Bangalore restaurants- Food and Travel: Cunningham Road

Bangalore Bistro - Cunningham Road

Monday, December 03, 2012Me! In words

I have said it over and over again, on my FB page and on the blog, that Bangalore Bistro is an all-time favorite. They have done changed locations often enough from Cunningham Road to Brigade and now back to Cunningham road now. We were introduced to the place on Brigade Road by a friend when we had a mini-class reunion a while ago and we have been there numerous times after.

Its been close to a year since we visited and wanted to make the visit when their Cunningham road venue opened up (this is not the same as their original location, and is in the same building that houses Xtreme Sports). It still maintains that blue and white facade - has an outdoor and in-door seating. They have a mix of cushioned and tessarae seating giving you a choice in that as well.

The interiors from where we were sitting

One look at the menu told us that there were a few additions to it. We tried to order all that was new to see how each dish would fare. We started with the squid rings for Anoushka, since her obsession with it continues. For us, we ordered the Balls of Delight. These were minced meat balls, in a slightly oriental sauce, but not something that would make you classify it as being a chinese dish. I started off feeling that the dish was spicy and Sudhakar totally disagreed with me. And came to see a few bites later that he was right. I guess, my drink, which was a sweet mocktail did that to me.

Balls of Delight

The squid rings were finely sliced and the batter thin and crisp. The aioli served with it was creamy. Anoushka made her whole meal of this. I know I would have.

Squid rings

For our drinks, Sudhakar had a beer and I had a Pink Passion - strawberry and orange based. Can't complain about the beer, you know what you are getting there and the mocktail was nice.

Beer and Pink Passion

For main course, I was in "meat" mode and went in for the Smoked Steak. Three neat roundels of beef and yes I was asked how I would like my steak done and I got it a great medium rare. But what I particularly loved was that the staff actually remembered that I don't liked too much of freshly ground pepper on my food and came back to confirm that they should stick to that for the accompanying mushroom sauce. Now this after not visiting for more than a year. That is called service I say!

Smoked Steak

Sudhakar had the roasted chicken pasta - it was a chunky sauce that covered the pasta. Light and spot on in taste.

Roasted chicken pasta

There were new desserts apart from their heavenly cheesecakes which we normally order. This time we had the tiramisu cake and the chocolate cake, both served with ice-cream. Sudhakar was in raptures when he was having the tiramisu and Anoushka kept coming back for more with the chocolate cake. That is testimony enough. The chocolate cake which looked absolutely sinful, tasted light on the chocolate and you do not end up with that cloying chocolaty feeling all over. It was yumm...

Tiramisu as a cake

Chocolate cake

Am glad we decided to go back to our favorite place and they gave us no reason to oust them from that position. New place, new additions to the menu, all done brilliantly and with valet parking to boot will make this place a hit naturally. They also have a bar menu now, so yipppee on that. This meal came to around
Rs 2500. Did not get a chance to check out the loo, but it has always been spotless so do not doubt that here.

Address: 37/2, Opposite Sigma Mall, Cunningham Road, Bangalore.

Phone: 22201616

Cuisine: Meditereanean, European
Wallet factor: Rs 2000 for two

Accepts Cards: Yes

Parking: Valet

Arabic cuisine Bangalore restaurant reviews budget eating

Ta'aam

Monday, July 25, 2011Me! In words

There are some times when you wake up in the middle of the night... starving and craving for that one particular dish from that one particular place. Sometimes you have that really fabulous meal earlier in the day and just couldn't pack away that one small morsel and are so regretting it now. It has happened to me with mom's cooking, and with a few restos in Bangalore - the Shawarmas of Kebab Magic, the biryani from Richies.And now- its everything on the menu at Taa'am. This is a small restaurant in the basement of a largely residential area on Queen's Road.

A friend and colleague of Sudhakar's introduced the gang at office to the place and after one visit, Sudhakar kept talking of this dish called the Laham Mandi... and he talked and talked and talked, till in the middle of the week one day, Anoushka and I decided to meet him for lunch there. Its truly a place in the basement, a sliding door for an entrance, neat and clean table and plastic chair setting and a huge curtain separating the open kitchen area from the dining area. And of course the first thing we ordered was the Laham Mandi.

The Laham Mandi is an Arabian version of biryani. It comes on a huge platter - one mandi = two supremely satisfied people OR One supremely happy, ravenously hungry individual (keyword being ravenous here)The rice is soft, mixed with vegetables, on top of which is the hunk of meat. What you get is a really big slab. Along with this comes a bowl of mandi soup and a mint chutney that will have you constantly asking more for. Its tempered with slivered onions giving it a fabulous flavor. You need to hold up the piece of meat, use your spoon and simple push the meat of the bone. That's how soft and succulent it is. This dish is cooking constantly in a huge vessel on the side and if you sit in the right place you will get a peek of it. Its of course ghee heavy, but in that nice way.

Laham Mandi with Soup

Another must have here is the lamb chops. Its one a plate and even though you will find it difficult to stop, you better simply because there are so many other great things to eat here. The meat may seem a bit charred on the outside, but that's the hue its gets after its done its time in the tandoor. The meat is soft and you know the marinade has been on a long time.

Lamb chops (one to a plate)

Another great combination at this place is the Khichdi Kheema with chutney. We visited on two to three occasions and the chutneys that come along constantly change. When we ordered the Khichdi Kheema there was tomato chutney which kind of wiped away the memory of the mint one. Am not a fan of khichdi, but this was not the watery version you tend to associate with the word khichdi. It was a more dry and firm version with dal and spices. The kheema, topped off with butter was spicy and with the rice and chutney seriously made you wish science progressed on that tummy for hire concept.

Khichdi

And the accompanying Kheema

Tomato Chutney

There were some visits where the folks with us wanted to go easy since they had important client meetings in the afternoon and did not want to the entire conference room to hear their satisfied snores. They grudgingly ate biryani rice with baingan ka salan on one occasion. The biryani rice was more a khushka, but really tasty and as for the salan, vegetarians, you will have a great thing going here.

Biryani Rice

Baingan Salan

They do have a sweet dish they call falooda. It doesn't look like what we know as falooda, but is quite tasty for a milk based sweet. If you have been able to save some space after this meal, then its worth a try. The Mandi will cost you Rs 250 and honestly, it will take 2 heavy eaters and one eating champion to finish this off. The menu has a range of other Indian/Chinese dishes which is an attempt at pleasing finicky people. Haven't bothered trying so won't comment on that. A meal for two will come to Rs 400 if you order kebabs and soft drinks as well. There is a unisex loo which is clean. On Fridays lunch service begins a bit late, after the day's namaz is done.

Address: Queen's Road Cross, Munniswamy Road (After Caricon ACs)

Phone: 9845538234

Accepts Cards:

Parking: Easier if you are on bikes