All posts filed under: Restaurant Reviews

Chilis – American Grill and Bar @ 100ft Rd (Indiranagar)

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 …

Chef Vittorio and The Art of Time Travel @ Ottimo (ITC Gardenia, Residency Road)

Ottimo is known for its excellent Italian cuisine, plated ever so brilliantly by Master Chef Vittorio Grecco. The Pan-Italian restaurant has awed Bangalore residents with its renditions of quintessential Italian favorites with a focus on the freshest ingredients. So when the Chef decides to have a food festival called “The Art of Time Travel” – you pay attention! A spectacular four course menu with a twist – one portion prepared in the Classic way and one portion plated in a Contemporary way. The festival which is on till the 2nd of June has Chef Vittorio channel his creativity and playfulness in every dish that hits the table. The future of Italian cuisine might just be taking baby steps in Bangalore 😉 When you are presented with such an alluring menu, it’s hard to be objective with your choices. It’s a blessing that there were four of us and we were not squeamish when it comes to sharing! The end result is we ended up eating just enough, but pretty much trying most of the festival …

Getting Fatter – New Menu @ The Fatty Bao (Indiranagar)

The cool thing about The Fatty Bao, is that they keep it interesting. A year into opening on 12th Main and they already have a fan cult following. I unashamedly am one of the suckers who’s drawn there time and again for their unbelievably scrumptious Char Siu Bao. The Ramen lover in me also subconsciously nudges me to their Asian candy land, every time I’m in Indiranagar. (Which is no mean feat considering the plethora of dining options on that charmed road!) A new menu obviously grabs my attention and the girls and I land up on a sunny Saturday afternoon to get a little fatter.

Going Street – Church Street Social (Church Street)

Street Food. The way to my heart. Pani Puri, Pav Bhaji, Bhajjis, Rolls, Kulfi – you name it and I have a soft spot for it all! There hasn’t been a day that I’ve passed a Pani Puri vendor and not wanted a plate of Puchkas. Not to get morose, but I’ve always said my last meal if on death row, will be chaat and biryani… mutton biryani of course. You can easily suss out the character of a city with the street food that’s on offer. Think of the practical and filling Vada Pav of Mumbai, the steeped in history decadent Nalli Nihari of Delhi, the traditional light Idlis of Chennai and the fuss-free hot Balekai Bajjis of Bangalore. Street food is comforting, tasty, inexpensive and above all woven in our DNA.

Savour France with Gout De France @ The Oberoi on the 19th of March

Goût de / Good France will celebrate French gastronomy in various locations worldwide on March 19, 2015. Over a 1000 chefs on all five continents are expected to join the event on the eve of spring. Dinners served simultaneously in participating restaurants will honour the merits of French cuisine, its capacity for innovation, and its values: sharing, enjoying, and respecting the principles of high-quality, environmentally responsible cuisine. Why? In 1912, Auguste Escoffier started Les Dîners d’Épicure (Epicurean Diners): one day, one menu, served in cities around the world, to as many guests as possible. In 2015. Goût de/Good France takes the idea further, bringing all categories of restaurants together globally. This international event, taking place on March 19, 2015, will mark the first concrete demonstration of French cuisine’s recent listing in the “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” category by UNESCO, and its influence on the world.  Where? Le Jardin at The Oberoi, Bengaluru is the selected venue and Chef Amit Wadhawan‘s designed menu has been short listed as one of the 1000 restaurants in the world serving an …

Cocktails and Conversations @ Drinks (MG Road)

The old maketh way for the new and Bangalore sees ‘Drinks’ occupy the space that was the erstwhile Couch, on MG Road. The elegant and comfortable lounge is spread across two floors and you will see floor to ceiling paintings of gentlemen in top hats and ladies in snazzy gowns invoking the gangster vibe from downtown New York or Chicago in the 60’s. Encouraging you to play catch up over expertly fashioned cocktails by award winning bartender – Alfonso del Portillio, Drinks is a place that will appeal more to the suave office goer than the teeny boppers that litter Church Street. If Classic is the vibe you are after – Drinks is the place to be. Considering they named the place ‘Drinks’, it is only fair to expect a heightened focus on the liquid menu! Thankfully with Alfonso manning the bar, that’s not a problem. The extensive cocktail menu has separate sections for concoctions with Vodka, Rum, Gin, Tequila and Whiskey. You can also skip the cocktails and pick straight from their lineup of …

North-East Culinary Adventure @ Curry & Things (Frazer Town)

Bangalore is birthing restaurants almost every day because our craze for novelty is insatiable. Being the cosmopolitan city it is, diverse influences from all the people who call it home, has made it the most exciting city on the culinary map of India. People here are willing to experiment with their food and that is the single biggest factor supporting restaurants that specialize in novel cuisine – be it Korean, Japanese, Bengali, Chettinad, Vietnamese or Persian!

Shaking things up – Smokehouse Deli’s New Menu (Indiranagar)

My sister and her husband are the biggest fans of Smokehouse Deli. They love the food, the ambiance and the fact that SHD always has some fun weekend offer on drinks 😉 Every chance they get, they run there for a couple of drinks and grub. I like the place myself, but haven’t exhausted the menu like they have! So this post is dedicated to them – they’ll be happy to know that Smokehouse Deli has launched a new menu. If my change-averse sister is reading this – relax … they still retain some of the old favorites.