India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (203 page)
Graze
FUSION Bedecked in orange and beige, this simply accoutered award winner (Best Restaurant of the year 2008, Times Food Guide) has an intimate and personal atmosphere (small, cozy, waiters friendly as opposed to obsequious), and fabulous cuisine dished out from an open kitchen. Our personal favorites were seared scallops with fresh corn and Parmesan foam for starters, followed by the delicious rib-eye; pan-seared Waygu beef served with mashed potato and béarnaise sauce; or the roasted halibut, served with steamed lentils, oyster mushrooms, and sherry oxtail sauce. For dessert, look no further than the sinful piping hot chocolate soufflé served with freshly made chocolate ice cream. Mexican chef Oscar, the wizard conjuring this dream meal, is sure to be found advising guests on what to eat or else quietly smiling at the many compliments given by grateful patrons. You can also graze the fantastic collection of the whiskeys and wines.
Taj Residency, 41/3 MG Rd.
080/6660-4444.
www.tajhotels.com
. An average 3-course meal is Rs 2,000—Rs 3,500 with wine and dessert. All credit cards. Daily 12:30–3pm and 7pm–midnight.
i-t.ALIAITALIAN/INTERNATIONAL Rated the best Italian restaurant in Bengaluru by the
Times Food Guide
and Restaurant of the Year by
Taste & Travel Food Guide,
i-t.ALIA is led by the celebrated Mandaar Sukhtankar. The menu may have items that are a mouthful to pronounce, but once you taste them, you will be left speechless. Flavor enjoys top priority here, but for the maestros in the kitchen, creative presentation is equally important. Three kinds of mushrooms, each cooked differently, makes a fabulous starter followed by the hand cut spaghetti with grilled lobster and crab meat or the scallop, anchovy, and late harvest wine risotto. Make sure you have enough space for one of the best desserts in the country—the delicious
Ficchi al forno—specialita dello chef
(baked fresh figs).
The Park.hotel, 14/7 M.G. Rd.080/2559-4666.
www.theparkhotels.com
. An average 3- to 4-course meal is Rs 2,000—Rs.3,000 with wine and dessert. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily noon–2:45pm and 7–11:45pm.
KaravalliSOUTH INDIAN This indoor-outdoor restaurant has been wowing guests and winning awards for more than a decade now. Sit in the open-air courtyard under the huge canopy of a rain tree on wrought-iron garden chairs, or inside, in what resembles a Mangalorean home, with high ceilings, antique furniture, and walls adorned with old seafarer maps and a grandfather clock. For seafood lovers, Karavalli is a godsend, with Goan baby lobster, Mangalorean black pomfret, and pearlspot caught off the shores of Cochin in Kerala. The west coast also provides fresh
bekti,
shrimp, prawns, scampi, squid, sear, sole, and ladyfish, while the varying cuisines of India’s southern coastal regions provide inspiration for dishes originally found in home kitchens. Chef Narain Thimmiah drums up sensational starters like the Chevod Balchao and Coorg fried chicken; if you’ve any room left for the main course, try the Alleppey fish curry or the Karavalli mutton curry with
appams
(savory rice-batter pancakes) and wash it all down with plenty of
rasam
(excellent drink for digestion, flavored with tamarind and pepper).
Taj Gateway Hotel, 66 Residency Rd.080/6660-4545.
www.tajhotels.com
. Main courses Rs 1,500–Rs 2,000; lunch thali Rs 750–Rs 950. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 12:30–3pm and 7:30–11:30pm.
Koshy’s Restaurant and the Jewel Box
INDIAN/CONTINENTAL Easily the most popular eating and meeting place on M.G. Road, this 50-year-old restaurant has changed little over the years. Food is varied, but it’s more or less beside the point; you come here for the energetic buzz. It’s a favorite gathering spot and has a distinct local flavor, attracting the coffeehouse intellectual and budding artist alike. You won’t be bothered at all if you prefer to linger endlessly over a beer (Rs 100) and your book. Those who would rather steer clear of the action can sit in the quieter, but rather bland, air-conditioned section, the Jewel Box.
39 St. Mark’s Rd.080/2221-3793
or -5030. Average meal Rs 350. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 11:30–3:30pm and 7:30–11pm.
Mavalli Tiffin Rooms (MTR)
SOUTH INDIAN VEGETARIAN Possibly
the
essential Bengaluru eating experience, this is an excellent spot to sample the chaos of a traditional “tiffin” room, where scores of locals rush in for the Indian version of fast food, served since 1924 with attitude and gusto from shiny silver buckets by notoriously surly waiters in white. If you’re here during lunch, order a thali and eat with your fingers from a silver tray onto which various authentic South Indian concoctions are heaped and continuously replenished. You can also try the lighter fare, especially the
Bisi Bele Bath,
made out of rice, lentils, tamarind, chilies, ground spices, coconut, and vegetables and, last but not least, topped with calorie-intensive ghee. You sit in rather indecorous surroundings (the current venue was built in 1949 and hasn’t changed at all in over 40 years) on brown plastic chairs at marble-top tables with orange steel legs; grab a table upstairs.
Tip:
Adjacent, the
MTR Store
sells a wide range of South Indian treats and delicacies, including popular sweets (like
badam halwa
and
ladu
) and ready-to-eat savories.