Of fat Baos and thin Ramen @ The Fatty Bao (Indiranagar, Bangalore)

Ok, so the whole of Bangalore knows about The Fatty Bao already – even though they very sneakily opened without an official ‘I want all the P3 types at my launch party’ party. The crowds have been trickling in from the word go and even though Bangalore is a sucker for new places – this one seems to be running on more than just novelty. The Olive Beach and Monkey Bar team has given Bangalore another enviable establishment that not only puts food first, but also serves it up with style. Of course The Fatty’s style is quirky, fun, slightly eccentric and casual. The approach to casual however, is never casual with Chef Manu Chandra. As soon as you walk up (or take the elevator) to the 3^rd floor, you know that the seemingly disparate elements still tie in to form a cohesive space. I’m thinking Kung Fu Panda, meets acid-tripping-hippie, meets kid-on-candy’s bedroom, meets Asian tea house! (Don’t ask me where I get my aesthetic!) You can either choose to eat in la-la-land or head up to the rooftop bar. Both areas pay homage to the ‘garden’ part of Bangalore and you can enjoy your meals gazing at the tree canopy. Let’s just say I like to dine inside during the day and head over to the rooftop during sundown – after all we must make use of our fabulous weather, no? 

Mixology with Shatbhi Basu @ Harry's (Indiranagar, Bangalore)

Indiaranagar’s bars have one more watering hole to compete with – Harry’s! The famous Singapore bar choose this location in Bangalore to open its fourth outlet, hot on the heels of the Mumbai one. Most bars these days are moving from glass and chrome finishes, to more casual and warm interiors. Harry’s adopts a mahogany and exposed brick look that is reminiscent of a speakeasy, albeit a modern one. With the days of our prohibition (11 PM deadlines :P ) coming to an end, I’m sure Harry’s is going to ride on the wave of general elation in the months to come. 

We were invited for a mixology session by the godmother of bartending in India – Shatbhi Basu. For anyone who’s watched her show on NDTV Good Times, you already know the level of celebrity she is. But what you probably don’t know is that her joie de verve is all natural and not just for the TV show. We got to witness her finesse in churning out creative cocktails and keeping her audience glued to her charming stories at the same time. Her hands seemed to have a life of their own when she was mixing our cocktails and before we knew it, she dished out one perfectly balanced drink after another.

I'm seeing double @ Monkey Bar (Indiranagar, Bangalore)

I’m always wary of part two’s, especially if I am dearly in love with part one. Will it live up to its predecessor? Will it continue to hold my attention? Will it be same-same but also different? Sigh…the suspense can wreak havoc with my system. Who’s not worried about Ben Affleck reprising Cristian Bale's role as the Dark Knight?? (Oh wait, we’re not having that conversation). Let’s rewind to ‘the suspense can wreak havoc with my system’ and apply the feeling to the opening of the new Monkey Bar in Indiranagar. Overreacting? Hell no! Let’s get down to business shall we… monkey business!

I went for their launch party where they gave us hard hats with the Monkey Bar logo on it *clap clap*. Then I went again and again and again, till finally, after a month of its opening, I can find my bearings and be objective about it. I’ve heard people gushing that ‘two’s better than one’ and ‘more the merrier’ but unless you’re in a fantasy playing in your own head with identical twins, I’ve always doubted it could be that good in real life. So what’s new, what’s old and what’s same-same about the new contender for the post of ‘my favorite bar in town? 

Comic Relief - Leaping Windows Cafe (Near Indiranagar Club, Bangalore)

If you manage to find it (Google maps included), I’d say pat yourself on the back. If it makes it any easier – Leaping Windows Cafe is on the road parallel to Indiranagar club (Ask the fruit vendor at the end of the road). Like all things Indiranagar, this is an old bungalow converted into a café. What it also uniquely is, is a comic book library to read your Tintins, Asterix and Calvin and Hobbes in peace. Of course, you pay 40 bucks an hour, but that’s small change. You walk past the reading den on the ground floor to the 1st Floor which has multiple seating options, all of which have bold comic paintings hanging on the whitewashed walls. We choose to sit outside as it was cool and it faces a canopy of trees, which always is a plus point for me. I plonk myself on the low cane chair/ settee and proceed to look at the menu. Standard breakfast options coupled with a section for Burgers/ pastas/ salads/ mains and quick bites (available post noon). A whole page dedicated to coffee and its variants including an exciting sounding Aztec coffee blended with vanilla ice cream. (Didn’t really try that because I’m not a java lover!).

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.

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?

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!).

Smoke House DELI in Bangalore! (Indiranagar, Bangalore)

I don’t want to be biased…no I really don’t. But I couldn’t help doing cartwheels when Smoke House Deli finally opened in Bangalore a week ago. I remember driving down 100ft road and doing a double take in Feb, when I saw the huge glass façade with the black and white writing that said ‘Smoke Hou’ (the rest of it was covered, but I knew in my heart, that it was Smoke House Deli). For all practical purposes we are going to refer to it as SHD in the rest of the post!.

“Smoke House Deli is an all-day café and delicatessen. This award winning brand serves everything from pancakes to noshes, pasta to burgers and dessert to cocktails.” - SHD

After wowing patrons in Mumbai and Delhi SHD decided to grace Bangalore!! I was invited for a Bloggers Table a day after it opened (yes, I have some perks) and boy was I raring to go, even though it was a Wednesday night. And what a night it turned out to be –chatting with the owners Riyaaz and Kiran, being lavished with an awesome menu from chef Glyston Gracios, gossiping with my fellow bloggers and downing cocktails like there was no tomorrow. (Unfortunatley there was a tomorrow… and a hangover crashed the party as well, but that’s a story unfit for a food blog!)

You walk into SHD and it’s like walking into a very quaint and expensive illustrated storybook. The walls are like a treasure trove of interesting sketches of the stories that make Bangalore special. Take a walk around when you visit and spend some time staring at the walls. I guarantee a wave of nostalgia and euphoria will sweep over you, as you decipher and connect the dots about what makes this town your own! Zameer Basrai needs a big pat on the back for doing his research on Bangalore and translating that into his detailed quirky illustrations. Riyaaz Amlani, can we get a coffee table book soon please?

For the second day that SHD was open, it was packed. The hipsters sure know how to find the best watering hole! We made ourselves comfortable in our little nook, when our cocktails arrived. SHD is not SHD for nothing! The concept revolves around interesting food that they can churn out using a smoke machine. Meats are de rigueur but they even have smoked cocktails! I opted for a Pineapple and Vanilla one (to start with). By the end of the night we had tasted all of the smoked cocktails and most of the other cocktails on the menu. There’s a picture of umpteen empty martini glasses doing its round on the internet. (I’m just saying….) 

That night, the cocktails were perfect. Good amount of quality alcohol and great taste coupled with quirky combinations. (Need to go back and check if they maintain the same good punch on regular days).

Considering our calorie intake for the day was already maxed out on the alcohol, we asked the chef to bring us only tasting portions of everything. So here’s a grand tour of what went down that night.

The Paprika puffs with Wasabi Salsa were so bloody good, that I could eat a whole plate by myself. It’s almost like fancy chaat and no, that’s not a bad thing at all!

The Squid rings are an all-time favorite at most places. Here the batter was spicy and crunchy and I couldn’t have asked for it to be any lighter. Hear hear! The Tenderloin bites apparently were a hit as well.

Cottage Cheese Skewers – ok so they were fine, but I really don’t care for them much. The Tofu and Sesame sliders on the other hand were really good. If Tofu can be pimped to taste this way, maybe more people will turn fans of it!

The holy grail of SHD for me – the Bacon wrapped Potatoes. Hamana hamana hamana!! Good Lord have mercy on me! I am melting in my seat just thinking about them. Perfectly chewy bacon wrapped around crispy on the outside, buttery on the inside golden potato squares. Sigh… sigh… sigh…!

In a day and age where soggy lettuce leaves are the norm for salads (even in fancy places), I loved that SHD got its salads right. I don’t have a picture of the Oak Ash Chevre with California Oranges and Passion Fruit Emulsion, but that was the star of the three! Divine.

Heading to the mains – the Spinach and Ricotta ravioli with tomato, capers and olive tapenade was faultless. The Chili crusted Cobbler with Lemon and Thyme was good as well. Basa is gaining popularity in Bangalore though there are an equal number of folks who would run a mile away from this most un-fishlike fish. There is even a foodie group that says ‘Basa beda’ – which essentially means ‘we don’t want Basa’! I am not in that group – so I liked this fish main course especially because it was served with a gorgeous risotto. I sent my compliments to the chef.

Little did I know a revelation still lay in store for me – the Mushroom risotto! This was a close to heaven experience for me. I have always sung paeans of the Mushroom risotto at Graze (Taj Vivaanta)  – this one is it’s equal! I don’t think I can do justice to it by writing flowery words here – just go eat it!

Even though we tasted all the mains as a group – I was reaching bursting point. I took a small bite of the Peri Peri Chicken. I’ll give it a decent rating. It’s not the Chicken’s fault – if you follow the Risotto, that’s what happens to you! The rest of the group raved about the Tenderloin steak. They got the Medium rare just right and I heard a round of applause when they sliced it and found it nice and pink.

My spare stomach for dessert was putting on it’s party shoes. There was a heated debate on the Tiramisu being mildly under the radar on the coffee flavor. Since I don’t much care for coffee at all, this didn’t affect me. The flourless Chocolate fudge was brilliant. Being a chocolate dish, it got polished off the plate in a jiffy. 

The White Chocolate and Orange Crème Brulee was very well made. The custard silky and creamy and the caramel crust just cracking with a snap under the spoon. (You know how this works right? After all we are Masterchef addicts!). I’m saving the best for the last. The Plum Philly Cheesecake. Most perfect cheesecake in Bangalore. Take a bet with me…go ahead I dare you! It brought back memories of the perfect Philly Cheesecakes I used to gorge on in Philadelphia and New York. 10/10 for you SHD.

I loved the SHD experience. Can’t wait to go there for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Maybe for tea sometime in the evening as well – they are open all day! Welcome to Bangalore Smoke House Deli – I expect fantastic things from you …don’t let me down!  

  

SMOKE HOUSE DELI,

No.1209, Ward No.72, HAL II Stage,

100ft Road,

Indiranagar,

Bengaluru.

Ph: 080 2520 0899/ 080 2520 0898

Cost: Rs.2500/- plus taxes for a meal for two with alcohol.

Parking: Valet Available

Raspberry Mascarpone Pie

Raspberry Mascarpone Pie @ A Spoonful of Sugar, Indiranagar, Bangalore

I drove furiously; a few motorists were roughly pushed to the pavement. Six kilometers was nothing to satisfy a craving. And this time it was bad. I couldn’t think straight, I needed the fix…now. I had the rest of them on speed dial, but this one was different. If I wanted it, I had to go there myself. The anticipation builds up as you come closer. Maybe that was part of their plan? Parallel parking was not my scene, but I did it anyway. I didn’t want the moment to be interrupted by the cops. I walked into the space. There were others like me, reverently consuming their poison. He looked at me from behind the counter. The clear glass displayed everything that I wanted and more. Which one would I choose today? Something dark and dangerous or something sweet and exotic? There was one in Red calling out to me. I looked with scare concealed desire. He smirked and handed it over to me. I took Red with me to a corner. I didn’t want anyone recognizing me here. My face was already contorted with pleasure. I sat down on the cold concrete seat and picked up the spoon. The first bite is the most exquisite. I reverently dug into the layered pie. The Raspberry gelee mottled with raspberry bits, soft creamy mascarpone whipped to feel like air and the crumbly sweet biscuit – could it have been any more perfect? It was melting in my mouth and exploding on my tongue at once. Bite after bite the experience reached a crescendo! Sigh… it was over now. I walked up to the counter and paid him. ‘Would I like a tissue?’ he asked. Apparently, I still had evidence all over my face.