Barleyz, Koramangala, Bangalore

A team outing on a Friday noon is what brought us to Barleyz - sounded good on Zomato - Lunch buffet @ 449, decent spread when I called and enquired. Also, when specifically asked about valet parking, I was told they have valet parking and I don't need to worry at all. Now, here's an account of how the afternoon progressed and what worked (?) and what did not.

Called at about 11:15 am, to make a reservation for lunch, but the phone rang with no answer, so the good part was that the Manager called back saying they missed my call and was I looking for something at Barleyz. Made a reservation for about 16 of us, asked for terrace seating and was refused because they said they open that up only at night and for the Sunday brunch - I won't complain about this, we were warned in advance. I reached and drove up right next to the entrance and the guard promptly handed us a bill of 30 bucks - Printed receipt, mind you - When I told him that the Management said they have valet parking, I was told in not very (un)polite hindi - "Yahan koi valet nahi hai, sirf raat ko milega". I'm not sure what this utterly messed up system is right from the point of first contact and why I need to pay for Parking - I am not in a mall and I was specifically told they have valet, correct?

Now, we went up and sat down in a long-ish table, set up pretty poorly since if someone has to serve you, 8 out of 10 times he will end up touching you, because the chairs are super squeezed together. The place was empty, save another table on the other side of the room, I do not understand the need to compartmentalise as if in a crowded bus.

We were told that a welcome drink is part of the buffet and there were Lime Sodas, Soft drinks and a Mocktail. What mocktail you ask? Well, so did I and pat came the reply - Strawberry based. There seemed to be no need to give it a name or hand us a menu for mocktails, "strawberry based" and that was it. What if someone wanted something else? Well, we had to explicitly ask if we needed anything around here. Clear Minus 1 for Service! Nothing also seems to explain how each strawberry mocktail was different when it landed up - Different shade of pink, different glassses, one had lemons and a piece of strawberry, one did not have the strawberry, one did not have anything. Very, very weird.

For starters, the vegetarians got some Veg Dimsums, Gobi Fry and some Paneer. Batch 1 of the Gobi was alright, but batch 2 was evidently fried in the same oil as chicken and had that distinct smell and taste. Nothing stood out for me - Neither did it help that there were only two chutney trays for 18 of us and a lot of chaos and back and forth in (Did I mention) a compartmentalised seating arrangement. And yes, after asking every waiter in the room only did ONE other tray arrive. A little too much cost-cutting maybe?

There was a Broccoli soup for the veggies which tasted like a Sweet Corn with some Broccoli thrown in - a 2/5 at max. Lacked spice and even salt.

There was a salad counter with some DIY Chaats - which sort of put me off because it was way too much effort to actually make your own Papdi chat from scratch. Not sure, if it would have dented resource allocation to have someone help us with the Chaats. I picked the one ready Alu Chat and to my utter disappointment, it was loaded with Mustard oil - almost felt like I was eating spoonfulls of pickle.

The mains for Vegetarians included - A Paneer gravy, Hing Alu , Black Dal, Basmati Rice and Some Chinese Sauce with Stir-fried Vegetables. Oh but wait, what are we supposed to have this Chinese sauce with? The Basmati Rice? Was something along the lines of a Noodles or Fried Rice missing on the menu or did the Chinese gravy land up there by mistake? Among the other things, no dish stood out - Neither too good, nor too bad.

Moving on to Desserts. Some milk cake, ribbon cake, gulab jamuns and a beer mousse. The Beer mousse will be loved by anyone who loves the drink. I personally am not a beer drinker so I couldn't make much sense of it. The Gulab Jamuns were each differently shaped - Just gave me a little bit of relief that I'm not the only one who can turn out bad gulab jamuns. To further accentuate the problems, I spotted a waiter and asked him if they also serve icecreams as part of the buffet. He said "You tell me, I will get you". He seemed to have only Vanilla and Mango and I picked Mango. Went and spread the word at the table and we placed in our requests for the two 'wonderful'(Sarcasm intended) flavours they had. And this un-complicated order took about 15 minutes to arrive. By the time I had given up hope on the place, my Mango icecream made its way to my table, just missing my head as he placed it in front of me.

The bill worked out to about 11,000 for the 16 of us. Not exactly a rip-off, but given this quality of food, that too on a Friday noon, I was disappointed.

I have heard great things about Barleyz for dinner, but given this experience, I'd really wish the Management would sit down and think if they even want to have a Lunch buffet at all? There is no point lying about the valet service and serving sub-standard, below average food to 15 people who might just have been repeat customers with their respective families if they would have just pulled off a decent lunch. Maybe they do a better job at outdoor seating or at A-la-carte, but after this experience, I for one am never going back.

http://www.zomato.com/review/gPAxN

Pritam, Dadar East, Mumbai

Had heard good things about this place from my Dad-in-Law's visits with clients and we decided to try it out on a post-Diwali weekday lunch. Hyped in our heads, yes. We were expecting crowds, parking trouble but hoping to be compensated with very good food. Not quite the result by the end though.
After a hassled parking under the flyover on the adjacent main road, we made it in to a full crowd. We asked for a table for five and were directed inside to the other seating area. Vividly different from the first one, this was done up in blue, seemed darker and basically more neglected.
We were given a table in the corner, if the lack of attention to regular tables was evident by no glasses of water or even table runners on half of them yet, the corner table wasn't helping any further. Without much ado, we realised we would have to 'ask' for things specifically, starting with some mineral water and the Menus!! We placed the orders for drinks and starters first and then realised, it was only better to order mains right away as well. There was no hope for when they would arrive.
To start, we ordered in 3 mocktails - The one with Khus turned out to be pretty good, while the recommended green apple based drink was a pity. The strawberry mocktail tasted just like milkshake and I reckon that's how it was made as well. No flavour stood out except the excessive sugar and the strawberry.
The Palak soup however was a 5/5 - For someone who doesn't like Palak also, I took a taste (Long waiting times can make you do crazy things). One sip and I took atleast 5-6 spoons afterward. Beautifully spiced and lovely.
The Malai Chicken I heard was pretty good and at our vegetarian end of the table, the mushrooms were pretty decent too. Serving portions are a little small I reckon and if you're a bunch of 5 really hungry people, two starters alone may not suffice.
For mains, we had some Veg Kolhapuri, a Chicken Gravy and a Methi Malai Mutter. Both the vegetarian curries were good. The Kolhapuri, true to its name was spicy and packed with strong flavours. The Methi Malai Mutter was the soothing calm in the spice mela and worked perfectly for us.
For dessert, we ordered the Casatta ice-cream. Now Casatta itself has the childhood charm of the rainbow colored slices all visible at once. Our casatta was a little poorer cousin of the regular ones and had only three layers - a chocolate, a vanilla and a tutti-fruti. A little let down by the dessert definitely.
Overall, I'd agree the food is not bad. The place needs to work on its mocktails and desserts however. Also the service is slack and slow and can definitely be perked up for a better dining experience. Don't go in expecting fabulous things based on the hype people might create and you might just not be completely disappointed by the end of it.

http://www.zomato.com/review/qLYZl

Swensen's, Meenaxi Mall, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore

Situated on the same floor as the Food Court in Meenaxi mall, Swensen's is the quintessential American ice-cream parlor, ideal for those some conversations and interesting collections of icecreams and sundaes. Perfect location in fact - close to the exits and the lifts, but never out of sight. It almost beckons you to enter as you get out of the food court after a meal. 

This outlet is fairly large and is not a self-service place, unlike most other parlors. A little on the classier side of Ice-cream places, you get a fancy menu, have someone come and take orders and make suggestions and also get water at the table :)

This outlet in particular, by virtue of the high floor has a nice set of tables with a good view, by the large windows, making it perfect for that rainy evening. 

There are a multitude of options on the menu, including the Giant Chocolate Earthquake - yes, it is as big as it looks and it will fill you up like a meal! There is in fact a page dedicated to chocolate lovers, a variety of combinations including fudge, different flavours in chocolate, cream, etc. Would definitely recommend the Sticky Chewy Chocolate (Pic attached) or the Triple Choc Ring-a-Ding or even the Big Rock Chocolate Mountain. With the extremely cute and juicy cherry covered in chocolate on top, it is a hit from the first bite.

The plain flavours are also in fact quite tasty. Including the fruit ones like the mango or the strawberry. I generally pick chocolate, but have had the chance to taste some other sundaes including the Sweet Princess and the Triple Jam. Their fruit sauces are as excellent as the chocolate ones. They also do have some ice-cream cakes, but you don't get a standalone slice and need to buy the whole cake, which is a little sad if it is just one or two of you itching to try that cake. 

Price-wise, the place is a little on the higher side. Take the price on the menu and add about 25% to get your final bill.

A refreshing change from the regular tasting ice-creams, a perfect place to visit to end that special date, interesting place to meet someone for conversation over ice-cream instead of the regular coffee shops.

http://www.zomato.com/review/mMPpR

Dominos Pizza, Koramangala 4th Block, Bangalore

I'm not a believer in reviewing the typical fast food chains like McDonalds, KFC, Dominos, etc., because in general, the food more or less tastes the same, the place scores (or in this particular case, doesn't) purely based on service. 

We order pizza almost every two-three weeks, it is our comfort food, our perfect rescue for those late working evenings. We order online generally, it is convenient, I get to see new arrivals, compare and then make up my mind. This particular outlet opened a couple of months ago and shows up as the default option for 4th Block. The previous outlet near Sony World was no hassle and worked fine always. 

Firstly, 30 Minutes delivery seems to mean nothing to this outlet. All past three times my Pizza has arrived 60 minutes or later. The problem I have with this, is that they offer you a refund almost immediately when you complain - they'd rather refund the money than send you the pizza on time. Plus, the delivery boys are extremely rude - They either ride away, or tell you madam it is 1+1 night (I did not order 1+1 free pizza, why am I paying the price?) 

The toppings on the pizzas have become a joke. If you order something with Jalapenos, please open some champagne, if it has more than maybe 5 pieces on the whole pizza. 

I wish the Management took this up seriously, because Pizza Hut which I avoided due to long delivery times, now seems like a better and more feasible option. Its a shame, a brand that is built on this very guarantee of 30 minutes cannot live up to it, rather in the case of this particular outlet, does not want to live up to it.

http://www.zomato.com/review/RLMpG

Szechwan Court, Oberoi. MG Road, Bangalore

The Oberoi is one of the oldest five-stars in Bangalore, landmark to MG Road, gigantic and overlooking Trinity Circle. It used to be a family favourite when everyone was in the same city for those special birthday dinners while I was growing up. I hadn't visited it in a very long time, but I have memories of the time as we would drive in, and almost be transported to a different place and time. Large property, beautiful landscaping with all the rocks and the little ponds around, lots and lots of visually pleasing greenery (exactly what Bangalore was known for before) and warm, lovely lighting around the place. The place screams luxury and I was secretly devising plans to propose the place as an option for an anniversary or birthday dinner. And then, Restaurant Week India (RWI) came along. 

None of the Oberoi's restaurants had participated in the previous two editions of RWI so when I saw it on the final list this time round bringing in Szechwan Court, their Chinese restaurant, I knew it would be quite a hit and booked out quickly. It seemed completely worth it, staying up till midnight to book. So, the place was reserved for a mid-week dinner @ 8 pm. Confirmation calls came in that morning and I was keenly looking forward to the visit. 

We made it in time, were guided to the restaurant by the staff as soon as we entered, who also took the trouble to explain to us what the other restaurants were as we walked past them. Le Jardin for multi-cuisine, Polo Club - the bar, Rim Naam for some Thai cuisine and then Szechwan Court. The place was fairly empty,save three tables maybe and they allowed us to pick a table of our choice. We picked a corner one beside the large window with the fountains outside. Some jasmine tea was poured and this kept coming throughout the meal. I didn't completely enjoy it, too subtle for my tastes, so I hung on to my first serving quite safely. We picked a lemonade and a Cola & Ginger mocktail for drinks. The food menu was semi-set I'd say, since you did get to choose from a couple of options. Kimchi, some fried noodles were brought in with the drinks for us to munch on. The cutlery did catch my attention, especially the silver plated (almost real looking) spoons and forks. 

I, the vegetarian picked the Vegetable Spring Rolls as an appetizer. There was also a choice of two soups. There were two vegetarian mains available and I picked both. For dessert I chose the Chocolate Brownie with vanilla icecream.

My meat-loving husband picked the Sesame chicken to start with, two saucy chicken mains and a lychee icecream to end. We both picked the Vegetarian soft noodles instead of the steamed rice as an accompaniment. 

The three Spring rolls were every so perfectly rolled and cooked. No semblance of greasy crisps as you may encounter in many other places. They were stuffed with vegetables and glass noodles and very a fabulous start with the Hot garlic sauce. 

For mains, I had the Braised Tofu in a black bean sauce and the Stir-fried Chinese Greens in garlic. Both the sauces were fabulous, but what definitely stood out was the Tofu. It was melt-in-mouth texture and I have honestly never eaten softer Tofu in my entire life. I don't even much enjoy the taste of it, because most places I've had it, it turned out crumbly, but here I cleaned up the entire portion. The Chinese greens had some asparagus, brocolli, chinese cabbage in a soft brown sauce with generous yet not overbearing shavings of garlic. Both the mains went perfectly well with the soft noodles. The noodles by themselves were perfectly cooked, separate from each other, yet not over-soft or mushy. They had some bell peppers strewn around and seemed like they were tossed in a mild soya sauce.

My dessert was a highlight of the meal. The presentation of the dish however, kept me looking at it for a minute before giving in and decimating it.To taste, the brownie was so very soft from the inside and the generous serving of chocolate sauce was another hit for the choco lover in me. I love the way so much attention was paid to the dessert. It really signs off the meal on a very sweet note.

The bill worked out to about 2,700 including all taxes, but excluding service charge. The mocktails were around 300 each. I had no qualms for tipping well for service, because that's what completes the lovely dining experience. Waiters who are considerate to what you ask for, ever so helpful, yet not continuously intrusive. The chef, Chef Amit did make a trip to each table and chatted us all up. He was very open to feedback about our RWI experience here, portion sizes, spice levels, variety, etc. 

All in all, it is definitely a place you should consider visiting during the Restaurant Week if you already haven't visited or booked it. The RWI menu and portions served here are both sized just right to perfectly fill up one person at a very reasonable price for a five-star restaurant. Else, it is also a place to consider for that very special date, for some real Chinese fine-dining, or for those special occasion meals, you will definitely walk out contented!

http://www.zomato.com/review/QLGkZ

Mad over Donuts, Mumbai Airport

Mad over donuts is the place to please those sweet teeth. The outlet at the airport is located quite strategically opposite the security check entrance and you pretty much can't miss it.

The chocolate doughnut is my favourite anyways, but when you combine it with filled chocolate custard, it is divine. Heated up and served with a spoon you most likely won't need, because they might vanish in seconds.

The classic sugar doughnut is equally good, but yes, a tad bit too sweet for those who don't enjoy saccharine indulgences too much.

A must try for those waiting hours before check ins!

http://www.zomato.com/review/MLGKp

Niros, MI Road, Jaipur

Niros is something we landed up on after reading some reccos from my network on zomato and some very good reviews from the local folk as well. Located quite close to most sightseeing places, near panch batti circle, it seemed like the ideal stopover for lunch.

We made it in by around 1:30 pm on a Sunday noon. The place mostly full, saving one table which we gladly grabbed. Not too large a seating area and I reckon in rush hours, the waiting couch outside is full as well.

We weren't particularly starving so we ordered in a chicken malai kebab, a paneer tikka and a Veg Pulao. For dessert, we shared a kulfi falooda. We had a lemon soda to start as well.

The kebabs were very well spiced and cooked to be ever so soft and succulent. The paneer cubes were lovely and sliced beautifully with just the fork, yet not crumbling.

The pulao was quite light, not too heavily spiced. I might be wrong but going by the 75% non-Indian crowd, the lightly spiced food maybe to suit their palate. They however serve no raita with the pulao which is a little strange.

The kulfi falooda was half awesome, half not so much - the falooda had a very strong flavour of road and overpowered the subtle kesar taste of the kulfi.

The meal cost us Rs.1,450 excluding a service charge - a little steep but definitely a good option for some leisurely lunching.

http://www.zomato.com/review/YLOXq

Chokhi Dhani, Jaipur

Chokhi Dhani is definitely on the top of the list of places to visit for dinner in Jaipur. There are outlets elsewhere too such as Mumbai but the original remains attractive to visit if in the city. When we planned our trip to the city, we budgeted a good couple of hours for this visit for dinner on the Saturday that we landed in Jaipur. And I'm mighty glad we did, since the experience is definitely something you shouldn't miss. And ensure to make it in by around 6:30-7:00, so you can have dinner by 8-8:30 maximum, else the place can get really crowded.

The place is outside of Jaipur and took us a good 45-50 minutes from the main city. There is a lot of chaos for parking, most cars and taxis park anywhere in the lane outside the entrance. There is a large door passing through which, you are in a different place and time altogether. After having the ladies welcoming you by placing a tikka to your forehead and the sound of a man playing folk instruments at the entrance, you arrive at the reception where four-five 'cashiers' handing out tickets. There is a little higher end buffet option at around 800, while the regular sit-down-and-be-served option which we picked was 550 per person (a little more authentic it seemed). You should check with these cashiers while booking if you have a time preference since they can tell you availability of meals for that time.

The ticket covers your meal and entry, women can get their Mehndi for no charge (really NOT the best mehendi!) , you can also sit and watch the dances, magic show and things like that for free, while anything else is chargeable - chaat, camel/elephant rides, old-fashioned bowling alley and basketball shooting games charged by chances, some typical mela type of games(like shooting the balloon, darts), palmist, face-reader, some snacks and drinks inside, etc. The pani puri was Rs.20 per plate, camel ride for Rs.20, bowling for Rs.5 per chance (win back 10 if you strike), Mineral water for Rs.30. The slight annoying part is that there are signs around the place clearly mentioning no tips - but people like the Mehndi ladies will smile and tell you 2-3 times, Aapki ichha se de sakte hai. 

Coming to the meal, we had taken a 8 pm slot - was very lucky in fact to have taken this early slot, because when we were getting out at around 9:15, there was a long queue of around 80-100 people waiting to get in. There are two food halls, near the entrance itself where you need to come and queue up.

We made it in, removed our footwear, and waited to be guided in. On both sides, on raised platforms, in some sections, some people were already eating. We were guided to a different part, sat on our mattresses and waited for the food bonanza to start. There were very low wooden tables for each person, plates replaced by a plate made of dried leaves, cups made of dried leaves called 'donnas', water and buttermilk served in 'khullars' or clay tumblers. Buttermilk keeps coming throughout the meal. Cut Cabbage was served, some pickle, besan boondi, some chutney to start with. Then came in some dal pakodas, followed by servings of the sabzis. There was one dum alu, a green gravy based tinda sabzi, a gatte ki sabzi (which is something you'll find in most Rajasthani eateries). There was one dal and one kadhi, Green moong dal Khichdi and plain rice. Everything was fairly average. The rotis were these lovely phulkas, puffy and blown to perfection and served fresh and hot! Dal Baati Choorma was one thing that stood out, each bit tasting excellent and even better together. For dessert there were Malpuas which were fabulous - hot, flavourful, yet the sugar syrup was tasty, without being overly sweet.

The place isn't particularly the best place for a Rajasthani meal, there are better tasting ones you can get in the city. But it is a must visit for the experience it offers. I'd give it that extra 1 only for the experience, else the food is average. Go for the village setting and the typical Indian mela like extravaganza, without expecting the world from the food. I definitely do not regret taking over 2 hours to visit the place!

http://www.zomato.com/review/wKDpM

Baluchi, Hotel Lalit Ashok, Bangalore

Restaurant Week Sep 2013 closed for me with Baluchi at the Lalit Ashok. Now, it wasn't completely my choice, but there are two decrees you generally can't oppose, one of God and the other of your Dearest Mother. So, when she picked the place, despite being skeptical about the food, I had to agree. My mum did go through the menu and preferred this place over a couple other North Indian serving places listed in RWI. A fellow foodie friend later pointed out it was a Thali system and that only made me more jittery about the place. 

Anyways, we landed up on that Friday afternoon. The one boon of a five star is things like Parking get taken care of. So, we handed over the car and headed inside. There was some humdrum around the hotel, since a conference was happening and they seemed to have just broken for lunch. The restaurant we had booked however was absolutely empty. We got to choose our table and picked something with a view of the lawns. 

As we were seated, we were handed the drinks menu and picked two mocktails. I asked the waiter for a menu for the Thali (since I had forgotten precisely what it consisted of) and he said they had no menu! This is amazing - I've made almost 8 visits overall across three Restaurant Weeks and I've always been handed a menu even if it is a fixed course. They always have a special RWI menu, even if it is just a stingy printout from a desktop inkjet. However, this place didn't deem it necessary to hand out one. I was further ticked off when the waiter was just unable to explain what the thali would have. How is 1 soup, 1 paneer starter, 1 paneer curry, 1 lentil, Pulao supposed to substitute for A mixed vegetable and tomato based soup, a Sarson Paneer Tikka, a Lahori Paneer which is wrapped sheets of paneer, Dal Bukhara and Zafrani Pulao? Let's also forget the many other things he didn't mention - I managed to pull out a menu from the website using my phone, just to make sure what it was that was going to arrive at our table. The meal consisted of: 

Vegetarian Thali Menu 

Subz Masale Ka Murakkat 
An extract of selected vegetables, delicately blended with exotic herbs and spices 

Dhuan Aur Sarson Ke Paneer 
Smoked cottage cheese chunks marinated with yogurt based masala 

Lahori Paneer Ke Parchey 
Thin slices of grilled cottage cheese rolled over in rich cashew based gravy 

Wah Wah Khumb 
Quick Kadai Flipped mushrooms with goat cheese and onions 

Bhuna Saag 
A traditional pan seared spinach, fenugreek and khatta saag 

Dal Baluchi 
Baluchi signature! Our specialty Dal prepared overnight with lots of care to perfection 

Zafrani pulao 
Ulta tawa paratha 
Zaffrani Rasmalai 
(Pictures attached at the end)

The soup was decent, well tempered and I'll agree it was boiled and cooked carefully and slowly to perfection. The thali arrive with two pieces of the Ulta Tawa Paratha, Some Sarson Paneer tikka, little bit of salad on the side, the curries and the Rasmalai. 

The Saag was a little too thick for my tastes but someone who loves spinach will love this curry. If you do look closely at the Paneer curry, you'll see the sheets of Paneer stuffed with some masala and then ever so carefully placed in the gravy. I was at once impressed with the concept as well as presentation. The Dal Bukhara - supposedly their signature dish, is Black lentils cooked overnight and then finished off with spices and cream. This was definitely the star of the Thali and definitely something you shouldn't miss if you come in here even for an a la carte meal. 

Chef Lakshmi came and chatted us up a bit about how we liked the food, what we found lacking. I spoke to her about the Ulta Tawa Parathas being extremely filling despite not being too large and she told me that it is a special preparation, wherein if they use 2 kgs of Maida, they use 2 kgs of Ghee. I was intending initially to ask for another piece, but after the description of these measurements, decided otherwise! She did bring in more plain rotis however and that worked just fine.

We finished with the rotis and asked for the Pulao, which was a beautifully crafted each-grain-separate Pulao, with evident and visible strands of saffron and fried onions strewn around. A little sweet however, as were all the other dishes as well. I suppose it is the nature of the cuisine they serve and the cream, dry fruits, nuts, saffron, rose water, etc., turn everything to a mildly sweet tasting dish. 

The Rasmalai was okay. Not really anything spectacular to write home about. 

Service was not up to the mark of what you expect of a five star. There was no chutney for the starter or raita for the Pulao served - everything had to be asked for. A waitress even randomly walked up to us, asking us how our food was with the least air of discretion. Definitely disappointed with this aspect of the experience. 

The bill overall for the two of us worked out to be Rs.2950 including Bottled water and the two mocktails. Very steep for the quality and quantity served I'd reckon. Also, I did manage to catch a glimpse of a flyer which spoke of an Express Lunch which is EXACTLY the RWI menu for the same price. I'd definitely recommend you not to book the place for RWI and visit it otherwise. Food-wise also, the Thali takes away from the whole essence of a fine-dining experience. I'd consider re-visiting for the Dal and some Kebabs maybe, but definitely not during RWI again.

http://www.zomato.com/review/ZbBkn

Ginseng, Royal Orchid Central, Jaipur

When we made our bookings for stay at the Royal Orchid Central recently, I did ensure to look up the restaurants they had and came across some interesting information and good words about the Chinese restaurant - Ginseng. We made sure to dine there once and here is a run-down of the experience.

Sunday night dinner 8 pm, no reservations, we walked in, to discover an empty room, save one table. Not a very motivational sight when you enter a restaurant on a sunday night! However, I was to be proved wrong as the place was 100% full within the next 30 minutes. The ambience is appealing, wood work, a large Buddha greeting you at the entrance, low lighting and pleasant crockery. 

We ordered a Hot & Sour soup to share, some crackling spinach as starters. For mains, we ordered in a spicy Singaporean rice noodles and a Coriander based sauce. 

The soup arrived first, spinach following suit. They seemed to however delay the Hot garlic sauce I requested for, for about 10 minutes! Yes, a sauce. During these 10-15 minutes, other tables too seemed to be having trouble getting some service. Someone's menu wasn't handed out, someone else hadn't received chilled beer as he had asked for, someone else's order was not being taken. Sudden lull in the service led to some commotion and screaming by the guests, which was evidently audible to the entire room. However, things picked up and settled down soon after. 

The soup and the sauce came in. Another strange bit about service, they place things on the table, but do not serve. I don't know why this is the norm here, but it is just more useful and less clumsy for us to serve ourselves in a place like this. Portions just about sufficient for two. If we were very hungry though, I doubt it would have sufficed. The food I must grant the place, tastes excellent. Very authentic tasting spices, vegetables cooked just perfectly as you expect in Chinese cuisine, nothing overdone. The food genuinely makes up for all other glitches at the place. They also have some chopsticks at the table, which are a little more friendly to use than the normal disjointed ones, do experiment and have some fun if you're not used to Chopsticks normally. 

The meal cost us Rs.1,000 for two inclusive of all charges and taxes. Not extremely heavy on the wallet and excellent food, I'd definitely recommend!

http://www.zomato.com/review/RLXoY

Barbeque Nation, JP Nagar, Bangalore

Writing about Barbeque Nation is a seriously daunting task, because words do not do justice to the foodgasm this place brings to us. Every outlet, every time, there seems to be just nothing going wrong with the place. 

After a lot of back and forth and finally landing to choosing (while lying that though we've been there before, it was always at the back of all our minds..always!) this place for a colleague's farewell lunch, I gave them a call for reservations for lunch. The only problem I probably have with the place, is the fact that they have only two slots for reservations, one at 12 noon and one at 2:30. The former is way too early and the latter is a little too late for an office lunch. The person taking the reservations, isn't too flexible either and calmly asks you to come and wait till you get a table if you want to come at 1. This is perhaps, the only little hiccup I see in the whole experience, else, once you enter and are seated, its a joyride to the finish. 

Lunch includes a complimentary soft drink option which has some lime sodas, coke, sprite, fanta to pick from. Diet coke is however chargeable. The starters come in starting with a trickle and then coming down to some raw bombardment. First came in the Paneer tikka, some Barbequed Pineapple and capsicums, some Caribbean mushrooms. Then came in the ever so famous Cajun Spiced Potatoes. Though, I approach it serving by serving, I am completely sure by the end, I've devoured over 1/2 a kilo of just this one dish. Their signature dish - whatever you see or don't see on a menu, whatever food festival, just be 100% sure, Cajun Spiced Potatoes will be served. And rightfully and thankfully so. 

The Mutter kebabs weren't too bad either, adequately spiced. The chef did come and chat us up about the variety, spice levels and any suggestions. Always feels good to speak to the person who actually dished up what is on your plate. 

The mains looked interesting, with some Biryani which I always vouch for, but skipped today, thanks to a couple of extra servings of the starters. Also, I will appreciate the fact that they keep adding new things to the menu, such as a Rasgulle ki Sabzi today, delightfully delicate looking Rasgullas in a nice red gravy. 

For desserts, they had a Black forest cake, some Apple Cheese cake, some Chocolate pastry, a Tiranga cake, Brownies, the Gulab Jamuns, some vanilla ice cream and fruits. Over the time, I've begun to separate the taste of BBQ's Jamuns from others' because there is something absolutely excellent about those single-spoon serving sized Jamuns, which seem like they've just been taken out of hot sugar syrup. Always fresh and melt in mouth. 

The prices have seen a bit of an increase off late and are ~650 per person for lunch. They however, include a 4% service charge and that saves you the hassle of the arithmetic when the bill arrives. Service is good and helpful, but I have seen some more exceptional service at the Koramangala outlet over this one.

All in all, always a wonderful experience, one that never ever goes wrong, be it a Birthday celebration, a farewell, a welcome, or just one of those days when the sin of gluttony beckons!

http://www.zomato.com/review/Agkmn

Mast Kalandar, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore

AVOID! 

Mast Kalandar has a charm of its own, the nice heavy Punjabi looking menu, the nice orange green decor and the lovely tasting food. This outlet however seems to be getting everything wrong. 

Happened to land up there for lunch recently, Chhass wasn't there. As my friend with me commented "No Chhaas in a place like this, is like no Noodles in a Chinese joint". The food isn't anything great to talk about, seems stale and only reheated. Especially the Gajar ka Halwa, which came in cold - when I sent it back to be heated, it came back just about a degree or two warmer than before and then finally tasted absolutely terrible, as if it was made 5 days ago and stored in the fridge and reheated and served. They might as well take it off the menu! Not to mention, the health hazard the place might be. 

My advice is, if absolutely keen, find a different outlet, or just visit other North Indian joints for some more fresh tasting food.

http://www.zomato.com/review/gqOel

Gelato Italiano, Phoenix High Street, Lower Parel, Mumbai

It is quite a surprise how this particular mall has few options for ice-creams, the only one near the restaurants area in Skyzone being this one. Either ways, we don't complain when it is Gelato!

Gelato has the thrill of the creamy, beautiful icecream, with sheer intense flavour. The good thing for me, not so much for absolutely everyone is that, the place has a lot of flavours in chocolate - regular chocolate, ferrero rocher, white chocolate, a mousse sort of flavour, madagascar fine (dark) chocolate and so on. I walked in and asked for some dark chocolate and was given a little bit of Madagascar Fine to try - I needed nothing else and had made up my mind on this flavour. Tried a couple of others for kicks but settled on this - Medium scoop in a chocolate waffle cone. Medium scoop - an apt amount to end a meal. Cost me about 120 for the whole deal. 

Couple of other friends did also try the butterscotch, ferrero flavours and weren't found complaining either. 

Thank heavens for this outlet in this location in the mall!

http://www.zomato.com/review/gzPvK

Pizza Hut, Forum Mall, Koramangala, Bangalore

I am very much a junk-food junkie and pizza is generally up there on the list of comfort food. Pizza Hut among the pizza-chains is the one I'd pick to for some dine-in Pizza. So, after multiple visits before and one recent visit, here's my take on the place and the rating for this particular outlet. 

In the food-court, the place generally gets a lot of foot-falls from some college folk hanging about in the mall, treating their friends, some dates here and there. Fairly large seating area and comfortable and cut-off private booths on the right side as you enter. I prefer the window side seating overlooking a lot of Bangalore traffic, but heck, it is some animation of course. 

So, after a lot of time spent finding the perfect mix of what new to try + what's safe and must have - We decided this time on a:

Cheese Tortillas to start with

Spicy Veggie - Cheesy Bites crust - Add mushrooms - Medium

One lemonade and one Masala Lemonade

About 5 minutes later our drinks arrived and 10 more minutes afterward, our Tortillas came in looking a little different than I expected. They looked like Iyengar bakery pizzas and not something more exciting as I thought they would be. However, the cheese sauce saved the starter and was excellently thick and I made sure to lick all of it off even after the tortillas were quietly polished off. 

The lemonade at PH has always been a favourite, but now, move over regular lemonade, we have Masala Lemonade! The Indian tastebuds were truly tickled by the little chat masala, pudina leaves and fresh Jeera powder - something I will order every time now onwards. 

Coming to the Pizza, I won't say it was disappointing in taste, but definitely in looks. Please refer to picture - If you are promised this on the menu and what you receive is pretty different, what do you do? The cheesy bites were doughy and just not as excellently crisp and baked as they did in the picture. Not to forget, the onions were cut in the most slipshod fashion and definitely not fine-dine. The 'spicy' in the spicy-veggie was taken too seriously and I slowly started peeling out the gree chillies, because I couldn't eat it, being a complete spicy-food lover myself. 

Another strange thing I noticed, was that in this particular outlet, ringing or not ringing the trademark PH Bell makes no difference. I saw multiple people doing their bit to say thank you, by ringing the bell, but the staff moved on mechanically doing their own thing. I don't say this affects my rating, but definitely affects my perception of the outlet and eventually caused me not to ring it myself, even if it just for kicks. 

The above meal cost us about 873 overall, after all taxes and charges. Not too big a hole in the pocket, but just really wish those cheesy bites looked as good as I expected.


http://www.zomato.com/review/YgyOq

K&K - KEBABS AND KURRIES - ITC GARDENIA, Richmond Road, Bangalore

Special occasions like celebrating a foodie Mum's birthday warrant unique and finger-licking food, a fabulous ambience, hassle-free parking, immaculate service, for which we really don't mind shelling out the bucks. With all these criteria, when I approached my foodie friends (who I've had the fortune of meeting thanks to Zomato), among a couple of names that came up, Kebabs & Kurries (Thank you Aarti Kamath!) caught my attention. Now, I knew there is a K&K in Delhi and Mumbai (The Mumbai one is a regular participant at Restaurant Week India and a friend of mine cannot stop raving about the Mutton kebabs he had there). I did not know the Bangalore one had opened up as well. But well, the last time I had visited Gardenia, way back in 2011, they didn't even have Edo. So, some change is definitely good. 

K&K is ITC's way of allowing one restaurant to offer the specialties of all their other restaurants. So, the signature dishes of Dum Pukht, Peshawari, Bukhara (all names of ITC Mughlai Fine-dining restaurants across India) all find their place in the K&K menu and are clearly marked out as well. I had a lovely experience at Dum Pukht during RWI in 2012 and going by that expectation, a restaurant serving signature dishes of all these places is bound to set high expectations in my mind! 

The birthday falls on Rajyotsava Day, so I was prepared for some crowd and worriedly called up a day before to make a reservation. We booked our table for three for 1 pm and when asked if we were celebrating an occasion, I told them about the birthday and asked for a good table. We made it in time, to discover K&K was empty. Our waiter for the afternoon, Vineeth told us the place was ours and we could pick wherever we wanted to plonk. The place is pretty big for a five-star (comparatively to its closest and most similar kin - Dum Pukht in ITC Windsor, it is HUGE!). They have some strange-ish sofas, with no back-rest, so we picked something against the wall, before Mommy noticed this, so she would be more comfortable. 

Some lovely pink colored welcome drink was poured. Rose, Khus and light lime flavoured, absolutely the perfect start to what would be an excellent meal. Vineeth informed us that they had two options for menus - Set menus and and a regular a-la-carte menu. The set menus are great for a normal visit to the place - they arrive in a thali we were told and from what I saw, they have a little bit of everything to savour. They have two-three Vegetarian options and non-vegetarian options (Nothing in only chicken, please note. The meat eating but only-chicken eating husband was a little sad by this arrangement) and two Biryani options - One vegetarian and one Ghosht based. I'd strongly recommend considering these options if you're just visiting casually. For a Birthday meal, I didn't want my Mum eating out of a thali, so I decided to go for an a-la-carte selection. 

At the outset, from all reviews I had read, I had decided we HAD to order the Biryani and the Dal Bukhara. The rest of the blanks would be filled in. To re-affirm my faith, the Dal Bukhara was part of every set menu as well. It really is their specialty and by the end of the meal, I was convinced why. 

We asked Vineeth for some recommendations in starters and settled in on a Paneer Kebab - It doesn't feature in the menu, but is basically thin sheets of Paneer, rolled with some finely chopped veggies inside and then coated with some saffron batter and grilled a bit. Excellent is an understatement for how this tasted. The soft paneer, the lovely aroma of Kesar - true Royal dining. The other starter we picked was a Hara Kebab Awadhi. Intense flavour of all the greens, a bit too intense for my tastes, but if you love your Palak and Methi, you will love this. The starters come in 3 pieces per plate, which worked perfect for the three of us, but if there are more of you, speak to the host and figure out how much you need to order. The 3 pieces by themselves are loaded with richness and will fill you up considerably. By the time the mains started, I was half full! 

For mains, we had a Roomali Paratha, a Warqi Paratha and a Pudina Paratha, the Dal Bukhara and a Vegetable Biryani. The Dal is fabulous. One spoonful and you feel the hours it must have been simmering away for. Each lentil is delightfully cooked and melts in your mouth, courtesy the cream and the beautiful tempering of garlic and spices. The Biryani again, seems small when served but is extremely heavy! 5 spoonfuls per person is ideal, with that super thick raita they serve. The parathas were all great, Warqi Paratha in particular is very heavy. 

For dessert, we had a Kulfi, a slight bit of a let down. Very hard kulfi, refusing to be cut and the rose sherbat flavour on the falooda on top was too strong and almost overpowering the creamy kulfi. 

A complimentary lovely rich chocolate mousse cake was brought in for my mum to cut and I really appreciate this gesture. 

Regards service, in a place like ITC, you expect the best, expect to be spoilt, pampered and taken care of well. Vineeth, our server was always on his toes, always helping and checking on something we might need. In fact I didn't realise we had finished the Dal and when he came around to check for something, no one else at the table but me asked for some Dal, he went in and brought me a bowl without fussing about or charging us extra for that bowl of Dal. The emphasis is on customer delight and that clearly comes through. Easily, a 10/10 for Service. 

ITC K&K is the perfect place for that celebratory dinner or taking some non-Indian clients out for an Indian meal. If you do just want to visit and try the place without splurging, the meal options work fine as well. Definitely take the time to stroll around the property and be amazed with the green architecture and ambiance. True Luxury, a little pricey, but worth every penny in the end.

http://www.zomato.com/review/alXrE

Navratna, Vashi, Navi Mumbai

Diwali night drive outside, warranted a quick but sumptuous meal some place. We happened to zero in on Navratna which has been a family favourite since several years. My first visit there myself, but I was forewarned that nothing is bad from the menu.

The five of us had to wait for about a minute or two to get the A/C section upstairs - I will agree it was hellishly crowded, but everything seemed to be moving. Waiters were serving tables non stop, people were quickly finishing their grub and heading out. We made it upstairs and settled down with our order of Bisleri, to glance through the Pure-vegetarian menu and order in. Everyone decided to pick an individual dish to suit their tastes. So we had an interesting concoction of dishes on the table. 

The Rava Masala Dosa - Excellent, absolutely perfect in texture and taste both

The Missal Pav - Delightfully spicy and well tempered. Warranted an order of a second round of pav - but absolutely lip smacking

The Idli-Sambar - Served in a bowl, with a generous helping of the Sambhar which was ever so well made and spiced 

The Cheese Pav Bhaji - Slightly sweet with the cheese on top, but well-minced veggies tasted perfect with the buttery, soft Pavs

The Szechwan Noodles - Not exactly setting the tongue on fire, but perfectly separate from each other, with well-cooked juliennes of capsicum and onions

All of this, plus a Lime Soda and a Filter coffee worked out to Rs.750 in all. 

We decided to pick some ice-creams from the Ground floor - which seemed like the perfect way to end the meal and get out of the A/C as well.

All in all, a perfect place to grab a quick bite, eat some great food and not really burn a hole in your pocket. Definitely will recommend!

http://www.zomato.com/review/oDlRa

Bombay Blue, Lower Parel, Mumbai

We sauntered into the Bombay Blue given the most convenient option for us to quickly have a meal - with Veg and Non Veg options. I wish we had picked a better place on after-thought. 

This outlet looks neither promising nor inviting, yet seems to have a lot of crowd, given perhaps a standard menu and some patrons coming in for some specific dishes. We asked for a table for 10 and after a couple of frowns and hushed whispers were given a corner, where three tables were put together for us. 

Neither the menu, nor water came in for about 5 minutes easy. After a lot of asking and embarrassingly too many hand gestures, someone bothered to hand us ONE menu - for the 10 of us - YES. Till sense prevailed and 5 minutes later, we were given one more menu. We ordered a lot of things between us including some sizzlers, drinks and burgers. 

The famed Cheese Nachos - Terrible - Floating in that cheesy sauce, they were wet and drippy and just became soggy in a minute. Really did not see the point in this being a signature dish. 

The Non-veg platter was strange, with a total of maybe 10 pieces in all, neither looking more tasty then its unappealing other. 

The Sizzlers - the one with the noodle definitely better, but the one with the rice was terrible. Had some plain rice sitting at the bottom, with no sauce whatsoever. When asked for sauce, something even more unappetizing made its way to the table in a bowl. Sorry to have asked! 

The burgers - Chicken & Veg both - Average - Can definitely get better ones in a McD! 

The Pizza - This arrived 20 minutes after everyone else's food - Yes, the people who ordered for the pizza were left waiting hungry for easy 20 minutes. By the time their food arrived, we were done. I don't see the sense in taking over 40 minutes overall to bake a pizza

The Chicken Panini - Too dry and lacked any spice whatsoever

After the not so fabulous meal, we decided to look outside for desserts and not take more chances with this menu. 

My recco - Avoid! Walk up to Cream Center if looking for good food, but Veg. Or walk over to Spaghetti Kitchen/Copper Chimney/Smoke House Deli - You will spend a lot more bucks, but will walk away a lot more happier!


http://www.zomato.com/review/DxraA