gorgeous café in the German countryside. And I’m not saying that because of the cute figurines of the German baker couple, or the little white cow milk pourers, or the cow butter dishes, or the fact that the board says Brot.Gateaux.Biscotti. (Ok, that is very German :P) But I’m game for a little round of active imagination and if their desire was to transport me to a European café – game well played! We heard that apart from cakes, artisanal breads, and baked goodies (produced at their on-site bakery) they also serve lunch. So on Saturday, a really talented baker friend and …

Sunday Brunch @ M Cafe (Bengaluru Mariott Hotel Whitefield)

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The FoodPorn Diaries dictionary (yes, it exists…if only in my mind!) defines ‘Brunch’ as nothing but copious amounts of Booze + Lunch, generally consumed on a Sunday, to arm yourself for the travesty of work on a Monday. Since most of us run the corporate rat race during the week, (which gives us just enough time to drag ourselves to bed every night), what better way to spend a weekend afternoon than by overcompensating? I generally don’t bother reviewing brunches because, let’s face it – everyone has the same offerings. Indian, Chinese and European cuisine served with loads of alcohol and bubbly, edging you to consume in one afternoon what you probably should be eating over a span of a week! But since so many of us are in the quest for the holy grail of Sunday Brunches, I decided to take a dive and do it for you. Starting with the brunch at M Café in the Mariott, Whitefield. I am forced to look at the Mariott everyday because my work desk faces the large window that …

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. …

Friday Barbeque Nights @ Alila, Whitefield

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I work in Whitefield. The drive from Airport road to my office is like a treacherous and painful way to kill time – which is inevitable when you are stuck behind the wheel of a car moving at 5 km/hr.  Thank God for small mercies, the Alila Barbeque night was a hop, skip and short drive from office. And Friday night I’m always in a jubilant mood, no matter what tragedies transpire during the week! This was an invitation to the CaL Bloggers table to experience Alila’s take on Friday night bbq. Now almost everyone I know loves a bbq night. But no one has the time or the patience to marinate the meat in advance, set up the grill, stand around while your burger patty gets cooked and then wait for someone to plate it! So Alila lets us skip all the prepping and just enjoy a good bbq night with a couple of friends and fun cocktails. And with weather like in Bangalore, it almost seems ridiculous that no one thought about the …

All that glitters is not… Azure @ Taj Vivanta (Yeshwanthpur, Bangalore)

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Generally I avoid being the bearer of bad news (In ancient Rome you were killed for it). So I write this review unwillingly. We were invited by Taj Vivanta, Yeshwanthpur as part of the Bangalore CaL Bloggers table, for a night of drinks at Shimmer (their new lounge bar) and dinner at Azure (their Mediterranean restaurant). I had sampled the wares at Azure just a week before and was mighty pleased with the experience. Unfortunately this time the Food Gods did not shower their blessings on Azure. Forget shower – there wasn’t even a drizzle of benevolence.  The making of the Oliveto The night started off in a raucous way with the rest of my flood blogger lovelies. We were enraptured by the shimmery lights in ahem…the quite aptly named Shimmer. The bartender was going to demonstrate the making of three cocktails and we could even participate in the making. The first cocktail was going to be the Oliveto – a combination of gin, egg white and olive oil. My first thought was – are they …