Shubho Bijoya!

Last year roundabout this time we gave a couple of posts and labelled them as Durga Puja and Diwali specials. This time however, there was no such post fitting the occasion. But history does repeat itself and we had the privilege of visiting The Marriott, Whitefield and this time for their Bengali Food Festival.

So, this post is dedicated to all the Bengali people in the house and in general for everyone in love with Bengali Cuisine.

Their caption is exceptionally catchy and it goes by: There is a little bit of Bengal in “Bengaluru”.

This festival is taking place at the open air dining space at The M Café.

The setup is quite nostalgic for people like us who have migrated to other cities for their jobs. It was a heart-warming gesture from their side. Enough with the sentiments: we can always catch a flight and go back home so here comes a short and sweet version of what this festival has to offer.

If you are not familiar with Bengali cuisine, then just have faith and eat whatever you feel is good and you will not be disappointed.

Goa!

Now that’s a word that is guaranteed to grab the attention of any individual in our country, irrespective of age. Goa is known not only as a great vacation spot with family and for hanging out with friends but also for Goan cuisine which includes unique and different food preparations. (And also for their beaches and cheap alcohol!)

There are other noteworthy facts about Goa but since we will concentrate on Goan food specifically, let’s keep it to that. We have recently been to the Goan Food Festival Preview at the JW Marriott Hotel, Bangalore and we got a taste of what Goan home cooking tastes like.

As it was a preview, not all the dishes were served and the actual buffet would contain many more preparations. The JW Marriott is trying to give a twist to the way things are normally done by allowing a renowned home chef from Goa, Chef Sinnatra to take over the reputed JW Kitchen and give all their customers a true taste of Goan food.

So, coming down to what we tried:

As mentioned before, we are not big fans of Pizza. However, we consider it our duty to let you know about new and great places to dig in! Our latest visit was to the newest Pizza joint in Bangalore which goes by the name: Ministry of Pizza (Harry Potter fans: not Ministry of Magic).

It is located in Koramangala 5^th block right where the restaurant Mr. Bojangles used to be. They have comfortable interiors with the best variety and taste of music we have come across. They have indoor as well as covered outdoor seating arrangements with a pizza customization area where you can watch your pizza being made!

All that said, let us take you through what this new and amazing place has to offer. We have created a video for you guys as well so do check it out. (Please do like, comment and subscribe)

They have a fairly short menu consisting of appetizers, salads, baked pastas, pizzas, desserts and something called freak shakes.

We tried a few varieties of pizza, Bacon Wrapped Prawns, Fried Mozzarella and Chicken Lasagne, Roasted Beetroot and Goat Cheese salad and three of their desserts.

A shout out loud to all the pizza lovers out there!

We are normally accustomed to eating pizzas at big chains like Dominos and Pizza Hut but more often than not, we are not satisfied with the experience. Except for a few special and expensive pizzas, the normal ones do not have adequate toppings and even the bread is dry in most cases.

Rising to such occasions, pizza joints like California Pizza Kitchen provide unique offerings which stick to your palate. That’s not all: the quality of cheese, quantity of toppings and the concepts make sure that their customers have an unparalleled pizza experience.

In the same line, we have recently been to California Pizza Kitchen in Indiranagar, Bangalore for trying out their new concept of Pizza Trails. They are currently showcasing pizzas from 8 different countries like Hungary, Japan, US, India, Italy etc. and these beauties are hand crafted by their chefs. Not only the pizzas but they have certain mocktails and cocktails too!

This was the first time we visited their Indiranagar outlet and it was quite spacious. They have 2 floors of seating arrangements and have proper lighting. Now coming down to what they have in store:

They have exactly 8 different pizzas from different parts of the world. Some were decent, some could have been better and some were outright exceptional.

The pizzas were: Pizza Rustica, Teriyaki Pizza, Indian Delight, Fiesta Pizza, Shawarma Pizza, Hungarian Meat Ball Pizza, Fish and Chips Pizza and the Ultimate Feast Pizza.

The last 4 pizzas were honestly brilliant and belong to the must try category!

We have made a short video for easy interpretation and visuals. Please do check out our youtube channel in the process as well. (Don’t forget to like, subscribe and comment too)

The Hungarian meatball pizza was the best of the lot. It tasted different with chunks of cooked and juicy chicken throughout. It had parmesan cheese and the combination was excellent. Apart from these the normal roasted peppers/mushrooms etc. were present in these pizza varieties.

Another noticeable factor about the pizzas served here is the crust. It is thin, soft and has a light crunch to it—perfection!

If you are a meat lover then do not forget to try the US ultimate feast pizza which has loads of meat and cheese. It had sausages, pork pepperoni and mushrooms in abundance and you are guaranteed to find something in each bite.

The fish and chips pizza from the UK was different and tasted decent. There was a predominance of mustard in this which did not suit our palate but it is definitely a must try as it is unique and the fried chunks of fish are perfect. This pizza is served with fries on top/alongside.

The shawarma pizza was just like having a chicken shawarma. The flavours were brilliantly executed.

The Indian delight pizza was a thick crusted pizza with cheese, onions, paneer and an Indian gravy touch similar to the butter paneer. It tasted very different from what we normally have.

If you love to take your taste buds on an adventure: please do try the Japanese Teriyaki pizza. There was a predominance of soya with cherry tomatoes, but the combination tasted great with the cheese.

The rest were not so impressive and pretty ordinary.

So that’s all from our side regarding the Pizza trails experience. We tried a couple of mocktails as well and the ones worth trying are the Grapefruit Fresca and the Peach Julep. The others were not impressive.

These special pizzas are available till the 15^th of October, so not much time left ;)

If you guys visit, do try out the ones we mentioned and let us know how you feel!

We’ll be back soon with another one of our adventures.

Till then—do check out our video and bon apetit!