Category Archives: Restaurants

Things We Saw and Did in Pondicherry

The last week of December turned out to be unexpectedly active. None of us had planned any travel at all. I had a vague hope that I may be able to take a couple of days off and visit my family in Chennai, but considering how hectic December was, I was okay with just quietly unwinding at home too.

Then an unplanned argument arose at home – we were arguing about something really random, and in the course of the argument, we decided that a break was in order. It was only the next day when K called me at work (when I was neck-deep in work!!), that I realized that

He was serious.
All arrangements were made and I could not back out.
And, that in spite of all the inconvenience of finishing up work, applying for leave, packing, etc…I really, really wanted to go and take a break

Within the space of a couple of hours that evening, we decided on places to go and see, booked rooms, and arranged transport. In Chennai of course, we stayed at mom’s but we also planned a short getaway to Pondicherry, which is fast becoming one of my favorite places to visit.

I remember Pondicherry (Pondy as we call it), being a sleepy, one-horse town in the nineties. But the recent emphasis on tourism and arts has made it one of the more charming and eclectic places to visit in South India.

When we went though it was raining and we couldn’t take advantage of the beach or our hotel’s sweet swimming pool causing the snubnose to pout and declare the trip a total loss. However, we still managed to have a good time eating and shopping, and generally taking in the sights.

We were late starting from home and it was past two when we reached Pondy. We checked in at our hotel, and immediately rushed for some food. A quick scan on my Foursquare app told us that Le Hidesign Cafe was nearby and was well-reviewed and so we made our way there.

Here are some photos:

Colorful exterior

The Hidesign Cafe Menu in the form of a Newspaper

Lighting on the Ceiling. I’m sure it would have looked gorgeous in the night,

Eating cheeselings

A Good Time at Hidesign Cafe

We were the only customers, so the piglet loved the freedom to run loose

All together

I can’t recommend Le Hidesign cafe highly enough. The place is quite unassuming and they take their time with the food. However, there was a plate of cheeselings to satisfy the kids, and the beer was nice and chill, so very quickly we moved into laid-back holiday mood. The food is mainly continental, but with enough variety in both veg and non-veg sections. I had ravioli stuffed with mushrooms, and it was just heaven. My father-in-law loved his grilled chicken, it was done to perfection, and the chicken very tender. K was also pleased with his spaghetti with prawns. They also made a special omelet for the snubnose, which she enjoyed.

The best part of the lunch was the service. The waitress was so kind enough to walk the piglet around the cafe while we ate our lunch in peace. It’s a small place, and he was always within our eye sight but it was still pleasant to be able to eat our lunch without interruptions while she walked around stopping him from licking the floor, and other such embarrassing and gross behavior. By the end of the lunch, the two had become fast friends.

My only regret is that we were too full to attempt what I am sure were the utterly divine desserts on the menu. What makes it even sadder is that for some reason or the other during our entire trip, we never had any desserts although Pondicherry supposedly has the most awesome bakeries .

Anyway, post-lunch was sight-seeing and shopping. We went to the Promenade where the snubnose blew off some of her excess energy.

For once, she was happy to mug for the camera and we managed to get some lovely shots with her and K in front of the statue of Lord Dupleix, and on the beach.

We also paused to take a shot of Le Dupleix hotel. Somehow, I don’t think we did justice to the architecture of this place. It’s really a lovely building.

We then did a lot of walking around looking for antique shops. K likes antique furniture,I don’t, and when the opportunity arose I did a quick detour to go to Yaka Home Design, which is a home shop that just suits my style. I loved their range of cane outdoor furniture

Cane Chair from Yaka

Since they say they also do custom orders, I am dreaming about having some cane furniture made to order for the terrace garden in our new house. For now though, I picked out the cutest white flower lampshade that I am totally in love with. My only regret? I should have gone all the way and just got the lampshade in the largest size they have .

We then moved on to Amethyst/La Maison Rouge. Amethyst is a famous cafe and shop in Chennai and one of my favorite hangouts, and so I wanted to explore the Pondicherry one as well.

Like the Chennai Amethyst, this one is also an old colonial house, with some very nice things. The atmosphere was also lovely enough that we were willing to rest our feet and try some of their cocktails, but their service was so unenthusiastic, that we left within minutes. Beautiful but very unwelcoming place! I did love the Titanic chandelier on the ceiling made of old plastic bottles. So creative! Really, my trip seems to have been all about lighting

Interesting Display from La Maison Rouge/Amethyst

By now, it was late, and we were ravenously hungry so we popped over to The Promenade Hotel for dinner. They have a famed Christmas buffet and our expectations were high. Unfortunately, they were too high. The buffet spread was average, and so was the a-la carte food we ordered. What was nice was the ambience. We took an outside table, the weather was pleasant, and the sea-breeze very calming. We ended up having a nice time anyway.

At the Promenade Hotel

And then back to the hotel and bed. What a hectic day it was!

Btw, this isn’t our first trip to Pondicherry, here is an older blog post about an earlier trip we took to Pondicherry with the snubnose.

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Lunch at Habanero

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Habanero is the spanking new Tex Mex restaurant that has opened up on 12th Main Road, Indra Nagar.

It suddenly sprouted up new and shiny last month, and my colleagues and I were just waiting for an opportunity to make a visit, and now finally we did.

Habanero is ideally the place for drinking + food. They offer a tempting happy hours special on Indian booze between 12:00-10:00 pm. Unfortunately, ours was a working lunch, and we could not take up their offer. Next time though, I am definitely coming on my time to try their Sangria and Margherita pitchers.

We more than made up for the lack of alcohol though. We ate enough to feed an army.

Here are some photos:

This is an image taken from the Habanero website. We ordered the fajita with mixed vegetables

We were way too hungry to take photos and so I have taken these snaps from the Habanero website. On the left in the above photo is the dish I ordered – Vegetable Medley – which was grilled vegetables (yummy zucchini, broccoli, and mushrooms) served with Spanish rice, potatoes, and beans in a cutlet kind of thingie – extremely delicious and filling.

Yummy enchiladas

The beyond awesome desserts.

Mud pie

I died and went to heaven tasting the mud pie. It tasted less like a mud pie and more like a chocolate tart, but nevertheless it was delish and I have no complaints at all.

Tres leches cake

We also ordered the tres leches cake, a Mexican specialty. It tasted pretty good, kind of like an Angel cake. I enjoyed it too. But, I am a chocophile, and so the mud pie was the clear winner in this battle of the desserts (at least for me).

Overall, the place is awesome, and they have a variety of dishes. I am definitely bringing other friends along for our next drinks + dinner session. I plan on trying out more of the starter options they have. But definitely making room for the mud pie in the end

Btw, Habanero has two locations in Bangalore – one in Indra Nagar and one in Whitefield. You can make your choice based on the distance.

Enjoyable Time Getting Berry’d Alive

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Last week, we went to Berry’d Alive – a dessert place in Indra Nagar that was simply a heavenly experience.

This time, I believe pictures speak louder than words and so am ditching the review. Here are two photos of the desserts that we ordered…

A Chocolate Caramel Tart and a Raspberry Coffee Yogurt in the Background

Didn’t realize the blueberry almond crumble is heart-shaped until I saw the photo I took

This is simply a must-go place for Bangaloreans with a taste for out-of the way sweet eats. Don’t come here expecting your regular vanilla ice creams and pineapple pastries. Come with an open mind and you will enjoy your desserts.

Address:

No. 1079,
12th Main Road,
HAL 2nd Stage,
Indiranagar,
Bangalore

The Island – A Restaurant Review

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The Island

Indra Nagar in Bangalore is chock-full of restaurants. Almost every other building houses some kind of eating joint or the other. And it’s not just about quantity, almost each restaurant in this area offers a unique and interesting ambience, menu, and overall dining experience.

To enliven a boring working Saturday, a couple of colleagues and I decided to try the new The Island resto-lounge that has opened in 80 Feet Road, Indra Nagar. Normally, I am a little apprehensive when the term resto-lounge or resto-bar is used to describe something – I always associate it with a closed, smoky, dark, and boozy ambience. But, I had seen The Island from outside and knew this place would be pretty different.

And it was. Different. In an awesome way.

As we walked in to the place, we could hear soothing, running water everywhere. And we immediately felt relaxed and ready to turn a dull boring day into an unexpected treat.

We picked some outside seating close to the fountain and got down to the serious business of deciding what to order. We ended up choosing the following…

Litchi Cooler

Grilled Vegetables

Quesadilla and a Mango Bloom on the top left corner

Chimichanga (image taken from the web as I forgot to take a photo)

The food was pretty delicious with the quesadilla being the star. It was yummy beyond words. The grilled vegetables was standard fare, but I loved it for the freshness of the veggies. The chimichanga (which I can only describe as an oblong cheese filled samosa) was tasty but extremely filling. It was just beyond our capacity. Strictly for cheese lovers or someone extremely ravenous.

After helping our friend finish her chimichanga (not very successfully), we just could not even get up from our seats. There were two hammocks placed nearby and they were just beckoning us to come and have a snooze.

But, alas…we had to go back to work and so we just managed to wobble our way outside to catch a rickshaw, get to office, and then slump into our chairs.

Mother’s Day Celebrations

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Last weekend was a weekend of some much-needed fun! When you have two small kids, going out sometimes feels like more trouble than it is worth. By the time I am done with washing and cleaning up the kids, packing the diaper bag, and generally the last-minute running around before we step out, I am so exhausted that I end up just longing to send them out with their dad and catch a much-needed nap on my lonesome.

However, this sunday was Mother’s Day and K insisted on us having a family lunch. The snubnose wanted to meet Chota Bheem her favorite cartoon character who was making an appearance at the Phoenix Marketcity mall. I knew I could not disappoint them and so forced myself to overcome my laziness and come out for some fun.

It also helped that I realized I was finally able to fit into my skinny jeans again (granted it’s my oldest and loosest pair), but still it was enough motivation to hit the mall .

We ended up having so much fun. We first parked ourselves at California Pizza Kitchen. The place was packed but the staff was awesome – absolutely no pressure to make us finish the food and vacate.

And the food, the food was downright delish.

We ordered the following:

Fire roasted vegetable pizza (thin crust)
Curly mac n cheese from the kids menu for the snubnose
Sedona Tortilla soup
Garlic Cheese Focaccia with Checca

We were warned that food serving time could take up to 30 mins. And so K decided to take the opportunity to take the snubnose to the Meet and Greet with Chota Bheem. The Chota (meaning “small” in Hindi) Bheem turned out to be pretty gigantic sending the snubnose into peels of giggles.

The huge Chota Bheem and the snubnose squished into the corner

The food came earlier than expected and then we all started to dig in. I immediately realized we had over-ordered. The snubnose was able to finish her curly mac (it was lip-smacking delicious). But the combination of soup, focaccia, and pizza was just too much for me and K. Such a pity though because it was all very tasty.

Garlic cheese focaccia

Fire roasted vegetable pizza

If we had been a little more careful with our ordering, we could have aimed for dessert. I’ve heard good reviews of their tiramisu and since I am a tiramisu freak, I badly wanted to order it. But we were so full after the meal that we quietly decided to ditch the tiramisu for another day.

Our realization: If you plan to have an actual main course, stick to a soup/salad for a starter. The focaccia is a meal by itself, even if two people share it.

After lunch, we decided to walk it off by doing some window-shopping. Unfortunately, the snubnose spotted a play area and then a toy train, so all hopes of Zara and Mango were dashed.

Snubnnose on the Toy Train

Oh, well. I know that if I want to do some serious shopping (or even some casual window shopping), I need to go alone or with friends. It’s impossible to do anything serious with the frisky snubnose around.

And where was the piglet during this whole expedition? After his “lunch” of ragi cereal, which he ate at CPK, he kept peacefully drifting in and out of sleep in his car seat, which poor K carried everywhere we went. Hmm…maybe that’s why he was hurrying up me and the snubnose throughout the evening .

Sunday Brunch at Alila’s High 5 Tapas Bar

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I am really lucky to be married to a very lucky man. OK, that sentence came out sounding so weird, I better explain in more detail.

My husband K doesn’t really take part much in lucky draws, competitions, and stuff like that. But, when he does he almost always wins. I mean since our wedding, his win ratio has been pretty astounding. Two years back, he won a competition on Radio 1 – two air tickets and some additional vouchers for a holiday to Sri Lanka! Radio 1 is an extremely popular radio channel here in Bangalore, and believe me, it’s seriously difficult to even get connected to the music jockey, let alone manage to win something decent.

And again last week, he got lucky when we won vouchers, this time from Radio Indigo, for a Sunday brunch at High 5 Tapas Bar in Alila Hotel, Whitefield.

This is a pretty new hotel and still under the radar for many in Bangalore. However, it seems very popular with Whitefield residents. The place was buzzing with activity and there were tons of people who seem to be Sunday regulars (merely judging by their comfort/familiarity levels with the staff).

The bar is located on the 5th (High 5, get it ) floor of the hotel and has an open terrace and swimming pool with wonderful views of the surrounding areas. In fact, the relaxed ambience and wonderful service is one of the highlights of the place. We easily spent about 3 hours there, just chilling out, enjoying the food, and the place.

Here are some photos:

The Awesome Eternity Pool (photo taken from Alila website) Our photo didn't really do justice to this one

Both the snubnose and I are swim freaks, and nothing gets us more excited than an awesome swimming pool. I was kicking myself for not getting her swimming costume so she could cool down nicely in the pool. Never mind, maybe next time.

Instead, we consoled ourselves by lounging around on the deck chairs and enjoying the views and the pleasant breeze.

Lounging on the sunbeds

And the poolside tables

Oh, and what about the food! Well, taking into consideration that I am a vegetarian and a completely non-adventurous eater, I would say the food was exotic. There was plenty of food and cocktails available as part of the brunch, but not too much that was to my taste.

The snubnose and I stuck to the omelets and the pasta dishes, and we enjoyed them thoroughly. They were really very well-made. K’s chicken satay was also very satisfying as were the spinach dumplings, antipasti, and breads.

We stayed well away from the glass noodles with squid, and the tuna dishes. However, these items probably suited the large numbers of Europeans who were frequenting this section.

The desserts were a bit of a let-down. The gulab jamuns were as hard as rocks and I left them alone after one bite. Also, considering the huge spread of dessert options (almost 8-9 varieties), I didn’t find even one chocolatey option, which is a total fail for a chocoholic like me.

So, I would give the food a good, but not awesome rating. The regular pricing is high (about Rs.900 per head), and if you don’t drink or if you don’t eat non-veg, well, then it’s a bit of a raw deal. However, if you like to drink, then it’s pretty good. They have unlimited cocktails, and their bartender is pretty inventive, putting out a variety of cocktails for us to try. The vodka with cranberry juice was seriously awesome, and if I was not preggo, I would have definitely done more than taste a mouthful.

But overall, we ended up pretty satisfied, after all it was a prize, and we got to discover a really nice place too .

Oh, and before ending this post, I should make a mention of an awesome TV room that adjoins the bar. They have a huge projection screen on which movies are screened. Kids who start to get restless can sack out on huge bean bags or a play mat and watch movies while their parents chill out in the next room. It’s a great idea to save parents from whining/restless/misbehaving kids. They even have a babysitter of sorts who maintains order.

So, last words…we had a great time there. This is probably our last major outing as a trio before the new baby arrives and I am glad to say that we made the most of it .

Huge thanks to Radio Indigo and Hotel Alila for this offer. We definitely will be making another trip there. The snubnose insists on a go at the pool, you see.

And here’s a last snap to show how satisfied the snubnose was at the end of the lunch…

A happy jig in front of the Christmas tree

Kobe Sizzlers and a Spoonful of Sugar

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Yesterday was my last working from office day so we all had a small send-off kind of lunch.

Our original intent was to try Vietnamese food at Phobidden Fruit, something none of us had tried before. However, we chickened out at the last minute (we are all strict vegetarians) and were unsure about the amount of choice we would have.

On an impulse, we saw a signpost for Kobe Sizzlers and immediately decided to give it a try. Situated on the quieter side of CMH Road in Indra Nagar, Kobe Sizzlers has a very nondescript, almost vanilla appearance. The interiors are also pretty plain. But, the food? It’s pretty yumm.

All of us opted for sizzlers with some minor variations. Mine was a standard vegetable sizzler that I customized with pepper sauce and noodles. Another one we ordered was the Chef’s specialty – a Paneer sizzler.

All the sizzlers were delicious and extremely filling.

A photo of the veg sizzler - Photo taken from the Kobe website

Don’t be fooled by the above photo. In this case, the actual sizzlers looked far more delicious and substantial. I probably ate an entire day’s worth of calories in that single meal . But, the taste is totally worth it and I am already planning on bringing my family here when they next come to visit.

After that humongous meal, I was all set to go back to work, but the sweet-toothed friend amongst us insisted that she must have dessert. So, then off we went to try A Spoonful of Sugar – a bakery that also serves some basic small eats.

Located in a small side-street in Indra Nagar behind Nilgiri’s Department store, this place is very easy to miss. You have to go specifically looking for it to spot it. I guess that’s a good thing too, because it’s really teeny, probably can seat only 3-4 tables at a max.

Their menu is extensive, but they seem to make only limited quantities of stuff.

Some of the stuff on display at Spoonful of Sugar

We ordered a tiramisu and a chocolate walnut cake and shared it amongst us. The tiramisu was mind-blowing, really light, fresh and fluffy. It just melted in the mouth. The chocolate walnut cake was good too, but a little heavy for my taste, especially after coming out of a super-heavy meal. Altogether, it was an extremely satisfying experience, and I highly recommend both Kobe and Spoonful of Sugar.

Warning, the prices in both places were higher than I expected. Not many people would appreciate spending Rs.150 on a tiramisu or Rs.350 and above on a sizzler, but for me the taste was absolutely worth it. I rarely eat outside and on the few occasions that I do, it makes sense to pay a little extra for good quality.

The Egg Factory – Nice Break from the Usual

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The Egg Factory

We normally never venture beyond our usual Indra Nagar eating haunts. Why should we? When our neighborhood is so rich in diverse restaurants, it just doesn’t seem worth it to brave the traffic and try anything in the city.

But, that is just what we did last week meeting friends for lunch at The Egg Factory – a quiet and cool restaurant located just off the busy St.Mark’s Road. Like the name suggests, eggs are a major theme in this restaurant with practically every food item containing eggs. So, yeah, if you are not fond of eggs, don’t even venture here .

The place is pretty nondescript – it looks just like your regular college/office cafeteria with rows of tables and stools. The seating does not really encourage loungers, but surprisingly that’s what we all did. It wasn’t just us, most of the patrons in that restaurant were sitting around long after the food and desserts were over, without any pressure/hints from the waiters to leave. Something I really appreciate.

And how was the food? Like I said, you need to be an egg-lover to enjoy it. I am not a huge egg person, but I can and did appreciate the perfectly made garden frittata that I ordered. It was beyond yummy, and just the right amount for my tummy.

Yum Frittata Accompanied by Garlic Bread

However, the garlic bread that accompanied it could have done with a bit more garlic and butter. Garlic bread should be absolutely sinful, not like diet food.

My friends who ordered the pastas found them delicious but filling. I think it helps to go there after skipping your breakfast, so you can do justice to the food.

All in all, really nice eating experience, and if it was a bit closer to my house, this would definitely be one of my regular haunts. It’s definitely cost-effective enough for people to visit regularly.

Tapas at Caperberry

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This is an older post that I did not have time to clean up and publish before our vacation.

Before leaving for our trip, a group of us went for a celebratory lunch at Caperberry – a restaurant specializing in tapas. I have never tried Spanish food before so this was something new for me. If you are not sure what to order or if you are on a budget (prices are high!), you should try the executive lunch option that is on offer. You can choose a 2-course, or 3-course lunch depending on your appetite .

A Tapas Platter

The snubnose also joined in the lunch and had a pretty good time toying around with everyone’s food and eating none of it. While my friends opted for the executive lunch (more options to try out), I opted for the gnocchi hoping to coax the snubnose into eating something. But, she wasn’t having any of it. I didn’t mind really as the gnocchi was abso delicious and I got it all to myself

Playing around with the food

Their dessert options were pretty good too. I don’t much like sweet stuff, but still nice nevertheless if you have a sweet tooth.

A yummy pudding whose name I can't quite remember

And if you’re vegetarian like me and worried about vegetarian options, you can just relax…there are plenty of vegetarian options available to sample.

Happy dining! and a happy 2011 to all of you. I just know this is going to be a great year

Two Awesome Restaurants in Indra Nagar at Two Completely Different Price Points

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We are supremely lucky to be living close to Indra Nagar in Bangalore, which is absolutely one of the hot spots for sophisticated eating choices at varying price points. This month, we visited 2 excellent restaurants that I am happy to recommend to anyone looking for eating places in Bangalore.

First up, is the reasonable eating joint we visited a couple of weeks back – Cream Centre.

Cream Centre

This is apparently a chain of vegetarian restaurants with franchisees already present in Mumbai, Pune, and Chennai. However, we did not know that and almost missed this little gem thinking it was a bakery (the name is seriously misleading).

But the food was awesome, with a varied menu to interest people with different types of palates. For the continental foodies (like me), there are the sizzlers, and the pastas. For the Indo-lover, there is channa batura, tawa paratha, Bambaiya ragda, and more. And for the junk food lover, they have the most awesome onion rings I have ever tasted .

We started off with the drinks. The iced tea was standard stuff, but my friend really enjoyed this awesome crushed ice, fruit mocktail. It was also so huge that we could all happily share .

Absolutely awesome drink, unfortunately I forgot the name

My friends ordered the sizzlers.

Paneer Shaslik Sizzler

I ordered the pasta in pasta, which is an innovative option of providing two types of pastas within one dish. Here is a photo:

A cheesy macaroni surrounded by spaghetti in a tomato-based sauce

I am a bit of a pasta purist, and so I can’t say I enjoyed this whole-heartedly, but still this is a dish that could appeal to others. I have to say that the food on the table looked identical to these pictures that I took off the Cream Center website, and I think that’s pretty impressive. Not too many dishes end up looking just like how they are advertised!

Another reason we loved our experience at this restaurant? The sweetie pie manager came to check how we enjoyed our food and even offered us a dessert on the house! We were really tempted to take him up on his offer, but alas! we were too stuffed already. If only he had come 10 mins earlier, we would have definitely taken him up on it .

All in all, it’s a great value for money fun dining place.

Now, onto the super-pricey restaurant, we visited last weekend – the 100 Feet boutique restaurant.

100 Feet restaurant on 100 Feet Road in Indra Nagar

Primarily a Mediterranean restaurant, this one ranks high on both the food and the ambience. This is an old house that is converted into a restaurant/shop. The atmosphere is relaxed, there is a wide range of cocktails, and the food and the service is excellent. We were a huge group ordering tons of stuff, and not one item was a disappointment. Even the folks who were not too fond of Mediterranean food cleaned their plates. And the desserts are to die for. I shared a tiramisu with my mom, and was really regretting not getting one just for myself alone. The snubnose polished off a massive Belgian chocolate mousse cake; the cheesecake was also a huge hit!

So, it’s a great place, but the prices are a little on the steep side. However, if you are not on a budget, or are content with just a couple of dishes, then this is the place for you. I unfortunately don’t have pictures to share, but trust me, this is a seriously awesome dining place!