Egglicious.. The Egg Factory..!!

Last month, during one of the sedentary weekends, as is my want, I was wandering down Bangalore roads trying to find new places to eat and try out new cuisines. Close to my home, I did find a novelty - The Egg factory in JP Nagar. They also have another location centrally placed in the city on St Marks Road (for interested folks). A quick check with the folks runnnig it threw up some interesting facts - they came into existence around 2008 desiring to cater to the veggies who are also eggaterians. A place that is easily accessible, pays homage to eggs in all their dishes and has a global outlook in terms of dishes served. The one that I visited was in JP Nagar, opposite HP Petrol Pumps on the the main ring road. A nice airy place, with seating both inside and outside, an open kitchen and warm friendly rustic atmosphere.  A quick glance at the menu showed me, unlike the roadside dhabas that we used to visit during college days which were the biggest and best source of egg dishes, the number of dishe out here are pretty high catering to varied tastes, both local and international. From Texan fajitas, to Egg Burjees and the local Kothu Paratha, you get to choose across the board.
I quickly chosethe Fajitas while my wife chose the Eggs Florentine and I added a side order of original French toast to round it off. To drink, I ordered a What's up Doc while my wife ordered the Pink Lady.

First the Fajitas - 2 tortillas, sauteed veggies, sour cream, pico de gallo and a choice of scrambled eggs. I chose my scrambled eggs with jalapenos, tomatoes and onions. The tortiallas were fresh, warm and light and the veggies were perfectly steamed. The cream was fresh and the scrambled eggs were perfection indeed with more than a generous smattering of jalapenos, tomatoes and onions. The dish was not too spicy and definitely not bland - with a touch of pepper, salt and tabasco sauce the taste depths perk up quite a bit.A perfect breakfast dish to start off with, in spite of being light fills you up nice. Reminded me of the dhaba outside our college which used to be our breakfast joint on most weekends.

Next the Eggs Florentine - a traditonal dish from the West and innovatively captured, I should say. Soft boiled eggs with spinach dressing and a creamy white sauce (traditionally Hollandiase) topped with Parmesan cheese. The eggs were perfectly done and the sauce was silky smooth. The dish is a little bland according to our Indian spice tastes but garnished right with salt and pepper, it acquires a fine taste indeed. The bread was done right, crisp and freshly baked - all in all a neatly done breakfast starter. I would have loved a little bit more of spinach considering Florentine means a bed of spinach but a small oversight which does not detract too much from this dish on its own.

Hmm French toasts.. they are an eternal favorite of mine and I am pretty particular how I want them. I must confess that I was a little disappointed with this dish here. They served 4 slices with maple syrup - traidtional style. First of all, the bread was a little dense, ideally it should have been light fluffy and probably a little thinner too. The thickness of the slices put me off a bit. Then no cinnamon or sugar frosting on top of the slices which for me, is a big no-no :-) The maple syrup was good, no doubt and the dish was ok but it could have been great if they had worked on it a little bit more.

To drink we had the What's up Doc (a carrot juice with hint of lime) and the Pink Lady (cherries, almonds, banana with yoghurt and milk). The drinks were both refreshing coolers and fresh - i would recommend both anyday. The dessert being a strawberry cheesecake was delicious to say the least. It was soft, perfect consistency and really well done. It was more like a mousse and a perfect crumby base which gave it the crunchy texture to go against the sliky smoothness of the mousse with a tart strawberry coulis (sauce) on top. A light filling and delicious dessert to top it off - my brunch was done and dusted and I was happy and satisfied.
The bottomline - was I happy... definitely YEAH... would I go back.. YUP.. best part.. very easy on the wallet (this entire meal costs us only approx. Rs.600/- ) and fantastic choices for folks who don't do meat but love eggs...

Location: 288, 15th Cross, 18th Main, 5th Phase, opposite HP Petrol Pumps and Wine Baron, JP Nagar
Phone: 080-40124848
Wallet Factor: Medium
Ambience: Airy, open and rustic
 

Au Bon Pain - Don't we all love Bread..??

Last weekend was car hunting and I did manage to roam different parts of the city under the baking hot sun in Bangalore. Saturday afternoon around 2 pm found me near JP Nagar 3rd phase, starving since I did not have lunch yet. That's when I saw the Au Bon Pain outlet right on the main road - close to the Delmia signal on JP Nagar ring road heading towards Bannerghatta Road. For people who have not heard of them, Au Bon Pain is a chain of restaurants originating from Boston, USA catering a range of bakery products and also salads, sandwiches, ascribing to the concept of a wholesome but healthy meal. Starvation took over and my wife and I decided, why not..:-)

Walking in, we were struck by the warm well lit ambience and pleasing yellow colors and chairs and tables arranged neatly. The surroundings were clean and well maintained and you could see a bustling of activity behind the counter. Since hunger was a main issue, we decided to go the whole nine yards - soup, sandwich and dessert. Running through their options, they have a couple of veg and non-veg options (minestrone, cream of pumpkin, three bean chicken and chicken broth). The pumpkin soup looked ravishing and we quickly picked up a bowl each.

This soup, to me, was the dish of the day. Absolutely fantastic and spot on. The sweetness of the pumpkin was mated well with natural spices (giving it a hot spicy  but sweet flavor and an unbelievable aroma) and the soup itself was light yet creamy thick. All these conflicting descriptors turned that soup into a superstar for me. Although it was piping hot (a prerequisite for soups) I managed to down the cup in record time. The main course was for me a 'Create your Own Sandwich' option. Apart from a selection of standard sandwiches, you could put together your own one too - and I promptly went for it. Grilled chicken, turkey slices as protein options, ciabatta for the bread, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumber slices, olives, jalapenos and corn as your choice of condiments (all of these are free) and for sauces, you had chipotle, mayonnaise, mint chutney and schezwan. Protein choice is 1 out of the various choices (extra meat options can be taken at an add-on cost) and two from the sauces list.

The bread was fresh, a little bit salty and the crust was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, excellently baked.The veggies were fresh and you could taste the crispness of the condiments while the meat was well prepared and seasoned. All in all, a great light sandwich which was undeniably fresh and full of health and nutrition. Finally, to top of the meal, dessert was the last destination. Their selections were kept tantalizingly in the open glass cases near the seating area and they do their job well - enticing poor hapless customers like me :-). A nice selection of muffins, cakes, donuts, danish, cinnamon buns beckons you - after a lot of deliberation, I picked the black currant danish and boy, I was not disappointed. The pastry crust was light and crispy and crumbled in your mouth while the black currants were fresh and gooey in the center exploding in your mouth with bags of flavor. Fantastic way to finish any meal.

Now to the important points - wallet factor. The above meal comes close to Rs. 300/- for one person which I think is definitely worth the taste and goodness factors. Wrapping up, a fantastic place not just to enjoy the bakery products but also to have a balanced full meal. As the French would say - to good bread.. enjoy it in all forms..

Location: 15th Cross, 6B main, JP Nagar 3rd Phase, opposite Barbecue Nation, Bangalore

Ambience: Neat, clean, friendly staff

Wallet Factor: Medium expensive

There are multiple other outlets all over Bangalore for convenience. 

Late night food cravings.. ?? Empire is the place to be..!!

Its been quite a while since my last post and work has been all around and some stuff going on too. So, in an attempt to redress that hiatus, let me try getting up a few long due posts - starting off with this classic eating joint of Bangalore which most locals (familiar with the night life) frequent. Hotel Empire is a chain of restaurants spaced all over Bangalore providing some delectable vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare at affordable prices. Well, before I get ahead of myself let us go through the entire evening's session at this restaurant. A group of us had gone to watch an IPL cricket match at the stadium on a Saturday evening. By the time the match got over, it was close to 11 pm and we were starving. There was only one place that came to our mind and that was Empire hotel. We headed to the nearest one on Church street and plonked ourselves on the first floor. First impressions, it was a bustling bee-hive of activity even at such late hours. Fresh aromatic fragrances of spiced meat wafted across the place welcoming one and all. The ambience is typical to any fast food chain of restaurants but it is clean and decent. A waiter walked over to our table the minute we sat down and plonked a bunch of menus and ran off to take the orders of another table. Did I say this place is bustling..?? :-)
There were four of us in our group and only one vegetarian in that ecosystem. We quickly ordered - Malabar (Kerala) parathas, Boneless Butter Chicken gravy, Mutton Kheema dosa, Appam with vegetable stew and a plate of their special ghee rice. There is a fresh fruit juice stall right outside attached to this restaurant which makes it worthwhile ordering seasonal fruit juices - we ordered watermelon and mango. Now to the fun part - tasting :-)
As always in any restaurant, I am lucky enough to get my dishes out first and so it happened here too. My Malabar parathas along with the butter chicken gravy popped out first and i dug into it with gusto.

The parathas are golden brown and absolutely crisp, making that pleasing crunchy sound as you bite into them. This is brilliant considering these are layered parathas and the smell of ghee emanating from them is truly intoxicating. The butter chicken was top of the class too - spicy like a traditionally prepared Kerala dish but with tender pieces of chicken well cooked in a thick gravy seasoned with curry leaves for that bags of flavor taste. Next came the Mutton Kheema dosa - and a sight it was to behold.

Finely minced Kheema paste of choice mutton meat - the meat was well cooked and very spicy to boot. The texture of kheema dishes are extremely critical - too fine its a bad paste in your mouth and not properly minced there are big lumps. This was perfect kheema where you could roll your tongue over the textured mutton pieces and also bite into it with gusto. The flavors were spot on and the most important part - the dosa was crisp and well made. This dish vanished off our plate without even troubling 5 minutes of our watches.

Finally up were the Appams and the Ghee rice. The appams came with coconut chutney, a masala spiced sambar type of gravy and the most important complementary side dish - the stew.  Crisp, light and fluffy were the appams and most importantly (a simple usual mistake that often happens is that the appam center tends to get lumpy with excess batter accumulating) perfectly built up at the center. The vegetable stew had the right essence of spices and sweetness in it - cloves, cinnamon for the biting spice and coconut milk for the sweetness and the vegetables were well boiled and soft to taste. The ghee rice is a specialty dish out here and must be ordered. It can be had either with the chicken gravy or the stew and it just goes brilliant with both.
Downing all of these with the fruit juices kinda hit the sweet spot and of course appeased our hunger. The best part is the cost - very affordable and inexpensive. The above meal set us back by around 600 Rs. only. A couple of other special noteworthy dishes to try here are the chicken kebabs, tandoori grilled chicken and the shawarma rolls.

Ambience: Decent, bustling and crowded
Quality: Excellent Kerala style food (especially non-vegetarian fare)
Cost: Economical, easy on the wallet
Location: All over Bangalore (Church Street, Castle Street (both around MG Road), Koramangala, Central street, Frazer town, Indiranagar and other locations. Check http://www.hotelempire.in/ for more details.

Seafood at Majestic, Bangalore

 Last weekend my friends and I headed towards Majestic, Bangalore for some basic time-pass shopping. It was Saturday morning and we landed up in the place at around 11 30 am. Wandering around the various bazaars and markets, we wound up our activities by around 1 pm. Starving and ready to eat anything put in front of me, I asked my friend for any suggestions. Fishland was mentioned - a coastal Mangalorean seafood joint (of course with a name like that, it should have been obvious..) This place is a little tricky to find but the best directions that I can provide is that, its right behind National Market and near Tribuvan theater. It is definitely one of the old-world places with a feel good atmosphere to it. Walking up to the first floor, you get two entrances - both to restaurants run by the same management. The one on the left is a proper dining mess hall where food is served traditionally (no air-conditioning but a bright airy hall) while the entrance on the right is an a/c room where a bar is also attached for those who want to have drinks with their food. Also, in the a/c bar area, the fish meals option does not exist. The warm hot day outside and all the roaming decided it for us and we walked through the right door entrance into the air-conditioning.  The ambience is like any typical a/c Bar restaurant in Bangalore (bright, dark colors with random lighting and closed spaces). Sitting down, we were approached immediately by a waiter who told us the specials. Ordering a chilled beer first, we also ordered chicken tikka and pomfret fry (Mangalore Rawa-fry style). The beer came in double quick time while both the starters were on our table in 5-10 minutes.

First the chicken tikka - tender well cooked meat and generously coated with masala - made this a brilliant starter dish to complement the chilled beer quenching our thirst. Then the pomfret - one word - magical.. perfectly fried, the rawa crumbs coating the fish exquisitely. Once you break through the crisp crust, you bite into the tender well cooked meat that is moist and fresh. The fish was stripped bare to the bone in less than 5 minutes. The rawa also had the right masala mixed in which gave a spicy touch to the dish.
Once this vanished from our plate (which was in a blink of the eye) we placed our main course order - kori roti with chicken stew. Now Kori roti is a typical Mangalorean dish best described as follows: crispy dry wafers made of boiled rice like a paper thin roast dosa. This is typically had with a spicy chicken stew filled with red chillies. Now, the best way to eat this dish is to pour the stew on top of the kori roti and wait for it to soak through. This makes the roti soft enough to be eaten and this also ensures the spices of the stew to be absorbed completely by the roti.

Absolute heaven and bang on the money in terms of flavors, taste and authenticity. The chicken was as before - well done, tender and spicy to boot , while complementing the kori roti to the hilt. Even before the plate was half empty we had run out of stew which the waiter was gracious enough to refill (at no extra cost) earning him and the establishment fantastic brownie points on customer service and satisfaction.
By the end of this, we were totally stuffed and decided to skip dessert subsequently. Wrapping up - quaint little old world place near Majestic, serving unbelievable authentic Mangalorean seafood. You can try the fish meals or the a-la-carte option and you won't be disappointed. The above meal (including the beer) cost approximately Rs.1000 for two making it a not too expensive place.

Location: Sujatha Complex, 1st Main, Gandhinagar
Phone: 080-22258080
Wallet Factor: Moderately Expensive

Kababs.. Kababs.. and More Kababs..

   Last Sunday afternoon while watching TV in the afternoon, laziness stole over me and I decided to order in. But at the same time, I did not want the standard fast food or pizza fare... I wanted a proper meal. A friend of mine had told me about Love Thy Kababi on Bannerghatta Road, at Arakere Signal (near Reliance mart). Boasting of a massive collection of kababs (both veg. and non-veg), it also had the essentials - biriyani, rotis, gravy side dishes etc. Having quickly made up my mind, I got their menu and contact numbers of the Just Dial web page and made the call. I decided to go with a starter kabab plate and a main dish of Biriyani - the malai nutty chicken tikka kabab and the chicken special kabab biriyani. 30 minutes later (yup.. it is as efficient as the pizza service) the food was on my table.

First the packaging - as a person who orders in quite often, I am very finicky about the packaging and its appearance and finally - is it still warm..?? Full points on all counts - I was really impressed. The packaging was really good and it looked appetizing, the seal was good, no spillage and of course the food was hot .
Now onto the most important part - the tasting. The starter kababs were good - the meat succulent, tender and juicy and cooked to perfection. The marination was spot on and you can taste the creaminess coating the kababs. As you bit into the kababs, you could hear and feel the crunch of the cashews stuffed inside which provides a heavenly rich feeling to the entire dish. If at all I had a complaint, I felt the dish overall did not have spiciness or the hotness factor which I love about my kababs but it was not bland either. When you have it with a really spicy mint chutney that will balance the dish perfectly.
Now the main course - the chicken special biriyani... one word - perfection...!! The rice was cooked well, fragrant and separated out neatly. The meat as I had described in my earlier dish was again perfect and well done. This dish was spiced properly and I really enjoyed it with the 'salan' (the green chilly gravy) which was the accompaniment provided. The thing about good biriyani is that the rice while well cooked must be separated enough and the masala paste around the meat should not stick together in clumps or become globules and stand out as separate spots in the dish. The mixing of the rice and meat has to be a perfect orchestra where all instruments meld together in the final crescendo. This dish hit the spot perfectly and I am now happy to say, Bannerghatta Road has a good biriyani place that you can go back.. again and again..
Now, the wallet factor - the above wholesome meal cost me Rs. 300/- in total (Rs. 150/- per dish) which I felt was brilliant.

End Result: Great Food.. good packaging.. easy on the wallet..

Location: 2nd Flor, #7, Krish Towers, at Arakere Signal, Bannerghatta Main Road, Bangalore - 76
Phone: 080-42165050

Enjoy Hoggin...!!!!

Malgudi - taste of South

 Last week involved a bit of travel and which ended up in me eating out quite often. I took that as a good opportunity to try out some new places and some old favorites. My friend had been asking me about traditional South Indian cuisine and he is a meat eater to boot. So, we decided to go to Malgudi restaurant. It has got multiple outlets (2 that I know of in Bangalore - Outer Ring Road near Marthahalli and HSR Layout near Silk Board; 2 in Chennai - one in Hotel Savera in heart of city and other on OMR road near Sholinganallur). I do know a lot of folks who have been here and come away unimpressed. My only tip to them is that - you need to know what to order, with what as an accompaniment else the food won't speak volumes.
We landed in this place at around 8 pm and of course it goes without saying that I was starving. So, we quickly started off with Chicken and Nand (crab) rasam (soups..!!). To go with that, we ordered a couple of starters - Vazhapoo (Plantain or Banana Flower) Vada and Mutton Pepper Chops.

First the Rasam - was piping hot, fragrant and spicy; just the way it should be. The meat (crab / chicken) was so soft and well cooked that it was just falling off the bone. A brillaint start to the evening accompanied by two stars of Chettinadu cuisine - the vazhapoo vada and mutton pepper chops. The vada was crisp, fresh and the flavor of the vazhapoo could be absorbed over the fried snack and the spicy coconut chutney provided as an accompaniment. Mutton pepper chops was art form. Lots of folks go wrong in cooking mutton (since it is relatively tougher meat than chicken) but it has bags of flavor that chicken cannot even begin comparing to. This dish had the mutton cooked to a tender perfection and spiced just right with black pepper (it did not over power the natural taste of mutton), garnished with fried curry leaves lending a fragrant touch.
My friend and I are both healthy eaters and hence we decided to go for broke in the main course - Appam, Malabar Paratha with Chettinadu Chicken Stew and to wrap up - the legendary Chettinadu dish, Egg Kothu Paratha.

The appam was fluffy and the flour was neither sour nor salty. It was served with a cup of sweet coconut milk which acted as a perfect foil to the chicken stew. The stew was typical Chettinad style- spicy fragrant and filled with an abundance of tender meat. Picking up a piece of the appam, I folded it into a cone and scooped in liberal amount of chicken stew. As I popped it into my mouth and the spices kicked in, I would then spoon down a measure of sweetened coconut milk as an after taste. The malabar paratha was crisp, buttery and perfectly layered and went great with the chicken stew again. If you thuoght this would be heavy, think again.. the lightness of preparation in these dishes make us actually look forward to the last but not least dish of the day - the egg kothu paratha. I had this dish all over India at different places and I do respect the variations that crop up as individual innovations.. but there is nothing that would compare to the original. The dish was so finely chopped up, well cooked and mildly spiced that it was extremely light to tuck into. The masala, chopped onions and green chillies, curry leaves all add to the mystique. Definitely a dish to die for..
This kinda concluded our dinner since we were too full to try the dessert section. Food was excellent, the preparation perfect and the wallet factor - extremely affordable. The menu described above costs us around 900 Rs for two of us.

Location: In Bangalore and Chennai
Cost: Very affordable

Boys Day out..!!!

A weekend back, my wife happened to go out of town on work leaving me scratching my head as to what can be done to spend the weekend effectively. A set of quick calls to my gang followed ensuring an entertaining Saturday evening. Most of us are localites and have been to every watering hole possible in this beautiful city of Mallya's. Our plan was simple - meet up in a pub for the first few hours.. catch up on all happenings (with of course drinks and snacks) and then head away later to a proper dinner (filling , high on quantity and quality but cheap on the wallet) - coz who would appreciate fine dining and small portions once you are floating on cloud 9.
Quick discussions and decision making found us on the way to Noon Wines (also known as Scottish Pub) one of Bangalore's favorites and old haunts. It is rightfully a heritage location now for the city and can be found on St. Marks Road, opposite SBI campus.
For folks who do not know about Noons, there are one of the old establishments where the food and drinks menu rarely changes, place has not expanded (like in forever), quality still tops and of course the mystical legendary sweet home made wine (whose mystery ingredients could put Coca Cola's 7X to shame).
We reached by around 6 30 pm and immediately ordered the standard - 2 rounds of large wine and fries, onion rings, chilly chicken.

First things first... the wine is a modern wonder.. sweet (but not cloyingly sweet), goes down smoothly and then the magic starts.. it is by far one of the most potent drinks that I have consumed but the taste does not let you feel that.. it is the pleasant buzz that you get half way through your first glass (yes.. first glass itself) that has made stories about this place and the drink - stuff of legends (and of course many a brawl..) :-)
The starters ("snakes" as we call them) are equally good - the fries are thick and well seasoned (not the crispy emaciated variety you get in the branded fast food joints), the onion rings are essentially onion bhajjis.. crispy batter coating and thin rings of onions spiced perfectly just explode in your mouth. My experience here is that their chicken is one of their specialties - chilly chicken or chicken manchurian or chicken 65.. perfectly cooked,, tender.. well greased and spiced to an Andhra-ites acceptable levels. Accompanying the snacks is a green looking sauce which is a better companion than the trusted old ketchup... this is made out of fresh mint and coriander and mustard - brilliant flavors that just explode onto your palate.Try the French fries with this sauce rather than the tomato ketchup and you will be shocked. A large glass of wine is around 130 Rs and the snacks average around 60-100 Rs making it an affordable place, with awesome food and a mystical home brew to boot. The place is filled with regulars that give it a nostalgic feeling - so quickly disappearing from rest of Bangalore with the advent of malls, multiplexes and lounge bars.
Once our watering hole session concluded we walked across to Brigade Road (another old haunt) and stopped at Queens on Church Street. For the uninitiated, this place is one of the best North Indian cuisine restaurant in the city. It does look more like a Dhaba but do not let looks fool you..
We were starving and hence the orders flew off our tongue rapidly -  Jal Jeera (a local favorite) to quench, a roti basket (butter nans, lasooni kulchas and tandoori rotis), Bhindi (Okra) Masala Fry, Mushroom masala and of course the eternal favorite - Butter Chicken.

The Jal Jeera is a perfect blend of the right spices, iced and refreshing to drink with the crisp Bhoondi floating on the top. All the side dishes were brilliant with the butter chicken being exceptional and the bhindi being crisp and fried to perfection. If at all, I could crib - it would be about the lack of salt in the mushroom masala. The rotis, naans and kulchas were all so soft, warm and could easily be torn with just your thumb and forefinger of one hand. All in All - a massive hog fest with amazing appetizing food and extremely affordable rates. The bill for the above order came to around 800 Rs only and thus ended a good day's hard honest work.

Noon Wines ( Scottish Pub)
Location: 17/12, Vasavi Complex; St Marks Road
Phone: 080-22215002
Wallet Factor: Extremely affordable

Queens
Location: 7, Shringar Shopping Center, Church Street, off Brigade Road

Phone: 080-25596361

Wallet Facotr: Affordable, Medium expensive 

Stuffing Myself for Lunch at Thulp

It has been a while since my last post and various reasons including travel contributed to the same. But that still did not stop me from going out and discovering more new places to hog. Last Sunday we set off to a new place in Koramangala, Bangalore called Thulp. I was reassured by my wife that food there was good and extremely filling.. yay.. good for me, I thought. Though I did give her a word of caution, I was starving and if I don't get my fill, I get very grumpy.
As we approached the place (quick pointers - its close to the Maharaja signal in Koramangala 1st block, if you are coming from Sony World Junction, take a left at the signal before Maharaja's), I noticed that it was a typical cafe on Bangalore streets. A single room, adjoining kitchen decorated with alternate and post modern knick-knacks. Quaint, tucked away in a corner - just the way I like it. What shocked me was the crowd- it was a positively bustling place with folks pouring through the doors. That, too me always says a lot about the place. One of the waiters informed us of a 15 minute wait which we used judiciously in scanning their menu and deciding what to try. You could see all sorts of people there - from the typical teenager, to the middle aged professionals with their families and of course the old-timers / regulars. The menu was simple but had a lot of options - burgers, steaks, sandwiches, pasta etc. For starters, we quickly ordered traditional favorites - garlic cheesy fries and buffalo wings.Two yogurt smoothies to accompany them - strawberry shortcake and banana with peanut butter, peanut brittle.

First the fries - they were good, crispy and thick. There was a balance to the seasoning and salt but the clincher was the over-dosage of molten cheese that swept across the plate completely covering the fries... yummy. The garlic were solid slivers and burnt to provide that exquisite taste which did not overpower the fries but complemented it perfectly. The buffalo wings were perfection - finger lickin' good if I may say so. Having stayed for a few years myself in upstate NY especially in and around Buffalo, NY I can safely say I have tasted enough of the original authentic Buffalo sauce meant for the chicken wings. It has to be tangy, fiery and sweet - all rolled into a dish where the wings should be positively dripping with the sauce giving you no option but to lick your fingers.All that and more - check. The cream provided along with this dish serves as a natural balance to the explosiveness of the dish and it was fresh. The smoothies were fresh and delightful - fresh with the saltiness and tanginess of yogurt and the fruit flavoring which did not overpower the entire drink.
With the starters being a major hit, we moved on to the main course - a tender grilled chicken fillet burger with bacon and cheese called the 'Impostor' and a grilled 2-egg omelette sandwich with cheese, grilled onions, tomatoes and pickled chillies called the Gonzo's Anda Pav.

The burger of course comes with fries and it was massive. Folks, the picture does not tell the true story. It was a huge burger and it rocked. The chicken fillet was done to perfection and I had asked for crispy bacon - which they delivered but the slices were a tad thick (probably the only flaw I could find apart from the flimsy bun material). Most people discount the bun when they talk about the burger - if it does not hold up it becomes messy to eat with half the bread breaking away and becomes a big distraction. The bun here was thankfully not that bad but definitely on the flimsy side.Everything else about the burger was A-Grade. I was stuffed by the time I finished half of that monster. The Anda Pav on the other hand compared to the burger was a dainty little creature but in all fairness a meal by itself. The bread was fresh and baked well. the eggs were perfect and an overdose of grilled onions, tomatoes and pickled chillies made it a perfect meal for folks who want an alternate to THULP :-) Well balanced and seasoned not in excess, it was light yet filling. I must say, in all this, we used up the entire bottle of mustard and mayo sauces kept at our table which only added to the brilliant flavor (point - mayo not close to Indianas but close enough).
This concluded our meal since we had no place in our stomachs for dessert. I did take a quick look but the choice and varieties were not many... so, no harm no foul done.
All in All the final verdict - a resounding YES... bags of flavor, fantastic concoctions, massive portions and moderate on the wallet. What's not to like ? If you like fast food and continental food, DO VISIT Cafe Thulp...

Location: 998, 1st main, 1st block, Koramangala, Bangalore
Phone: 40933344, 40933355
Cost factor: Moderate (the above meal cost around 800 Rs. only)

Suggi - a taste of Malnad in South Bangalore

    A couple of weekends back, my wife and I woke up late as usual on a Sunday and decided to have lunch outside. The only difference being, we wanted some homely traditional food instead of foreign cuisines. Having heard about Suggi from a colleague at work I decided to give it a try. Malnad regions broadly refers to the Western Ghat regions - but in essence covering places like Coorg, Chikmagalur. Hence the cuisine is steeped in items that are grown in abundance in these mountainous regions. Even though their specialty items might be meat based, they do have an abundance of veg dishes for the not-so meat minded population. Having made up our mind quickly, we landed up at Suggi at sharp noon. You are welcomed at the doors by staff in traditional attire with pleasant music playing in the background. A very quick noticeable observation was that all the staff had a genuine smile on their face as they moved across the tables. We were informed that a-la-carte exists and so does the buffet which prompted me to do the walk-around. Around 28 dishes adorned the buffet with enough on the veg option too, making me decide on the buffet.
The first course - soup was brought to our table with the simple choice being tomato for veggies and chicken broth for non-veggies. The soup itself was light, fragrant and had bags of flavor - a perfect starter to the meal.

With that out of the way, we decided to attack the main course. I made essentially two trips to the main course table and I shall explain it pictorially :-)

The number of meat dishes blew my socks off - mutton roast, chicken sukka, fish fry (anjal), chicken pepper. I scooped portions of all these dishes onto my plate and  went over to the bread/rotis section - neer dose, akki rotis, kori rotis and maiige idlys. The neer dose and the idlys were out of this world, extremely fluffy and light - perfect for wolfing down half a dozen.The chicken pepper stew and sukka were both good, spicy and flavorsome. The mutton preparation was a little off for me as I felt that the mutton had to be cooked a little bit more - it had a slightly tough taste and texture to it. The fish fry was perfectly done - meat fresh and a spicy red chilly masala paste set off the dish in your mouth. For the traditional, you also had access to raggi mudde (ragi balls) and sambar. Apart from this, you had the standard fare of palak rice, plain steamed rice, rasam and chicken biryani with raita. The biryani was not too shabby but I preferred the palak rice for the variety. The veggies had access to aaloo-gobi roast, mix veg gravy and mushroom pepper dry in the side dishes and veg biryani in the rice section apart from the above mentioned palak rice, steamed rice, rasam and sambar. The aaloo-gobi roast was done well with the crispness of the batter and spices mixing in harmony. Overall, a sense of home cooked meal was what I gto from the place. Desserts were minimal - payasam (kheer) and a sweet kesari made out of ragi. The payasam was ok, not upto the standards expected in southern regions of India but the ragi dessert was novel and intense. It was cold and not too sugary and perfect to down after a spiced up meal.

My final opinion is that - its a fantastic place to get home cooked meals of Malnad cuisine. Meat lovers would rejoice at the sheer range and variety of dishes available to them but veggies need not despair (in our group 4 I was the only non-veggie) and the remaining 3 did not complain :-)

Location: 683/A 3rd Floor, 2nd Phase, JP Nagar, near Dalmiya Circle, Bangalore-76
Phone: 080-42083291
Cost: very affordable (meals cost around 250-300 per person)