Sunday Brunch at Alila’s High 5 Tapas Bar

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:

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.

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…