I love myself a good salad. Most leafy salads are great as an addition to a main course, but if I need to eat only that for lunch or dinner, it better be a filling one. It’s easy to bulk up salads with rice or pasta but my latest obsession has been the light and fluffy couscous. This North African staple of steamed semolina has now found a permanent spot in my pantry for those healthy but ravenous days.
Spicy, Tangy and Aromatic – the unique character profile of Thai food that finds almost instant appeal everywhere. Thai food always ranks as one of the most popular cuisines in the world, and it’s no surprise that Bangaloreans have taken to it enthusiastically. Like Indian Cusine, Thai food differs substantially by region. While Thai Red Curry and Phad Thai have its loyal fan base, there is a lot more variety that begs to be tried. While seafood and curries with fresh herbs are favored in the south, you will find the spiciest food and meat based dishes popular in the northeast. Whatever the region, the ideal Thai meal is a harmonious blend of the spicy, the subtle, the sweet and sour, and is meant to be equally satisfying to the eye, nose and palate.
Szechwan Court has been tantalizing taste buds in Bangalore since its inception in 1992. One of the first fine-dining Asian restaurants to grace the landscape, Szechwan Court is definitely legendary. The restaurant that overlooks the Koi pond has always been a proponent of authentic Chinese cooking, showcasing Szechwan, Cantonese and Peking dishes as well. In 2015 the elegant restaurant takes us through a three decade journey, where it weaves in its classics with some modern culinary experiences from China. I am Legend.
Bengali Food holds a special place in my heart. From standing in line at the Ulsoor Bengali Association as a nine year old waiting for Bhog to be served, or having the canteen attendant set aside extra rosagullas for me as a student in IIM Calcutta or finally being surrounded by so many Bengali’s at work that Muri Ghonto was as familiar as sambar. I am irresistibly drawn to this wondrous cuisine that has great reverence for its ingredients, method of cooking and perfectly balanced flavours. Like a moth to a flame, I land up at the Cubbon Pavilion for a festival that celebrates the land inspired by poetry – “Amar Sonar Bangla”.
Chef Bhagmita Jena hails from Dhiga, a small town at the border of Bengal and revels in the opportunity to showcase a cuisine she adores, to the rest of the world. Years spent in the kitchen watching her mom churn out exquisite Bengali recipes cemented her love for cooking. The diminutive Bhagmita’s passion for her art is clearly visible in the spread she laid out for us. She focuses on home style cooking and is keen that dishes remain as authentic as possible, even if that means sourcing her ingredients from the point of origin. Her excitement is palpable when she urges me to try her favorite dish – Doi Mach. She watches in anticipation as I take a bite and breaks out into a huge smile when she sees the look of pure bliss on my face. It’s clear THAT’s the only encouragement she needs to keep the magic alive!
The Bengali Food Festival at the ITC Cubbon Pavilion is on from the 19th to the 28th of June and features a different menu every day. It’s a great way to savor everything from Calcutta Street Food like Chaat and Kathi Rolls to the more homely delights like Begun Bhaja or Bekti Bhaja. Deep fried anything is synonymous with comfort food and with the rains on the horizon, these appetizers come out tops. A special mention to the Dhai Bhalla – the yoghurt in which the balla was steeped was all kinds of perfect with the texture of pouring cream and just the right amount of sweetness.
Apart from Street food expect your palate to be treated to the more refined dishes like Daab Chingri (King Prawns with tender coconut and coconut milk) and the special occasion dishes like the Muri Ghonto (fish pulao cooked with the head of a fish – typically Rohu). Considering this is Ilish (a river fish with white meat and numerous bones adored by the Bengalis) season, you will definitely see an Ilish dish on the menu every day. We were lucky to have the chef’s favorite dish – Doi Mach and relished the fresh fish steeped in velvety mustard and yoghurt gravy.
The Kosha Mangsho made an appearance the day I dined there as well and I can vouch that marinating the meat for 24 hours definitely made the final dish sublime. Try the Mangsho with a hot Lucchi or pile it over some fragrant Ghobindobhog rice – either way you are guaranteed nirvana.
The Aloor Dum does the same job for the vegetarians, which is no easy task for a vegetable! Vegetarians will also be treated to Malai stuffed Parval, Pepe Dal (papaya dal), Poshto Paneer and in my opinion the highly underrated but exquisite Shukto. A mish mash of seemingly innocuous root vegetables given the biting edge with some bitter gourd! Now I know the Bitter Gourd is probably not on anyone’s love list except the Bengali, BUT if you ate Shukto – you will understand why.
Another must try is the famous Calcutta Style Mutton Biryani. A mild, aromatic version of the Mughlai Biryani dotted with golden potatoes that have absorbed the fat and cooking juices. I have seen people fight over who gets the potato, so don’t discount the humble spud here.
With Bengali Food you always save space for dessert. If that means eating one less luchhi, so be it. The Rosagulla is the all time favourite and Chef Bhagmita makes a wonderfully fluffy and spongy version but her piece de la resistance is the Misti Doi. The sweetened and fermented milk preparation is by far the best I have tasted in Bangalore. I only wish it was Nolen Gur season so that she could have added some of that while churning this pot of caramel coloured goodness.
The Festival is your best chance to experience a variety of homely Bengali dishes made by a very talented chef. The fact that the dinner buffet saw a steady stream of Bengalis pouring in, should attest to the fact. Subho Bhojan.
CUBBON PAVILION
ITC Gardenia,
1, Residency Road, Ashok Nagar, Bangalore – 560025.
Ph: +91 80 2211 9898 || Parking: Valet available
Cost: Rs.1750/-++ for the dinner buffet. The Festival is on till the 28th of June 2015.
Eventually, everyone who drinks alcohol will graduate to Whiskey – at least that’s the general consensus among the drinking population. I’m not a Whiskey drinker, give me a Gin and Tonic or a nice glass of Wine any day. The husband on the other hand, swears by his single malts and his peaty blended Whiskeys. Every trip abroad is a happy occasion because he gets to bring back his loot of interesting Whiskeys. So of course the Double Black Event at Blue Ginger was welcomed with much enthusiasm.
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 pack in on busy days with casual wooden seating. The upper floors are designed to imitate an American diner with booths to encourage larger parties. You have 80’s rock and roll playing in the background and with the smell of burgers in the air – the American vibe is complete.
You need to start with a drink in Chilis. With their heady cocktail selections (including their famed Margaritas) and cocktail pitchers, beer and wine – you have a difficult task ahead. Lucky for me, I’m a sucker for Margaritas and the choice was easy. The Rita Trio. Like they say in the menu – why choose one when you can have three of our favorites? The El Nino, Presidente Margarita and the Tropical Sunrise. The El Nino has Tequila, orange liqueur and orange juice. Yum! The Tropical Sunrise was pretty as a picture but got a little too sweet for me. With Midori melon liqueur, pineapple juice and a splash of grenadine, you can see why. The Presidente is my favorite and I requested a repeat order of the same – but more on that later. Try their Bottomless Toastada chips with house made salsa or spinach and mushroom dip. A good nibble companion to your Rita’s.
The menu is vast – appetizers, salads, soups, chili, tacos & quesadillas, fajitas, steaks, burgers and even pastas. All the deep fried goodies sounded scrumptious and after a lot of indecision and arguments we finally settled on the Ultimate Dipper – Five Appetizers in one, each served with their unique dipping sauce! (Greedy trolls, I know!).
Vegetarians will love the Southwestern rolls. A crispy corn tortilla filled with black beans, corn, Jack cheese, red peppers and spinach. Served with Avocado ranch dressing – it’s creamy goodness in every bite.
Who doesn’t like Deep Fried Cheese balls? The Texas Cheese Poppers will satisfy your cheese cravings and also give you a mild spike in your cholesterol levels, but who’s worried about small things like that? 😛
The Chicken Crispers are your answer to the Chicken version of Fish n Chips. Coated in the same deliciously light and airy batter – these tenders taste amazing dunked into the cilantro aioli.
We choose the Chicken wings AND the Boneless Chicken wings to complete the five dipper. A lot of places do Chicken wings, but Chilis stays true to the Buffalo wings sauce recipe and lovers of American Buffalo wings will be very happy. Boneless Chicken wings (an oxymoron!), even though tossed in the same sauce lacked the bite that wings on the bone had. We’ll put it down to classical conditioning.
Ah, the Presidente Margarita. A perfect hand-shaken Margarita made with Souza Gold Tequila, Orange Liqueur and Brandy. It comes with its own Presidente Cocktail shaker and bartender who mixes the drink up at your table. Poured in a beautiful Cobalt Blue brim Margarita glass, rimmed with salt and a lemon wedge – it is literally perfect.
Chilis was running a special Beer and Burgers festival and had a whole array of International beers you could order. While beers like Peroni and Corona are available in most bars these days – we found some unusual ones as well. Asahi is my favorite brew, but we tried the London Pride (UK’s bestselling ale) and Birra Moretti (an Italian pale Larger). Other interesting finds include the Viru (Estonian Plisner) and Amstel Light (Malt Pilsner from Netherlands).
There’s greedy and then there’s un-freaking-believably-greedy. Ordering a full rack of Baby Back Ribs (13 ribs) for one person, definitely falls in the second category. BUT the slow smoked, fall-off-the bone, BBQ goodness was worth every calorie indulgence on the planet! Just look at that sticky sweet glaze on those babies! Served with some crispy fries and corn on the cob, rest assured a person tucking into this meal will be in seventh heaven.
For people who don’t eat pork (gasp) or people who would rather not overload their poor tummies – Chilis offers lighter options. Their Santa Fe Chicken Salad is positively holy. Their grilled chile-rubbed chicken with Spicy Santa Fe Sauce, house made pico de gallo, avocado, cilantro and tortilla chips will leave even the light eater wholly nourished and satisfied. Vegetarians have the same in a Panner option amongst other veggie options in Fajitas, Tacos, and Quesadillas. The Mango-Chile Chicken is the latest addition in the lighter fare section. Grilled Chicken breast seasoned with a six pepper blend, drizzled with spicy habanero mango glaze and topped with chopped mango, cilantro and pico de gallo. Served with Rice and steamed veggies – it’s a complete carb, protein and veggie balanced meal! I found the Chicken breast slightly overcooked and I hoped they would have been more generous with the mango salsa. But in all, the dish is still a cracker of a new addition.
If you have space for dessert – they have a decent selection. Again, the portions are American size, so you may want to consider sharing. The Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie was positively decadent. A chewy bar of chocolate chips and hazelnuts topped with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge and caramel. Too much of a good thing can be bad? Nah! In this case it was awesome.
Chilis will attract large crowds as long as they keep their offerings consistent and stay true to their international standards. The Happy Hour offerings have always been popular with the college crowd and the weekday lunch combos of Rs.500/- for a Salad/starter + entrée + bottomless cola will have hungry office goers pouring in. The easy vibe of the place makes it a great hangout for large crowds and has enough to please picky family members. But I will always go there for the Margaritas … and the Baby Back ribs.
Chilis
1135, HAL Stage-2, 100ft Road,
Indiranagar, Bangalore – 560034.
Ph: +91 80 4235 2526
Parking: Valet Available || Cost: Rs. 1800/++ for a meal for two with drinks
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 menu. A photolog to take you through our very scrumptious dinner (and equally interesting coffee… more on that later!)
A crisp Chardonnay paved the way for the first Antipasto of the day – the Carpaccio alla Piemontese which is a classic tenderloin Carpaccio Piedmont style. The piedmont style slices are not razor thin, so the beef needs to be marinated longer in lemon juice. But post that, it just needs a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper to make it shine. Chef literally went three dimensional on this one, where he served the contemporary style in the form of a sphere with mushrooms and eggs encased. The Sfere di carpaccio alla piemontese con fungi e uovo is quite a rebel!
One of my favorite salads, the Burrata con pomodori e cipolla – Burrata with tomatoes, basil and onions, is as simple and flavorful as a dish can get. The key here is fresh ingredients and you don’t even have to try to please. The revisted Italian salad with Burrata though breathtaking to look at and absolutely delicious to taste, still could not hold a candle to the classic. The salad puree probably threw if off a notch. But if we didn’t pitch it against the original, the contemporary version is definitely a keeper.
The third Antipasto was a simple Chicken breast salad with salsa Tonnata. Mild and comforting this one is for Summer picnics. The contemporary take on it involved cooking the chicken breast sous vide and serving it with pickled vegetables. The tonnata sauce (tomato and onion) turned into a tonnata ‘powder’ that got sprinkled liberally over the chicken. If you want your Insalata di Pollo with a kick, the future version is your pick.
If Eggplant Parmesana is on the menu – I will order it. So it was with certainty that I proclaimed that my love will stay true to the classic rendition. I was wrong and how! The Parmigiana di melenzane rivisitata con olio al carbone – Deconstructed eggplant parmigiana with charcoal oil was a revelation. First of all, the plating was like a harmonious abstract painting of gray and orange squares speckled with green and white cubes. The aubergine and tomato elements were turned into thin liquid sheets (no molecular gastronomy, just dedication and patience!), the parmesan was moulded into crispy wafers and the piece de la resistance was the smoky, slightly bitter, almost earthy charcoal oil. If there was ever a way to patent smokiness, this would be a front runner! Loved it. Every morsel (including the second order of it!)
The Primopiatto for the vegetarians had us relish a perfect Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli. I felt the Chef was definitely cheating here because the plating for the revisited was just prettier – think pink flowers! However, he clarified that classic Italian pasta never has any garnishes save some grated Parmesan. Even with this explanation – the revisted version with it’s double pockets – one for ricotta and one for spinach definitely blew the classic version out the window. According to Chef, there are only three restaurants in the world that serve the double pocket ravioli that he knows of – Ottimo Bangalore, Ottimo Chennai and a friends restaurant in Rome!
The Old fashioned Lamb Ravioli was comforting because it was rich and fatty. Did I love it – but of course! The contemporary version was a single long sheet of ravioli twisted into a spiral and served with broccoli coulis and garlic dust. Lighter, healthier and more good looking it might be, but my heart was still with the Classic fatty.
If Garfield ever popped out of the Sunday newspapers and visited Ottimo, I’m not sure he would be impressed with the Chef messing around with his Classic multilayered cheese and meat delicacy. The Revisted Lasagna separates the elements so that we can enjoy the nuances of each. The consensus on the table was divided. But I’m on Garfield’s side. I owe it to my cats 😛
The second course for Vegetarians went completely rustic with a simple Tuscan style Potato Salad (how Chef’s mamma used to make it). To compete with Mamma’s cooking you need to bring out the big guns – smoked butter, garlic crumbs and even shaved Black Truffles. The verdict – I’d eat the revisted, pimped-up-version in a restaurant once in a while, but Mamma’s version is for everyday joy!
The Pasta Puttanesca is a tangy, salty dish with spaghetti. Tomato, olive oil, capers and garlic make for a robust sauce that coats each strand with deliciousness. Popular in the South of Italy, the revisted version decided to sing an ode to the North. Pasta was replaced with *gasp* Risotto and the chunky sauce was reduced to a silky puree. If there ever was a way to start a war between North and South of Italy – this version will act as a catalyst!
Seabass Livornese in its Classic form, has a nice chunk of firm white fish cooked in a chunky tomato sauce. Exceptionally delicious but hardly a scorer in the looks department. The revisted version literally offers the fish a makeover and has it lightly grilled before serving the same on a bed of glossy tomato coulis decorated with minced olives, capers and herbs, finished with a dots of olive oil. Proof that artists use any medium to express themselves, including food on a plate – a true beauty.
The Chicken Cacciatore was probably the first Italian non-pasta main course I learned to cook. Bell peppers, tomatoes, onions and wine – simple ingredients that melded into an amazingly satisfying meal. The classic version in Ottimo is simply perfect. The reinvented version got all fancy and stuffed the chicken breast with the peppers, onion and tomato before browning the breasts. The table was divided on this one as well, with raucous debates on the merits of both, leaving an empty plate!
The Chocolate Caprese has been on Ottimos menu since it launched and is a majorly photographed and videotaped dessert – for its brilliant theatrics. It was nice to see its classic version in the form of the Torta Caprese which in all its simplicity, is still a knockout of a torte. But the sphere will still be everyone’s choice to end the meal. Even adults can be reduced to squealing kids when they see the hot chocolate melt the sphere to reveal the treasures inside.
Oh how cruel is the world when I have to choose between two versions of Tiramisu! Tiramisu Chef’s way hold little surprises – white chocolate and even crunchy roasted coffee beans. By this time in the night – you’ve already stopped comparing. And probably realized that the exercise was not to compare the dishes at all. In fact, what was intended … and late realization for me – is how the same ingredients can be fashioned into two beautiful faces of the same coin. And when it’s served with so much joy and enthusiasm – you are in for a very special experience.
I hardly ever drikn Coffee at night for the fear that caffine will keep me awake and buzzed all night. But Chef insited I try the true Italian style coffee. Not the ones made in fancy coffee chains with machines that cost a lakh, but one that was made in a simple percolator. Of course this one is had black, with a generous amount of sugar but the similarities in taste with our South Indian Filter Kapi are striking. The best bit – Chef showed me how to drink it like an Italian. Pour coffee into said saucer and slurp! We ended the night on a coffee high, laughing about how we were not so different after all!
Ottimo
ITC Gardenia,
1 Residency Road, Bangalore 560025.
Call +91 80 22119898 for reservations. Open only for Dinner.
Parking: Valet Available || Cost: Rs. 4500/++ for a meal for two with drinks
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.
The FoodPorn Diaries 