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.

Quench your thirst at Bandra

On the Reclamation food trail, we checked out Quench and actually my friend was aldready a fan. at the end of the evening, I was a convert too. Friendly service, nice retro music, good food and interesting beer themed graffiti on the walls. and snakes and ladders on the tables.

Ordered a paneer steak with Paprika Sauce and since I am not a beer drinker, the Quench Mocktail. Both were really good. It can get a little crowded and I would imagine weekends are packed. Must check out this place again soon...

A little bit of Paris at Chez Moi

Loving the response to the blog and that folks are reccoing restaurants I should try and review. A couple of days back, heard great reccos for a restaurant a stone's throw from my house and if I had a giant catapult, I could possibly be launched there from my window:-). But I dont and my window has grills, so got there the conventional way walking.

Chez Moi is one of the 5 or 6 restaurants which is makin the Candies lane at Reclamation a food hub to rival Pali Naka / Carter Road / KFC lanea. The good news is most of the food places are casual dining and hence VFM. I had noticed Chez Moi for a while but the exterior didnt impress. The interior though does and actually tries for a french cafe vibe with art to complement.

Had an interesting drink there Basil Lemongrass Mojitos (virgin) as they serve only wine and then a plate of assorted Tapas. The drink was very good but I guess Lemongrass being a bit sour is an acquired taste. The Tapas were a mix of good to fair. I didnt really like the fig flavour.

Their Menu is actually presented in the first few pages of a lifestyle magazine that made for quite an interesting touch. Even the bill is presented in a cigar case.

Though mid week, it was reasonably crowded and people kept pouring in. Their service could do better though as they forgot about my main course order. We decided not to order again as we wanted to check out Quench also in the same lane.

Dipping delight: Delicious Dessert at San Churros

Having eaten Delicious Churros (a donut like cylindrical spanish / mexican dessert) a couple of times at Amusement Parks in California, I was really excited late last year to discover Sanchoz served it on their menu. http://alllaboutfood.blogspot.com/2011/03/viva-la-mexicana-at-sanchoz.html#links

I absolutely love it made hot off the oven / though some folks deep fry it too, dust it with sugar & serve it with white or brown liquid chocolate dip. Thats how its served up at San Churros on Waterfield Road, Bandra and its absolutely delicious.

They call themselves a Chocolatier and serve sandwiches coffees and a few other desserts. But as you can see from the name, they specialise in Churros. There are diff serving sizes depending on whether its an individual or a sharing dessert. I absolutely love it having been there twice - pre and post lent:-) I didnt really enjoy their coffees or sandwich. So recco you drop in either post a meal or at tea time.

Their service isnt the greatest and you may need to remind them about what you ordered. They goofed twice - brought me brown chocolate instead of white and grilled my sandwich when I wanted it plain.

One of my fave discoveries of the year. Go down Waterfield and its opp Red Box. Easy to find, nice ambience, enjoy!

Share your experience here if you like....

Loving the Thalipeeth at Swati Snacks

Tucked away at Tardeo is an unpretentious restaurant which is a must visit for any Foodie - Swati Snacks. I have been going there for about 8 years or more and it has never disappointed. Be prepared to wait at lunch or dinner but not usually more than half an hour and the wait helps build the anticipation and the appetite:-)

I went there yesterday with two of my friends as they wanted to try something other than Italian food and everyone loved it. I ordered my favourite Thalipeet and Pitla with the delicious green chutney & green chillis. I also ordered a green mango panna drink.

Excellent service, fresh food and value for money.  What more can you ask for? For me, I wait eagerly for Swati to cross over to Bandra and set up a restaurant there. Is anyone listening:-)

Have a taste of Tote on the Turf

This evening after the sundown party at Aer, we decided to try out Tote on the Turf for dinner. Loved the white ambience with candles on every table. Quite a nice place for a romantic meal.

They are generous with the bread basket and served it first with butter and then on us asking brought olive oil & parmesan cheese and then again on prompting balsamic vinegar and another round of breads.

I ordered a Morel Fettucine which came with wild mushrooms, brown fettucine, garlic etc. Quite delicious and great service.

Thanks to the Citibank card, we managed a 15% discount on our bill though it is a pricy place.

It takes just a little lemon to make delicious Lemon Rice

Had a surprise visit from my folks with some delicious Kadu Manga (fresh green mango pickle) and of course I had to have some at lunch. Decided to whip up some Lemon Rice for lunch. Its a very easy dish to prepare and takes less than 20 mins (do u see a pattern here in what I choose to cook:-)). I had just come back from a couple of hours of pampering at the spa and didnt want too much prep time.

The ingredients are:
Onions 1. Finely chopped
Ginger: 2 inch piece finely chopped
Tadka / seasoning: Rai (Mustard) and then Ulva and Urad dal
Whole dry red chilli - 4 or 5 torn into 2 pieces
Lemon juice  - I substituted with Lemoneez as didnt have any lemon
Turmeric: 1 tsp


Take a little oil in a kadai and sputter the rai. Once its sputtered, add the ulva and urad dal. Add the Onions and Ginger and saute till onions turn pink. add the whole red chilli torn up. Add the turmeric and lemon juice and saute. Add the freshly made rice into this masala and stir well.

Eat it hot with curds and pickle. Very cooling for the summer.