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Marinara Sauce – My way

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Have you ever had something that you knew was perfect your way? No matter what the textbooks, teachers, experts or even old aunties claimed? Well in my case, many things fall in this category including this Marinara sauce. Now this is not blind faith – it’s a belief system that has evolved over many painstaking trial and error sessions. It is also a result of the fact that international recipes sometimes call for ingredients that are not readily available here. Or plain and simple – you try to make the best of the ingredients that ARE available to you! If that means cutting open a packet of Dabur Tomato Puree in the final stages and finishing the sauce with some Maggi Hot and Sweet sauce – then so be it! The final results are a fantastically chunky sauce with a robust tomato and garlic flavor. Dress it with some good quality olive oil and you’ve beaten the store bought sauces 10-1. With odds like this, ‘my way’ seems a lot more comfortable than the highway no? 


Easy Marinara Sauce
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Makes: 4 cups
What you need:
1 Kg Tomatoes – pureed
1 Onion, minced
8 large Garlic cloves, minced
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/3 cup White wine (optional)
1 ¼ tsp Salt
A pinch of Sugar
½ Tbsp freshly ground Black Pepper
1 ½ Tbsp mixed Herbs (I use Keya Italian Herbs)
1 tsp Chilli flakes (optional)
200 ml Tomato Puree (I use Dabur)
3 Tbsp Maggi Hot and Sweet Ketchup
A couple of fresh Basil Leaves
What to do:
Wash, roughly chop and then puree the tomatoes in a food processor. Set aside. (Do not add water).
In a large saucepan, on medium heat, saute the garlic in olive oil. Do not let the garlic colour. As it turns soft, add in the onions and saute till they turn translucent. If you are using wine, add it in now. After it sizzles and hisses – pour in the freshly pureed tomatoes. Raise the heat and let it bubble away contentedly for 10 minutes, you will see the sauce beginning to thicken.
Now add in the sugar, black pepper and Italian dried herbs. If you are adding chilli flakes, toss them in now. Check the seasoning and add salt. Stir to combine, lower the heat and let the sauce come to a slow simmer for the next 10 minutes.
Finallly mix in the dabur tomato puree and the ketchup. The sauce will now take on a more glossy appearance and darker colour. Simmer for 10 more minutes. Toss in the chopped basil leaves just before turning off the stove.
You can store this in the fridge for up to a week.
The Marinara sauce can be used as a base sauce for lasagnas and aubergine parmesana. Or just toss it up with some pasta and dress with olive oil and parmesan for a quick weeknight meal. I also use this as a dipping sauce for onion rings or mozzarella fritters. Yummmm…

FoodLovers Gourmet City – Le Jardin @ The Oberoi (Bangalore)

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Bangalore has been a glutton for restaurant showcases in the past couple of years and every gourmand worth his salt, bookmarks this time to explore and indulge. Le Jardin at The Oberoi played host to us this Thursday to kick start the FoodLovers Gourmet City event. With 20 of the finest restaurants in Bangalore participating this year, it promises to be a celebration of all things food. While value for money has always been the driving theme for restaurant showcases, FoodLovers Gourmet city combines that with a specially curated menu featuring the chef’s signature dishes. Add to that the variety of cuisines on offer, options to dine out at lunch or dinner, choices between a 2 course and a 3 course menu – and you have yourself an event that’s bound to stand out from the crowd.
FoodLovers takes it a couple of notches higher and ends the showcase with FoodLovers Chefs for Charity. The 20 participating restaurants offer a gourmet grazing experience over lunch on 29th March, at The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore.  All proceeds from this event go to Sneha Nilaya, an orphanage run by the Franciscan Sisters Of The Immaculate Society, in Langford Gardens, Bangalore, that looks after the complete well-being of orphans and under-privileged children. We had a chance to meet with Executive Chef of The Oberoi, Bangalore – Amit  Wadhawanand Chef and Director of Caperberry restaurant – Abhijit Saha, who over lunch offered us their perspective of why Chefs for Charity holds a special place in their hearts as well. I’m a staunch supporter of Corporate Social responsibility and when it comes in the form of a celebration, there’s little that I can do to resist. March is also going to be a month of celebrations for me – with seven birthdays, including my own, interspersed with dining at fabulous restaurants and ending with the Chefs for Charity event – all I want for my birthday is an iron gut!

Le Jardin, aptly named because it has the most fabulous views of the garden, is an all-day dining restaurant at The Oberoi. It offers both Western and Indian cuisine with emphasis on getting the classics back to life. This is even reflected in the décor – french windows, teak wood flooring and double height ceilings supported by colonial pillars, all awash with golden light, lend a stately charm to the place. I don’t think I need to go into the how much I adore the service at The Oberoi – it will always be their trump card. Chef offered to bring us tasting portions of the starters from the specially created menu so that we couple sample more than a few options. This way I would be forced to sample some of the vegetarian offerings and thereby absolve myself the sin of not writing about it 😉
Chilled Gazpacho arrived in style. I am a sucker for presentation and the bowl of bright red soup nestled among sparkling ice cubes, dressed with a pretty nasturtium flower definitely lit up my eyes. The basil crostini completed the pretty picture. The Classical Chicken Consomme is not something you see on restaurant menu’s these days. Everyone wants to do something different and funky, and the classics seem to have been relegated to the background. Creating a prefect consommé is pretty much culinary training 101. We heard some interesting stories from the chefs at the table where they were lamenting about college graduates wanting to jump from A to Z without going through the necessary training. The hard labour of love to reach the pinnacle of perfection is often brushed aside for momentary thrills in a world of instant gratification. Luckily for us at Le Jardin,– someone seemed to have put in the heart to perfect the art of a beautiful consommé. Crystal clear with a beautiful golden color – this one was consummate.

The Tenderloin Carpaccio was an exercise in will power for me. Having given up eating beef, it was sheer agony to restrain myself from picking a perfectly marbled translucent slice of meat and popping it into my mouth. The gremolata tipped edges just highlighted the pink beef and the baby radishes and caper mayonnaise hung around to add the right amount of heat. (This is not active imagination – my beef eating companions alluded to this fact, albeit not so poetically).

My reward for abstinence (of the carpaccio kind), was the Pickled Beetroot. Sheer plating poetry! Wafer thin slices of pickled beetroot, ruby red in appearance were dressed with herbed goats cheese and orange segments. The sugary candied walnuts and the bitter arugula complimented and contrasted each other both with texture and taste but were the perfect accomplice to the beetroot. I thought the nasturtium flower was just a pretty face, but was informed that it was edible as well. So I ate the flower expecting a high level of vegetal nausea but was pleasantly surprised that it tasted a bit like radish! This dish was the highlight of the day for me…or so I thought because I didn’t have a mirror into the future. (And by that I mean dessert!).

From the Indian menu, the veg and non-veg appetizers arrived in a trio. The vegetarians have an option between the Lacchedaar Malai Tikka – panner marinated with saunf, layered with sweet tamarind and mint chutney or the Tandoori Bharwan Aloo. The potatoes formed a little roundel to hold cottage cheese and dry fruits within.

The Tandoori Jhinga was marinated with spices and carom seeds and contained Chef Amit’s favourite Ingredient that he claimed he tries to sneak in everywhere – oranges! Seafood and citrus combinations are a match made in heaven and I definitely like the spin of oranges instead of lemons here. The Sarsoon Murg Tikka will happily find a place in my plate because I am a fan of Kasundi mustard. The tang and pungency of this Bengali mustard paste is my new kitchen must have. (If you don’t have a Bengali friend to get it down from Calcutta for you – try ordering it off Towness). The Beef Pepper Fry parted ways with me and landed in my fellow bloggers plate. She quickly gulped down the preparation of peppery beef slices served with mini uttapams and cucumber pachadi.You win some and lose some, right?

We decided to go the whole hog for main course and order one portion each. I for one, couldn’t take my eyes off the Barbary Duck Confit. When it arrived it made me do a little happy jig in my head. The duck was perfectly cooked with crispy skin encasing the succulent meat inside. Beautiful baby carrots and beans nestled contently over the puy lentils – which I absolutely loved. The sautéed potatoes were more like golden fried medallions – I personally would have preferred it a little softer. The berry jus was just perfect with the duck and I shamelessly asked for more to dunk the beans in. Absolutely no regrets on polishing this one off!

My fellow diners ordered the Pan Seared Tenderloin. I saw her nodding her head in approval as she cut through the meat to find it cooked to a nice medium rare. Served with creamed polenta, roast vegetables and red wine jus – I can imagine many a happy diner sail into food bliss after this one.

We couldn’t resist sneaking bites of the perfectly balanced Prawn Balchao. The Managalorean on the table even proclaimed that it was a dead ringer for the ones served in traditional homes on the western coast. The key element of a good balchao is the vinegar used to make the spice paste. Le jardin specially sources it from the fishing community on the coast and hence the flawless flavor profile! Served with Sannas, this is definitely a comfort meal. Chef was kind enough to share a little bottle of vinegar with one of the bloggers – she’s promised to call us home for a meal!
I don’t have a picture of the Wild Mushroom Risotto, but couldn’t warp up the main course section without a mention. The flavor was so robust – maybe because of wild mushrooms. Coupled with the grana padano and the truffle oil it earned its place in the top risottos of Bangalore. (Graze, Olive Beach and Italia round up the top contenders). If you ever had ‘risotto fatigue syndrome’, generally happens after the tenth bite – this one will surprise you when you lick the bowl clean.

There are desserts and then there are DESSERTS. This one was clearly the latter and contended fiercely with the Pickled Beetroot for top dish of the day. With no disrespect – this was one sexy mamma! The ‘Textures of Berries’ was designed to titillate and drive the palate into a frenzy. The plating again was a work of art and I must confer special praise to the artist. The platter was an amalgamation of tart and sweet flavors – raspberry and chilli sorbet, chocolate and berry mousse, berry macaron and glazed berries like Strawberry, Raspberry, Blackberry and even our humble cape gooseberry from India found a place on the chocolate bed. There can be no better ode to the season’s bounty than what was laid in front of us that afternoon.
FoodLovers Gourmet City is on from the 13th to the 31st of March. The special menus at the 20 participating restaurants are available exclusively on reservations. For more information on the same log onto http://www.foodloversgourmetcity.com/home.html

Publisher and Managing Editor of FoodLovers Magazine Kripal Amanna with the Bespoke Silvers awarded to Le Jardin last year at the FoodLovers Gourment City event.


LE JARDIN
The Oberoi, Bangalore
39, M.G. Road,
Bangalore – 560001
Ph: 080 2558 5858/ 4135 8202
Parking: Valet Available
Cost: Rs.999/-++ to Rs.1299/++ for the special FoodLovers Gourmet City menu from 13th to 31st March

Syrian Christian Delicacies @ Karavalli (The Gateway Hotel, Bangalore)

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Karavalli has a long standing tradition of training its chefs in the kitchens of traditional homes and still continues to procure ingredients from the original source. As a tribute to household recipes that can be lost in the pages of time, Karavalli makes a conscious effort to bring this back into our memories and taste buds by hosting traditional food festivals. This February it plays host to Mathai Achayan and his Syrian Christian delicacies. 

God’s own country has a host of different communities that call it home and each one of them has a special way of treating local spices like red chillies, coconut, pepper, fresh fish and meats to bring out something completely unique. In Kerala, the Syrian Christian food is a little different from the regular Kerala Hindu Sadya, becaue of the addition of non-vegetarian elements to the meal. The most noted contribution of the community to the cuisine of Kerala has been the hoppers, duck roast, meen vevichattu and the istew (stew). Mr. Mathai hails from the Vattukulam, in Kottayam district, which is the heartland of the Syrain Christian Community. Having trained under his mother and grandmother, he is here to let your experience the traditional recipes from the grand kitchens of Kottayam, Travancore,Kollam, Allapuzha and Chaganassary now recreated at Karavalli. 

As with all things Karavalli – the food is always scrumptious, the décor is homely and beautiful and the service is warm and friendly. So I will take your through a visual journey of my gastroscapes last week and am sure you will be tempted to give the festival a dekko this week.

We started with the Karavalli staples – a piece of jaggery to sweeten and wake up your palate, followed by some fried appalams and some piping hot rasam to get your ready for the fun food journey. 
The Syrian community is located inland and through seafood is not a specialty – they do turn out some ‘meen’ dishes. But if you paid close attention to the starters you will see that the meat and poultry is the one to shine. The Vazapoo cutlet was quite a revelation – banana flower and sweet potatoes combined to give a strangely fulfilling meat-like feel to the dish. I thought it would be impolite to ask for ketchup but I assure you this would have tasted brilliant with something tangy on the side. Tamarind chutney to be more politically correct? 

The Kera or Tuna Pepper fry left us all in quite a dilemma. Was Tuna native to Kerala? What is it doing in a traditional menu? Chef assured us that this was a local variety called Kera and was actually quite popular in Kerala.  He even bought out a fish to show us. Clearly I will refrain from posting that picture! The least impressive for me was the Koonu Kurumilagu Roast – a button mushroom preparation with pepper. Somehow I could not shake off the feeling of something you get in our Sukh Sagar Darshini – mushroom manjurian anybody? The Attirachy Varattiyatu however reserves high praise for the tender juicy morsels of lamb that were perfectly complemented by the dry coconut and shallot mixture. It will be a perfect accompaniment to Beer or in Kerala, maybe some fresh Toddy!

I think the highlight of this festival were the superlative curries. Generally I’m an appetizer and dessert person with main course kind of relegated to a ‘whatever’ place. But here – the main course was the star. Here’s a look at the offerings. 

Koorka Chemmeen Peralan – Koorka and medium prawns cooked in spiced coconut milk was redolent of everything Kerala. The Meen Moilee – Fish cooked in mild spices in coconut milk was very different from the creamier versions that pass of as the same in restaurants these days. If the creamy version is what you are used to – this might be a bit of a let down in terms of texture. The Kozhi Varatharachatu – spiced chicken with broiled coconut is a unique flavor and according to me a must try. 

The vegetarian curries are a delightful Chakka Kuru Kashvandi Ularthu – Jackfruit seeds and tender cashew cooked dry and Kadachakka Theeyal – Breadfruit cooked in roasted coconut, jaggery and tamarind. Jackfruit seeds? Breadfruit? Comon – these are things that we probably would never cook at home, let alone make something delicious out of! So this is your chance to try something absolutely basic and unique to that part of the world. 

The accompaniments were the usual Appam, Kallappam, Puttu and Pidi. Out of these I had already tried the Puttu (steamed rice cakes) and the Appam (rice pancakes). So I decided to try the Kallappam and the Pidi. The Kallappam was in it’s most basic form – a version of a set dosa. But much softer and tasting slightly fermented. This I paired with the meen moilee and quite liked the sweet-sour combo. The Pidi was something else! Subtly seasoned rice dumplings in a mild broth – this went wonderfully with the almost rustic Chicken curry. A perfect match. 

Desserts were interesting but somehow not as appealing as my favorite Banana Caramel Ice Cream in Karavalli. I did try the offering and concluded that they were way too ‘interesting’ for me. But a lot of my dinner companions did relish the flavors of coconut and jaggery – especially in the Bamboo Rice Payasam which was a first for me. 

The festival is on till the end of the month – so hurry to catch some Syrian delicacies. It is available a-la-carte, both for lunch and dinner. 


KARAVALLI

The Gateway Hotel,

#66, Residency Road,

Bangalore – 560025.

Phone: +91 80 66604545

Parking: Valet available

Cost: Rs.2800/++ for a meal for two.

Live Blogging for Social Media Week Bangalore 2014 @ Fava (UB City, Bangalore)

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Bangalore played host to Social Media Week (#SMW Bangalore) this year and it was definitely an honor to be a part of it! The FB page states that “SMW Bangalore is where we make progress in regards to how humanity and technology come together”. Taking place in eight cities simultaneously from February 17-21, 2014 it is truly an amalgamation of the best social media mavens in the world. #SMWBangalore is powered by Nokia India & Hosted by R Square Consulting, and I was invited to take part in the Live Food Blogging Session at Fava. I also spoke in a panel discussion about Social Media and its impact on the restaurant industry, but I will focus my efforts on taking you through the live blogging session. 
Let’s be honest first off. It is super difficult to eat, listen, interact and finally blog at the same time. Especially when people like me are attached to their DSLR’s like conjoined twins. My Samsumg S3 takes fairly good pictures compared to other mobile phones but it really cannot do justice to the food presented. So in all fairness, the blogging that happened at the event was restricted to my FB page. I could not however deprive you of the beautiful pictures from the lunch at Fava and so this post materializes!

Fava is one of those exceptional restaurants that you always eat at, but never bother to write about because you visit it so frequently. So in case anyone had doubts about whether I love it or not – I LOVE IT. The restaurant has won the “Best Mediterranean Restaurant’ award twice in a row from the Times Food Guide awards and definitely deserves the adulation it gets. The freshness of the produce, the meticulous execution of the dishes and the almost sublime presentation, just attest to why Chef Abhijit Saha will always be in the elite league for me. The best part is, he never stops inventing or in this case, re-interpreting classics to arrive at something exceptional and new! And to top it all off, some of the items from the Pre-Fixe Lunch Menu that we tried today, are priced at an absolute steal! So without further ado, here’s a photolog of my lunch today. P.S. I didn’t eat it all…we shared some dishes and frankly, I would have eaten it ALL if my stomach was bigger!

12 different types of Mezze for you to pick from – A dozen Mezze is definitely a fun way to share food! This is a new innovation from Chef Saha and is a separate order. I literally swooned at the mint labneh, tabbouleh and babaganouj.
 

The plated Mezze is a modern interpretation of the traditional Mezze which is served in a big bowl from where people whould help themselves. The Avocado and Hummus combination and the Smoked Salmon with Hummus is definitely not found anywhere else. This kind of traditional with a twist, I could get used to!
The Live Micro Green Salad is a fantastic offering from Fava, The inspiration to grow the micro greens inhouse, came from the lack of availability of the same in the market! This is also presented in a unique way where they actually prepare your salad at your table – right from chopping off the micro greens fresh and adding them to salad leaves and dressing them with artisinal produce.
The rest of the pictures are a showcase of the Pre-Fixe Menu. Trust me when I say, each and every dish was exceptional. Head there for a lovely afternoon lunch with all your friends, rest assured you will fall in love with Fava. 


http://socialmediaweek.org/bangalore/
FAVA
#203, 2nd Floor,
UB City, 24 Vittal Mallya Road
Bangalore 560001.
Phone: +91 80 22117444
Parking: In the mall
Cost: Pre-Fixe Lunch Menu – 3 courses – Rs.550/-+ taxes

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 designed for it! They also have indoor seating where you will come across vintage photos of the Raj era depicting scenes from the game of Polo. The garden area is bathed in the soft glow of candle light and definitely put me in a relaxed mood. In all, a classy space where you can linger over your cocktails or knock down some unique drinks and indulge in conversations with friends.

The Live Grills Festival is on till the end of the month and there is more than enough variety to keep everyone happy. Get there by 7:30 pm and let Chef Gautam Uchil ensure your choice of meat, seafood, chicken and vegetables are grilled to perfection. You can choose marinades from North African Chermoula, Piri Piri from the Mediterranean, Oriental Teriyaki, Tunisian Harissa and Lebanese spices. I would also suggest trying some inventive cocktails from the bar – Mixologist Shashank Sharma has been very naughty with his mixes. 😉
I actually had the pleasure of trying tasting portions of most of the grill selection (someone has to do the job!) and came away mighty pleased with what’s on offer. On my plate was a lovely Seekh Kebab served with hummus and pita, grilled Pork Sausages, Peri Peri Prawns and Teriyaki Quail (perfectly cooked by the way and we all know how difficult that is, with a small sized bird).
The Harissa rubbed Pomfret was also beautifully grilled and I was happy to tuck in. I’m not Bengali, but this is the preferred fish at our dinner table as well. We did have a Bengali on the table that evening (J) and she couldn’t resist pointing out art of buying fresh fish. We definitely took down tips (after some good natured ribbing about the Bongs love for fish of course!). The new rage in supermarkets – the New Zealand Lamb Chop, was only on my plate and it went very well with my wine. One of my dinner companions also choose to get some Tenderloin Steak grilled and it came with some roasted vegetables and mash to make a complete meal. When you order your mains, it will come with its complementing marinade and be served with its traditional accompaniments, so you can just relax and enjoy the experience.
I just have to share this picture of how the whiskey was served. My dinner companion had a Cragganmore and a Laphroaig served on actual Whiskey Stones! It lets you put a chill in your whiskey without diluting the dram 🙂
 Who wants to try an aged Grey Goose Vodka? Just for the beautiful oak barrel, I did!
Desserts need to be had. Tiramisu, Trio of Chocolate and Crème Brulee. But of course, if you are exciting like us, you can choose to end with a flaming Citrus cocktail – either way – Polo Club makes it a sweet ending!


Polo Club
The Oberoi,
37-39 M.G. Road,
Bangalore 560001.
Ph: +91 80 2558 5858
Parking: Valet available

A New way of getting High @ HIGH Ultra Lounge (World Trade Center, Malleshwaram)

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Yes you heard me right, Bangalore has a new way of getting high. Considering our pours of alcohol last us only till 11:30 pm, we all need something to supplement the evening. Now before your mind goes wandering in directions that could get both of us into trouble – I’ll cut the suspense short and introduce you to HIGH Ultra Lounge. Located on the 31st floor of the World Trade Center in Malleshwaram, it aims to set the bar ‘high’ for all clubs in Bangalore. At 421 feet above the ground you can’t really help feeling ‘above the rest’!
We were invited for a special blogger preview of the club, which officially threw its door open to the public this weekend. We were asked to dress warm because of the altitude but nobody warned us that the ride to the top in the glass lift would be nothing short of an adrenaline rush. The dedicated lift takes you zooming up to the 31st floor in under two minutes and if you have vertigo its best to keep your eyes closed. You will open your eyes to posters of women in red hot lipstick and an escalator takes you to the landing for your entry into the ‘highest building in South, East and North of India’. That itself warrants a visit!

The 10,000 sq.ft space at HIGH is divided into four zones – High View (fantastic views of the city), High Edge (for a quick intimate drink), High Dine (Alfresco dining) and High Mix (for the party peeps). Each area has a different design aesthetic and allows you the flexibility to indulge, based on your mood. They also have plans of setting up an intimate evening for two or four at the helipad soon. Valentine’s Day plans anyone?

High View is my personal favorite and is just breathtaking. If you go there in time for sunset you can see the transition from day to night and the lights of Bangalore glisten below like fireflies. Coupled with the gurgling water body and the foliage wall, it is an ideal setting for a romantic evening. I saw a couple of beach chairs facing the setting sun that I personally want to usurp the next time I’m there.
High Mix is where the action is for the party lovers. Guru the mixologist is a perfect host if you want to have a rocking time. He mixed us a couple of interesting cocktails which he served with such finesse that it ensured he had a large fan following by the end of the evening. A mix of molecular cocktails, barrel aged, herb infused and smoked cocktail is his specialty. Ask for Guru’s Love Potion the next time you’re there and watch the magic unfold.

HIGH focuses on Pan-Asian cuisine, a fast favorite with luxury bars across Bangalore. Executive Chef Zhang Hao had a little surprise quiz planned for us where the bloggers were asked to guess the ingredients in two starters he bought out. While I tried (really hard), I failed to nail ALL the ingredients, but it was fun to play the game nevertheless! Chef had crafted a special menu for this evening and we were delighted to find a beautifully laid out table at HIGH Dine. The setting called for nothing less than some sparkling wine and we all settled in to enjoy the spread.
We were served tasting portions of a variety of starters, main course and dessert. I simply adored the Miso Soup which was bang on the flavor and the Sesame Cheese roll which for its ubiquitous name hid a surprise of Strawberry notes in the cheese. I had multiple helpings of the Peking duck roll, though I personally felt the pancake needed to be thinner. The Vegetarian Sushi platter was tastefully executed while the Fried Snapper with Thai Sauce was a crowd pleaser. Many people also loved the Crab sticks in Tempura batter. I however, will never understand why a restaurant will go through all that effort to deep fry some processed food! But I grudgingly have to admit that I ate more than two. The fare as you can see, is populist, but I also think it’s the right approach in a lounge where the food is secondary to the drink.

The Thai Green Vegetable Curry was flawless and so was the Fish in Laksa Sauce. Both were paired with fluffy white rice and I had to stop myself from eating more than my stomach could hold. The Massaman curry was a letdown as it had an overpowering taste of cumin that clearly didn’t belong there. The Soba Noodlesand the San Bei Chicken were well executed if not exceedingly exciting.
The Banoffee pie stole the show. I mean seriously…the banana toffee combo was so good that it was unanimously voted the dish of the day. *Dessert dreams are made of this*. The fresh fruit platter was so beautiful to look at, but of course we focused on the Banoffee!
I know it was a specially curated evening, but I HAVE to mention the service. It was impeccable and charming at the same time. Such a joy to have wait staff know about the dishes being served and also recommend a few to the diners along with an explanation on why we would like it! Point taken and much appreciated.
HIGH Ultra Lounge certainly raised the bar this evening. Hoping they will go all out to charm the city. All they need to do is let people inside and I think the ambiance itself will do half the trick. Cheers!
Here is a link to a VIDEO (click here) of our night out. Enjoy 🙂
 HIGH Ultra Lounge
Roof Top, World Trade Center,
Brigade Gateway Campus,
26/1 Dr.Rajkumar Road,
Malleshwaram-Rajajinagar,
Bangalore 560055.
Ph: +91 80 4567 4567
Parking: Valet
Cost: Rs. 3000/- for a meal for two with alcohol

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 a Sunday morning totally appealed to our senses and we landed up for breakfast at a half past ten.

Parking (I mean the footpath) was full, so we parked opposite on the road and headed in. Cheery yellow chairs greeted us amidst a riot of flora and the blackboard menu announced the offerings of the day. After much debate I decided not to have the much talked about ‘Big Breakfast’. My inner urge for largesse was suppressed by my expanding waistline (December is a month of excesses for chrissake!). So I settled for Green Eggs and Ham. My friend the pseudo vegetarian opted for Chili Scrambled Eggs on Sourdough. We ordered a pot of Tea to share between us and got down to the business of swapping stories.
The waiter was pleasant and knowledgeable and pretty much knew the menu in and out – a welcome change from those that run back into the kitchen to provide information on the dishes. The cutlery was laid out on the table along with water in a green wine bottle. It’s nice to note that they didn’t really try to upsell bottled water, which is a norm in most restaurants these days. IMHO – if you own a restaurant, the least you can do is have a filtration unit to serve potable water to your customers – on the house!
The Chili Scrambled Eggs arrived – and they arrived in style. The eggs were piled high on the bread in a cylindrical mould and the plate was all dressed up in herb oil and sun dried tomatoes. A truly colorful, tasty and healthy way to start the day.
My Green Eggs and Ham – so called because the eggs are scrambled with some pesto, arrived in a similar fashion. But the white plate was swapped for a nice wooden board. The large slice of sourdough was buttered (or maybe it was cream cheese) and topped generously with some excellent ham. The green eggs were also adorned with some Micro greens (which I realized that they grew in-house when I looked around). Being a lover of all things pesto – this one was a winner in my books.
Our pot of Tea arrived soon after and we were mighty pleased at how it was served. A pot of brewed tea, a cup of milk, a jar of sugar, two sparkling cups and a tea strainer – made for a pretty picture. I made myself a mera-wala chai and settled in.
After long conversations about life, love and all things inconsequential, we decided to top off the day with something sweet. I must tell you that it was noon now and no way close to breakfast time, but the board said they served breakfast till 3 PM and who are we to argue? :p
I ordered the Stuffed French Toast and my friend got adventurous with the Ricotta Hot cakes with honey butter and fresh bananas. Now this one took it’s time to arrive. The Stuffed French toast was a beauty. Really fat slices of Bread (was it challah?) slit in the middle to be stuffed with poached plums, dressed with copious amounts of pancake syrup and a dollop of fresh cream. Deeeee-vine. If they had just stuck to browning and not blackening one side of the toast, I might have been in food heaven. We were looking forward to the Ricotta cakes now and pretty much dissecting the recipe in our heads when we realized it was taking an awfully long time to arrive. When I asked the waiter about it (30 mins after polishing off the French toast) – he apologized profusely because the order was not sent to the kitchen. He said he could get it for us now, but the cakes generally take a while. Hmmm… choices, choices. The long wait had already sent the ‘you are full signal’ to our brains and we decided to cancel the order. Sad Story.
Our brekkie for two added up to Rs.1040/- with taxes and service charge. A great deal considering the quality of ingredients used. The service was courteous but clearly order taking was a miss. The lady of the house was up and about enquiring after her regular’s – so I guess the stories about the famed hospitality still apply. I’m definitely going back there to try the rest of the blackboard menu. (I saw something with smoked salmon and poached eggs). I might even say Red Fork upped the ante on its sister concern – Daddy’s Deli.
Red Fork
594, 12th Main,
HAL 2nd stage, Indiranagar,
Bangalore.
Ph: +91 80 41154372
Parking: Get Lucky on the road
Cost: Rs. 1200/- for a meal for two without alcohol
Other: Pet-Friendly

The Monkey Bar Burger Festival (Residency Road, Bangalore)

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Monkey Bar has some tricks up its sleeve for the next two weeks – their Gourmet Burger festival! I mean, who better than the Gastro pub pioneers in the country, to bring us something out of the ordinary?! If you’ve read Malcolm Gladwell’s book – Outliers, you know the ‘10,000 hour rule’. It simply states that mastery in any field can be achieved with close to 10,000 hours of practice. Well, MoBar can aim to get on the master bandwagon – after all, they claim to have churned out 10,000 burgers since they opened! J
MoBar has always been out-there when it comes to their interpretations of classics and I like that they push the envelope a little bit (ok, a lot!). How different can a burger get? Well, they promised us it was ‘the most fun we could have between two buns’ (ahem…), and I for one wasn’t planning to pass up an opportunity to try their creations.
We were a little spoilt for choice – 8 different gourmet burgers to choose from, between the three of us. Oh wait…the last one was a dessert burger! (How? Why? Really?) Comon, where’s your sense of adventure? 😛 

My friends R&A instantly divvied up the beef burgers between them. I decided to give the Chicken Burger a fair shot (yes, I’m weird like that!). While sane people would have stopped here, the greedy ones will proceed to order more. Since my eyes are always bigger than my stomach – we got the Seafood Sliders as well. This was going to be a fun afternoon! (They have a Veggie Burger and a Pork Sausage Burger as well … so feel free to get all your friends along).
The Seafood Sliders were a unanimous choice. Especially because this came as a trio, we decided this would be our appetizer – one for each. (Yes, we are the queens of overdoing it!). This one, I looooved! First of all, there are not many people who make a good seafood burger (The McDonald’s Fish Burger doesn’t count!). Secondly, this one has prawn and crab in addition to the fish! Thirdly, it’s the perfect size. How many times have I seen women (not me) passing over a burger because it’s too messy to eat? In the end, all I’d like to say is, who can resist a prawn, crab and fish patty between mini burger buns slathered with lemon aioli and grain mustard? Not us! They served this with the best potato wedges (a personal weakness) and some simple cucumber slaw. (I hope they put this on their regular menu…please, pretty please).
My Grilled Chicken ‘Bahn Mi’ Burger arrived first. (The other Chicken option was a Breaking Bad inspired Heisen Burger with crispy fried chicken that I saved for another visit). The Bahn Mi interpretation was Vietnamese style marinated and grilled chicken tenders, served with bean sprouts, pickled cucumbers, Mayo and Nam Prik sauce. The flavors were redolent of the far east, and surprisingly good for meat as insipid as chicken. But in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help wishing they offered the same flavors in a pork patty – would have knocked my socks off! I also thought the size of the burger bun was far too large and coupled with my excessive talking and slow eating, the base was a disintegrated mess by the end of my meal. (Slider size gets another brownie point!)
My quirky friend fell in love with the Square Breakfast even as she read the description in the menu. Beef Patty topped with bacon rashers and a sunny side up egg – served with skinny fries, grilled tomatoes and baked beans. Who said you can’t have breakfast in a burger…or really, even a burger for breakfast? (That was so profound, it’s giving me goosebumps :P) The funnest part of this breakfast burger is that the bun and the patty are square! Reminded me of the ordeals Harry and Kumar endured, to get the square White Castle Burgers. Lucky for us, we have Monkey J My OCD part of the brain can’t resist suggesting that they should use a square mould and get a square sunny side-up egg…wouldn’t that be fab? I must warn you that this burger is the messiest – the runny yolk drenches the patty in all its goodness. So come with your sleeves rolled up!
The Gastro Burger was the Big Kahuna, the Sultan of Brunei, the Holy Guacamole, the…well, you get my drift. If anyone can squeeze in more awesomeness between two buns – they should be put behind bars for extravagance! Let me tell you what’s inside. Ready? The patty is made from lightly smoked aged beef which is topped with aged Gruyere and caramelized onions. The bun itself is no ordinary bun, but a fancy Brioche (for the uninitiated – it is a rich eggy and buttery bun that screams indulgence!). This is slathered with Dijon mustard on one side and Mushroom Ketchup on the other. Yes, I said Mushroom ketchup. (Didn’t I tell you they push the envelope already?).  Oh, and if all that isn’t enough – they serve this with some slaw and truffle scented fries. Sigh …sigh…sigh… I almost regretted not eating beef. This one needs to be savoured. But don’t take too long eating it, because the brioche tends to soak up all the juices and get a little soggy.
You could order dessert from their regular menu. But that would be so ho-hum compared to these beautiful Mini Mobar Macarons. (Excuse me while I squeal – how cute!!!) A mini interpretation of the MoBar Burger – this macaron is truly a work of art. I won’t spoil the surprise by listing all the things it’s made of – you’ll just have to go and order it yourself. Trust me, it’s worth it.
The Monkey Bar Burger Festival runs from Friday, the 29th of November to Saturday, the 14th of December.  They suggest you come hungry – and so do I!

 

Monkey Bar
14/1, Krishna Manere, Wood Street,
Richmond Road, Ashok Nagar,
Bangalore – 560025
Ph: +91 80 41116878/ 79
Parking: On the Street
Cost: Festival Burgers at Rs.320/- onwards