Bangalore restaurants- Food and Travel: Kalyan nagar

Breakfast at BYLI - Bet You Love It

Wednesday, April 01, 2015Me! In words

I love breakfast. Its the one meal that is a pain to deal with each morning, but nevertheless I love breakfast. A while ago I started chronicling all the breakfast places we happen to visit. Of course, the south Indian breakfast is always a favourite, but I do love trying all others. You can read about some of our breakfast experiences here.

Recently we were invited to BYLI - Bet You Love It in Kamanahalli to try out their breakfast menu. We took up the offer simply because it was an all-day breakfast and the distance on a weekend, served as an outing of sorts.

BYLI does not have parking of its own and we were lucky to find some right opposite the restaurant which is opposite Aioli if you are familiar with the area. They have an AC section that was packed on the day of our visit. We sat on the outside which is quite comfortable and has a lovely indoor water fountain that sets a very soothing tone.

BYLI's breakfast menu is available from 9.30AM to 2.30PM. So all you late risers can still have your first meal of the day, even at unconventional hours.

Toblerone MilkShake - The description did say that Toblerone was blended with chocolate ice-cream. I did not feel that too much though. What I did taste was a great chocolate milkshake, with nougat drizzle on the side, topped off with some lovely thick whipped cream. I would have liked a little of the nutty bite of Toblerone. But this did make for a great milkshake.

Hot Chocolate - I wanted to get some milk down Anoushka and so asked for some hot chocolate. The art in the cup are some of the small pleasures in life for someone Anoushka's age. The hot chocolate was nice.

Sudhakar asked for a Latte which he declared was good.

And now, getting down to the breakfast. Sudhakar had The M&S Scramble - 3 eggs beaten with 4 cheeses - Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Cream Cheese and Swiss Cheese with ranch potatoes and an addition of chicken ham or sausages. The eggs were topped over with some scallions and it gave the cheesy eggs some great crunch. The ranch potatoes are on the spicier side and will perk up your taste buds after the cheese and eggs. The toast was crisp, just the way I like it.

Of the breakfast platters, the Big BYLI Breakfast is by far the largest. You get a cheesy omelette, chicken sausages, hash browns, mushrooms, and roasted tomatoes. All of this makes for a hearty breakfast. The roasted tomatoes could have done with a little more time on the grill. I would have also preferred them sliced and not squashed to a mush. What I really missed on the platter was bacon, but then the restaurant does not serve pork but still manages to put up a great breakfast.

Toast with Me - French Toast with Chicken Ham slices and Cheese - This was a nice mix of sweet and savoury with neither flavours overpowering each other. A filling breakfast option for when you are on the go or for a child at the table.

Its OK to Waffle with BYLI - the Waffles are nice and come with the works - Maple Syrup, thick chocolate sauce, whipped cream and a generous cover of icing sugar!

The breakfast menu at BYLI is quite extensive, with several options. It gives you enough of choice to try something new on several return visits. The service is pleasant and efficient. A meal for two will be within the Rs 600 bracket if you really indulge yourself. They do have an all-day cafe menu as well.

Address: G 1-2, Ist Avenue, 5th Main, 2nd Block, HRBR Layout, Kalyan Nagar, Bangalore

Phone: 49653104

Cuisine: Breakfast, Continental/American
Wallet factor: Rs 600 for 2

Parking: Street

Bangalore restaurant reviews Kalyan nagar Korean

Thran

Wednesday, April 17, 2013Me! In words

There are literally a handful of Korean restaurants in Bangalore and Thran was the only one we had not yet visited. So one weekend, a little while ago we decided to cross it off our list and see how it compared to the others around. Thran is a small restaurant that functions out of a home. Tthe hall has three tables of 4 and what was once perhaps a master bedroom, a couple of more tables. It seems like a cozy home run affair. The menus have photographs of each of the dishes with small one line explanations on what they are. I saw a few familiars and a few not so familiars and we got down to ordering.

Kimbap/Gimbap, seaweed rolls quite similar-looking to sushi is something we order at every Korean meal (yeah, we get repetitive like that!) and we asked for the Chamchi Gimbap or the tuna filled version. Filled with bell pepper, flaked tuna, zucchini and sweet omelette, this was served with a soy based sauce and turned out to be quite nice. As soon as we placed our order, the table started filling up with banchan or the little bowls of nibbles that are integral to a Korean meal - kimchi, sweet scrambled egg, blanched and chopped spinach, zucchini salad, silken tofu, a spicier version of the spinach and the customary shredded vegetable pancake and its dipping sauce.

Banchan - above and below

Tuna Kimbap

Korean meals can be quite filling since you are constantly nibbling on something. For Anoushka we ordered the Omeu Rice or the Omelette Rice. It is normally drizzled with some tomato sauce, but I asked them hold that since little one does not like her food tainted with any sauce. The rice was filled inside the omelette and this held her fascination for all of five minutes. The rice had some nice diced carrots in it and is served with an egg drop soup and a pureed pumpkin sauce on the side. For Anoushka it was a large meal and we did have a small takeaway bag for later.

Soo Ra Sang has an amazing pork gravy dish Jey Yuk Bokkum. It came in a small sizzler bowl and remains steaming hot till the end. I saw something similar on this menu and wanted to try it out. So we ordered the pork dish, the name of which escapes me. Its about the only pork gravy dish and comes with a side of steamed sticky rice. From the looks of it, the pork look pretty much the same. On tasting, it turned out slightly watery and with lesser punch than the one at Soo Ra Sang. Not that it tasted bad, but I had had better. We also ordered the Nakkji Bokkeum or the Octopus stir fry. This tasted more like a Chinese hot and sour dish, and while the octopus was there in it, the sauce and the veggies just seemed too overwhelming. We ordered another steam rice to go along with this, since the sauce was heavy enough to coat a bowl of rice.

When we were done, the instinct to ask for a sweet of some sort took over. We were offered the cold cinnamon tea which was nice but again not up to the standard of the others we had. Also, cinnamon tea in all the places that offered it was served complimentary and here you are charged for it.

Omeu Rice

Pork gravy

Nakkji Bokkeum - stir fried octopus

Cinnamon tea

Overall Thran would feature last on my list of Korean places in Bangalore to visit. For me it would be a toss up between Soo Ra Sang and Arirang in top spot, especially since both offer grills at the table. Then would come Hae Kum Gang which has a really vast menu and then Thran. The service is alright and language can be a small barrier. The bill for this meal was approximately Rs 2000 and did not leave me very happy with spending the amount. The loo is clean.

Address: 507, Ground Floor, 4th Cross, 2nd block, CMR Road, HRBR Layout, Kalyan Nagar
Phone: 42050685
Cuisine: Korean
Cards Accepted: Yes
Wallet Factor: Rs 1200 for two
Parking: None and it can get quite tight in this residential area

Bangalore restaurant reviews Continental Grills

Aioli BBQ and Grill Smoke House

Tuesday, September 20, 2011Me! In words

It was one of those weekends when we were scratching our heads on a place to head to. Someone in Sudhakar's office spoke of this new Korean joint in Kamanahalli and we thought of trying that out. And so with cousin Roshitha (our resident food guide in Kamanahalli) in tow we set out to find the place. We searched and we searched and we searched... and didn't find it. At last hunger got the better of us and so Roshi suggested we go to Aioli and that's how us 3 and half hungry souls landed at its doorsteps.

Its been around a while and I liked the casual interiors. We were the first on the scene and throughout our time there just 2 other tables filled up. Either we missed the weekend rush since we came in post 2.15PM or they have a hell of dinner service. Anyways, as the name suggests, everything here is about being grilled or smoked. The menu is not really extensive, but the pictures with each dish helps gets the stomach rumbling if you haven't reached the stage we were in.

The bar has a decent choice and we had Sangria, Wine cooler and Mocktail of the day between us. This is one of those long pending reviews and I don't remember what went in the wine cooler and the mocktail, but they were both really nice. The Sangria too was nice, but I personally loved the Sangria served at Jamavar at the Leela and haven't tasted one as good till now.

Sangria, Wine cooler and Mocktail of the day in front

For starters and to get junior going on her never-ending meal, we had the smoked garlic bread. Nice, hot, crisp at the edges. Didn't really get any smoky flavor but I loved the olive oil and chopped dill dressing that came with it. Added a nice touch. This was downed largely by Junior Prabhu

Smoked garlic bread

We knew we would need another starter and Warm pita bread with Baba Ghanoush was our choice. The pita was warm and made for a generous scoop for the baba ghanoush. Now that was really nice, finished off with a drizzle of olive oil. But again, the pita at Zaks is still my all-time favorite.

Warm pita bread with Baba Ghanoush

Can't get enough on the table and so Spiced Chicken wings was next. By now, we were the only ones in the resto and thanks to the glass covered grill space could see our chicken get made. When it came, it was piping hot. The outer layer was crisp throughout with a few charred edges. One bit and you know the chicken didn't have to work hard to get the "spiced" added to its name. It was spiiiiccy! But nice spicy.

Spiced Chicken wings

And finally we moved on to the main courses. We had Jerk Chicken with a side of mashed potatoes. Loved the fact that the starch came in a massive bowl. For those who love their potatoes, they will love this. The mash was on the grainy side and went well with the chicken, which was everyone's favorite part.

Jerk Chicken with mashed potatoes

The Seer fish with lime Aioli was as good as it sounded. There was another round of pita served with it and a salad. Anoushka grabbed hold of the pita. The fish was fresh and I felt the portion generous. Each of us also got this little glass bowl filled with four accompaniments. I really would like to know how they got all four in without them running into each other.

Seer Fish with Lime Aioli

I had the Moroccan Lamb Kebabs with Spinach rice and salad. That way I got get something decent like rice down junior's throat. The kebabs came on a skewer and were spicy, but melt in the mouth soft. They had done their time in the marination. In all three plates though, I found that the salad tasted a bit bitter. Maybe the lime squeezed was a bit too much or someone forget to take of the seeds when squeezing the lime. Besides that, the salads had their crunch.

Moroccon Lamb Kebabs

We shared a chocolate banana, which was grilled as well. Though, we really didn't think much of it. The ice cream and chocolate sauce portion tasted better.

Chocolate Banana

This meal with 3 starters, 3 main courses, 3 drinks alcoholic beverages and a dessert came to Rs 1800. This was the first time in god knows how long that I did not visit the loo with junior, so no comments on that. The service was good, the food good and the ambiance pleasant. All good reasons to drop by if you are in the area.

Address: #4,09 1st floor, 5th Main, 2nd Block, Kalyan nagar, HRBR Layout, Bangalore - 38

Phone: 42084359

Cuisine: Carribbean

Wallet factor: Rs 1100 for two with alcohol

Cards Accepted: Yes

Parking: Nothing exclusive and not too difficult

Bangalore restaurant reviews budget eating Kalyan nagar

Jin's Hut

Monday, July 19, 2010Me! In words

Sometimes there are restaurants I can't wait to write about and Jin's Hut is one of them. And so I have skipped the line of order in terms of reviews and am writing about this place first. Roshita, Sudhakar's cousin gave us a glimpse of this Korean restaurant when we visited them at Jal Vayu Vihar sometime back. Since then I have been dying to go there. This Sunday, with nothing much to do, we took the long drive there and were the first customers at this place.

Jin's Hut is small... it can seat only 12 at one go. But it is done neatly. Pleasant light green and yellow air conditioned interiors and an enclosed billing and kitchen area. The menu is a laminated card and lists out various types of Ramen (noodles/rice in different soups), Kimbab (Korean Sushi) in prawn, chicken, pork, cheese(!) and tuna (a recently added specialty). There was also Japanese Udon noodles available as also the all-in-one-meal of Bibimbap and range of Dimsums. I was one happy puppy.

We began with one round each of Kimbab in pork and tuna. Sometime back when I had reviewed Soo Ra Sang, I mentioned about Korean sushi. Somebody raised a query on whether there was such a thing as Korean sushi. I wasn't too sure as well and didn't get about to researching it. Well turns out, there is is such a thing - its Kimbab. Made in very much the same manner, Kimbab is considered more of a picnic snack than a delicacy. Fillings vary with seasoned vegetables, meats etc being used. It is usually eaten without gari (pickled ginger) and soya sauce on the side. Soo Ra Sang however offers both. Jin's Hut on the other hand serves it with a soya sauce-vinegar mix along with some crushed red and green chillies in it.

Both the pork and the tuna rolls were brought on together. The number of pieces a plate were really generous considering the price was between Rs 120 - Rs 150 for each plate.

Pork and Tuna Kimbab

After the first bite of the pork version, it was evident that they had used processed ham as a filling. Of course it makes a difference, but not all that much considering that the proportion of meat included is always pretty small. Dipped in the sauce provided, each bite was tangy and spicy all at once. As for the tuna version, there was flaky bits of the fish well packed into the roll and it tasted just as good as the pork version.

Pork Kimbab (above)

Tuna Kimbab (below)

For the main course, I opted for the Bibimbap. A mound of sticky rice is placed in a ball. Pickled vegetables, in this case, juliennes of carrots, onions, zucchini and mushrooms were neatly arranged around it. I chose the non-vegetarian version and shredded beef was also included. On top is a bullseye egg surrounded with a pungent sauce. On the side you get egg drop soup as well as a bowl of kimchi. Each of the vegetables has distinctly different taste to it. Altogether it is one heavy meal which many will find a challenge to finish.

Bibimbap (above)

Egg Drop soup and kimchi (below)

Sudhakar opted for the Jin's Hut special Ramen. A steaming hot boat shaped (and almost sized) bowl was placed before him. It had the noodles and a spicy soup with shrimp and shredded bits of meat. It does remind you of the packaged ramen you tend to eat when too lazy to cook, but in a really good and wholesome way. This too is very filling and makes for quite a task to finish.

Jin's Hut Special Ramen

We just had to have some dimsum as well and decided to parcel a pork dimsum, another round of tuna kimbab and some Black Ramen for dinner. The sad part is that they do not parcel ramen because of the soup it contains. Black Ramen was the only dry version they had. The pork dimsum was stuffed well with pork mince that was really tender. As for the Black Ramen, the name stems from the fact that it is mixed with soya sauce and has chunks of soya in it. Not really something we would like but again, something different.

Black Ramen (above)

Pork Dimsum (below)

Jin's Hut is a really small place as the photos below will show you. The food though is great. The tables are all glass and you have chopsticks (wooden though against the customary steel that only Koreans use). The food is made after you place an order so a bit of wait is also involved. All of what we ordered including the takeaway came to Rs 1040 which I felt is a great deal compared to Korean joints closer to the main city. The only hang-up for me was the lack of a restroom. Thankfully Barista is bang opposite and we could scoot across there for junior. I want to go back for more Kimbab and their dessert called Hooduck which we just did not have tummy space for.

The curtain leads to the kitchen and billing area (above)

One half of the seat area (below)

Address: 5th A Main, 2nd Block HBR Layout, Bangalore - 560043

Phone: 9590304335
Cuisine: Korean
Cards Accepted: No
Parking: Nothing exclusive, can get difficult on weekend.