m a n u s c r y p t s

I’ve always felt that the biggest threat to the Mallu plans of world domination would come from the Bongs. Though they have been less organised in their approach, recent activities would indicate that all that is changing. Take, for example, Koramangala. There are no less than half a dozen restaurants on record now that serve Bengali cuisine. Not to mention, ‘Heritage of Bengal’ that has replaced the heritage Mallu joint Ravi’s Kitchen in Koramangala. The threat is on other fronts too. I was not really a big fan of mustard oil, until I realised that our Oriya cook  had slowly corrupted our (D’s and mine) taste buds over the period of two months he’s been with us!!

And that’s how I thought it was about time that we undertook a third reconnaissance mission. (after Kolkata and The Esplanade). Bhojohori Manna is on the same road as Anupam’s Coast II Coast, Imperial etc. The map is here, Bhojohori Manna is a couple of buildings from Anupam’s. Parking for 2 wheelers is easy, and since there are many side lanes around, larger machines should be able to manage too.

BM is spread across two floors. Well, spread is perhaps the wrong word, but they have used the space well to create a cosy, pleasant ambiance. The decor would be just like any other fine dining place, but the music, lamp shades and the cushions with Kantha work (oh don’t worry, guys, I am on your side, I had no clue what this was until D pointed it out. Still haven’t deciphered it either) gives the place the character its name demands.

We didn’t start out really well. We went to the 2nd level for the view to the road outside, but weren’t allowed to sit at any table with that view, because they were all 4-seaters. So we went back down and thankfully got a good seat, which offered  a view, without the erm, high ground. This was at about 7.30 and by 8, there was quite a crowd. Thankfully, the person who took our order turned out to be a pleasant guy who  made things better with all the help he gave us in choosing the dishes. The menu is not as exhaustive as the one provided on their site, but still managed to give us enough options.

We started with a Pora Bhetki, which is fried fillets of the Bhetki fish (red snapper?). Though it was tasty, with a good masala coating, and a chutney that complemented it well, Rs.180 was quite too much, especially considering the prices of the rest of the menu items. Would advise you to try out something else from the many options available. It didn’t help that they brought all the main course items before we completed it.

So, for the main course, we started with Luchi and Chicken Dakbangla. (liked the Ramsay Brothers style name of the latter)  The luchis were quite good, and not very greasy. The Chicken Dakbangla was excellent, though the pieces were more bone than flesh. The question remains unanswered too, as there’s an egg in the dish. Recommended, in spite of the bones. Since 2 luchis each weren’t really enough, we also had a Koraishutir (peas) Kochuri. Turned out to be a good choice, and thanks to the staff for pointing out that our original choice Bakarkhani Roti wouldn’t go well with the chicken dish. Bheesh it was next. So we had Pabda Shorshe with steamed rice. Thanks to our ‘tampered’ taste buds, we enjoyed the mustard based fish curry. Somewhere in between, D also tried out an Ampora Shorbot which was reasonably good.

The portions are just sufficient for two people, and when you’re not really hungry. The good part is that it allows you to try out various things, and still leave space enough for dessert!! Except for roshogulla and sandesh, the usual suspects including the mishti doi were not available. The guy who helped us out insisted on us trying out an ice cream. Since I wanted to hedge it, we asked for one of those ice creams and a roshogolla. The roshogolla was just okay, but the ice cream was absolutely fantastic. So I ended up ordering one more of that all for myself. Later research established that it was a ‘Natun Gurer ice cream’ (made of date palm jaggery). Gurest, sorry, best dessert I’ve had in a while, though the consistency is more ‘mishti doi towards mousse’ than ice cream.

All of the above cost us just over Rs.600, which I thought was good bong for the buck. (though I really don’t know enough to comment on authenticity).

Bhojohori Manna, 668/B, 6th Block, Koramangala Club Road, Ph: 080 25503666

PS: Erm, meanwhile, any Bong reader here who can forget petty world domination plans and share the ice cream recipe?

The reviews that I had read in the last couple of weeks had ensured that before this Sunday I’d have a go at Tunday. It helped that the place is in Koramangala, on the same road as Ping, Empire, Paramount etc, in the same building as Lazeez. (map) Parking is not very easy for four wheelers, but you should just about manage. Tunday is spread across two floors, and at about 9.30 pm on Saturday was quite crowded. Thankfully, we found a place on the first floor.

Tunday is a famous import from Lucknow, and apparently is the first franchise outside of the place, though it seems the cooks and spices have been brought down. According to Amit Akali’s review in Bangalore Mirror (disclosure: yep, I work in the Times Group ), legend has it that the mutton kabab was created specially for a Lucknowi nobleman who had lost his teeth but not his appetite for kababs. Also Tunday gets its name from tunda,a slang for a one armed man. You can read more here. So, keep that in mind and when you’re here, and so pehle aap ek plate Mutton Tunday kabab order karo please.

We did, and though we had no train to catch, it was brought in a few minutes. A plate has 4 pieces and from what we ate, I’m convinced that the toothless nobleman would’ve had no trouble at all with the kabab. The phrase ‘melt in the mouth’ is a cliche for kababs, but I’m guessing this one  is a good candidate to have started it. Its awesome and I insist you try it. (a good time to mention that if you’re a veggie,you’ll perhaps feel as much a sense of belonging here as Sarah Palin in a geography quiz) Meanwhile, the menu is as simple as it can get, as you can see here

(click for a larger image)

After the splendid kabab, we moved on to a Shahi Murg Masala and a couple of Tunday’s parathas. The paratha is perhaps the most unique one I’ve had. It is crispy yet soft. Do give it a try. The Shahi Murg Masala was another good choice, and though the portion was not really that large (had only one chicken piece, though a large one at that) it was delicious. Spicy too, and there was some flavour that I couldn’t quite place, though it did remind me of saffron. (but it wasn’t saffron)

The next round consisted of a mutton biriyani and a chicken korma. The mutton biriyani was fantastic, and unlike the ones we regularly have, it was not very oily. Of the whole lot, the korma was perhaps the only one that wasn’t really stellar. But it was in the company of legends, so one can’t really blame it. By the time we finished all this, we were stuffed, and so the Awadhi kheer had to be left for another day.

Now, this is by no stretch of imagination, a fine dining place. No A/c, the tables are just about clean, the chairs aren’t so lucky, and they won’t bring the handwash apparatus to your table. The service is chaotic, we even contemplated joining our table with the adjacent couple, since there were at least a couple of mixed up orders. But you really wouldn’t pay attention because of the speed at which the food arrives and of course, the food itself. Besides the guys are really pleasant in spite of the furious pace, and the earnestness wins you over. So, think of it as though you’re at home, roll up your sleeves, and get to work on the part that matters – the food.

All of the above cost us just less than Rs.450, that was after reminding them that they hadn’t billed one item. The portions are not large, but the good part, therefore, is that you can try different dishes. You should definitely try the place out.

Tunday Kababi, KHB Colony, 5th Block, Koramangala Ph: 9448083030

is not just a number. And though I’m not aware of any deep significance that say, a 42 is privileged to have, it happens to be the name of a ‘bistro bar’ in Koramangala. 64 is located diagonally opposite Jukebox. (map) Let me warn you that traffic in this area is an absolute pain, so you might be better off leaving your vehicle at the Bosch parking space (take the left turn opposite Star on Hosur Road) which is relatively free during weekends, and walking up the rest of the way.

64 has a mix of seating options spread across the first and second floor of what appears to be a house converted into its current usage. But this actually works in its favor. The cuisine is predominantly continental with just some lip service paid to a couple of other cuisines. You can have a look at the menu here. (and thank Roopashree)

The menu offers quite a few options for vegetarians also, and within non veg, you can choose from chicken, fish, lamb and prawns. Since we couldn’t find a thick soup in the menu, we’d almost decided on a starter, but a casual enquiry resulted in us ordering a cream based chicken and mushroom soup, which isn’t on the menu. The chicken was added on our request, that was nice of them. The soup turned out to be slightly less thicker than we’d have liked, but the creamy, peppery flavour was good enough for us to be largely satisfied.

For the main course, we chose to ignore the pasta options. D ordered a ‘Chicken Piccata’ and I asked for a ‘Stuffed Chicken Pockets’. We both chose rice (over bread), and that didn’t disappoint. The sauces used in both dishes were excellent, though the chicken could’ve been a little more tender. The Chicken Piccata has a mushroom-pepper sauce, which went very well with the rice. The chicken pockets were indeed stuffed, but possibly could’ve been a little less bland. Thankfully, the tangy sauce covered up for it. The portions will not be sufficient if you’re really hungry and I’d recommend a starter if you’re planning to make a full meal of it in 64. Since we had other plans for desserts (that Crepe Connection refuses to let go of its stranglehold) we skipped that bit here.

64 is closed on Mondays. It offers a Sunday special breakfast and lunch menu, which sounded (and I’ve heard good things about it too) quite sumptuous. There is also a ‘corporate lunch’ on weekdays, in which you can make your own salad, pasta and also includes a soup and dessert too.

While the food is quite good, what really works for this place is the ambiance. While it did help that we landed up early (7.30 PM), there is something definitely relaxing about the place. It is really unhurried as its brochure suggests. No live acts on the day we visited, but with ‘The Killers’ and ‘Coldplay’, I couldn’t really complain. Even though it is in a part of Koramangala where the traffic can be absolutely maddening (even to watch) the place manages to let you wath the world rush by, in peace, with some excellent service and a really soothing design and ambiance. Make sure you drop in. (if you need just desserts, there’s always Corner House right around the corner )

64, 1st Main, 7th Block, Koramangala Ph: 9241734704

One of the other side effects (other than one’s own sides, that is) of having a Food Court almost next door, is that eating out is easily taken care of. And that’s why it took us quite a few weeks to unplug ourselves from ‘Crepe Connection’ and visit a new place.

‘Flambe‘ opened a few weeks back in Koramangala, opposite GK Vale, and above the Bata showroom – on the same road  (map) that has China Pearl, Vicky’s Tava Lounge, Oye Amritsar, The Esplanade etc.. Parking shouldn’t be too difficult, even for 4 wheelers since there are many side roads. Flambe has an a/c dining section as well as a terrace section. With the kind of weather Bangalore’s been having, we chose the latter.

It’s quite a pleasant setting, though the seats with a view of the road are clearly meant for larger groups. Also, some of the tables, though aesthetically appealing, lack a bit on functionality, since they are too low.

Over to the menu. Multi-cuisine meant that there was much choice. For starters, there are Nachos and Cheese Fritters, Corn & Cheese balls, Paneer Kalimirch, Achari Tandoor Mushrooms etc, priced at Rs.110, for the veggies, and for the meat minded, Chicken Satay, Crispy Lamb, Pahadi Murgh,Reshmi Kabab, Lahori Boti Kabab etc and seafood too – fish – lasooni fish tikka to fish fingers, calamari, shrimp, priced  between Rs.110 – Rs.320. The soup section, relatively, has fewer options – about 4 veg options, priced at Rs.60 and about 10 non veg options from the regular Hot & Sour and Chicken Shorba to the zuppa di pesce at Rs.70-110. There are a few salad options too, about 3 each in veg and non veg at Rs.70-140.

The main course starts with sizzlers and flambe options – veg, chicken and seafood in both cases. There are half a dozen sizzler options, priced at Rs.100-330, and 9 flambe options, at Rs.200-400. You also get other regulars like Stroganoff, enchiladas, fish’n'chips, a few pasta options. (Rs.110-270) Multi-cuisine means that these share the menu with sweet’n’sour vegetables, Methi Chaman, Hyderabadi kadai Subzi, Dal makhni etc (Rs.70-140) and Diced Chicken in Black pepper, Shredded lamb with onion and capsicum, Mutton Kolhapuri, Malabar fish curry, Goan prawns curry, Murgh Adraki etc  (Rs.190-320). To go along with that, there are quite a few rice and roti options. They also have a snack menu.

We went through all of that, while munching a plate of nachos, complimentary.   We finally chose a Brodo di Pollo, “a traditional italian chicken broth served on a slice of toasted bread”, to start with. I think they meant along with a slice of toasted bread, or probably not, because we got the by-two soup along with 1 croissant, which we erm, manually converted to by-two. But the broth was hot and tasty, with loads of chopped vegetables and chicken, though the taste did remind me a lot of Tabasco sauce.

For the main course, we both chose from the flambe section. D, because, well if the restaurant were named so, this should be the specialty, and me, because it seemed destined. Earlier in the day, i had successfully ‘flambe’d’ my tongue, though with hot chocolate, not alcohol. D ordered a Chicken Pepperonata, “a traditional italian roast chicken with pimentos, flambed with red wine”, and I asked for a Chicken Diane, “boneless grilled chicken and bell peppers flambed with brandy, served with mushroom and pepper corn sauce”. The flooring has two levels, and we were on the upper part, which meant that, though we could see it, the flambe-ing couldn’t be done near our table. That does take a bit away, I thought. Both the items were quite good, though they managed to give me 2 free bones in my dish. When I asked about what ‘boneless’ meant, the guy appeared clueless and mumbled ‘only two bones at the side’. D’s Pepperonata was mildly spicy and tangy, though she felt that the meat could’ve been cooked a bit more. But notwithstanding that, still a good dish. The Chicken Diane was done very well, with a strong pepper flavor that I quite liked.

There are a few dessert options, including Crepes and Banana Fritters, but we had a movie to catch, so we skipped dessert.

All of the above cost us just less than Rs.700, including service tax, and a service charge of 5%. The service is quite good and attentive, the ambiance is pleasant, and overall, a decent experience.

Flambe, #93, 5th Cross, 6th Block, Koramangala Ph: 41606888/89

The coast line of restaurants is far from receding in Koramangala, but since we’ve exhausted most of the coastal food options in Koramangala, and this one stuck out like a sore thumb, we decided to drop in here. Its on the same road as the Kormangala Club. Here’s the ‘how to get there‘ part. This road spoils you with options now with Imperial, Kubay, Hyderabad House, Bhojohori Manna, Heritage of Bengal and Chinese Cottage, all in the space of 100m. We’ll be making more trips here. Anyway, since we’d pre-decided that we would be dining here, we managed to resist the other temptations. The ambiance is decent, with comfortable seating.

The menu has about 6 pages, with just about one page devoted to the ‘authentic coastal cuisine’. Hmm. The rest of the menu consists of the regular Chinese and North indian options. So, in addition to the few coastal cuisine starters (veg – Rs.75 -120, and non veg – Rs.90-300) , you also have Chinese options like drumsticks, Shanghai etc in veg (Rs.90-100)and non veg(Chicken Rs.120-130, Seafood – Rs.90-120). For the soup kind, again, there are veg  and non veg options (Chicken and seafood) with representation from multiple cuisines – Manchow, Cream of Chicken and even Shorba. (Rs. 65- 115). They also have thali options for lunch.

For the main course, there are quite a few coastal cuisine options – very few in veg, but better in non veg – Sukka, Kundapuri, Ghee Roast in chicken and mutton (Rs.90-270) and seafood (prawns, crab, different kinds of fish – Rs.120 upwards, depending on the size of the fish). In addition to this, you have a few pages of Chinese and North indian options (Rs.110-140 range) with dry, gravy items and noodles/paratha etc.

So, we started with a Cream of Chicken. Okay, before you snicker, it was raining outside, and we couldn’t find a coastal cuisine equivalent. The soup turned out to be quite decent, though more cornflour than cream, but then, from experience, they aren’t the only ones guilty of this. Next we had a Marvai Chilly. That’s shellfish and you have to fish a lot to get the little pieces of flesh, but it was done quite well. Mind your tongue, while eating, that is.

For the main course, we ordered a half plate of chicken ghee roast, a fish curry (anjal – kingfish) and appams to go along with it. You could also try neer dosa or pundi (rice dumplings) though we didn’t read good reviews of the former for this place. The fish curry, though well made, obviously makes a better combination with the rice. The ghee roast was quite good, though the ghee only made a Bollywood like special appearance, but the masala made sure we didn’t miss it much. The appams were also very well made. In essence, can’t complain about the food.

All of the above cost us just less than Rs.600. So its quite okay on the value-for-money, quantity and service parameters as well, though the last one is a very no-nonsense, matter-of-fact approach. The coast is clear, so check it out. Bwahaha. In my favor, I resisted so far.

Anupam’s Coast II Coast, 113, 6th Cross, 6th Block, Koramangala Club Road. Ph: 41460666, 41460555

When in the mood for a good ‘thulp’ (hog/binge), you could go to the innumerable Chinese or Mallu joints, but you wouldn’t get burgers and sandwiches there, and that’s why Cafe Thulp makes sense. So, now you know the why, here’s the how to get there.

We got there at just after 7.30, and easily found place, though it did get crowded by the time we left at about quarter to nine. Parking shouldn’t be too much of a problem. A bright, airy place with some good music in the background, and pleasant service. There is a peppiness about the decor – from the huge graffiti near the kitchen to the wordplay on the menu card, and the logo that is hard to miss.

We saw a ‘Tom Kha’ soup on the blackboard which displays the day’s special, and decided to try that out before the ‘Start me up’ part of the menu. The soup was slightly thinner than we’d have liked, but that doesn’t take away much from the fact that it was quite good. Okay, we mallus have a thing for coconut milk, but even considering that bias, the lemongrass, lime and galangal flavors, the chunky chicken pieces and the mushrooms make it a must try.

There are about 8 starters – veg, chicken and pork options, and a ‘Prawnic Healing’ too. We chose ‘Bird on a wire’, which is chicken satay with peanut sauce. The chicken satay was good – juicy and soft, and the peanut sauce, awesome. I wanted to try out the original hamburger – Moo (or one of its variations), but D bulldozed me on that decision, and so i let go with a meek boo. On the menu, there are veg and non veg sandwich options, a few salads, as well as some other entree dishes.

D ordered a El Pollo Loco, which is crispy fried chicken strips with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach, I was tempted by the dark side (the damn blackboard) and chose, of all things, a stir fried chicken, with cashews, served with fried rice. The former was served with a sauce I liked a lot because of its hmm, sharp taste, which provided a good contrast. Liked it when I ate it, but not after D told me the ingredients – green mango and papaya. I hate the latter, and now I don’t have a justification. Hmmph. The stir fried chicken was good, but I was feeling quite dumb for ordering it, since the menu has a huge skew towards burgers and sandwiches. Meanwhile, during the meal, I couldn’t take my mind of the average Malayali’s long association with beef, (including er, cattle class tweets). I was mooved enough to order ‘The Rocky Balboa’ to deliver the knockout punch. A philly sliced steak, with grilled onions, grilled green peppers, and cheese sauce. Excellent stuff. The bad news was that it left me with no space for either the coolers/smoothies/shakes or the chocolate cake. :\

All of the above cost us just less than Rs.750. Drop in here when in the mood for burgers, sandwiches and a cheery ambience.

Cafe Thulp, 998, 1st Main, 1st Block, Koramangala. Ph: 40933344, 40933355

There’s no dearth of tiny value-for-money Chinese joints in Koramangala. But we read quite some good things about Delicacy and decided to have Chinese for Diwali, though I’m still bugged about Arunachal Pradesh. And that’s how we landed up at Delicacy. Its right opposite Kolkata, and for the lazy ones, from the Sony world on Koramangala 100 ft Road, head towards 1st Block (i.e turn left when coming from Indiranagar) At the next junction, where you have a Liberty showroom (on your left) and Tanishq /Silsila on your right, take a left, and then the first left. You’ll find Delicacy on your, yep, you guessed erm right, on your left. Chinese, remember?

As all the reviews said, this is not exactly the place you’d go for fine dining. Its a place so tiny, you wouldn’t believe it if you saw it. But having said that, its probably the best space utilisation I’ve seen, they’ve managed to fit in half a dozen tables without making it seem congested. Quite comfortable too, actually. But its the food we came for. And they welcomed us with some fried wontons, with a sweet sauce.

The place serves a bit of Thai too, in addition to the regular Chinese. There are almost 20 soups, most of which have a veg (Rs.55)/non-veg (chicken Rs.60)/sea food option (Rs.65). In addition to the regular stuff, you can also find Pepper Lemon Soup, Laksa Kai soup, and the one we ordered – Delicacy Special Soup. We checked if it was a thick soup before ordering, and were told it was, but when it did land up, it turned out to be a thin soup. The person who’d taken our order apologised and took it inside to change it. It came back in a few minutes, ever so slightly thicker. Heh. Since it was quite tasty, we didn’t feel it was necessary to complain.

We didn’t actually plan for Momos, but having seen them on the menu, it was difficult to ignore. So we ordered a plate of pan fried chicken momos, and since there were more than a dozen options each of veg (Rs.65/70), chicken(Rs.80-110), and sea food starters (fish, prawns and crab at Rs.110), we had to try at least one, and that turned out to be Spicy Fish with Red Chilly. There was a flood of momos, actually a dozen of them, and quite tasty ones, especially with the sauce given along with them. The fish was awesome, hot and sweet kind, and I’d highly recommend it. We were almost stuffed by then, and we still had the main course left.

We’d ordered a Sliced Chicken ‘N’ Pickle Chilly sauce (from a huge list of veg, chicken and sea food options at Rs.70, 90, 110 respectively) and a Butter Noodles. There are about 25 options among rice/noodles/chopsuey with all of them having a veg/chicken/sea food option. (Rs.60-100) The Butter noodles was excellent, but we could’ve chosen a better chicken dish.

All of the above cost us just over Rs.400. Great food, excellent service, and absolute value for money. Even if you don’t want to do a sit-down meal, you should at least try the take away/ home delivery.

Delicacy, #971/C, Ground Floor, ST Bed, Koramangala, 4th Block. Ph: 41753636/7/25502233

..for dinner, that’s what we thought, after D had spotted it on her way back from work last week. No, she doesn’t work in Punjab, this is version 2.0 of what used to be called ‘Dal Roti’ in Koramangala, located just before the Sony World junction, on the left, when coming from the National Games Village direction, opposite the IBP petrol pump.

Dal Roti used to be the value-for-money North Indian joint we used to frequent in our first round of stay in Koramangala. Coincidentally, I remember mentioning the last time we had been there, that it was time for a renovation, and that seems to be exactly what happened. So Dal Roti is now ‘Chalo Punjab’ with a ‘fine dining’ tag to boot. We reached there just after 8, and easily got a table. I think that can be attributed to this being the first weekend (I think) after the re-launch.

Though the seating arrangements remains roughly the same, the ambience is must better, with more Punjabi flavor thrown in, in terms of props. I still wouldn’t classify it as fine dining, though its definitely a couple of steps above the initial version.

The menu is more elaborate though, and if anything, we were spoilt for choice. You could start with sherbets/shikhanjvi/thandai/khatte aam ka panna or chaas/lassi or even an ice cream doodh sheikh (they’ve had  quite some fun with the spellings and the names), about a dozen options priced between Rs.40-80. If you’re the shorba kind, you could try ‘loveleen de tandrust shorbe’ – 3 veg and 2 non veg options, priced at Rs.70/80.

There are more than a dozen veg starters including the Rawalpindi Railway Gobi and Peeo de Cheesy Palak rolls, at Rs.130/140. The non veg options would be about double of that, most of it in chicken (Rs.160/170) and about 4-5 options each in mutton (Rs.210) and fish (Rs.220) and a couple of prawn options too (Rs.250). For the main course, the grass eaters get to choose from about half a dozen dishes each of dal and paneer (including Major Patrick da paneer tiranga!!), in addition to over 15 other dishes, like ‘Simple di subz keema’, ‘marie memsaab di ishtew’, and ‘garima di gajjar methi malai’, priced between Rs.120-160!! There are about 8-10 options each in chicken and mutton (Rs.230-270) and 3-4 options in fish, prawn (Rs.230-270) and eggs (Rs.130-160).

To go with that, you could have paratha/roti/kulcha/naan, priced between Rs.35-65, or biriyani/pulao/rice (like the Punjabi Times Chicken Fry rice!!) They also have thali options on weekdays – Rs.140/180 for veg/non veg. Now, you get what I mean by elaborate menu. Phew!!

We skipped the shorba and started with a Chandigarh Chicken Cake (C3) That’s “generously spiced minced chicken cupcakes shallow fried served with a dash of coriander and chat patta masalas”. Its a perfect starter, complemented  well by the mint chutney, though 6 pieces in one portion meant that the stomach was filled a little more than we’d liked, especially when a glass of lassi was also used to wash it down. For the main course, we ordered a Kartarpuri Kajuwala Kukkad Kadi, “chunks of tender chicken simmered in a rich cashew gravy mildly spiced”, a Mardaan di Meat di Feast (!!), “a delicious recipe of tender juicy cuts of mutton slow cooked in a rich onion yoghurt & tomato, enriched with steamed spicy mutton koftas swimming in mouthwatering minced mutton gravy”, and to go along with it, a wheat naan and a cheese chilly naan. The chicken dish was more brown than white, but simply awesome, and I’d recommend it very highly. Thick and mildly spicy, it was done extremely well, so much that the elaborate mutton dish was reduced to second place, though those koftas were quite good.

I’d have liked to try some dessert too, but was completely stuffed. I think just reading that menu fills half your stomach!! There are about a dozen dessert options (Rs.50-120) – the regular North Indian stuff – phirni (though this is Pammi ji’s!!), kheer, kulfi, rabdi, gaajar halwa, gulab jamun, and even a Mango Dolly ice cream!! Mind it!!

All of the above cost us just over Rs.800. The service was excellent, and except for a tiny delay in bringing back my credit card (hmm), it was extremely prompt. The price may perhaps not be justified by the ambience, but its more than compensated by the tasty food, great service, and the phenomenal amount of choice.

Chalo Punjab, 906/1, GNR Plaza, 80 ft Road, 6th Block, Koramangala. Ph:41105666/777

Ever since we turned the corner- just off the Intermediate Ring Road, that is, and saw the place a couple of weeks back, its been on the pending list. Ping serves chinese cuisine and the specialty of the place is the variety of Dim Sum. So if you’re the kind that demands Momo, then its worth checking out. Ping is on the one way leading from the Intermediate Ring Road (Koramangala) towards Empire, Paramount, William Penn etc. After you turn right from the Ring Road (at Sukh Sagar/Kotak Bank), you’ll see it on the right. Parking two wheelers won’t be a problem, and there’s valet parking for those with double those wheels.

The name is “derived from the Chinese character ‘Ping’ which means the best, of the highest standard and applies to food, clothing, attitude, a person’s bearing or stature…It also refers to the stuffing inside a Dim sum.” Ping has a/c and non a/c seating, and an outdoor option for ‘The Dessert Bay’, which has stone seats. I quite liked the ambience – different sections even within the non a/c section, very comfortable seating, and table options which are non intrusive. Not too many bright colors, muted lighting, and overall makes one comfortable. We got there by around 7.30, without reservations, and got a good table, but by 8 the place was nearing full capacity. We saw quite a few groups with kids, it figures- they have a Kids menu.

This is one of those few nice places with their entire menu card online. Saves me so much work. You can check it out here. Though we had decided to try out at least two types of dim sum, we erm, chickened out, after we saw the soup options. The ‘Cilantro flavoured egg drop soup with chicken dimsum’ sounded too good to resist. We were told that the soup would take about 10 mins. Before we got the soup, we were served a complimentary Amuse Bouche. (fried wonton with a tangy-sweet lemon sauce) The soup came before scheduled time, and was thick and delicious. Highly recommended. And then there were dimsums and dimsums to choose from. After much thought, we finally settled on a “Lotus Leaf Sticky Parcels with Chicken and Shitake”. There are lots of options, for veggies, and for those who prefer consuming aquatic life. If its a large group, I think the veg/non veg platter would be a good option. The dim sum arrived quite a bit late, but thankfully the steamed combination of sticky rice, chicken and shitake wrapped in a lotus leaf was worth the wait. It was marginally spicy too, both of us liked it. The only minor problem was that one portion had 3 parcels, and splitting it evenly is quite cumbersome.

For the main course, we asked for a Seven Flavor Chicken, “Wok tossed chicken flavoured with lemon grass, roasted peanuts, chillies, hoisin sauce, basil, young ginger and bell pepper” and along with it Dragon Noodles, “Shanghai style noodles with mushrooms and spinach in spicy chilly sauce”. The chicken dish was indeed unique, but the noodles actually brought tears to D’s eyes. No, not sorrow/ecstasy etc, just the chilli dose, but we still thought it was fantastic. Highly recommended if you like spicy stuff.

Dessert Bay is a bit of a disappointment. Though it sports a separate menu card, the choices are a few mocktails, iced teas, ice cream combinations (some good ones, though) and a few pastry mousse options. So we managed to keep desset temptations at bay.

The meal cost us just over Rs.850, including a service charge of 7%. Its definitely worth a visit for a unique chinese cuisine, and pleasant and prompt service, except for that one delay.

Ping restaurant & Dessert Bay, #130, 1st Cross, 5th Block, koramangala Ph: 41329357, 41521773

Since we’ve frequented both Oye Amritsar and Oye Shaava on Church Street, and enjoyed the experience, we were eagerly looking forward to the opening of Oye Amritsar in our own neighbourhood. The Koramangala version is in the building just before China Pearl, the same road as Vicky’s and The Esplanade too – the one-way connecting Inner Ring Road with the road from Forum to National Games Village. (refer either of the first two links for a detailed route). Parking is not too difficult, in any case there are many sidelanes on that road.

Since we planned to be there early, we didn’t reserve, but if you’re planning to be there after 8pm, reservations would help. The restaurant is on the first floor, and just like the Church Street version, watch out for the awesome posters on the stairway and actually all over the place. This seems to be a bigger place with indoor-outdoor seating options. The terrace faces the road, so its a good place to watch the world go by, if weather permits. It did, and there we sat. The only snag with the tables on the terrace is the lack of sufficient light – its difficult to read the menu, but you could ask for candles.

The dhaba theme and the ambience is the same as Church Street, but looks like the menu has been changed a bit. It’s been quite a while since i visited, so there might have been updates I’m not aware of. They serve alcohol too, here, and the bar seems to be decently well stocked.

The menu begins with veg starters, quite a few, and in addition to that, there are also tawa fried options. About a dozen options combined, priced, on an average, at Rs.90/165 for a half /full plate. This half plate option is something  i remember liking at Oye Shaava, so it’s good to see it in action here. There are also many options in non veg starters – chicken, mutton, prawns, and fish, priced at Rs.115-145/225. And if you’re the shorba kind, there are a total of 3 options – one each in veg, chicken and mutton, priced at Rs.60-80. The veggies really have no reason to complain, since I saw over 20 options for the main course. (Rs.145-165). In fact, I’d say there are fewer options in non-veg, but there are enough to choose from there too (Rs.180-345), including bheja and gurda, for those who love ’spare parts’. To go with that, there are rotis/naans/kulchas (Rs.30-45) and rice options (Rs.110-165).

So we decided to skip the shorba, and since the half plate option was available, we ordered two starters . Two half starters equal to one starter and all that logic.  The Dhuanwali Lahori Seekh (”Lahore, Paris of the East, home to the most creative chefs of the land of five rivers, crafted this seekh kebab of lamb mince smoked with coal embers and butter, skewered and tandoored”) and the Pahalwani Dhabe ka Maahi Tikka (”the famous rawas fish specially flown down from Amritsar and cooked to recipe by our friend Pahalwan Makhan Singh at his famous Maqbool Road eatery”). The Lahori seekh kebab completely disappointed, it was quite rubbery, and honestly, i have tasted better. I actually gave half a kebab (a non veg kabab) to D, so you can imagine. But thankfully, the Maahi tikka made up for it. We had to remind the guys for the pudina sauce though.

For the main course, we ordered a Murgh Lahori (”whole chicken cooked with all the glory of Punjab Sindh flavor) and a Bheja Fry (”lamb brains cooked in a spicy masala on the tawa”), and to go with that a Makki di Roti, and a Masalawala Kulcha. We also added an Amritsari Kulcha later. Both the dishes were extremely good, though the chicken dish wasn’t boneless. Excellent thick gravy, though. The brain fry is not recommended.. to those who cannot handle spice This one could actually compete for the best brain fry I’ve had, not including D’s of course.

The dessert section has the usual suspects – gulab jamun, phirni, jalebi, kulfi with rabri etc. (Rs.90-100) I haven’t seen a Gajrela and a Rasbhari before though. I would’ve tried at least one of them, but was too stuffed. There’s also a paan guy downstairs, in case you’re in the mood for the betels.

All of the above cost us Rs.900, that includes a service charge of 7.5%. Slightly inflated because they billed us for a full plate Bheja Fry even though we had ordered only a half plate. (that would’ve been sufficient) For those who haven’t been to Oye Amritsar on Church Street, you should definitely try this out. For those who have, you know why you need to drop in.

Oye! Amritsar, 54, Canara Bank Road, 6th Block Koramangala, Ph: 080 40994451