The new dimsum place in Bangalore - Yauatcha

Until recently, I'd always thought the word dim sum stands for a particular dish in Cantonese cuisine. And then I learnt that it is a term for a set of bite sized dishes that were historically served along with tea tasting (yum cha). Tea houses along the much travelled roads would be frequented by hungry travelers / farmers to relax with tea and small plates of dim sum. 

According to the wikipedia stub on dim sum:

The unique culinary art of dim sum originated with the Cantonese in southern China, who over the centuries transformed yum cha from a relaxing respite to a loud and happy dining experience. In Hong Kong, and in most cities and towns in Guangdong province, many restaurants start serving dim sum as early as five in the morning. It is a tradition for the elderly to gather to eat dim sum after morning exercises.

So what exactly constitutes dim sum? There's a range of food, from steamed (eg. char siu bao - steamed buns with pork) to pan fried (turnip cakes) to deep fried (duck rolls, mini spring rolls etc.). Most of the food is served in steamer baskets to keep them warm. Typically, dim sum restaurants also offer plates of steamed green veggies, roasted meats, congee and other soups on the aside. Custard tarts are especially popular as a dessert.

Some of the key things about dim sum-
Small serving sizes 3-4 pieces / dish, one can order multiple dishes and share with the whole family. 
It is usually a loud and noisy dining experience, hardly suited for a romantic dinner. The open kitchens, loud wok noises and big groups of people eating together are hallmarks of a dim sum house. That's what Yauatcha aims to provide - a loud and happy dining experience. 

Yauatcha is a contemporary Dim Sum tea house which opened in London in 2004, receiving a Michelin star within one year of its opening. The restaurant is a modern interpretation of the traditional Chinese teahouse. After its launch in India in December 2011 in Mumbai, the restaurant has opened in Bangalore this month. 

We were invited for a preview lunch at the newly opened Bangalore Yauatcha and the first thing that struck me is once you enter the restaurant, you forget you are in a mall. I guess the noise distracts and then the food takes you in its fold. The ambience comprises of simple decor with clean lines and fresh colours. There's bar seating as well, where guests can order anything from the food menu as well. Given that we were invited as a preview guests, I am hoping the service remains as courteous and as attentive to the many guests who come in as the restaurant gains popularity over the coming weeks.

 My lunch partner tried some of the specialties of the house and he has noted his experience here. What I loved about this place is an exclusive vegetarian menu, which was specially designed keeping in mind India's vegetarian population- so we have enough options to choose from instead of having to choose the only available veg stuff. 

My meal started with some Truffle Edamame Dumplings. The highlight of my Yauatcha experience were the fried turnip cakes. A foodblogger friend from Bombay had high praise for this dish when they had opened in Bombay and I was told that this tastes nothing like turnip (which is one of the very few vegetables that I don't care for at all). I have a simple policy when it comes to eating fried food. It has to taste SO good that the calories are worth it, and these cakes truly fit the bill. Topped with crunchy bits of fried garlic and shiitake mushroom (lots of this), I was truly in food heaven. 

The dipping sauces added the extra wow factor to this dish. 

For the mains, I had the Stir fried Udon noodles in Black pepper sauce - loved the texture of the thick udon noodles and the fresh bean sprouts that were a part of this dish. 

The stir fried green beans with shiitake mushrooms was one of the best green beans dishes I have eaten in a long time. Whole beans, blanched and stir fried in the wok with finely chopped shiitake mushrooms was a delight in terms of texture and flavour. I could have eaten the whole bowl by myself had it not been on the saltier side, given that the noodles were also a tad over salted. I'm aware that Cantonese food is known for its high sodium content, but since I consume less salt on a daily basis, my taste buds are highly sensitive to salt. 

The dessert was left it to our host manager to recommend and his recco was the Raspberry Delice. It was a stunning dessert, as you can tell from the picture, and one of my friends tells me that it's Yauatcha's most Instagrammed dish. Raspberry - chocolate is a heavenly combination and this dessert did full justice to that. I'm told while this is their most popular dessert, the other desserts are superb too, which I intend to try out when I'm there next time. 

To summarise, we loved all the dishes we tried, just that it's not for a quiet dining or for having a conversation or a business meeting. It's family style sharing and eating, and loud conversations over good food. I do wish they pull back on the salt a notch, since anyway as Indians we consume way too much salt and a lot of health conscious people are trying to cut down on the salt intake. Having said that, I shall peg Yauatcha as one of the must try new restaurants in Bangalore for its new concept and unique dishes.


DETAILS
Yauatcha 
Level 5, 1 MG Road Mall, MG Road
Opp Vivanta by Taj, Bangalore 560 008
For reservations call: 1800 266 1000
Or email: reservation.bengaluru@yauatchaindia.com

Parking - Mall parking
Credit cards accepted
Child friendly? - a little too noisy to manage noise sensitive kids, but the good part is no one will hear your kid talk loudly or cry.
Meal for two (without alcohol) ~INR 2000

Read More...

A memorable Restaurant Week India preview at Like That Only

Restaurant Week India (RWI) is on from 23rd September to 2nd October, 2013

Website: www.restaurantweekindia.com

Twitter: @restweekindia

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RestaurantWeekIndia 

Are you one of those Bangaloreans who forever crib about how far Whitefield is from the rest of civilization? Well, I have one reason for you to stop cribbing and make that trip already! Like That Only and their amazing RWI menu -you get to experience the quirky yet warm ambience, the genius of Chef Manu Chandra at RWI prices - you can't miss this!

The RWI Menu

Our meal started with some minced vegetable dimsums with accompanying sauces. I loved the fact that the filling was full of flavour and the dimsum cover light and translucent, and just enough to hold the filling together instead of a big doughy mouthful that masks the flavour of any filling. From the 'Appetizers' I'd highly recommend the Tempura Brie with pickled grapes, orange, almonds and plum sauce. It is a unique dish where a chunk of Brie cheese is lightly coated and fried making a crisp outside and a melting inside - I loved the play of textures and delicate flavours here. The husband had the Chilli, soy and grape glazed Pork Ribs with raw papaya salad. You'll find his comments on the meal here.

The chef also sent across some vegetarian sushi- asparagus tempura and cream cheese stuffed rolls, the crispy bite of the asparagus and the slight tartness from the cream cheese made the rolls a treat- topped with pickled ginger and dipped in the sauce, these were an absolute treat.

From the main course, if you are a vegetarian, I'd totally recommend the pan seared tofu with black bean sauce and rice cake. The portions of tofu steaks are quite generous and the tofu was silky soft and well flavoured with the black bean sauce. I didn't care for the rice cake too much though, but just the two pieces of tofu and the sautéed vegetables made it a satisfying main course. 

We got a tasting portion of the Murtabak with seasonal vegetables, curry sauce and pickles, but compared to the Asian stuff on the menu, I found this a little heavy, oily and low on flavour, which is why for vegetarians, the pan seared tofu is a better choice. The fish loving partner had the Pan seared sea bass with seasonal vegetables, mashed potato and a lemongrass broth and he was in foodie-heaven with the perfectly cooked fish and the intense flavours of the broth.

From the three desserts on the RWI menu, we tried two. The Kaffir Lime Creme brûlée with cinnamon crumble and lime gel made me tick all the boxes - creativity, flavours, texture and lightness - highly recommended. 

The other dessert was the Apple Streusel Cheesecake tart with Creme Anglaise - the name itself suggests that it is a richer dessert, regular flavours and heavier. It was decadent alright, but I loved the creme brûlée much more.

If you live in and around Whitefield, do not miss this beautiful culinary experience. If you live elsewhere in Bangalore, this is your best excuse to drive down to Whitefield. 

Citibank Restaurant Week India is amongst the most popular pan-India culinary events and gives discerning food enthusiasts the opportunity to dine at some of India’s finest restaurants at a fraction of a la carte rates. Citibank  cardholders  will  have  the  exclusive  privilege  of  making  reservations  starting  September  16, 2013,  through  the Restaurant Week India website  (www.restaurantweekindia.com),  while  general reservations will  commence  online  from  September  18,  2013.  At  participating  restaurants, customers will be offered a three-course prix fixe menu (with an option of vegetarian or non-vegetarian) in Mumbai and  Delhi  at  INR  1,000  for  lunch  and  INR  1,200  for  dinner,  and  in  Bangalore  at  INR  750  for  lunch  or dinner. The price, per individual, is exclusive of state and central taxes, service charges as well as dishes ordered outside of the special Citibank Restaurant Week menu.

List of restaurants in Bangalore participating in the RWI - Sep 2013 

Read More...

Eating out in Bangalore: Karavalli - A trip down the West Coast

"Karavalli has been around in Bangalore for the last 23 years with 80% of the menu remaining the same from the times the restaurant started"says Executive Chef Naren Thimmaiah. He has every reason to be proud. Any restaurant staying around a city's food scene for so long speaks volumes about its good food and service.

Chef Thimmaiah

Some of us were invited to sample the new additions to the Karavalli menu. The new menu aims to cover a few more regions along the West coast of India, which weren't represented adequately in their menu earlier. They've also added an outdoors grilling section where there's a variety of fresh fish & seafood along with a selection of marinades which you can choose from, making it a seafood lover's delight.

There's a slight modification to the lunch menu too, the number of dishes have been reduced to the regularly ordered popular ones and there's a typical South Indian lunch box 'set' in which lunch is served.

Captivating colours of the chutneys

The evening started with some of the bloggers getting behind the burners under the chef's guidance and grilling the marinated fish two ways, one of them being the black pomfret grilled in banana leaf pockets. I love this technique of grilling food wrapped in banana leaves. It makes sure the food doesn't get over grilled, and the leaves impart a delicate flavour to the food wrapped in it.

The vegetarians were served three kinds of starters. The Kaju Kothimbir Vadi (cashew and coriander seeds dipped in batter and deep fried until crunchy and golden) was seriously addictive. My favourite was the Pachakai Varuthathu (Plantain slices coated in spices and deep fried). It was seasoned just right and when paired with the three chutneys on the table, it tasted even better. The other dish was Oggaraneda Aritha Pundi, which I'm told is a Tulu community specialty. This tongue twister of a name is nothing but steamed rice dumplings tossed with a tempering of cumin, mustard seeds and spiced with curry powder and topped with coconut. We usually make these with the left overs of the rice dough used to make 'kozhakattai' or modaks. Personally, I prefer the Tambrahm version better, plus this is more of a tiffin item than a starter.

The mains

The mains were dedicated to wood fired dishes cooked in clay pots. There was a spicy seerfish curry and a South Canara lamb curry. Us vegetarians had a Kadala Gassi, which is the black chana cooked in South Canara style, where the gravy is made from roasted spices and coconut. My favourite here was the 'Havyaka' style Preserved Mango Curry, this was similar to the Mango Moar Kozhambu we make, but using preserved mango instead of fresh. [Read more about Havyaka cuisine here] I prefer the fresh mangoes in this preparation, but the curry flavours were really mouthwatering. The curries were served with a choice of Malabar Paratha, Aapam, Idiappam or Kuttanad Boiled rice, which is the red rice from Kerala.

Desserts

The desserts were a unique mix of flavours, perfectly paired with each other. The sharp, tanginess of the tamarind ice cream, to the rich yolky - nutmeg intense taste of the Bebinca and the burst of sweetness from the jaggery of the Ada Pradhaman. The tamarind ice cream is the chef's own creation. After tasting the black sesame ice cream in Hong Kong, the wasabi ice cream at a local Asian restaurant, it was lovely to try out an ice cream made using a very Indian ingredient like Tamarind. The bebinca is a multi-layered 'cake' made in Goa and Ada Pradhaman, of course is a Kerala sweet-dish made for all festive occasions.

It was a lovely evening, sitting outdoors, aromas of food wafting around us and sated with some good food and conversations. Chef Thimmaiah was a pleasure to interact with and discuss all things food with us foodbloggers. The only thing missing was a warm shawl around my shoulders as the even turned really chilly.

The outdoor section, softly lit is quite perfect for a romantic evening. Even better if you are a seafood lover.

Karavalli
66, Ground floor, The Gateway Hotel, Residency Road.
Phone: 080-66604545


[Pictures courtesy: Saina Jayapal - Pixel Platters]

Read More...

Saffron Trail Food Times Edition 02

It's turning out to be quite a task to keep track of the food scene in Bangalore. New restaurants are opening almost every week. Restaurants are coming up with the idea of food festivals and new menus to introduce their patrons to new flavours. Here are some of them being featured in the second edition of my food news post.

Some of foodbloggers were invited to a chef's table at Saffron, Park Plaza, famous for its kababs & cuisine from the NWF Province for a tasting from their new menu.

Bhunee chaat, palak shorba, chutneys & condiments, raw papaya launji

 The menu for was planned meticulously by Chef Mohd. Ishtiyak, who is fondly known as Master Chef – India of the restaurant. Right from the condiments platter which had pickled shallots, raw papaya launji, mint chutney, hung curd chutney among other mouthwatering items, his deep Indian traditions and attention to food preparation was evident.

Panchrattan seekh kabab, Blueberry cocktail, Mutter aur corn ki shammi

 The aim of the menu was to showcase Indian spices- a few preparations had over two dozen spices ground for the marinade. The simple style of preparation, whether meat, seafood or vegetables marinated and cooked in the clay tandoor at high temperatures was the hallmark of the menu. This focus on rustic cuisine preserving the flavours and ingredients can be experienced at this restaurant. The Bhunee chaat (using a mix of fruits & veggies) and the panchrattan seekh were my favourites!

Bread basket-Bhutte tamatar ki subzi-Subzi Abir

Saffron, Park Plaza, 90-4 Outer Ring Road, Marathahalli, Bangalore.

Meal for two - INR 2000 plus taxes

***

***

 And 100 ft Rd Indira Nagar gets one more restaurant. This is La Tagliatella, an Italian restaurant chain from Spain which opened its first Indian outlet in Ambience Mall, Delhi. Their focus is on cuisines from the regions of Piamonte, Liguria, and Reggio Emilia of Italy.

 Their portions are quite large (serves groups of 4 well) and their salad is actually a 'big' salad too. While the pricing seems somewhat steep at first, one look at their portions and quality ingredients used, they seem to be justified. Almost all ingredients such as flour, cheese, tomatoes etc are imported to maintain the same quality across restaurants in all countries. We tried this place pre-opening and I can say it has a lot of scope. Their pizzas are made in Morello Forni pizza oven which simulates the wood-fired oven & is very eco friendly as compared to the wood-fired oven. The decor totally transports you from a high street shopping place in Bangalore to a quaint cafe in Italy. A word of caution-make sure you leave sufficient space in your tummies for dessert-their tiramisu & Mascarpone-cream are truly sublime.

766, Amrest Bunglow, HAL 2nd Stage, 100 feet road, Indiranagar, Bangalore

Meal for two-Around 1800 plus taxes | Valet parking | Only wine served

***

A couple of ongoing food festivals are the Beer & Burger festival at Windmills Craftworks, a microbrewery-restaurant and a jazz theatre with live performances on weekends. You'll find a range of vegetarian, beef, pork, chicken and seafood burgers paired with beer of which you get a complimentary 1/2 pint glass. 331, Road No. 5 B, EPIP zone, Whitefield, Bangalore, India 560048, (80) 2569-2012, +917259024652

St.Marks hotel is celebrating a Maharashtrian Food Festival, vegetarian food buffet at 499 per person. It's on until 5th May, so hurry if you are a fan of regional cuisines. My friends tried this yesterday and have given it a big thumbs up. They are open for lunch and dinner. 
Curry with a 'K', St. Mark's Hotel, Lobby Level, Plot No. 4/1, St.Marks Road, Bangalore.
+919019150966

• 
  

Read More...

On Smoke House Deli - Bangalore

Me with Riyaaz Amlani
 [Photo courtesy: Swapna Venkatesh]

I think it was the year 2003-2004 when a bunch of friends discovered Mocha on Hill Road, Bandra. Mood lighting, mix and match of antique and modern furniture, the smell of strong coffee and hookah smoke hanging in the air along with some great music selections made it quite the perfect place to hangout. 

I still remember their unique concept of having price tags on furniture and art, so you could literally buy a chair and take it home if you fell in love with it. Later, there was one in Juhu with a most perfect location across the sea and you could sit on their comfy sofas, order a huge mug of coffee and catch up on all the gossip with friends or just people watch. It's been 10 years but my tastebuds remember their fantastic apple pie and one hell of a killer dessert (taste & calorie-wise) which I think was named 'Death by Chocolate' & of course I remember feeling all 'posh' having to choose from a menu featuring coffees from different parts of the world. Don't scoff at me, I was after all in my 20s then! I remember hearing the name Riyaaz Amlani who was behind this chain of coffee shops and admiring his creativity. And then his name was all over the restaurant scene in Bombay, with the Salt Water Grill at Chowpatty and dozens of other restaurants around the country.

It was such a pleasure to share a table with Riyaaz and a few other foodblogger friends to celebrate the opening of Smoke House Deli, their first restaurant in Bangalore. Day 2 of opening, and the restaurant was buzzing from 8 pm onwards- credit it to the location (100 ft road, Indira Nagar) or the building that now stands like a show stopper on 100 ft road or the fantastic menu & drinks. 

One thing that catches your eye as soon as you enter are the hand sketched walls - black on white, and you keep looking at it for the entire time that you are in the restaurant. Quotes, quaint old Bangalore institutions, new music bands and more, all find their place on the walls, including the depiction of a haunted house in the city. 

The credit for this goes to the Busride Deisgn Company whose founder Ayaz himself gave us a walking tour of the walls. Yes, that's right!

The drinks menu include plenty of fresh fruit flavours, with an interesting mix of spices and some of them even use smoked fruits. Between the 5 of us, we tried & tasted drank the watermelon martini, green apple martini, smoked musk melon martini, smoked pineapple & vanilla martini and many more that will be kind of embarrassing to admit on this blog!

Their menu lists a range of fresh fruit, herb & floral infusions out of which the Californian Plum, Star Anise & Lily was pretty sensational. 

Among the vegetarian appetizers, the tofu sesame sliders looked and tasted amazing, with the sesame oil aroma wafting through the dish. 

The spiked cottage cheese skewers, the paprika puffs with wasabi salsa both had bags of flavour. My favourite salad was the asparagus with grape, smoked fig and white balsamic vinaigrette. My perfect salad has to have a balance of all flavours - salty, sweet & sour and a mix of textures and this one hit all the right notes. 

While the table was tasting a variety of mains, the spinach ricotta ravioli was generously stuffed and perfectly cooked, a little niggle for me was that I don't like my ravioli smothered by too much sauce. The wild mushroom risotto was something everyone on the table dug into with gusto. While I gave the desserts a miss, I feasted my eyes on some of the beauties in the display counter, early in the evening. 

For entire set of photos - check Saffron Trail's Facebook album


Smoke House Deli
Category: All Day Dining / Bar / Breakfast
Price: A meal for 2 with a drink would cost roughly Rs.1500 plus taxes

No. 1209, Ward no. 12, HAL IInd Stage, 100 Ft Road, Indiranagar. Opp. Nike showroom, Bengaluru 560038

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smokehousedeli
Twitter: @smokehousedeli
Phone: 080-25200898 / 99
They are open from 11 am onwards

Read More...

The CaL Bloggers Table at Blue Terrain: Novotel Bangalore

Two weeks ago, a bunch of Bangalore food bloggers who are a part of the Chef At Large Blogger's Table were hosted by the newly opened Blue Terrain - a barbecue and bar by the poolside at Novotel, Bangalore.

Since all my fellow bloggers have already written about their experiences, I would like to highlight the things I loved about Blue Terrain.

The ambience is fantastic. The mood lighting is just enough to see the food served on the plate and to allow the magic of the evening sky unfold over you. The pool on one side and the artificial waterfalls, and cool blue lights are just perfect for that evening date. Bangalore weather is nice enough that evenings are always pleasant. In the winters, you'd need something to keep you warm outdoors, though.

The bartenders whip up some brilliant cocktails that use ingredients like blue cheese (yes! That's the Blue Cheese & Jalapeno martini), white chocolate & saffron (Lady Saffron), galangal (in the Wild Voodoo Kick). Aside of the cocktails, there are many softails (the non alcoholic drinks) and a wide selection of Indian and international liquors.
The most dramatic cocktail that breezy evening was the one that Natasha dared to drink- the Blue Fire Shoot, that showed off some amazing pyrotechniques and of course her daring. I loved my totally drama-free Mango Connexion (center of the pic above) made using vodka, mango juice, salt, pepper, worcestershire sauce, tabasco AND a green chilli. Served with a mango jelly on the side, it was the best cocktail I've had in a long time.

The dinner started off with a fresh salad and a thin crust grilled eggplant & onion pizza, both of them were quite faultless. And then we were pretty much hit by an avalanche of good food.

One point of note was that the potato that is the first thing a vegetarian gets served in most places, was conspicuous by its absence (thankfully!). We got more than our share of 5-a-day veggies in the form of maple roasted pumpkin, glazed carrots, masala arbi, tandoori broccoli (LOVED this) and cauliflower. Apart from these, there was the Chatpata Paneer Tikka and Vegetable and Paneer Brochettes with Pimento Marinate. 

Tandoori Broccoli

My personal favourites were the tandoori broccoli- utterly fresh, big florettes of broccoli in a flavourful marinade, grilled to perfection and the paneer brochettes. 

Tandoori Chicken grilled on the table

My non-vegetarian table mates well all in praise of the huge spread that was served to them comprising of Chicken wings, Fish Hariyali, Lasooni Tikka Zaffrani Makmali Jhinga Peri Peri Shrimps, Lamb Sheekh kebab, Jack Daniel Glazed Beef Brochettes and more. Towards the end, they were pleading with the servers to stop getting them more food :)

Yeah, we are foodbloggers and we love good food, but even we could not manage to order main course after eating so many appetisers. I was sceptical about eating dessert after stuffing myself so much but the dear lady from marketing, Abanti, wouldn't hear of it. We ordered one each of the four specialty desserts on the menu and needless to say, each of the four plates were wiped clean by the 7 of us on the table.

Out of the Kilimanjaro (a chocolate mousse dessert), Baked Cheese “ A La Maison” Yoghurt Sorbet and Berry Compote, Barbequed Baked apple Cake with Caramel Parfait and the Grilled Seasonal Fruits with Toasted Almonds and Rum Ice Cream, my favourite was the cheesecake paired superbly with the mildly tart yogurt sorbet. The Kilimanjaro would score top marks for it's stunning presentation replete with the tiny gold leaf garnish on its peak. It was totally melt in the mouth. At third place was the apple cake and the grilled fruits was a little lackluster purely because the other three desserts were so spectacular. 

To summarize - a lovely ambience, well stocked bar, innovative cocktails, a wide menu of excellent food and attentive service are all good reasons to dine at Blue Terrain. It would make the perfect setting for a romantic dinner for two. I hear they are planning to start a Sunday swim and brunch soon. What's better than working up an appetite with a swim and indulging in some good food!

DETAILS

Blue Terrain- The Poolside Bar & Barbecue Restaurant

Novotel Bengaluru TechparkOpposite RMZ Ecospace Business Park,Marthahalli - Sarjapur Outer Ring Road, Bengaluru – 560103, Karnataka, IndiaTel.: +91 (80) 66700600

www.novotel.com

Pictures courtesy Chinmayie & Swapna.

Read More...

Saturday Dinner at the Raj Pavilion - ITC Windsor

When I received an invite for the 'Your Grill, Your Way' festival at Raj Pavilion at the legendary ITC Windsor, Bangalore, it was a tough one to turn down. We have some fond memories of dining at the ITC restaurants starting from the Pan Asian & Peshawari at the ITC Maratha in Mumbai to the Kababs & Curries at the ITC Kakatiya in Hyderabad. They know their hospitality and they choose their chefs well, no wonder eating there is a near perfect dining experience.

Being a Bangalore newbie, this was my first time at the ITC Windsor, while the husband having lived here and been a regular in their restaurants, was just reminiscing about old times, not that much had changed. Raj Pavilion is their multicuisine 24 hour restaurant and the first thing that strikes you is the massive windows that open into the outdoors and the pool. I learnt later that this was inspired by the 100 year old glass house at the Lal Bagh gardens.

Their regular menu has some beautiful stuff from the Anglo-Indian cooking repertoire and items like the Southern Railway Mutton Curry that you rarely find in many other restaurants. 

Since we were there to try out their grill event, Chef Prashanth explained to us the marinades and rubs available that we could choose from and use on our choice of meat or vegetables. 

We started our meal with some battered and fried lotus root and coloured bell peppers. Crunchy and full of texture, it made the perfect appetizer.

S chose the grilled bhekti and basa, both in a mustard-garlic marinade. The fish were grilled to perfection and flaky, served with a lemon butter and barbeque sauce. 

Grilled Eggplant

Grilled Vegetarian Platter

I asked the chef to serve me a platter of vegetarian grills. My favourite was the stuffed grilled eggplant with bold mediterranean flavours, which I had a double serving of. The other interesting grill was cabbage leaf roll stuffed with mashed vegetables with creole spices. I intend to try this out at home soon. The stuffed bell pepper is always a good option to put on the grill but I didn't find the filling very interesting. There was also a grilled paneer but since I saved it for the end, it didn't taste that great. It is indeed too much expect that cold paneer taste good :)

There was also grilled corn on the cob served with butter of choice but after having eaten a bit of everything, I was already stuffed. The husband ordered a grilled chicken breast with a black pepper rub and he seemed to savour it in silence while I had a conversation with the chef.

While I had made up my mind to give dessert a miss in anticipation of the long hours on the treadmill to make up for all this, the phirni that made an appearance on the table was far too enticing not to try. It was creamy, light, just the right level of sweetness, in short-deliciousness out of an earthen pot. It was tough to stop at one spoonful. 

The serving staff also forced me to taste their best-loved item, the Windsor mousse convincing me that they will only get me a tiny portion and I'm glad I succumbed to the melt-in-mouth chocolatey goodness. I also had a taste of the creme caramel from a friend on the table and it was the perfect ending to a good meal.

I realised that the peace of the dining experience was enhanced by some good music which was playing all along, soothing without being an intrusion to a good conversation. The service was highly attentive, right from the personal welcome every guest got into the dining room to the grace with which it was served to us. 

I am told their Sunday brunch is highly popular because the guests can not only dig into the buffet spread and live counters but also sample stuff from any of the restaurants on the floor such as Dakshin, Royal Afghan and Dum Pukht Jolly Nabobs. But for my current fitness regime and training for a marathon, I would be here the very next Sunday :)

ITC Hotels know how to make you feel special, even over a dinner and no wonder we have celebrated most of our special occasions with them.

Read More...

Review of The Blue Frog - a live music club in Mumbai

6 of us decided to try this place out the new 'happening' club in Mumbai called the Blue Frog, news of which has been doing the rounds for its live music each night of the week.

Reaching there
As you come down Tulsi Pipe road from Dadar, much before Phoenix Mills, and opposite Kamla Mills compound, you'll spot an ICICI ATM and you must turn left immediately even if you think that the place looks all dark and dingy and hardly the types that would house a hip-n-happening club.

Early bird catches the 'free' worm
Beyond 9 pm, you have to pay up a non-redeemable cover charge of Rs.300 per person. Unfortunately we entered at 2 minutes past 9 ! We had tried to make a reservation earlier in the day, but they had said its all taken.

Ambience and music
Anyway, we got a standing / bar stools table near the stage. The place was quite empty at this time and most of the 'pods' [the better seats or the round cubicles if i may call it that] were vacant, but you know how these places are...They love to keep maximum seats as reserved for the guests that wont appear, to show how much in demand they are. The pods are all arranged at increasing heights like an auditorium, which is well suited for viewing live performances. The interiors and design is truly international.

Since this place is all about the music - I must make a mention that the owners have invested in state of art music equipment and quality of sound is undoubtedly excellent. The live band (music) of the day was provided by Bhavishyavaani Future Sounds, which was kind of trance to new-age rock. Although I am no trance lover, the sound bytes were making me groove in my bar stool. The music reminded us of one of our favourite groups - Thievary Corporation.

F&B
We ordered a plate of Tangy mushrooms (Rs.350 or so) with Kingfishers (150) and Asahi beers(350 or so for a pint bottle).
The mushrooms while they tasted good were 6-7 pieces of the smaller fungi in a plate way too large for them or the table! Lets say it occupied 75% of the table :)

The local vodkas cost around 175 for a small shot. After over an hour and a half hovering around the tiny table, we were (drumbeats!!!) finally asked to move to a 'pod' - Oh what a honour....

The seating there is comfortable I must say, and especially so after sitting on the tiny, tall bar stool and on a table that hardly had finger room for the 6 of us, forget elbow room (remember the large plate??)!

Service
More beers were ordered and a plate of home fries or potato wedges as the lesser mortals call them. The spicy sauce that we specially asked for was good. For a plate of 8 fries that costs around 250 bucks, it is wrong to expect something more than boring ketchup to go with it?

The one thing that really cheesed me off was that we asked for two beers and then one of the beer drinkers decided to call it a night as he had to drive back. So when we asked them to get just one, they tried telling us, its already been "made"! Since when have Asahi started brewing their beer in the Blue Frog, pray tell me! Anyway after a little bit of brow beating over the brew, they canceled our order of the extra beer.

Cost of the experience
Apart from the 2 plates of food, five singles of local vodka, 4 KFs and 6 Asahi beers, and the bill came to a whopping Rs. 5300 or so, including 20 odd % of VAT / ? Luxury tax PLUS 1800 cover charge , Total 7100 for one evening out.

The music was good, and the big projector screens all around the ceiling was fun, but if one is not a big fan of trance, it can get boring and repetitive. The place managed to get somewhat crowded by 11.30 when we left. Guess the long weekend (holi etc.) was the reason for a not-so-crowded house.

Final words
Will I go again? Probably yes, when I find some kick-ass group playing live (the gig calendar on their website for the month helps you decide your visit in advance). For trance music at this price - No!

If you just want to have a feel of the place without turning your pocket inside-out, go in early (before 9 with a reservation, asking for a pod) and do confirm when they start the cover charges for that day, when you make your reservation. Hang around with a KF or two. They will ask you to move out by 10.30 pm, because thats when the second lot of reservations are given out, but thats alright! You have around 2 hours to soak in the ambience and the KF.

My Rating:
Concept and ambience - 5/5
Food - 3.5/5
Service - 2.5/5
Pricing - $$$
Overall - 3/5

------------------------------------
Details:
The Blue Frog
Mathuradas Mills Compound,
Opp Kamala Mills Entrance,
Lower Parel, Mumbai.
Phone: 40332300
Website
Gig Calendar

----------------------------------------

Read my other restaurant experiences in Mumbai here. I shall soon be posting all reviews in a separate section on the blog for the benefit of my Mumbai readers. Sorry folks, no photos this time. I like to simply enjoy the experience instead of taking photos and grabbing people's attention. I'm sure you understand.

Tags: Mumbai restaurant review, Mumbai nightlife, Blue frog, Mumbai lounge, Mumbai live music club, Saffron Trail, Recipe, Food, Indian food blog, Healthy eating, Healthy living, Mumbai, India

Read More...