The FPD Quickie: Breakfast at Red Fork (Indiranagar, Bangalore)

Procrastination is a much maligned word. In my opinion, all of us should give ourselves the benefit of putting away things that can be done today to tomorrow, or even day after. I have been luxuriating in the knowledge that I have been lazy. And it’s an absolutely wonderful state of mind to begin the New Year after the mad rush of December. So Happy New Year to you…I might have even wished you in February, but I figured halfway into the month is a good upholder of the procrastinator flag. In keeping with the lazy attitude I bring to you a perfectly lazy way to enjoy a Sunday - Breakfast at Red Fork in Indiranagar. This one has been on my list for a very long time but I always postponed it. The current urge to dine here was driven by the fact that I was long overdue to meet my friend (there you go again… I’m so good at this procrastinating thing!) to catch up on happenings in our lives. Outdoor seating on a Sunday morning totally appealed to our senses and we landed up for breakfast at a half past ten.

Of Picket Fences and a Lavender Door - Cafe of Joy (Whitefield Main Road, Bangalore)

Now ‘quaint’ is a word that is loosely used with a lot of cafes in Bangalore - a practice that must stop, after visiting the Café of Joy. This café can now claim monopoly of the term, with its picket fences, an all white theme with lavender accents and the most interesting knick knacks! If not for the in-your-face-signage of Bhagini restaurant next door, I could almost imagine that I stepped into a gorgeous café in the German countryside. And I’m not saying that because of the cute figurines of the German baker couple, or the little white cow milk pourers, or the cow butter dishes, or the fact that the board says Brot.Gateaux.Biscotti. (Ok, that is very German :P) But I’m game for a little round of active imagination and if their desire was to transport me to a European café – game well played!

We heard that apart from cakes, artisanal breads, and baked goodies (produced at their on-site bakery) they also serve lunch. So on Saturday, a really talented baker friend and I, went to check out the café. Story goes that ‘the said friend’ is such a bread fiend, that she hatched a little ploy to steal the starter yeast from a famous bakery in Pune! Well, we weren’t planning any such heist at the Café of Joy and so this was just going to be a casual visit ;)

Feeling Blue - News Cafe (Indiranagar, Bangalore)

News Café is like the poor cousin of Smoke House Deli. They opened pretty much the same time on 100 ft road in Indiranagar and both have a similar cafe/ all day dining format. SHD created quite a buzz in the Bangalore food scene, whereas News café failed to garner anything newsworthy. The reason we ventured there was also because of SHD – they were full one Saturday afternoon and could not accommodate us. We were hungry and had already parked our car close by and it seemed like too much of an effort to drive again. So we walked next door to News Café and zoomed up the elevator to the terrace. (Seems like the trend in Bangalore to have restaurants and café’s on the terrace – is the rent cheaper?)

News Café is a South African chain of restaurants and boasts of having 50 outlets with two in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. (Concentrating on the IT hubs, are we?). Their website claims that they have won the ‘Best Cocktail Bar’ 11 years in a row – but I’m guessing that’s for their flagship restaurant in South Africa. Unfortunately I won’t be able to tell you about the cocktails here because none of us were in a mood to drink that afternoon. The café/ lounge in Bangalore is split into three distinct zones. A cozy indoor area that overlooks a bright and sunny deck with cane chairs and white cushions and if you walk up one more level – another deck with the main bar and really lounge worthy, blue sun beds! We headed to the topmost level because it was blue, breezy and beautiful – perfect for a lazy afternoon.

It was just us that afternoon (another group of six walking in, just as we were leaving). That itself made me wonder, if we choose the right place to eat. Sometimes…not always…crowds at a place are a good indicator of quality. This of course does not apply to the nightclubs – Bangalore’s younglings jump from one new place to another, just to be seen. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what News Café aims to be – a place to see and be seen (according to the website again). Ironic much?

Flight Of Cocktails - Sundowner @ LikeThatOnly (Whitefield, Bangalore)

I like my cocktails. Why must I have a stodgy old rum and coke when I can have an exciting Cuba Libre with a dash of lime? Or if you’re a vodka drinker like me, a fancy Cosmopolitan to sip at, whilst we elegantly drape one long leg over the other, at the bar counter? Or to go all James Bond and have a Martini – shaken, not stirred. Sounds dated? Well it is! With so many permutations and combinations of heady liquor and even headier liqueurs, you would expect the bars in Bangalore to offer us something other than creations from the 1960’s! Yes, we like our cocktails and yes, we order them religiously on a night out, but just because we are easy to please – doesn’t mean you don’t even try!! For lord’s sake, a single cocktail costs as much as a main course in some places and if I’m going to get Vodka topped with Cranberry juice from Tropicana – I’d rather give it a miss. (Ok, I lie… I’ll still drink it …but grudgingly). So finally coming to the point – LikeThatOnly (of all things Asian and Whimsical and Whitefield) invited a couple of us discerning drinkers (ahem…ahem…) to give their new Cocktail menu a go. 5 PM is a good time to start drinking, yes?

We seated ourselves at the long bar counter with two handsome men behind the bar. (That always helps – restaurateurs take note :P) While we checked out the, ahem…cutlery, Chef Manu Chandra gave us the lowdown on why LikeThatOnly had to be the one to take the plunge!  LTO has set a benchmark in the city for its innovative food, quirky décor and often-irreverent take on the concept of traditional cuisine - It was only a matter of time before the bar caught up with the kitchen. With the cocktail making a comeback the world over, it was time to replace mindless sugary concoctions with house made bitters and artisanal gins. No, it’s not pretentious to call Bartenders ‘Bar Chefs’, if the final focus is on elevating the quality and the experience. We appreciate the effort LTO … we really do!

Sunday Brunch @ M Cafe (Bengaluru Mariott Hotel Whitefield)

The FoodPorn Diaries dictionary (yes, it exists…if only in my mind!) defines ‘Brunch’ as nothing but copious amounts of Booze + Lunch, generally consumed on a Sunday, to arm yourself for the travesty of work on a Monday. Since most of us run the corporate rat race during the week, (which gives us just enough time to drag ourselves to bed every night), what better way to spend a weekend afternoon than by overcompensating? I generally don’t bother reviewing brunches because, let’s face it – everyone has the same offerings. Indian, Chinese and European cuisine served with loads of alcohol and bubbly, edging you to consume in one afternoon what you probably should be eating over a span of a week! But since so many of us are in the quest for the holy grail of Sunday Brunches, I decided to take a dive and do it for you. Starting with the brunch at M Café in the Mariott, Whitefield.

I am forced to look at the Mariott everyday because my work desk faces the large window that overlooks it! So when S invited us to brunch at the Mariott, I almost felt like it was a trap to get me to come close to office on a Sunday! I was persuaded by the fact that the brunch would include specialties’ from their new Italian restaurant – Alto Vino and that is how I caved.

La Tagliatella and a Girls Night out (Indiranagar, Bangalore)

A dinner date with the girls is never just a dinner date. It a rambunctious event! When eleven women meet for dinner, rest assured that’s where the party is! We chose La Tagliatella - the Italian chain restaurant. 100ft road Indiranagar (where else?) houses the first one in Bangalore and the second one in the country (Delhi’s Vasant Kunj was the first). I had already dined at their Barcelona outfit and was prepared to make space for huge portions and home style hearty Italian food. What I was unprepared for was completely missing the restaurant next to Sony world and driving around in circles. (That’s your hint – it’s next to Sony World!).

Friday Barbeque Nights @ Alila, Whitefield

I work in Whitefield. The drive from Airport road to my office is like a treacherous and painful way to kill time – which is inevitable when you are stuck behind the wheel of a car moving at 5 km/hr.  Thank God for small mercies, the Alila Barbeque night was a hop, skip and short drive from office. And Friday night I’m always in a jubilant mood, no matter what tragedies transpire during the week!

This was an invitation to the CaL Bloggers table to experience Alila’s take on Friday night bbq. Now almost everyone I know loves a bbq night. But no one has the time or the patience to marinate the meat in advance, set up the grill, stand around while your burger patty gets cooked and then wait for someone to plate it! So Alila lets us skip all the prepping and just enjoy a good bbq night with a couple of friends and fun cocktails. And with weather like in Bangalore, it almost seems ridiculous that no one thought about the idea before! 

Breaking Bread at Lavonne (Domlur, Bangalore)

Now anyone who knows me well enough will know that I shy away from baking bread. All attempts of bringing forth a glorious loaf of bread or a soft buttery croissant have always yielded the opposite result. The kneading is another killer exercise that my arms do not want to do. So why would I bother going to a baking class? The dishonest answer would be ‘to learn how to bake a good loaf of bread’. The honest answer would be ‘to massage my ego’. I just wanted to witness the making of a loaf myself, so that I could find some secret ingredient that the baker added into the dough. Then I could console myself that a failed loaf at home was a result of  the omission of that ‘secret ingredient’! Was this too harebrained a scheme to work? Well last Sunday I learnt a few lessons!