Disclaimer: This is free advertisement for all the restaurants mentioned below.
If you are a food lover, Bangalore is the place to be. With over a 1000 restaurants, bars and eateries of all shapes, sizes and cuisines, it is important to have a regular exercise routine! For increasing appetite and decreasing health are good buddies!
Like with most cities, the best places are normally tucked away carefully in some obscure corner of the city that is difficult to find if you are new to the city. The ones that are obvious are, well, on the main roads and can’t be missed.
Since we started exploring the nooks and crannies of Bangalore, we have discovered a lot of places and I am happy to report that we are more than delighted with the variety of food served in these places. For specifics, read on!
Andhra food (recommended for the heavy rice eater!) is very popular around here and can be enjoyed by most. A word of caution here: the food will be spicy and the condiments served along with it will only make it spicier. So be careful of what you choose to garnish or ‘enhance’ your food taste with!
Some Advise: Carry a handkerchief or a napkin with you. I can bet that you will sweat and fumigate (heh!) with each morsel. It’s hot! In most Andhra-style restaurants, food is served on a banana leaf with a wide variety of vegetables, sambar, fiery rasam and rotis (occasionally) with a heapful of rice and a dole of pure ghee as the main course.
Personal recommendation: Try Bheema’s on Chruch Street (turn right at the Levi’s shop and walk on straight. It’ll be on your left just as you are nearing the end of the street).
For Chettinad-style food (that’s from Tamil Nadu), one can go to Annachi. You are welcomed by a very down-to-earth and “Madarasi” ambience. The food is (surprise, surprise!) spicy and don’t be shocked if you find only curry leaves in just about everything you order. While this style of food doesn’t exactly appeal to my tastebuds, I would recommend the Chettinad Chicken with rice. It’s an awesome combination.
I truly enjoy Kerala food and have become very attached to the ‘Coconut Grove’ on Church Street (yes, again!). The Appams and Vegetable Stew are to die for and this truly is God’s own food. The Sambar (Kerala-style) and Chor (the brown rice) is a must-try. While the ambience isn’t scintillating, it won’t put you to sleep either! The service is all right, but needs a bit of improvement, if you ask me.
Thanks to the large number of expats in the city, continental food is another favourite. I have always been a fan of continental (especially Italian) food and two places that I really like are Herb & Spices (Indiranagar) and 100 Ft. (100 ft. Road). The added twist to the tale in the case of 100 Ft. is that it’s a theme restaurant and boutique that apparently allows patrons to buy the stuff they see if they like it. I didn’t try that part out yet, but soon!
Herb and Spices is a quaint little place that has been converted from a garage into a nice little bakery-style restaurant. Started by two hotel management students, it’s a simple and straightforward place with a ‘Blackboard menu’. So when you order, you just need to say ‘No. 16 with no mushrooms and No. 28 with extra cheese’ (please check what numbers 16 and 28 are on the day you visit, lest they be something you don’t like!). They really do dish out yummiest recipes and also have a fabulous dessert menu which certainly tastes as good as it sounds and looks!
Just recently (about three days ago), our friend took us to a place called Sue’s Kitchen that specializes in Caribbean cuisine. Run by a Trinidadian woman, the buffet spread is simply mind-boggling. I wouldn’t recommend breakfast the day you plan to visit Sue’s Kitchen. The cuisine is very simple and it reminded me of a Christian wedding buffet. Pork, chicken sausages, crabs and mouth-watering desserts. Recommended mocktail: Cocorico. Be sure to book for the rush can keep you waiting and the divine scent of the food will make you restless. Not a recipe to enjoy a meal!
And then you have the famous Afghan restaurant ‘Samarkand’. Wholesome and rich! Very rich, indeed! The ambience will definitely remind you of the movie ‘Kabul Express’.
Like with Sue’s Kitchen, ensure you haven’t eaten for a while (preferably a day!) when you are going to Samarkand. And it’s best if the group you have with you enjoys their meat. This is not the best place for vegetarians. The service can be good, and a good order of appetizers is recommended (must try the Shorba) to pass time till the main course arrives. Booking in advance here is an absolute must.
The eating adventures continue and as I sample more of the culinary delights that Bangalore has to offer, the chronicles shall be available right here for your consumption! Whew! Quite a mouthful, eh?
It’s interesting, though, that in my 29 years in Bombay, I never heard or came across Caribbean, Afghani or theme restaurant. There’s no doubt that Bombay has its own specialty restaurants, but these are few and far (away!). So there’s a challenge for all my Bombay friends. Find out if there are any such restaurants around and make me proud (of your and good old Bombay’s gluttony!).
Cheers!
Technorati tags: Bangalore, Restaurants, Eating out in Bangalore, Continental food, Italian food, Afghan food, Indian food
Bangalore, is it bangalore or banglore, anyways. so as I was saying, Banglore, was always known for its Pubs even before it became a common feature for all yuppie towns.
Ah brings me memories of the south bombay places. There was the copper chimney (heres a piece of information, had a get together there for a certain scribblers birth, and tasted my first rumali roti.. still memorable). Now hear that coppre chimney is passe and never one have come up.The problem with bombay restaurants is that they were and have been either the archaic quality ones such as the lucky biryani or the Gazebo in Hill Rd (and ah the lovely irish coffee there) or those lovely vada pav stalls on shivaji park or those more neophytes one which try to recreate the older era (how could i forget the pritam da dhaba..). but back to your observation.. yes i agree blore (there, i compromise and not get into the bangalore versus banglore issue) has a diversity in restaurants which is surprising and surely a welcome.
more in next..
hey, you should add Kund to this list, since it was the first place where you complained about *almost* nothing.
and just for fun, you can also add the dubious Ramanashree, the well-concealed coke factory. 