[NPV]

There's a new (well almost!) Woody's almost direct behind the old one on Commercial Street (this one is on Ibrahim Saheb Street). We found they'd opened a month ago. The self service section on ground floor is open currently and the serviced and garden sections on upper floors are yet to open.
Tried Dosas and Curd Vada - they were good.

[AbelAFC]

Been at Mosque Road for The Annual Bangalore Meat Festival - as i like to call it - for dinner since Thursday. It was brilliant, just the taste has definitely dropped over the weekend.
The poor stall guys just can't handle the volumes and as a result, the quality is dropping.
However, its definitely an experience. I really think the Ramzan festival is gonna be featured on TLC or the likes soon.

[motorpsycho]

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

For those in Bangalore who wants to have Hyderabad Pista house haleem it is available next to HDFC bank Ejipura (Opp Oasis mall, lifestyle). Seems it is available in following total malls also
Madiwala
Kempfort
Sarjapur
Kr puram- Mahadevapura

Where in KR Puram is this available? Please share any pointer if possible.

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by motorpsycho

Where in KR Puram is this available? Please share any pointer if possible.

They had mentioned it is available in Total Malls in locations as listed above. The Total Mall in KR Puram is near Mahadevapura : SoulSpace arena - Total Mall. It will be better to call and check before you start, phone number of the KR Puram person is 9611805941

[motorpsycho]

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

They had mentioned it is available in Total Malls in locations as listed above. The Total Mall in KR Puram is near Mahadevapura : SoulSpace arena - Total Mall. It will be better to call and check before you start, phone number of the KR Puram person is 9611805941

Thanks a ton for the number, I'll call them tomorrow and check. Soul Space arena is very near to my place.

[Mpower]

Recently visited BLIMEY for lunch.... top floor of 1 MG Road building.

Fantastic view of Ulsoor Lake from one side of the pub.

Lamb burger was absolutely delicious. Prices were quite reasonable

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Mpower

Recently visited BLIMEY for lunch.... top floor of 1 MG Road building.

Fantastic view of Ulsoor Lake from one side of the pub.

Lamb burger was absolutely delicious. Prices were quite reasonable

There is a Conti/ Chinesey restaurant next door to Blimey...forgot its name.
Pricing there is atrocious for just 'ok' grub.
I for one, shan't go there again.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

There is a Conti/ Chinesey restaurant next door to Blimey...forgot its name. ...

The Grill & Curry Bowl (Continental, Indian) or The Tao (Chinese)?

My wife wanted to go to 1MG last Friday, and said there must be some Food Court where we can eat (she is a vegetarian, as is my MIL). I described to her these restaurants. She decided to have lunch at home before we went there in the afternoon!

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

The Grill & Curry Bowl (Continental, Indian) or The Tao (Chinese)?

My wife wanted to go to 1MG last Friday, and said there must be some Food Court where we can eat (she is a vegetarian, as is my MIL). I described to her these restaurants. She decided to have lunch at home before we went there in the afternoon!

The Grill & Curry Bowl...thats the one!
Very viciously expensive indeed. Horrid place and I will not waste time or money there again. Vastly prefer the restaurants at UB City. Lets just go to MG for some shopping and leave it at that.
They also happily charge a Service Charge and for god's sake, the VAT and taxes one pays is in the region of 26%!!!!
One has to be several kinds of nut to want to do such masochistic things to one's self!

[hothatchaway]

All biriyani lovers, especially the Lucknowi/Mughlai variety which Calcuttans die for, avoid Alishan/Arsalan (whatever the hell they choose to call themselves) like the plague. Got the so called Lucknowi ones this weekend by paying premium over the regular one. All it had was a profusion of rose essence, no flavour, let alone the delicate one that that the original we are all familiar with is redolent with, absolutely no appeal, all we got was some pieces of mutton thrown into some rice and an overdose of haldi

Also got a bad tummy ache overnight to boot :( Although to be honest the wife and the brother didnt get one, so whether I can add dubious ingredients to the list of woes is a matter of speculation. But where we were in absolute unanimity was that this was anything but the Lakhnawi biriyani that we are familiar with, let alone that, it didnt even have a distinctive taste or flavour of its own. They have sure gone downhill since the time I first ate there which was more than a year back

[DerAlte]

Tried Bhojohori Manna in Koramangala last weekend. My wife ordered a small thali (thali is only veg), and I ordered Tangra Jhal, Shukto and steamed rice. Shukto was great, mild yet very flavorful, but Tangra Jhal had too little gravy. Polao in the thali was too sweet, but the other stuff was good (luchi, alu dum, chholar dal, alu-kopi etc.).

* Though the flavors are authentic, the portions are, well, micro-portions that will leave even kids dissatisfied!
* Why can't Bong restaurants avoid pouring raw mustard oil on some dishes? Takes away the flavor, and with some people unfortunately it causes revulsion. Unless one is raised on raw mustard oil from childhood, it can be a daunting proposition
* All the clentele there was expat Bong crowd on a Sat afternoon. Understandable, but unless they attract locals their success is dubious
* More than half the menu, including the specials, was unavailable. Terrible disappointment compounded by a lame duck excuse - despite the fact that most of them are eaten at lunch, not dinner
* Notun Gurer Ice Cream very different from the one served at Oh Calcutta - not impressed. Faint date jaggery flavor in the ice cream, with half a teaspoonful of it put on top while serving!

Overall impression: Good if you live in the neighborhood, but not worth driving a long distance. Even if one factors in the menu prices, Oh Calcutta is in a different league altogether - one gets a feeling of money well spent. So is 6 Ballygunge place (HAL 2nd Stage) though to a lesser extent. Hope Bhojohori Manna doesn't go the way of 36 Chowringhee Lane and a dozen other small joints whose main focus was cheap food for expat Bongs - mostly students; risky proposition that.

[pratyush6]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Tried Bhojohori Manna in Koramangala last weekend. My wife ordered a small thali (thali is only veg), and I ordered Tangra Jhal, Shukto and steamed rice. Shukto was great, mild yet very flavorful, but Tangra Jhal had too little gravy. Polao in the thali was too sweet, but the other stuff was good (luchi, alu dum, chholar dal, alu-kopi etc.).

* Though the flavors are authentic, the portions are, well, micro-portions that will leave even kids dissatisfied!
*

I like the food offered here though I have stopped going there completely now as the waiting time at weekends is horrendous. Not that crazy for Bong food. If I absolutely have to then I stick to Oh Cal.!

[hothatchaway]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

* Why can't Bong restaurants avoid pouring raw mustard oil on some dishes? Takes away the flavor, and with some people unfortunately it causes revulsion. Unless one is raised on raw mustard oil from childhood, it can be a daunting proposition

As a Bengali meself, am amused (read amused and not offended) by some of your comments! AFAIK its not a common practice among Bong eateries or in Bong cuisine anyway to pour raw mustard oil in dishes (unless of course its plain steamed rice mixed with mashed boiled potatoes and green chillies and a dribble of raw mustard oil as this recipe demands)

Originally Posted by DerAlte

* All the clentele there was expat Bong crowd on a Sat afternoon. Understandable, but unless they attract locals their success is dubious

Aww, where would the poor Bong go for his regular fix of Bengali khabaar?! Jokes apart, IMO this has been the case with a lot of eateries serving regional cuisine like Bengali/Oriya etc as these are not mainstream as lets say Punjabi khana or even a dosa/idli is. Again IMO, it has been the strategy of most Bengali eateries outside Bengal to cater to the expatriate crowd (Oh Calcutta may be an exception) Bengali cuisine in many ways is an acquired taste due to a low reliance on heavy spices and gravies. I would not go as far to say that the success of such eateries is dubious just because they cater to a particular palate.

Am glad though that you have a taste for Bong cuisine!

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

... AFAIK its not a common practice among Bong eateries or in Bong cuisine anyway to pour raw mustard oil ...

Shows that you haven't really eaten in the eateries in Bangalore, probably because you have a kitchen of your own. I am not talking about mustard oil in 'xyz-bhatay' - and that doesn't need a recipe since that is proper home food unavailable in eateries. I am talking about pouring a couple of spoons over the dish just before serving.

Notable proponents of this practice (in descending order of severity):
* The joint above KC Das on St.Marks Road / Church Street corner (the worst culprit - strong enough to burn the hair in one's nostrils ) (not sure if they still exist)
* 36 Chowringhee Lane (not sure if they still exist)
* 6 Ballygunge Place (I had to force them to replace a dish on 2 occasions)
* Cinnamon Ulsoor Road (was called something else earlier, now I think it is Babu Moshai)

Bhojohori Manna is mild comparatively, but one can make out that they do the same. To know what I am saying, ask for a simple dish like Alu Jhinge Posto anywhere. This dish is mild enough not to detract one from sensing the amount of mustard oil put. Mustard oil suppresses the wonderfully mild nutty flavor of ground Posto, and the sweetness of Jhinge.

There were a couple of Mom&Pop shops catering exclusively to students, like one near PES College (not PESIT) in Girinagar, who didn't do this. Problem was like any other establishment catering only to students, they went belly up in a couple of years - they couldn't sustain the "please write in my account" practice that students would force them to.

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

... IMO this has been the case with a lot of eateries serving regional cuisine like Bengali/Oriya etc as these are not mainstream as lets say Punjabi khana or even a dosa/idli is. ...

All cuisines start off as 'strange' cuisines when introduced in a new place. 30 years back, there were only 1 or 2 genuine North Indian restaurants in Bangalore - catering to tourists and expats. NO North Indian fare in local restaurants. Today, even South Indian restaurants have North Indian on menu. Not because North Indian is mainstream, but because it was inoffensive enough and honest enough to be accepted BY LOCALS

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

... Bengali cuisine in many ways is an acquired taste due to a low reliance on heavy spices and gravies. I would not go as far to say that the success of such eateries is dubious just because they cater to a particular palate. ...

Worse.

* Every cuisine is an acquired taste for people who haven't ever eaten it

* Bengali restaurateurs (I haven't seen an Odiya restaurant in Bangalore) have been pitifully arrogant, inflexible and short-sighted not to adapt for local tastes and expectancies
- Whereas North Indian cuisine was able to bring vegetarian food to the forefront, a Bong restaurant turns up it's nose with a pitiable vegetarian selection. And the local demand is predominantly vegetarian
- Locals prefer sea fish because it doesn't have bones and isn't a hassle to eat. You serve river fish with 100's of bones negotiated only by those who are used to it?
- They have neither the sense nor the language to explain what goes with what to the locals who probably haven't heard of the dishes

* "low reliance on heavy spices and gravies"??? Huh? Please look at the menus in those restaurants the next time you are there

If you go after expats' business as short term 'low hanging fruit', you suddenly realize expats outgrow eating outside and settle down with their own kitchens. And since you have not innovated or adapted in any way, the world goes past without entering your portal.

Dubious success? Tandoor on MG Road is in existence for 30+ years. I am yet to see a Bengali restaurant - small or big - last more than 7 years in the same 30 year period. You do the math. And we are talking of Bangalore which was always cosmopolitan and accepted ANY cuisine that was introduced here

[hothatchaway]

^^^ whoa boy, that was hotter than the shorsher tel which must still be burning your nostrils No, I havent eaten in a lot of Bengali restaurants in Bangalore since I can get my cuisine at home, I think I mentioned in my post that as a culinary practice per se among Bengalis, raw mustard oil is not added to dishes. Have eaten enough of my own cuisine to make that comment but yes cannot comment on what some of the eateries do here.

My friend, I would choose not to quote some of language you have used in the last few lines as they appear dangerously in the territory of being communal in tone and tenor, by lumping all 'Bengali restaurateurs' as 'arrogant, inflexible etc and that all Bong restaurants turn their nose up at vegetarian options. The fact that there are joints like Oh Calcutta, Esplanade and 6th Ballygunge places doing business means that there is a clientele available which cannot be exclusive or they would not have survived. There are some culinary cultures which may be predisposed to certain ingredients like meat/poultry/fish etc like Bengali and Mughlai cuisine for e.g.; its not arrogance or a refusal to adapt to diverse preferences, its just the way it is. Asking them to change their fundamental leanings is like asking a sushi bar to serve idly just because that may be locally popular. Didnt really understand your comment on river fish, dont order if you cannot negotiate the bones is my only prescription

Perhaps you have been visiting joints which place a low emphasis on customer service, using the word 'they' to describe restaurauteurs from a particular community and then painting them with the same brush can mean only one of two things

1) You are a rascist
2) You have been visiting the wrong places, which unfortunately every cuisine and every city has a fair number of. Hope its the latter

In conclusion, Dalma on Koramangala 100 ft rd past Sony world serves Oriya cuisine, should you want to sample their fare and pass your delectable opinion on entrepreneurial practices from that part of the country as well