Bangalore restaurants- Food and Travel: American

Red Fork

Monday, September 10, 2012Me! In words

This was one of those lucky weekends when we actually knew where we wanted to go before we got out of the house. We drove straight up to Red Fork on this particular Sunday. We had the choice of the open air seating on the outside or the closed inside... Anoushka decided for us that it would be the inside. Seated bang opposite the board on which the menu comes up, we did not take too long to decide what we wanted.

The board with the menu

Cold coffee, 2 beers and an apple juice for Anoushka

Sudhakar and I decided to go in for beers. Our friend had the cold coffee and then miracle of miracles. When Zarine suggested that Anoushka could have some apple juice, she actually agreed. For those of you who know Anoushka, you will know that soft drinks or juices of any kind don't go down at all with her. She did start on apple juice but it was always a sip here and there. When this little glass of juice was placed before her, she actually downed the entire glass. And Red Fork will go down in history for us as the place that Anoushka had her first juice in a restaurant.

Fresh chilli calamari with coriander aioli

Since Anoushka is now on her calamari phase, we decided to go with the Fresh chilli calamari with coriander aioli. Lovely little curls of calamari crumb coated and fried with these lovely thin slender slices of chilli (not too sure which one). Combine all on your fork and you get this nice hit of crunch and spice which was a great starter. Of course little one had it without the chillis.

Mini Moroccan burgers

Straight into the mains we headed and Sudhakar decided to go in for the Mini Moroccan burgers. They came on a wooden platter. A nice yummy moist patty sandwiched in square cut, am guessing in-house made buns. But mini they were and Sudhakar had to order something else, this was after all our brunch that day. He ordered the Grilled Lamb Chops with Herb Roasted Potatoes and Quinoa. I have no clue where the photo went, but it was fabulous to say the least. The meat was tender and the entire combination was really nice.

Garlic Prawn Fettuccine

I decided to go in for the much talked about Garlic Prawn Fettuccine and now I know what everyone is talking about. Here is a dish that is literally light and fresh... the prawns with their little tails still on were moist and had a great bite. Torn fresh basil in the garnish adds to the freshness and every bite was seriously on the mark. A lovely dish and one I would love to learn and make myself... but then, when it is done so well already, why bother... just have to head to Red Fork.

Fish and chips

Anoushka had the fish and chips, which came with a mayo and a slice of lime.. Both, the pieces of fish and the hand cut chips were in a paper cone, adding a nice touch. The batter fried fish had a thin, yet crispy coating and Anoushka managed to get through most of it.

Grilled chicken breast with chermoula and mushroom mash

Our friend had the Grilled chicken breast with chermoula and mushroom mash - the chicken breast was a good size and nicely grilled. It was the chermoula that added the zing to the entire dish and the mash that added the balance to it. A really nice one that we were sad to see get over.

Caramel Custard

For desserts we had the the caramel custard and lemon cheesecake. Both really nice ways to end the meal.

Lemon Cheesecake

Overall, we loved the idea of the blackboard menu and I think what really works here is the personal service. Besides Zarine manning the floors, we were constantly checked on and not in an intrusive way. And the fact that Anoushka had a her first full glass of juice here made us really really happy parents. Did not get a chance to check out the loo here, but am guessing its in good condition. This meal came close around Rs 2000 approximately, well worth it.

Address: 594, 12th Main, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar Bangalore

Phone: 41154372

Cuisine: Blackboard menu and a nice international mix
Wallet factor: Rs 1300 for 2

Parking: Nothing exclusive, and can be found across the road.

American Bangalore restaurant reviews Continental

The Fat Chef

Friday, November 18, 2011Me! In words

We wanted to get out of town on the weekend. Fed up of the grind, we got into the car and headed to Whitefield... sure its part of town, but the traffic and the time we took to get there served the purpose of "getting out of town" in our minds. After whiling away time at the Forum Value Mall where junior had a blast in the kiddie play area, we drove backwards a bit and got into the parking area of The Fat Chef. It was quite the full house for a Sunday evening - a very good sign. Though we were four and half to be seated, we were lucky to get a table for six, coz 10 minutes into being there and we had to draw two chairs together for junior to go to sleep.

We were told that there were no menus and all the dishes were up on the boards right around where we were seated. But the starters available were told to us and we settled on Sauteed Beef and Beer Battered Prawns. To drink we also asked for a watermelon ice tea, 2 orange ones and a lemon soda. Unfortunately, my one pretty picture of the drinks got deleted by mistake and so none of it. The sugar syrup was served on the side which is a really good thing since most places generally seem to have a tie-up with the diabetes clinic in the vicinity. I chose not to add syrup to my watermelon ice tea since it tasted so naturally sweet and nice, but the others needed just a drizzle of it.

Sauteed Beef

Order the sauteed beef and you know why they say that sometimes its the simple things in life that taste the best. No fancy cooking techniques, no overdose of exotic spices - simple beef sauteed, soft... succulent and totally worth forgetting about being nice to others at the table and offering them the last bite. Not too spicy, not to bland and something that would go perfectly well with a chilled beer.

Beer Battered Prawns

The beer battered prawns were good sized fellows and the batter thin and crisp, good enough to give you the crunch when taking the first bite and then very thoughtfully fading into the background to allow Mr Prawn his moment of glory. The dip I felt was a slightly Chinesey one which was not a perfect fit for the great prawns and so I ate them as is and enjoyed it every bit.

And now for the main courses. Everything was up on the boards that you see in the pictures below. You get taken to the boards, a few suggestions are made and then you tell the staff your choice. Personally though I didn't like the idea too much since we had to take turns going with junior asleep. Also, with the kind of crowd going, everyone was hovering around the boards and in it all I missed the specials board completely. :(

But am told that the board thing is going to change, at least for the heavy days and printed menus will make their way in... so yay!!

The Menu Boards

And so we ordered, the Chicken breast stuffed with cheese and prawns. Chicken, cheese, prawns, accompanied by mashed potatoes and veggies.. Can it go any other way but the path to heaven. Of all the main courses we ordered that day, we all kept heading for that "one last bite" to this plate. The quantity was quite ample, and there was no issue finishing it at all.

Chicken breast stuffed with cheese and prawns

Sudhakar and I both went in for beef - him with beef ribs in cranberry sauce and mine beef steak with pepper mushroom sauce. We went in opposite ways on how we wanted our meat done. He had the well done, which I normally do and I had the medium rare. Both dishes were great... the beef done well in both ways. But the absolute winner was the cranberry sauce. It was a savory sauce with that light hint of fruitiness, combine that with some good beef and you have a great dish. The only thing here is that the salad and veggies both had carrots in them making for a very small difference in accompaniments.

And the one pasta dish on the table was the penne pasta with pesto and chicken. I know if Anoushka were not asleep she would have loved it. Cousin R liked it, but personally I would still go for the stuffed chicken with prawn and cheese. YummmY!!

Beef ribs in cranberry sauce

Penne in pesto with chicken

Beef steak with pepper mushroom sauce and mashed potatoes

Can't leave without a dessert can we and so a Mississippi Mud Pie it was. One to go by four people who love desserts. That's how much we were stuffed. But once this came to the table, I know the thought of ordering another one ran through everybody's mind. The pie itself was great and with that whipped cream on top... anyone on a diet is bound to forget about it.

Mississippi Mud Pie

Overall we enjoyed the food here. For cousin R, it was the second visit. My only grouse was the getting up to the boards to choose our meal and that I missed on some really interesting looking specials like the quiche and stuff. The place has a collection of wine. This meal came to Rs 2200 which is good for the splurge when you "out of town" like we were. For a full house day, the staff was pretty attentive and food hit the table fast enough. The loo was clean.

Address: #5/2A, Jagriti, Ramagondanahalli, Varthur Main Road, Whitefield, Bangalore

Phone: 42066166 (Reservations are always a good idea here)

Cuisine: Continental, American, Italian

Wallet factor: Rs 1100 for two without alcohol

Cards Accepted: Yes

Parking: Good enough space

American Bangalore restaurant reviews Dine Club

Chili's

Friday, November 26, 2010Me! In words

Chili's has been on the ever-growing list for a while now. But the excuses have been many - distance from home, some other places to visit or just plain lazy. And then finally we did manage to get ourselves there and were joined by Sudhakar's cousin Reshma. Chili's is on Old Airport Road and quite close to Total Mall. I read reviews of the place earlier and most of them were mixed. So, nothing like making some opinions of my own.

The Interiors

Now when we got in, the place was empty except for a couple. It was prime lunch time on a Sunday and I was a little skeptical. The place looked quite nice though with tile inlay tables, a very pub/diner feel. More of a set-up for larger groups and families than couples. But on that particular day, the place was quiet. We settled down and got ourselves some menus. Anoushka was offered some crayons and a leaflet of kiddie activities that also was a menu. Cute, but knowing my baby, once she was done with the coloring bit, the leaflet was tossed aside.

Junior with her activity leaflet

Reshma had a Sea Breeze which was grapefruit and a dash of cranberry. This mocktail was also available with a shot of vodka to make it more potent. I like apple based drinks and so went in for the Appletini - Vodka and Apple Sours. This, with a lot of crushed ice made it real nice (excuse the rhyme, that was unintentional). Now Sudhakar decided to spice things up a bit. Considering we were at Chili's he asked for a Mojito with a bit of chili thrown in. What came was a nicely made Mojito served in a Collin's glass as it should be. With it was a green chili or two slit down the center and mixed in. The effect... a chill from the ice, a kick from the chili and warmth of white rum going down.

Superman with his chili Mojito

Appletini

Sea Breeze

We next moved to ordering the starters. We decided to order two starters and were given fair warning by the staff that the proportions were huge and we may not have space for main course. We puffed our chests up and said bring it on. And what you see below is what came in the form of Texas Cheese Fries and Chicken Wings. The Texas fries came on a main course sized sizzle plate, piled high enough for us and the neighboring table if there was anyone there. These fries were dunked in sinful cheese, a chili based sauce and topped off with sliced jalapenos. For Junior we chose from the kiddie menu and she has a cheese sandwich with fries. There was also a nice dip that was very garlicy-mayo but nice. The chicken wings basket had around 8 wings and they were covered in a spicy sauce. The dip made it a nice mix of spicy and sweet-sour.

Texas Cheese Fries

Chicken Wings

The cheese sandwich with fries for Junior

Pickled chilis with a sprinkling a chili powder as
accompaniment to already fiery starters

Shame on us, but by the time we were done with the starters and the drinks, we threw in the towel. We decided to order only one main course to go around for three. There were some many things of the menu we wanted to order and finally settled on the Cajun Chicken Pasta with alfredo sauce. We surprised even the wait staff with this singular order. But then hey, now I have a reason to go back. The pasta was great with the chicken being really soft. I wonder how they got it that way. The pasta was heavy thanks to the alfredo sauce and did us in for the day. We did not even have desserts.

Cajun Chicken Pasta with alfredo sauce

The place began to fill up gradually. What you will notice that for an American place, it serves no beef or pork and that could be the only thing I found lacking. The bill was around Rs 2000, give and take a little. There is a service charge levied that adds to the bill noticeably. The meal though expensive was made a easier on the wallet thanks to the Dineclub card (click widget on top left for details) that I got for myself a while back. The discount for card members is 20% and this works well when you are in a group. Only remember to make a phone reservation before you get to the resto. The loos are clean and they even have an enclosed smoking room with a LCD TV. Nice touch!. The restaurant is expensive, but I personally felt I got my money's worth.

Address: 1st floor, Old Airport Road, Murugeshpalya, Bangalore

Phone: 40911765

Cuisine: American

Cards Accepted: Yes

Parking: Valet (Thankfully!)

American Ashoknagar Bangalore restaurant reviews

Plan B

Thursday, August 12, 2010Me! In words

I wish I had started this website on Bangalore's Restaurants a couple of years earlier. There are so many places I could have spoken about. There would have been several more reviews on pubs as well. After junior arrived, I can safely say that I haven't stepped into a pub since... that is till I saw this announcement for Plan B on Facebook. The food sounded great and photos looked brilliant, I just had to go there. And so one Saturday, a week after they opened to the public, we landed there, a cousin and junior in tow.

First off, loved the interiors, the brick walls, the frames and the very interesting bar counter with the glass green and white bottles hanging around. The place was relatively empty considering we were there at around 12.30 PM. We settled ourselves on the high bar chairs and plonked Anoushka on the table for a while and then got down to the business of ordering.

A view from where we sat

We decided to go in for a Bee Sting and 2 Diesels. What are they you ask... the Bee Sting is lager with Orange Juice and the Diesel was lager with Cola. Interesting combinations. The Bee Sting gave you the fizz of beer with a pulpy after taste of orange. Made for an interesting combination for those willing to experiment with their beer. The Diesel had a lighter taste of cola, but it was definitely there and quite interesting to have. As the meal progressed, we ordered a couple of draughts as well.

Bee Sting in Front, Diesel behind

And now for the munchies - we began with French Fries and cheese plus a regular fries for junior who was by now swinging around and behaving as though she was on high. The fries in both were great, completely non-greasy. The one with cheese had a load of it melted at the bottom. Warning: do wait a while before putting a cheese loaded fry in your mouth, its really hot and even the beers will not save your mouth from being singed. But they taste great!!

Regular Fries (above) and the version with cheese (below)

They had pork!! For a Mangalorean like me... there is nothing to beat spicy pork and beer on a Saturday or Sunday or for that matter any day of the week. And so Pork Sundal is what we called for. This was tiny pieces of diced pork meat and fat, fried to a crispiness with a spicy marinade. A squeeze of lime and you have a great nibble to munch on.

Pork Sundal

Next came the Big Bang Firecracker Wings which were marked as super spicy. What better than super spicy to give you that pleasant high when downing some beer. Now the marinade sauce for this is spicy. It leaves the edges of your lips tingling. But for those of you who love spice, this is one dish guaranteed to make you feel good. I believe they now have a new sauce for their wings which is supposed to be a killer.

Big Bang Firecracker Wings

Now for main courses, this is not a place where you will find your regular appam and stew or dosa and chicken curry or other such resto-bar foods. This place serves burgers and the like and that is what we had to round things off. Sudhakar asked for the Juicy Lucy - from what I gathered on a show of Man v/s Food, Juicy Lucy has a thick beef patty split in two, stuffed with cheese, fused together, fried and then thrown onto the bun. Which means, when you bite into it, a fountain of molten cheese should come through. This Juicy Lucy had all the elements except I didn't find the cheese on the inside. For your fix of juicy beef, this is one burger you should have.

Juicy Lucy

Amit, Sudhakar's cousin asked for the Pulled Pork Sandwich. This was a pork burger stuffed to the corners with pork and pleasant sauce. Not too spicy, not too bland. And very very filling. I asked for the Pigs in a Thermal Blanket... an interesting way of announcing a pork sandwich in hot dog bun. It was marked as really spicy. One bite in and I was wondering where the spice was. Then I poured the sauce that was given in a small bowl onto the sandwich and hellllooooo spice.... Yummy!!! I haven't stopped thinking about it since then and am trying to coax Sudhakar to stop by and pick one up for me.

Pulled Pork Sandwich

Pigs in a Thermal Blanket

Overall, I was one happy puppy. I actually stepped into a pub with my daughter. Not to say that I can do this regularly at Plan B with Anoushka. Its just that we came early enough to beat the Saturday crowd and had a rollicking good time. The music levels are just right and you don't need to go hoarse trying to have a conversation. Service is smooth, though we were warned that it might slack a bit on a full house. But we had no such issues. The bill for three of us with around 2 beers a head and all the food was close Rs 2000. Completely worth the money. And the loos are clean. Plan B has interesting lunch combos and good offers going for key sports events.

Address: #20, Castle Street, Ashoknagar, Bangalore - 11

Phone: 9739902745

Cuisine: American

Wallet factor: Rs 1000 for two

Cards Accepted: Yes

Parking: Nothing exclusive and weekends can be trouble

American Bangalore restaurant reviews European

Calypso

Tuesday, February 09, 2010Me! In words

Fancy that!! Sudhakar was passing by Sapphire, the toy store (besides Lifestyle and close to Garuda) and happened to see a series of new restaurants in a building. He came home that day and said that we must try them out. And so we headed there this past weekend. The place houses three outlets - Calypso, a Euro-American Place, Drum Sticks - and Indian Barbeque and Tango - A jazz retro bar. Doctor Thomas Chandy, better known as Doc Chandy owns the place. The staff told us that the place has not officially been inaugurated and that's the reason no one has heard about it yet.

We decided that we would head to the Euro-American restaurant. Decor is upmarket since fine dining is what is being touted at this Bangalore restaurant. There were multiple wine glasses, forks and knives per person at each table setting. The only thing was the forks were the same size and not different based on courses. Same went with all other cutlery and so it kind of defeated the purpose.

Mona Lisa!!

Anyways we opted for a window seat and sat right below a picture of Mona Lisa smoking a joint! Nice! The menu is a very limited one and had quite a smattering of Italian than Euro-American. We started off with the Caribe chicken which was described as baby breast of chicken steeped in caribe spices with roasted garlic and onion and a trilogy of peppers. Loved the presentation and the bite sized meat pieces were really well spiced and went really well with the carrot-pepper puree at the side. Junior had a plate of french fries.

Caribe Chicken

Junior's french fries

Main course for Sudhakar was the Pollo Cajun which was Cajun seared chicken on garlic mash with stir fry broccoli raisin jus. Again generous proportions. The picture hides the mash which was quite nice and garlicky and healthy in quantity.

Pollo Cajun

Garlic cheese bread (the butter was kinda out-of-place)

I had the Calypso Carbonara which I asked for in spaghetti rather than penne. For some reason I feel that sauces mix well only with spaghetti than with any other form of pasta. Anyways this carbonara was described as being injected with vodka and salt water prawns. Didn't really feel the vodka barring which the pasta was great and the number of prawns were substantial as well. Junior too liked what I had and I ended up sharing most of it with her.

Calypso Carbonara

We opted out of dessert simply because there was only Tiramisu and another, the name of which I forget. Didn't really sound enticing. A couple of things. The wait staff is still getting the hang of the menu at this 15-day old place. But they are courteous and take the trouble of getting the chef out for the smallest possible request. They had a gentleman singing that night with a bass guitar and pre-set keyboard - maybe a song list that is a bit more contemporary than "golden hits of Bryan Adams" would do nice. The sous chef did come out for an interaction and this was real nice. The only little grouse I had was the meat based dishes were not piping hot. But am sure this is a fixable thing.

I would definitely like to visit Drum Sticks and the Jazz Lounge. The bill at Calypso if you were to include a drink a head as well as dessert could hit Rs 1500. The loos are clean but a little difficult to squeeze into.

Read this review on the Sify Food Site as well.

Address: #44, Richmond Road, Bangalore 25

Phone: 25545555

Cuisine: Euro-American

Cards Accepted: Yes

Wallet factor: Rs 1500 for two

Parking: Parking lot... but a really really small one

Red Fork

The Fat Chef

Chili's

Plan B

Calypso

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Bangalore restaurants- Food and Travel

Red Fork

The Fat Chef

Chili's

Plan B

Calypso

Find by Location

Hello!

Get easier updates through Facebook!

Instagram

Labels

Contact Form

Bangalore restaurants- Food and Travel