Bangalore restaurant reviews
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Birthday Lunch at the Biere Club Chophouse
Thursday, July 11, 2013Me! In words
This year round, my birthday was quite a blast - I had a 3AM cake cutting ceremony (apparently we were breaking the norm of cutting cake at 12AM), I had a *surprise* family party at home, I got a 3-hour session at Kenko Spa the next day and we followed it up with lunch at the Biere Club Chophouse. I had been here earlier as part of the promotions for Food Lover's Magazine Gourmet City. The food was superlative then and I wanted to take Sudhakar with me too. This was the perfect excuse. The last time round, we went there in the night and my pictures did not do justice to the meal, this time I did a mini cartwheel (of course in my head), when I saw all the nice natural light coming in.
I reached there a bit early as father and daughter went to watch Despicable Me 2 while I was at the spa. Why waste time waiting, so I asked for the Mango Biere which was a seasonal special. Upfront, let me say that I don't like eating the mango fruit as is, but make anything out of it and I will be a happy person. Now you put in biere, after a spa high and you have happier me. The biere was light, with a nice tone of mango, without it feeling like you are drinking a mango soda. The balance was done well.
While I was sipping and going through the menu endless number of times, my two champions finally walked in. Sudhakar was instantly confused as to what to order and so we asked for the biere sampler of the ones available. Mark was handling our table and he brought for us the chai carrier styled sampler with a wheat, lager, ale and stout. Sudhakar just had to look at the stout to know he wanted it. And of course we kept the sampler and finished it up too.
Mango Biere
Chai carrier style biere sampler with a wheat, lager, ale and stout
Herb infused breads with butter
The Stout
For starters we went with the smoked salmon slices, horseradish cream, capers and melba toast. We also asked for a fish and chips for Anoushka. Smoked salmon - no chance of going wrong with something so beautiful. The crispy melba toast, with a lashing of the horseradish cream made for a nice balance. I could have done with a few more rounds of this starter, but then I also wanted to get my hands or rather my mouth on the tenderloin.
Anoushka's fish and chips came wrapped in a butter sheet that was opened up for her at the table. Two nice slabs of fish with a lot of chips. The fish was nice and crispy on the outside and really soft to the point of turning slightly mushy on the fork, on the inside. But, with the chips it was a nice combination.
Smoked salmon slices, horseradish cream, capers and melba toast
Fish and chips
Now my favorite part of the meal - the main course - Sudhakar went in for the Pork Chops with peachy balsamic glaze, roast potatoes and grilled tomatoes. Nice, succulent pair of chops to a plate, with thick slices of peaches in that lovely black balsamic vinegar. The chops were meaty, succumbed beautifully to the knife and tasted brilliant to me. Sudhakar felt the peach balsamic dressing stood out more, slightly dulling the natural flavor of the pork. But he still did like it.
I went in for the 6oz tenderloin, done medium rare, with Swiss cheese, mushroom sauce and mash. What I like here is that you are given options that you can pair along with your steak. I was torn between the one I chose and Surf and Turf - grilled prawns, with tomato jus and fries and even the creamed spinach, roasted roots and red wine sauce. My tenderloin was done to a nice medium rare, a little red in the center, soft enough to yield in a single slice of the knife. The mushrooms were peppery and the mash... well Anoushka ended up eating most of it, since she loves mash just as much as I do.
For dessert, we went in for the knickerbocker. I loved the concept, the last time I had come here, though I had had the Bananoffee pie that time. The knickerbocker is set in a glass jar, with layers of jelly, fruits, custard, marshmallows, jujubes, fresh fruit and then... I preferred to dig in rather than dissect. We pretty much loved this dessert, except for the jelly layer at the bottom that seemed too heavy on the gelatin, making it hard, rather than the wobbly blob it should be.
Pork Chops with peachy balsamic glaze, roast potatoes and grilled tomatoes
6oz tenderloin, done medium rare, with Swiss cheese, mushroom sauce and mash
The Knickerbocker
I am thoroughly glad we went here for lunch. The meal, the ambiance and the service too was great. At the risk of sounding corny - full marks to Mark for the way he handled our table. This meal came to around Rs 3200, which I felt was completely worth it. Next on my list of things to do... head to Biere Club for their breakfast! The menu sounds fab for a weekend. The loo is clean.
Address: 20/2 Vittal Mallya Road, Bangalore
Phone: 42124383
Cuisine: Beers, grills, steaks, American, Continental
Accepts Cards: Yes
Accepts Cards: Yes
Parking: Valet
