m a n u s c r y p t s

No, not the food of the gods, actually far from it, its a restaurant in Koramangala, serving global cuisine. Pretty easy to find, its on the Intermediate Ring Road just after the Sony World junction (when coming from the Indiranagar side) opposite Vision Express.

Though we hadn’t reserved in advance, we managed to get a good seat when we reached there around 8pm. The place did get full by around 9 though. The ambience is pretty good, with very comfortable seating. The menu is a mix of cuisines from several countries, with flags placed beside each item to point out its place of origin. There’s quite a good selection of appetisers with options of veg, chicken and sea food (crab, squid, prawns), priced between Rs.145-275. There are also about half a dozen options of soups and salads each, again a decent mix of veg, chicken, lamb and sea food options, priced at Rs.85-125 and Rs.165-245 respectively.

Then there are flambes, which are supposed to be the specialty here, priced between Rs.255-395. Also available is pasta (veg/sea food/lamb at Rs.225-255). Other main course dishes include Chinese/Thai stir fried options, enchiladas, fajitas, North Indian gravies with roti/naan/parathas/rice options etc. We also found a couple of regular Goans – Xacuti and Cafreal. The place also serves alcohol, though there didn’t seem to be a lot of options.

We started with a Bortsch soup, ” a traditional Russian broth with lamb chunks, tomato, beetroot, carrot, beans, grean peas, cauliflower and cabbage, topped with sour cream. We were told that it was a thick soup, though ‘broth’ indicated otherwise. When we asked for a ‘by two’, we were told that that couldn’t be done, but we could be given an additional bowl. I’m trying to figure out whether its some old Russian custom – the state serves one portion, and we have to share. Anyway, the soup was quite good, so we didn’t complain that it was actually a broth, and not a thick soup.

For the main course, it turned out that both of us had selected Mexican dishes. Must be the subliminal effect of swine flu. I asked for a Chicken Enchilada, “rolled tortillas topped with homemade smoked ranchero chilly sauce with cheese, served with refried pinto beans, sour cream and Mexican rice”, and D ordered a Pechuga Pibil, “roasted chicken marinated with achiote chilli served with Mexican rice, salsa and tomato sauce”. The food was only just decent, and the quantity was not really sufficient.

Though the dessert options included a drunken banana flambe and a bitter chocolate mousse, we made different plans for dessert.

And now came the most exciting part of the dinner – billing. After about 10 minutes of subtle signalling, and then 5 minutes of tactics just short of SOS flares, finally we managed to convey that we’d like to pay and get out. Then, after waiting for another 10 minutes and more gesticulating, someone came to our table and asked us whether we had ordered our main course. When we again conveyed that we had survived the food, and just wanted to pay and leave, we were told that the bill would come ‘just now’. By now, we’d begun to wonder whether the bills needed to be sent to Russia and Mexico to be verified before being given to us. After another 5 minutes, we were told that the printer was not working and that was the reason for the delay. Though we weren’t too thrilled at that, we felt quite proud that a printer had been dedicated for our billing – since at least a couple of other tables got their bills, paid and left while this entire exercise was happening!! Finally, we got the bill…. with a couple of foreign objects, in adddition to the ones we had ordered. When we pointed that out, the guy actually tried to remind us of the buffalo wings and coke we had consumed!!! In turn, I reminded him that I wasn’t Aamir in Ghajini. He realised his mistake and we got a revised bill, this time without the soup. ‘From Russia with love’, I thought, but it was their way of apologising. I insisted on paying, and was told that printing a new bill would take more time!! And I thought the joke/urban legend ended with ‘The russians used a pencil”!! We finally just added the soup price to the bill, paid and escaped.

All of the above cost us just less than Rs.700, and a Saturday night.

Maybe it was just a one-off case, but all I’ll say is that while the immortals may have all the time in the world and beyond for ambrosia, we have a finite lifetime, so we plan to stay away from this place.

Ambrosia, No:52 B, 100 ft Road, 4th Block, Koramangala. Ph:40940101/2, 9740391194

Flanked by music (Planet M) and coffee (Barista), The French Quarter bistro is located on the 100 ft Road in Indiranagar. When coming from the Koramangala side, this is immediately after the CMH Road-100 ft Road junction on the left.

We called to reserve in advance, done smoothly, with a casual “see you in the evening, manu” thrown it at the end. There went the stereotype of French snobbery I had in mind.

The flyover construction has left the area in a bit of a mess, but parking for two wheelers, thankfully, is not a problem. Though we didn’t find a maitre’d like the one in Spiderman 3, we were allowed to choose a table that we found comfortable. Nice. The ambience is very relaxing, high ceilings with a couple of palm trees, soft music, and bistro style comfortable seating. One is bound to linger here for longer than the food warrants. And while we waited for the food, they served bread and butter, and replenished it a few times too.

We started with a French Onion soup , which is “beef consomme with cheese croutons”. Its a thin soup and a milder flavour than I’d anticipated, but still good enough. For the main course, in addition to the items on the menu, there’s also the Plat du jour, that you can find on the blackboard. Though all reviews stated that it was a salad + entree combination, there wasn’t a salad to be found. I’m still curious.

So, D ordered a “Pan seared red snapper in lemon butter sauce served with herb rice” (regular menu) and I ordered a “Chicken a’la King, with herb rice”. We experimented a bit with Tabasco sauce and thankfully it turned out fine. They serve moderate portions and despite appearances, they’re quite filling. I was hoping to have some chocolate crepes, but unfortunately they didn’t have it, and strangely, I wasn’t tempted by the chocolate mousse cake. I confess I’m a bit worried about that.

Before the billing, they ask you if they can include Rs.10 – to be given to Akshaya Patra (a cause for underprivileged children), a very good initiative. All of the above (no mineral water) cost us just over Rs.800, including a service charge of 10%. Extremely pleasant service, great setting and decent food. Definitely worth a visit.

The French Quarter bistro, 298, 100 ft Road, Indiranagar. Ph: 080 42171998

We’d not visited Tamarind for a while, though its quite nearby, and what better than a lazy Saturday to drop in? Its located on the Koramangala-Indiranagar intermediate ring road. When coming from Indirangar, you’ll see it on the right after the Sony World junction. Actually, the pub on the ground floor-Enigma is more visible. Tamarind is on the first floor.

Tamarind serves Chinese, Continental and North Indian, but we’ve always had only the last, perhaps because the market leaders in the other verticals have already been clearly defined The soup, of course, is an exception and we went with our favourite Cream of Chicken Soup. D claimed there was garlic in it, though I couldn’t sense it. I’m not too sure of this, since D was a bit woozy and even managed to pop the plastic sauce container like a champagne bottle.

For the main course we ordered a Fish Tikka Masala, which is “fish tikkas in tomato and onion gravy”, and (okay, I saw this one and though it left me speechless, I had to have it!!) Chicken Madrasy (sic), which is “chicken cooked in cardamom and coconut milk topped with cashew gravy topped with curry leaves”. We also ordered an onion kulcha and a roti to go along with it. The fish gravy was quite good, but a couple of the tikka pieces were a bit burnt. The chicken was certainly different with a distinct coconut milk flavor, which questioned its supposed Madras origins in favour of Kerala. The quantities of both were sufficient, but we had to order an extra Naan. Though there were quite a few dessert options, we were too stuffed.

The person who took our order was quite tardy, but the guy who served our table made up for it quite well. Tamarind also serves alcohol. A 330 ml Kingfisher costs Rs.85, that should give you an indication of the costs. Its quite a good place if you are a large group, I’ve never seen a place with so many seating options for large groups. I think they also have a roof top option.

All of the above cost us just above Rs.500, which was quite value-for-money, considering the quantity and quality.

Tamarind, #2, 100 ft Road, 5th Block, Koramangala Ph: 25633999

PS. Have installed a lifestream service, check it out here

Mugen is located on 100 ft road, Indiranagar, on the 3rd floor of the building that houses Indigo Nation and Urban Yoga. It serves Thai, Indonesian and Chinese cuisine. Parking for two wheelers is quite easy, 4 wheelers would require a bit of luck factor too, me thinks.

We called for reservations, and after a long time, got a courteous and efficient response, and a table. I was getting sick of the ‘we don’t reserve after 7.30′ spiel. You might want to reserve, if you’re planning to go after 8 during weekends, going by the crowd we saw yesterday.

The menu has Thai, Indonesian and Chinese, in that order. They also serve liquor, and from my limited knowledge, the bar looked fairly well stocked. The Thai part is quite a few pages, the Indonesian, only a couple of pages, and the Chinese part, somewhere in between the two. The choice of dishes in Thai made us choose that, though (even with very good descriptions) we’d require some assistance.

We managed to order the soup by ourselves , and then gave our requirements to the person who took our orders. He was extremely helpful, and gave us detailed explanations of what we could expect. So, we ordered a Tom Kha soup, which was described in the menu as a “refreshing coconut milk soup, with lemon grass and galangal served with chicken”, which reminds me, most of the items in the menu have a common gravy/paste/rice/noodles which lends itself to chicken, veg, seafood etc. So, for example, you can also have a Tom Kha veg soup. The soup was delicious, with so many different flavours, and for once, none of the usual stuff -  pepper, sauce, vinegar etc was needed. It was refreshing indeed.

For the main course, we ordered a Kai Phad Bai Gapraow, which is ’succulent chicken, marinated with thai herbs, and fresh basil leaves served with special spicy thai sauce’, a Basket Chilly Chicken, “a traditional dish from the chef, served in a crispy basket”. The latter was the only chinese dish we ordered. We also ordered a Bamee Pahd “soft noodles with bean sprout, spring onions, and crushed peanut served with chicken”. The first dish has got a bit of gravy, in fact just the right amount as far as our needs went. The Basket Chilly Chicken is dry and quite spicy, and the crispy basket was quite yummy. When we saw the noodles dish, we thought we’d have to order one more. Talk about deceiving appearances!! The quantity was more than enough for two people, especially the side dishes. All the dishes were simply awesome, and that’s an understatement. The only warning I’d like to give is to have the food before it gets cold, since a salty taste starts creeping in towards the end.

The ambience deserves a special mention, with separate seating for smokers and non smokers, there’s even an option of being seated such that you can watch while your dishes get cooked. The seating is extremely comfortable. I think this would also be a great place for large groups, not just because of the seating options, but also because it’d give you an opportunity to sample multiple dishes, which we couldn’t because we’d only two tummies at our disposal. Another special mention for the service. No snobbish ‘Oh, you don’t know this cuisine’ smirks’, an extremely helpful attitude, and someone always discreetly giving the table attention. This place exudes confidence and efficiency. Yes,  we were floored, and that’s no mean task, as you guys would have realised:D

All of the above cost us Rs.800. I’d loved to have tried the desserts, but we were stuffed . This one demands a repeat visit, so there’s definitely going to be a next time here.

Ph: 41481414, 9945300004

Yes, we have one in Indiranagar too. We actually went there to see if Fire & Flakes was still around, but that has now been converted to India Gate. Its located on the 100 ft Road, Indiranagar, in the same building as ‘The Great Wall’ and ‘The Silver Tube’, the latter is a lounge bar. The first one is self explanatory, right? When you’re coming from the Koramangala side, you can see it on the right as soon as you get down the flyover, the same building as the ‘Adidas’ showroom.

They have a pretty adventurous parking process for 2 wheelers, where you have to travel beneath a waterfall to your parking space, which is then customised live for you.  Wait, it aint over yet. they also make sure that you build your appetite. Oh, okay there was a leaking a/c above,  they removed the cycles which were already kept in the ‘parking space’, so that i could park the vehicle the way they wanted it, and the lift doesn’t function. Ah, now you comprehend the dripping sarcasm.

When i called these guys in the morning, i specifically asked for ‘Fire & Flakes’, and they reserved a space for me. Great, except that when we got there, we were told that ‘India Gate’ had taken its place. I’d have understood if they had maintained the cuisine, but with that name, its an impossibility. It’d have been much better if they had at least informed me when i was reserving a table. But since the view (of the Airport road flyover) looked good, we decided to go ahead and dine.

And so we ended up ordering a Murgh Shorba, and for the main course, a Murgh e Shamin, Macchi e Khorma, a Bharwan Kulcha, and a Rogini naan. The soup was just over lukewarm, and we had to gulp it down to prevent it from going cold. In my fleeting interaction with it, I got some onion and spicy flavour, which tasted quite decent, to be fair.

The Murgh e Shamin is boneless chicken, in a brown onion and corriander gravy. It was quite good, and the quantity was just right for two people. The Macchi e Khorma offers quite a different taste, a piquant, tangy flavor. Its a yellow gravy, flavoured with cumin. It reminded me of Bengali dishes. The Bharwan Kulcha was quite good, and has a sicy cheesy stuffing. The Rogini Naan was only distinct by the sprinkling of poppy seeds on top.

The place offers quite a selection of starters, both veg and non veg, and sufficient options for veg and non veg main course dishes. The desserts are only the normal Indian fare – Rasmalai, jamun etc.

But our bill came up to over Rs.750, which the meal or the ambience really couldn’t justify. So, a repeat visit to India Gate. Nah, we’ll pass.

India gate, Katrina complex, 100 ft Road, Indiranagar, Phone – 41519000

The disclaimer is that this is by far our favourite sizzler joint in bangalore, and while the review might be dripping with this enthusiasm and affection, most of it is justified.

Its located on 100 ft road In Indiranagar towards its Old Madras Road end, the place where the metro construction is happening. When coming from the CMH road side, you’ll find it on the left, after Domino’s Pizza, and in the same building as Cafe Beanstalk. Parking of 4 wheelers might be a small problem, you might have to walk a bit, but 2 wheeler parking can be found right in front.

Its not usually very crowded till about 8.30, so you can choose to reserve accordingly. The windy outside we came in from prompted us to go for a soup rather than a starter, though there are enough options for the latter too. We ordered a Spicy Chicken and Corriander soup, and that’s how I now have a new favourite soup. Its a thick soup, and as the name goes, it is spicy and has chicken and corriander, but what brings in the real flavour are the green chillies and the coconut cream. Its absolutely scrumptious and highly recommended.

The extensive menu spoils us for choice, as far as the main course goes. After rounds of discussion, we finally settled on a Chicken Torreon and a Sliced Chicken Citronelle. It has to be mentioned that there are some excellent options in fish, lamb and beef as well. The Chicken Torreon is diced chicken, done in a mexican style and served on a bed of rice. As with everything else I have eaten here, it has a unique flavour, this one, a tangy, spicy mix. The Sliced Chicken Citronelle is chicken in an unusual lemon, chilly and coconut milk sauce, and served on a bed of rice. This one would’ve been bland but the excellent sauce gives it an absolutely awesome flavor. Another absolute must have.

The unfortunate part is that all of the above left us no room for dessert, for which again, there are lots of options. From an earlier visit, I’d recommend the beer mousse. Its not something I’ve seen anywhere else, and is worth a try.

All of the above cost us about Rs.650, and its a no brainer that we’ll continue to be regular visitors here.