Toast to Mona Lisa at Da Vinci

Da Vinci at Pali Naka has been a firm favourite for me thru two restaurant locations, a few menu changes and I think management changes too. Last night, I went there for dinner after quite a while, possibly for the first time since I started my food blog. This place has great Italian food (pastas, pizzas, mains)

The menu had undergone yet another change. and the service always good, had gone up a notch. We had a friendly waiter Arjun who made reccomendations, was welcoming about us coming there after a while etc. I do love it when waiters can recommend and have a point of view instead of saying everything is good.

I ordered a Californication (on Arjun's recco) to drink which was a Vodka based cocktail with Plum & Peach flavours. Nice but a bit strong. I like my drink a little mild.

We had a portion of Garlic Bread as a starter as we were going Clubbing after and didnt want a very heavy meal. My main course was a Grilled Cottage Cheese Steak which was delicious but perhaps the salad should have been served on the side.

We skipped dessert but they do a killer blueberry cheesecake. A couple of years ago, I had celebrated my bday here and they served us all complimentary champagne:-). The little touches that keep you coming back! I take a lot of my friends there and my friend Manisha had her first taste of Goat cheese there (she really liked it).  & what's a Da Vinci without a Mona Lisa (they have the print of the famous painting on the wall when you enter)

Californication

Grilled Cottage Cheese Steak

Italia calls at Toscano

Sunday lunch saw us back at UB City for an Italian meal at Toscano. I had been here in November and loved it so it was very much on my food list. Toscano is an outdoor indoor restaurant with a nice dark wood and black and white pics ambience. But it isnt a great choice in sweltering May for lunch and believe me Bangalore is also sweltering in May.

My drink was a delicious non alcoholic grape sangria.

I ordered a Penne Gorgonzola pasta- Blue cheese, radicchio, cracked pepper, and parsley with my usuals of mushrooms, jalapenos and sundried tomatoes which was super delicious. Their complimentary bread basket comes with a herbed butter and a chilli dip. I think my fave accompaniment is still Olive Oil & Balsamic vinegar though.


The dessert was a beautifully presented creamy Tiramisu. Dont miss the mango & strawberry syrup eyes. Lovely food presentation for most dishes. I think this is a firm favourite and will hopefully be on my list every time I am in Bangalore.

A toss of the trunk to Rogue Elephant for the great food

I am in Bangalore this weekend spending time with my bro, sis in law and their dog. Along with spending time with them, am also checking out some of Bangalore's nice food places. My first discovery was a cute Italian  restaurant called The Rogue Elephant: The Terrace Bistro. Located on the first floor, this open air place serves starters, salads, pastas and has a wine menu.

Friendly service from waiters who can actually make reccomendations, delicious food and a pleasing ambience makes this place a sure fire spot on a foodie's trail. We ordered Sun Kissed Ice Tea (They let the tea brew in the sun), Innocent Mojito (delicious and minus the alcohol) & a Barman's special to drink and each was quite delicious.

Our starters were Mushrooms Burgundy Style, delicious, mildly flavoured and presented with 4 toasted triangles. My bro ordered the Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese & Dill  which he says is delicious and the Fig Salad (a firm favourite for the two of them).

My main course was Pasta A La Rogue, mushrooms & sundried tomatoes in a tomato based vodka sauce. They didnt have any Jalapenos though which the staff pronounced with a J. My bro and sis in law ordered a Hummus and Pita Veg platter.

The staff continued to check on every dish to see if we enjoyed it, asked us if we needed drink top ups and see to our comfort thru the meal. Nice as in many restaurants, you lose your waiter once your order is served. and when I told them I want to blog about it, they took down my blog url.

We went to the Koramangala branch but there are a couple of others. Do check it out on your next visit.

Food. Delicious Food..... at Out of the Blue

Today I has an absolutely delicious lunch with a friend at Out of the Blue. (Union Park, Khar). For those of you who haven't been to this old favourite, its an indoor & outdoor Italian restaurant serving pastas, sizzlers, fondues & salads and starters. When the weather is conducive, opt to sit outside. At night, its candle lit and has a pretty romantic atmosphere. They have huge fans and mist sprays to keep things cool. Most times I have been there, there is live music and some entertainment. Today there was live music, an astrologer and a candy floss stall plus a clothes exhibition.

We ordered Virgin Mojitos (delicious) & I ended up having two of them over the course of lunch. We started with a vegetarian Ceaser salad which was delicious with crunchy pesto croutons, nice fresh lettuce, olives etc. My main course was my all time favourite pasta, Creamy Pesto Pasta. Its a house special at Out of the Blue and I have had it many times and its always been delicious. I had my usual add ons - mushrooms, jalapenos and sun dried tomatoes. Best of all, there are two sizes of servings basis your appetite and I had the small today. For Dessert, I had the (free) candy floss.

Highly recommended for Sunday brunch as you can sit and chat for hours. Also great for dinner with friends or even a romantic tete a tete.

Would love your feedback on your Out of the Blue Experience