Terrific Food, Fantastic Service at Karavalli, Bangalore.

Rest : Karavalli

Loc : Gateway Hotel, Residency Road,
Meal : Lunch

Yet another Bangalore trip, this time for a wedding which meant most time would be spent in the hotel and with family rather than roaming Bangalore. One of my other trips my SIL took me every landmark in Bangalore in one day (here and here) but since it was her wedding, i was on my own.

Having been to most of the locally famed eateries i thought i would give the cuisine a try in a finer setting. Karavalli, came highly recommended from almost everyone i spoke to and it wasn't a difficult choice. 

Its nestled in a very green spot within the Gateway Hotel, which happens to be in the middle of the city but you wouldnt know it if you walked out back. This much greenery takes getting used to for a Bombay Boy. 

The space itself is very refined yet reflects the local touch. Understated elegance, gives you a  feel for how the patricians of the south must have lived during the Raj. 

The menu was akin to Konkan Cafe, in that it covered a particular region rather than say a Dakshin which has a comprehensive and exhaustive menu covering a great many regional cuisines.

i was determined to get the thali and the thali is what i ordered. Why choose when you can have it all ?

we started off with a little bowl of papads which i quite enjoyed. there was a terrific garlic pickel along which i might have finished half way. 

red chutney was terrific. i think i got em to refill it a bunch more times. 

the rasam was all pepper and fire, just brilliant. Got the appetite going 

So this was the thali, there was yam, potato, lemon rice, yogurt, onion sambar, a veggie curry and a stew.

these were served up with appams or parottas made to order. i had the appams exclusively, and loved em. 

they offer regular or red rice and i chose red of course. 

the dessert was brought out separately, the payasam, i am a big fan of these but i like em cold, but that's a personal preference.

a slew of paans to end the meal. 

Overall, my meal was terrific. a good thali in my opinion has no real standout dishes but works in tandem which was the case here, the dishes were in harmony and it wasn't too rich or complicated. Simple fare is hardest to do right anyway.

The pricing for what you get is terrific value for money. Its almost the third of the price of a Dakshin and nowhere is it weaker in what it offers which is saying something.

I must also say that the service was terrific, from the moment we entered till we got the check, they were extremely hospitable. They insisted we have something to drink, when i refused, they got me buttermilk anyway and then refused to let us pay for it saying it was on the house as we were their guests.

They ensured we knew the meal was not limited and we could more of anything we wanted. Explained all the dishes in detail and like at a family meal, they were nudging us to try this and that and warned us at the outset not to ruin our appetite with too much papad.

A great many restaurants and restaurateurs could perhaps dine at Karavalli if not for the great food, terrific ambiance then just possibly just to learn why they run one of the best service teams anywhere in India

Food : 8/10

Service :10/10

Damage : 2500 for two without drinks. 

Onam @ Mani's

Rest : Mani's

Meal: Lunch
Loc : Matunga

Onam along with Rakhi and Festivus are my fav festival of the year, Onam, especially because i am only in it for the food. After my last year's epic run where i had not only a lunch sadhya at 11am, i also went on to add a 830 pm Dinner service. Insane by all counts but loads of fun and unlikely to be pulled off ever again.

This year Onam was on a Sunday and afraid of the big ass queue that was sure to form, i got there at 11 am to make sure i was one of the first ones in. It was a relatively hot day and with some struggle in finding the luncheon location, (its never at the restaurant, they hire a hall or a larger venue, this time a school) i made it there and was 23rd in line. 

In anticipation for the feast

While they seated us at 11, they didn't start serving till about 11.15 and only when all the seats had been filled. 

pretty, self evident. 

the chutney was fantastic, out of this world even. 

as was the tamarind chutney, again, pretty insane. had some amazing tamarind chutney at a friend's wedding and this was just as good. 

unfortunately, i dont recall all the dishes that were served coz its been a little while. 

of course, they serve no roti or puri, only rice with papad. Dahi, Rasam & Sambar are not pictured here. 

Overall, it was a fabulous meal, blew the socks of last years which i thought was a little middling and badly organised (while i was there anyway) Was so glad i made it there and that too early enough because i got texts from mates who took about three hours in all to get in and out. 

While food at Mani's is pretty good throughout the year, Sadhya is Sadhya.

Food : 9/10
Serv : 8/10

Damage : 250

Salt Water Cafe

Rest : Salt Water Cafe

Meal : Dinner
Loc : Veer Nariman Road, Churchgate, 

Salt Water Cafe, is a worthy replacement for the quite pointless Mocha brand, a much more mature, upmarket offering this one. 

a decentish bread basket, served in typical SWC/Smoke House style. 

started off with a cheese course because it never works in lieu of dessert. a decent mix, cheddar, gorgonzola, swiss with little toasties. 

the poached pear was disappointing, seemed like it was put together very absentmindedly, the bitter sweet and blue cheesy flavours sound good on paper but just didnt come through. 

This was the potato, ricotta, pea gnocchi, easily one of the best things i have tasted every. simply stunning.  doesnt sound like the greatest of dishes but boy does it come together ! this was under appetizers and little brother picked it but they apparently do an entree sized portion as well. highly recommended. 

kickass mojitos 

the lasgana was decent put together family style, which works best when simple, this wasn't bad per se but had a little too much going on, ingredients wise. 

this was the poutine, tasted awesome but was just a tremendously heavy dish, even two people would be hard pressed to finish this. awesome though. 

Overall, the food was pretty good, except for the odd misfire, most of the dishes come together well. They do a really good set of pickled veggies and feta which is a must try (at least it is in the Bandra outlet)

Service was on the money, pretty prompt though it was a busy evening.

Food : 8/10

Service : 8/10

Damage : 3000 with one cocktail   

Chawala -

Rest : Chawala,

Meal : Lunch
Loc : Koliwada


A few days ago, my friend CJ @theflyingsikh, the big boss @anaggh and doc and Tarantino fan @qtfan (get it ?) got together to go to Koliwada, a place i had sporadically heard of but did not know existed.  I was the first one to get there and hung around the Dashmesh Gurudwara. Except for two smallish shops with wooden benches i couldn't quite find any other eateries, turns out the first shop was it.

In any case, Koliwada is like a small town or a large village, narrow lanes, no parking etc etc. So its fitting that a place like this exists, basic, authentic where one sits in the heat on uncomfortable benches because of the promise of a good meal. 

good old fashioned tandoor where all the cooking was being done in real time.

started with the Kulcha Chola, which was pretty huge and lightly stuffed and boy was it terrific. It went splendidly with the chola which is a pretty important little dance. My only complaint here was i wish they had makhhan instead of butter. 

The Bhaturas were largish and this too went well with the chola, so not a bad gig. 

Overall, the food was kickass, i do think the Bhaturas are easier to do but the kulcha requires finesse. They serve a mean glass of cold chaas as well to wash it all down.

CJ was ordering things and was being treated like one of their own, which makes me wonder if he secretly owns the joint. In any case, i would def like to go back once the weather is better and sample what else they do, perhaps Rajma or the mutter.

A light meal for 2 was about 250, so not only is it a hidden gem, its a steal too 

Mai Tai for pre movie cocktails

Rest : MaiTai

Loc : Phoenix Mills,
Meal : Pre Movie Dinner & Drinks

The last time i went out for a movie, i spent a few mins sipping on Mai Tai's and enjoyed it immensely. So this time around too a bunch of us got together and chugged a few cocktails and had a burger or two before our screening of Gravity.

The Mai Tai is their signature cocktail and they do a bunch of variations on them as well. The Maui MT is decent and i especially enjoyed the Mango Mai Tai's (455) liberally laced with rum

The Senor Pico salad promises a lot but was quite weak, all one can taste is mayo, which is the key dressing but still, falls flat. 

terrific Falafal burger, not the most middle eastern of things but tasted awesome. marriage of bun and patty is essential and here its all harmony. loved it. fact, we ordered another one since this went so quick. 

i like the place and being situated right outside PVR means one can make an evening of it and not have to run or walk around too much. the food is good (what i have had so far, cept the salad) and the drinks are strong. Service is quick and friendly. be careful though, MaiTai's go down quick. 

Food : 7/10

Service : 8/10

Damage: 4000 for 4 with drinks 

Blue Frog

rest : Blue Frog

Meal : lunch

Loc : Todi Mills, Lower Parel

blue frog is primarily a live music destination, although I have done their Sunday brunch once or twice I have never considered them a food purveyor. Recently fellow blogger, pilot, baker Ashrita (@caramelwings) did a review of their new menu and it looked amazing. 

So on my way to a Bandra meeting I swung by for an early lunch. The new menu is comfort food for the most part. Soup,Salad, Pasta, Sandiwches and a bunch of bar bites. 

A glass of tonic goes well with lunch even sans the gin. The fresh squeezed orange juice was awesome. Malta oranges perhaps.

Feta stuffee mushroom with wasabi mayo. Sounds just like it tasted. Pretty good. O

My fav thing on the menu. Baked Brie with pineapple compote. Diabolical. 

You don't see mas very often, these were not too bad soaked in olive oil but served with the most awesome hummus. They ought to put that hummus on the menu by itself. 

The tomato risotto was pretty awesome,served with a chili and caramelized onions which I've never seen before. Hearty and def one of the strongest looking mains. 

The Lasagna was interesting, everyone has their own little formula, some people like verdure, some rosso. a little light on the flavor with a lot of tomato seeping in, not bad per se but I like my Lasagna red so works for me. 

Overall, the food was pretty good, works as a lunch location and most of it would do well at a live gig as well. Apparently they don't separate lunch and dinner menus anymore, it's all one single menu now which I think works best. 

Service was quick and friendly. 

Food : 8/10

Service : 8/10

Damage : 1300 for two without drinks but awesomely enough it's half off at lunch ! Believe that.