Restaurant Reviews

Punjabi by Nature, bangalore

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:13:15 +0000

Going there tomorrow. Watch this space.

The Darshini concept

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:14:51 +0000

I've often wondered who started the Darshini concept. This article sheds some light-

http://www.livemint....he-way.html?h=B

Quote

After years of travelling the world, Prabhakar helped start a restaurant called Café Darshini, the first joint of its kind with an open kitchen and food-grade steel, in 1987. Soon after, he shared the concept with another relative, G. Janardhan, who used to run a south Indian restaurant in Jayanagar called Pavithra. Sold on the idea, Janardhan opened Upahar Darshini (UD) in Gandhi Bazaar in Basavanagudi in 1989.

UD’s immense popularity started a fad, with several hundred eateries mushrooming across the city, copying the style of functioning and the name—Darshini.

Mahalakshmi Tiffin Room (Bangalore , DVG Road)

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:02:52 +0000

Not willing to give up our search for the best dosas in this area, we walked a little ahead and came across Mahalakshmi Tiffin Rooms established since 1926!

Dosa was pretty good and had a dollop of white butter which skated across the side.

Coffee smelled good so we had a by2

Zafran at the Park Plaza Bangalore

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:34:33 +0000

The entrance to Zafran

An open kitchen exudes confidence.

Mezze Platter

The Ranoosh Lebanese Restaurant

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:19:02 +0000

Ranoosh Lebanese Restaurant and Black and Red the lounge bar opened in Bangalore last night. Here is a preview-

The evening kicked off with a fashion show by James Ferreira, presented by Prasad Biddapa

But on to the food-

Whole Goat is difficult to cook evenly but this was done perfectly

A range of Cold Lebanese starters

Shanklish

Lebanese Dolmas

Samke Harra Fish

The last time I had such a great spread of Lebanese food was at Fakhreldine at Piccadilly, London.
GI members have been invited to dine there once Ranoosh settles in.

Movenpick - Sunday Brunch

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:00:50 +0000

Sunday Brunches at star hotels are a declaration of the hotel’s culinary competence and going by this axiom I can say that the newly opened Movenpick Hotel is going to take the eating-out scene of North Bangalore by storm. If you are driving from Hebbal to BEL circle, the hotel building is visible on the left as you go past BEL circle. You can sense the warmth and competence in the service staff, in the demeanor of the valet driver to the expatriate General Manager.

The Brunch is laid out in the all-day dining restaurant called “My Place”. The hotel also boasts of a highly recommended Italian restaurant – Mezzaluna, where the décor is a delightful potpourri of Milan’s fashion and relives the period of Rennaisance.

Seafood counter

The brunch revolves around diverse cuisines including Italian, Indian, Thai, Middle Eastern and Japanese. The cold cuts and cheese counter has some of the finest selections from across the world. I loved the fresh mussels and scallops with a dash of lime and there were other tidbits like the watermelon salsa. My wife drooled over the smoked Norwegian Salmon and the French Champagne, a match made in heaven. The al fresco area was designated for the grills; the chef was churning out fresh, mildly spiced perfectly cooked Tiger Prawns. I would generally give the Indian fare a miss in this kind of a setting but the aromatic Chicken Biryani caught my fancy and tried a bit which was made with choicest basmati rice and cooked with utmost precision.

We also liked some selections from the Sushi Counter.

and some juicy Roast pork

The desserts were innovative - Rasmalai in thick coffee sauce was the pick from the Indian section and Passion Fruit Panna cotta from the European lot. There were so many options, that it was impossible to try out all.

Priced at Rs 1700/- inclusive of unlimited foreign liquor, wine and champagne, I can safely say this is the best VFM Brunch in Bangalore. Service was just perfect and our champagne was replenished with promptness. A pleasant band was playing some peppy numbers and later the F&B Manager himself took charge of entertaining the guests and sang few popular hits.

Pink Poppadom at Ista Hotel, Bangalore

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:15:21 +0000

During my visit to India in October I had the pleasure of having dinner with Suresh at Pink Poppadom at the Ista Hotel.

Honestly I was a bit apprehensive when I arrived at the Pink Paoppadom. Before we reached there, Suresh mentioned that the restaurant serves “Modern Indian Cuisine.” I was hoping that it is not yet another “fusion cuisine”; unpleasant past experiences had made me suspicious of that term.

The restaurant has a fresh modern feel to it with the décor truly emphasizing the pink in Pink Poppadum, but in a classy way. We were there to try the chef's selections. Fortunately my concerns did not last very long.

A basket of pink hued poppadums arrived first with small servings of two kinds of chutneys and a delicious pomegranate and beets relish.

The amuse bouche was a soup course– a soup bowl with a small rice ball in the middle was placed in front of each of us. What came into the bowl was a delicious combination of traditional, warm, peppery yellow mulligatawny and its modern take, colored red with beetroot.

The next course was a trio of appetizers – my vegetarian plate consisted of Gomashio Aloo with Mint chutney, sweetened yogurt and tamarind chutney; Fig and Walnut Seekh with sauteed artichokes, Paneer-Stuffed with Pickled Beetroot, and Jaljeera Shooter.

Gomashio Aloo was a delectable sesame crusted potato piece filled with tangy potato and nut mixture. It was drizzled with mint and tamarind chutneys and sweet yogurt. The sesame crust certainly added another dimension to the creamy soft aloo. The chutneys were perfect accompaniments to it. Noticing the concern on my face the chef explained that what looked like a meat kabob on my plate was actually the fig and walnut seekh. It was a sweet and slightly crunchy and cooked perfectly. The jaljeera shooter was refreshing. Two paneer pieces with a slice of pickled beetroot piece in the middle did not add much to its taste.

The vegetarian main course consisted of Paneer Mille Feuille on a bed of Lemon Rice, Vilayati Subz Strudel, and Makhani Sauce in a creamer. Steaming Bamati rice, Makhani Dal and a basket of flavorful breads were also served with the main course. The paneer sandwich layered with tomato and mint layers was drizzled with a sauce – a perfect combination and beautiful presentation. Paneer was soft and the tangy tomato and fresh mint flavors made the sandwich delicious. The bed of lemon rice beneath added a piquant note to it. The makhani sauce also went very well with the Subz Strudel made with mixed vegetables cooked with just the right spices. The thick, warm, and creamy Makhani dal was a perfect accompaniment to the rice and rosemary and garlic naan.

The dessert course was spectacular. Small servings of three desserts presented artfully on a white plate - Mango jamun with gulkand chutney, Coconut Crème Brule with biscotti, and a small chocolate samosa in the middle. It was just too pretty to eat!

Mango jamun – a delicious gulab jamun perfectly encased in creamy mango mousse - was the most authentic Indian dessert among the three. A mix of khoya and milk chocolate made the chocolate samosa creamy and rich, but not too chocolaty. But Coconut crème brulee lacked the crunchy caramel crust all over the top; and the rich creaminess of a blend of egg and cream was missing in its coconut substitute. But two good desserts were more than enough after a big meal. I only wish the restaurant would serve more innovative Indian desserts rather than recreate Western counterparts with an Indian accent.

The final surprise was the paan shot. I never eat paan, but this was something else. Paan leaves and supari blended with sweet condensed milk and delicately perfumed with cardamom and crystallized rose petals – what a perfect ending to a great meal.

It is not easy to infuse innovations into the intricacies of Indian cuisines – the key is to balance flavors and textures. And good presentation elevates food to the next level. Executive sous Chef Sandeep Biswas and his team truly astonished me with an array of flavorful dishes paired and presented in an innovative way. The staff was well informed and the service was impeccable.

I will certainly go back to Pink Poppadom the next time I am in Bangalore. My sincere thanks to Suresh and Chef Biswas for great company and a wonderful dinner.

Casa Piccola - Residency Road , Bangalore

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:27:06 +0000

Visited Casa Piccola - Residency Road , Bangalore after a long time.

Same ambiance and great Italian food that pleases the Indian palate !

A-14, Devatha Plaza
31, Residency Road
Bangalore – 560025
Tel. 22212907/41101888

The Menu

Started with the Spicy Coriander Soup , one of the best i have had , could taste potato there as well !

Main course - Chicken Parmigiana , Tender Boneless chicken crumb fried with mozzarella . Italian tomato sauce & cheese with mashed potatoes
The Mashed Potatoes were fantastic , similar to the discussions & recipe here http://www.gourmetin...ashed-potatoes/ , so was the tender Chicken all in all the combination was incredible ! Loved every bit there .

Desserts ! Crepes Disney

Crowne Plaza, Okhla, New Delhi

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:32:19 +0000

This chain has come up with a property close to my office. Now all renowned hotel chains are opening new hotels in the south western periphery of Delhi. There are three five star hotels near where I live. The targets are the group tourists. Being in the south western part airport is pretty close and one need not brave the trafiic of central Delhi. So, the tourist groups are picked up by buses and taken to these hotels. Next day tourist buses collect their clients and drive off to Agra/Jaipur avoiding the main city traffic.

The other day I was to take a visitor out for lunch and chose to try the restaurant in this hotel. The menu is limited, other than typical north Indian staples there were Italian, Oriental choices. I ordered Parma ham, rocket leave salad and roast leg of duck with red wine reduction glazing. Unlike other restaurants the salad had a lot of ham, the rocket leaves were fresh and crunchy. The roast was done to perfection. I didn't expect it to be so succulent and was surprised. For dessert I had Cassata Bomb. A huge ball of icecream with soft cake filling, very yummy but I couldn't finish it. In a nutshell it was quite an enjoyable meal. The damage was Rs.6000/- for 3 persons, two cold drinks and one pint of beer. Not bad!

Kumarakom

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 05:58:21 +0000

After a recent visit to Kerala we wanted to revisit the cuisine and were excited to find one in HSR layout bang opposite to BDA complex, the Kumarakom. On a Sunday night there was good rush of people, we managed to get a corner place for two.

The atmosphere, air and decor had a quality of house boat in the back waters .We ordered for a Karimeen Pollichathu ,It came wrapped in a banana leaf .The fish was fried in an overwhelming infusion of coconut milk, kokam and red chillies that made it soft and rightly spiced.Next came the duck roast kerala style , this was a thick gravy as against my imagination of being a regular roasted dish. The Gravy was of onion base high on the spices especially the lavish usage of pepper corn.This dish went well with the Kerala parota.

We ordered one of their most popular offering - appam with mutton stew. The appam (rice cakes) was soft and was a perfect match to the stew. The mutton chunks was not tender as expected but the stew was light with a coconut milk base and not heavily spiced contrary to the other dishes. The dinner came to an end with Kerala style payasam. The payasam had small rice dumplings ,a whole lot of cashew, khismish, flavours of nutmeg cinnamon and surprisingly a hint of jeera.

Kumarakom is place that is worth visiting because of the ambience and authenticity of food. They have quite a few branches in Chennai and Dubai.