All posts filed under: European & Mediterranean

Lunch at Aloro, Crowne Plaza (Electronic City, Bangalore)

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Bangalore is really being kind to people who love food. The number of restaurants cropping up every day and the many cuisines that you can eat here are amazing. It’s no wonder that people are upping the ante and offering us patrons of good food more opportunities to indulge. The ‘Food Lovers Gourmet City’ event (click here) offers prix fixe menus from 31 of the city’s top restaurants for you to enjoy. It runs from 15th – 31st of March, so I’ve been blocking my calendar and trying out signature dishes of the city’s gourmet destinations at a VFM price point. I told you we Bangaloreans had it good! Aloro at the Crowne Plaza was never on my radar (how far is electronic city!!) till this event. The menu looked too good to pass up. So a couple of us girls decided to head out for lunch. (No, this was not a kitty party :P). Thankfully one of them decided to ferry us there and I didn’t have to turn into a raving abusive lunatic …

Smoke House DELI in Bangalore! (Indiranagar, Bangalore)

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I don’t want to be biased…no I really don’t. But I couldn’t help doing cartwheels when Smoke House Deli finally opened in Bangalore a week ago. I remember driving down 100ft road and doing a double take in Feb, when I saw the huge glass façade with the black and white writing that said ‘Smoke Hou’ (the rest of it was covered, but I knew in my heart, that it was Smoke House Deli). For all practical purposes we are going to refer to it as SHD in the rest of the post!. “Smoke House Deli is an all-day café and delicatessen. This award winning brand serves everything from pancakes to noshes, pasta to burgers and dessert to cocktails.” – SHD After wowing patrons in Mumbai and Delhi SHD decided to grace Bangalore!! I was invited for a Bloggers Table a day after it opened (yes, I have some perks) and boy was I raring to go, even though it was a Wednesday night. And what a night it turned out to be –chatting with the …

Blue Terrain @ Novotel, ORR, Bangalore

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My first Bloggers Table. Actually make that the ‘first ever’ edition of the Bangalore Bloggers Table! Was I excited? Yes!! The feisty group of women (we’re still looking for that elusive male to be a member of the group) had all been interacting on facebook for a month now, but chatting over a martini is always more fun! We were hosted by Novotel, Bangalore and were lucky to be invited to the opening of their new poolside bar and barbeque restaurant – Blue Terrain. Poolside dining and barbeque seems like the perfect fit for us laid back Bangaloreans. Bangalore is one of the few cities that enjoys the luxury of being able to offer under the stars dining for its residents. The weather as we all know is brilliant. Natasha still warned us to carry something warm to wrap ourselves in, as it’s still ‘winter’ here. (Yes, I can see all the non-locals rolling their eyes, considering the temperature is a toasty 20 degrees!) Novotel Bengaluru Techpark is situated in the new IT hub of …

DELIZIOSO – Italian Food Festival @ Bene, Sheraton Bangalore

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I was invited by the Sheraton for a preview of their Italian Food Festival – ‘Delizioso’ last Friday. Their signature Italian restaurant Bene, was playing host to celebrity Chef Enrico Fiorentini from 9th -18th Nov. (That’s the duration of the festival by the way!). Last year Bene did a Truffles festival, but this year because of the weather in Italy (No good rains), availability of good quality truffles was a dicey affair. Hence they decided to showcase ‘Lombardy’ cuisine. Now when we say Italian food, the two things that immediately spring to mind are Pasta and Pizza. But that’s not all Italian food, is about. (Same as Indian cuisine is not equal to Garlic Naan and Chicken Tikka Masala!). Milan is the major city of the Lombard region and is bordered by Switzerland to the north. Lombardy cuisine primarily consists of hearty fare with rice being a foundation. (South Indians rejoice!). Apart from being famous for its fashion, gastronomically the region is associated with Risotto. Now does Risotto ‘Milan’ese, ring a bell?  Dairy products also …

Veggie Chic Menu at Caperberry, Bangalore

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I like my chicken and my bacon and my pork and mutton and prawns and …you get the drift. So when I excitedly signed up for the Veggie Chic menu created by Chef Abhijit Saha of Caperberry, many eyebrows were raised. Is she turning vegetarian? Is she just coming there to mock us with terms like Ghas Phoos? And finally has she not read the menu? My answer to all the dear veggies – I just thought the Veggie menu looked exciting and why should I pass up an opportunity to be entertained by a culinary genius just because the menu didn’t have anything that walks, swims or clucks! Now that we have resolved the mystery of my presence at the dinner, let’s move on to important bits – the restaurant and the food! Caperberry means provocation of desire in Hebrew. It’s also really a berry as well – green and tart… but the earlier definition is more in tune with what the restaurant wants to achieve. Caperberry is located at the Tanishq building on …

SPIGA (St. Marks Road)

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Spiga has always been one of my favorite restaurants in Bangalore. It was located in a quaint little house on Vittal Mallya road and has now shifted to the more spacious 4th floor of the Halycon Building on St. Marks Road. I must have visited Spiga a gazillion times and have not been disappointed by the food. The menu has been the same, with a few tweaks here and there and thank the lord for that. I went in the afternoon this time with a couple of friends from work. The place has a Mediterranean feel to it with the whole whitewashed effect – quite pleasant and serving as an excellent backdrop for the colorful food. I’ve seen it at night as well, fairy lights and pleasant alfresco dining add to a lovely view of the city lights. The only grouse I’ve always had is the music is too loud near the bar area. Comon guys … it’s a lounge NOT a discotheque. However a few tipples and all is forgotten and forgiven 😉 We …