After a tiring morning searching for flats on the Hennur Road area, I was famished, and since I haven't been to too many restaurants this side of town, we zeroed in on this place for our lunch. Here is how it went.
Location/Ambience: This place is located bang on the Hennur road, in the vicinity of Salarpuria Sattva Summit, and Lulu Value mart. It is pretty easy to find, and is located in a complex which also houses a swimming pool and a sports complex.
They have a rooftop as well as indoor seating, with some seating in a small garden outside the complex as well. The seating reminded me of the wild wild west kind of ranches, done up in wood, and pretty welcoming. I would say, pleasant is the keyword here.
Food: My expectations were not very high, being in a location which isn't probably in a location that would attract a lot of crowd, so I assumed that the food would cater to popular tastes, rather than staying true to it's origin. I was more than pleasantly surprised, when it arrived.
For starters, we ordered the Classic Chicken Fritters, and a Peach and Passion Fruit Ice tea, to go long on a hot Sunday afternoon. The chicken fritters arrived, and the plating was more than just good, it was superb, with neatly stacked chicken fritters served with lightly seasoned lettuce, and some sweet-soya/barbeque sauce dressing to spruce up the plate. It was served with tomato ketchup,(which was kind of disappointing, a mayo-mustard dip would have done wonders). The fritters were basically deep fried chicken bits, and while they were nice and crispy, I wouldn't call them extraordinary.Â
However, the Peach and PAssion fruit Ice tea was a revelation. This wasn't the generic syrup induced stuff that you would get at most outlets across Bangalore, but actually tasted fresh and the tannins of the tea really highlighted the beverage. I would definitely recommend this item on a hot summer day.
For the main course, I decided to play it safe and ordered the Chicken Stroganoff, while my wife ordered the Pollo Casa(A chicken risotto). Again, the plating for both these items was very well done, with different and appropriate plates for both these items. This impressed me, because it is the small things, the little attention to detail that elevates a meal, because, after all, eating is an experience for the senses, not just the palate.
The chicken stroganoff was served on the side of lightly herbed rice, and the gravy was creamy, and delicious. Very well done indeed! The chicken risotto was also pretty good, and it was served steaming hot, as it should be with a beautiful texture, reminiscent of the spanish paella, but in white. I thoroughly loved this creation, and the portion size was good enough for a hungry adult. We were too full to have any desset, but the baked yoghurt is an item that comes highly recommended, and I will surely try it the next time around.
Service: It was pretty decent, and the food arrived within 15 minutes of ordering. The servers were polite and welcoming.
Verdict: Staying true to your roots, while using fresh and local produce is tough to achieve especially if you are running a commercial establishment, with money being the driving force. This restaurant manages to achieve that balance with panache, their menu is a little all over the place, with Italian, Indian and American items mixing it up. To sum it up, this gem of a place can really go to the next level, given a little more polishing around the edges, and while the food was tasty, and very reasonable, compared to a lot of other similar outlets in Bangalore, this would rank pretty high for me, for their marvellous effort in plating at the very least.
I would highly recommend this place, and would love to see a lot more variety of Italian Food on their Menu.Â
P.S: They also have Pizzas, Pasta, Burgers and Steaks on the Menu. I will try them the next time around.
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes